Cool wall art on a budget

Joy Overstreet, interior design, vancouver wa, portland or, color consulting, feng shuiGot a big blank wall that cries out for something interesting on it?  Unfortunately your wallet can only afford an 8×10 photo from your summer vacation.

One way to fill the space in an artistic way is to make something big out of some smaller pieces – for example photos mounted in a discarded window frame.

All sorts of smaller objects can be massed together to make a bigger statement. The key is to have them close enough together that they appear to be a single statement, rather than an unfocused random assortment of little things. Even a collection of antique sewing notions in a plain frame can make an interesting display.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can also string up similar objects – like your collection of tennis rackets, guitars, or Chinese fans.

Other inexpensive possibilities include hanging a family quilt or old rug that is too precious to use as originally intended. Or a favorite drawing made by by your child.

Perhaps you have a handsome piece of fabric like they’re selling these days at Ikea. Check out Textile Arts – they offer stretchers for framing it. They also sell their own cool fabric off the bolt as well as already framed.  (Great shower curtain possibilities too.)

And finally, if you’ve got a really big space, like behind a long couch, you can “rasterize” a photograph. (The higher def the photo the better the results…). Upload your photo to one of several websites and specify how many panels you want it to become and they’ll create a files for you to print, panel by panel on standard sized paper. It’s up to you to mount and arrange them… The Rasterbator is one such program. Have fun!

 

 

 

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Finding color inspiration

Benjamin Moore "Baby Turtle"

A big mistake some home-owners make when doing their own decorating is choosing colors for their walls based on colors they like (“I look great in magenta!”) rather than colors that they will enjoy living with over time.

I remember working with an interior designer decades ago who suggested I paint my living room a color that was a cross between elephant gray and khaki, probably the color most guaranteed to make me look near-death. (Baby Turtle approximates the color but it was a little grayer.) I balked big time, but he insisted we at least try it and see how it felt after a few days of living with it. Well, it was sensational. It warmed up the  room and made our art and furniture look equally sensational. Lesson learned.

The second big mistake is choosing a random assortment of colors from room to room, without tying them together so the house feels coherent.

I prefer to find a piece of art (or rug or furniture) from which I can pull a pleasing palette.  Then we can use the colors in various combinations in each room, some big (walls, sectionals), and some small (pillows, lamps, vases, draperies, art, etc).


I found these two platters at a small gallery in North Portland a dozen years ago when I was in the middle of a major remodel. I was admiring the colors and design when another gallery visitor went up to get a closer look. She was wearing a periwinkle blue blouse, and inspiration struck. I would buy the platters, paint that kitchen wall periwinkle blue with black and white tile trim. The laundry room beyond would be the chartreusey green from the chardonney bottle and the dining room next door would be the burgundy from the other bottle.

The guest bath would be the pumpkin color of the accents and my office would be a version of the warm yellow. It was (if I say so myself) a stunning success.

When I moved, the platters came too, and now sit on a chartreuse wall and opposite an orangey-red wall with charcoal tile trim and next to a dark periwinkle wall in the dining room. That works beautifully too.

(Colors in these photos do not accurately reflect the subtle blue of the wall or the soft greens in the platters.)

You can see all sorts of evocative photos that inspired color palettes at the website Design-Seeds (see below for a couple of them) – and of course you can always contact me.

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When good color goes bad…

You know I love color. And I’m not afraid of wild and crazy color combinations.

But…

There is a place for wild and crazy combinations and there is a place for restraint. A high-pressure office where many creative and high tech types must produce a daily stream of print and online information is a place for restraint.

My spy in Southern California sent me these pictures of the new office space into which the above company is moving next week. The employees are horrified.

Here’s the employee hangout space:

And here’s how you enter the space from the elevators (my spy called this “womb chic”):

 

 

 

What kind of first impression does this give the visitor to this space? Bring on the Pepto-Bismol!

Finally, in these corner outer offices you can choose a space with red wall and magenta carpet, or (woo-hoo!) magenta wall and red carpet. How to decide???

 

 

Quite apart from the total impracticality of bright solid color carpets and couches, what do you think? Could you work here?

 

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Setting an intention for your home: sankulpa

Joy Overstreet, feng shui, vancouver wa,

The New Yorker takes today’s topic over the top, but let’s explore it anyway.

When you’re having a friend over for dinner, you clean off the table, put out fresh table settings (perhaps special “company” napkins or plates?), arrange a small bouquet for the center of the table and light some candles.

By these simple acts you have said to your friend, “I welcome you. I value you.” By these simple acts you have set an intention – that the upcoming dinner will make you both feel loved.

Taking such care to set the scene brings consciousness to an activity you may ordinarily do with little thought. Your intention or “sankulpa” (intention in Sanskrit) makes your creation special.

What would your home feel like if you treated yourself like a valued guest – with the conscious intention to make each room a welcoming space for whatever will unfold there?

