The Estate of Things

A purple library in a Colonial home in Saco, ME.  This house was built in the 1700s.

image via NY Times

I like to hear about the Pantone Color choice for the year and this year and the blogs were aflutter. Everyone seems happy to learn that 2010 is the year of Turquoise. I’m with ya. Gotta imagine this chic was ecstatic. Oh, she’s in LA. So am I!

My friends and family can tell you that I’ve got sufficient turquoise in my life, but its still pretty hard not to pick turquoise things up and hold them to my chest. It beckons me.

So, to celebrate 2010 and this heavily anticipated announcement. I’ll be thinking about turquoise with gray. Like this.

What are you thinking about pairing Turquoise with?

Know when to say when.

 Know when to order a double.

Am I wrong here? I mean I love yellow and white just as much as the next person but sometimes I’ve had enough.  That sometime is now.

Image #1 photography by John Granen, Image #2 photography by Richard Leo Johnson

This interior has quite the customized storage, floor to ceiling bins that frame an entryway. As if the sheer size of the bins wasn’t enough, let’s make sure people never miss them and paint stripes on them.

The freedom of never needing a dresser.

Image from Sunset

Skona Hem

Domino

Michelle Adams bedroom, previsouly posted about here

NC bungalow, owners Ann & Charles Nicholson, Country Living

Country Living

Martha Stewart Living

Bedroom of Sara Ruffin Costello, Domino

Better Homes & Gardens

Martha Stewart Living

Jenna Lyons nursery, Domino

How about a painted, glossy pool blue floor in your kitchen.  Is that enough aqua blue lovin’ for you? Wow thats delicious.

Image via Windsor Smith

I really enjoyed Sarah’s post about the Pink Phoebe Howard room. It had me thinking about Pink and considering what my ultimate feelings are towards this color. As usual, I can’t quite grasp how I feel about our relationship and so now I’m on a journey of discovery. Each room pink will beg the question, do you love me!?

We will start with this one.

This image caught my eye at a mere 30×30 pixel