Take your bedroom, for example. Do you not deserve a warm welcome at the end of a long day?  If you enter your house through the garage, does it set an affirming tone for your return home?

You may have to do some significant decluttering so that your intention is able to shine through!

Sankulpa and yoga: At the beginning of my yoga class, the teacher always asks us to set a sankulpa for the class.  Where do I want to focus my loving awareness? On my breath? On my balance? On treating myself kindly regardless of how long I can hold a Warrior 2?

Off the mat, what is my sankulpa for a difficult phone call I need to make? What is my sankulpa for a stressful work day ahead?

Sankulpa and feng shui: One reason feng shui is such a powerful practice is that it brings intentionality into every corner of the home (or workplace or landscape). A space that consciously reflects the intention of its resident(s) is a space that feels authentic and comfortable. Don’t you deserve such a space?

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Chinese Garden: the pleasures of the path

Joy Overstreet, Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland OR, feng shui consultantA few days ago a friend and I visited the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland. It was one of our (not frequent enough) “artist’s dates”. Taking an hour or two out of your usual busy life to immerse yourself in beauty (plants, art, flowers, architecture, craft materials, whatever) – the “artist’s date” – was one of Julia Cameron’s contributions to my life many years ago in her best-seller, The Artist’s Way. 

Because the hardscape of the Chinese Garden has been so carefully designed and artfully constructed, you can go there in the dead of winter and still find plenty to appreciate. Actually many of the trees and shrubs were beautiful too, but that’s not the focus of this post.

The garden is a place where philosophers and students would come to think about important questions. This entailed much contemplative strolling. And where else would a deep thinker look, but down at his feet as he thought his deep thoughts?

I counted nine different path patterns on Friday. There were probably more. As you look over these different mossy paths, consider where you might enhance your own garden with a path worthy of a contemplative stroll.

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New Year’s Resolution: Simplify My Mind

joy overstreet, color consulting, feng shui, vancouver WA, Portland ORI’ve been preaching the “simplify your stuff” mantra for the past decade. I’m not alone; these days you can scarcely pick up a shelter magazine without at least one article on simplifying or organizing your stuff. (Real Simple purports to devote the whole magazine to the subject – however the astute reader will instantly see that the articles are mere placeholders for advertisements for more Stuff.)

The good news is that some of us have actually made a concerted effort to simplify and de-clutter our homes. Yay us.

So why do we still feel overwhelmed? OK – why do I still feel overwhelmed?

It’s because my mind is still cluttered. My computer, which was once a tool to help me become a better and more productive writer, has become a gateway to an ever-expanding universe of information, social connection, and entertainment. And every day I get sucked through the gate (fall down the rabbit-hole?) into that addictive world.

*I check my email. I follow my friends’ adventures on Facebook. I scan the NY TImes. I read a couple of blogs. I make a phone call. Lather, Rinse, Repeat from *.   Then it’s dinner time.

Meanwhile I’ve learned that North Korea is mourning the loss of its tyrannical leader, that Republican candidate X is surging/falling back in the Iowa polls, that Benjamin Moore’s 2012 color of the year (Wyclif Blue) is very different from Pantone’s (Tangerine Tango). I’ve learned that my friend Lee is enjoying a break in Hawaii, that Judy (who is a friend of a friend of a friend) likes a YouTube video of an African Frog (it was funny), and that business acquaintance Robert must be running out of fresh inspirational quotes because he’s begun to repeat himself.

Wahoo!  I’ve joined the ranks of the average American, who now spends more than 8 hours a day on the computer. At the end of the day I’m just pissed off at myself.

Is this furthering any of my nobler plans? No, no and NO! A book is not getting written, home and garden projects lie waiting, and most important, physical face-to-face in-person connections are not being made…   But… FWIW butt cheeks are getting widened.

Pico Iyer, a travel writer for the NY Times, recently wrote a column on the “Joy of Quiet” (which I take to mean the freedom from distraction):

The urgency of slowing down — to find the time and space to think — is nothing new, of course, and wiser souls have always reminded us that the more attention we pay to the moment, the less time and energy we have to place it in some larger context. “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries,” the French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in the 17th century, “and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries.” He also famously remarked that all of man’s problems come from his inability to sit quietly in a room alone.

Disconnecting from the Internet for several hours every day would be an excellent start for me, even if my work requires me to sit at the computer. I’m gonna work on this. I’ll call it the Minimimalist Mind.

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Place art outside your window to expand a joyful space

Joy Overstreet, color consultant, paint consultant, interior designer, Vancouver WA, Portland OR, feng shuiWhen I moved into my “new” old house 20 months ago, the back yard was a neglected wasteland. The view from my office window was ugly – the “lawn” was a mass of sprouting aspen roots trying to become a forest.

It took a backhoe to dig them out. The view improved with the creation of an easy-care gravel patio and shrub border, plus planting  an arborvitae hedge to hide a dreary fence. Still pretty zen.

Brainstorm: create a trellis that would host a colorful clematis in summer and shimmer with colored glass in the winter.  My friend Jennifer and her husband Dave at Cobalt Designworks (OMG, do they make gorgeous things out of metal!) would make the trellis but I’d have to supply the glass…

Joy Overstreet, color consultant, feng shui, Vancouver WA, Portland OR
Time for an artist’s date at another friend’s fused glass studio. With Jane’s guidance, my quilter friend Judi and I assembled 15 glass squares. (All my artsy friends’ names begin with J…).

We brought the finished squares to Jennifer’s, then she, Judi and I arranged and re-arranged them on the trellis grid till we agreed to leave well enough alone.

Dave came out this morning to install. My cat Bama had to inspect and declares it good. I am thrilled – if it looks this good on a dreary day, think how great it will look when the sun streams through it!

Here’s the full process in pictures: 

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Pantone declares “Color of the Year” 2012…

joy overstreet, color consultant, paint consultant, vancouver wa, portland or, interior designTangerine Tango is this year’s must-have color.!

Pantone, originally a maker of printer’s inks, some time ago branched out into all things color – and every year they announce to the world the direction color will be taking – in fashion, branding, interior design, you name it.

Look for this reddish orange in fashion, lipstick, nail polish and even eye shadow (!). And in interiors they suggest:

“Energize interior spaces with Tangerine Tango patterned home accessories. Pillows, bedspreads and tabletop accessories in this high-impact hue add spice to any room. Or incorporate Tangerine Tango appliances and personal electronics for an unexpected pop of color. Looking for an inexpensive way to perk up your home? Paint a wall in Tangerine Tango for a dynamic burst of energy in the kitchen, entryway or hallway.”

joy overstreet, color consultant, Vancouver WA, Portland OR, paint, interior design

Wouldn’t you secretly love to be this daring? But if you’re not, you can just add towels:

(Thanks to Vanessa Bruner at Houzz.com for the interior shots!)

Or maybe you’re just beginning to think about bringing on 2011′s color of the year: Honeysuckle? It’s definitely a cheery hue.

“Honeysuckle emboldens us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. A dynamic reddish pink, it lifts our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”

Joy Overstreet, color consultant, Vancouver WA, Portland OR, paintOr possibly you’re just noticing that you missed out on 2010′s color of the year: Turquoise. It’s never too late.

“Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.”

Here’s a way to mix Tangerine Tango and Turquoise in one space:

Finally, in these dark times perhaps we should instead return to 2009 when Mimosa was the color of the year:

In a time of economic uncertainty and political change, optimism is paramount and no other color expresses hope and reassurance more than yellow. ”The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation.”

Clearly Pantone believes that color is a very powerful mood lifter. What kind of mood would you like to create in your home in the coming year? If you’d like expert help in choosing the best palette, give me a call.

 

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Feng Shui Funnies

I’ve collected quite a stash of NYorker cartoons over the years. Laughter beats back the chill every time… here are a few for today.

Joy Overstreet, color consultant, feng shui, down-sizing, decluttering, Vancouver WA, Portland OR

Joy Overstreet, feng shui, color consultant, repurposing, Vancouver WA, Portland OR

Joy Overstreet, feng shui, repurposing, color consultant, interior design, Vancouver WA, Portland ORJoy Overstreet, feng shui, decluttering, down-sizing, Portland OR, Vancouver WA

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Paint your rooms with a color palette from art or nature

Joy Overstreet, color consultant, feng shui, Vancouver WA, Portland OR

Five colors extracted from view out my window

One logical place to start when choosing a color palette for your home is the world of nature. Above are some possible colors that give an autumnal feeling. I’m not suggesting you have to paint your wall orange (well, I might…) but that it would be an important color to use in a pillow or lampshade, or pumpkin decoration.

Here’s a wintry landscape – totally different feel:

Joy Overstreet, color consultant, Vancouver WA, feng shui, paint colors

Chilly scene of a river in winter

Think of how gorgeous this picture would look on a taupe wall (rightmost color) over a mantel painted the off-white color next to it. A gray blue blanket over the back of a dark charcoal couch…

Joy Overstreet, color consultant, feng shui, Vancouver WA, Portland OR

Five possible color choices from a Cezanne still life

Or let’s say Cezanne is your favorite artist. You want to pull a palette from this famous still life. So many to choose from! If five colors aren’t enough for you, here are dozens more.

Joy Overstreet, paint palette, color consultant, Vancouver WA, Portland OR

Finally, how about some artistic whimsy with very different palette possibilities? If you’d like to showcase your favorite art or season, give me a call! Have palettes, can pull.
Joy Overstreet color consultant, Vancouver WA Portland OR, paint palette

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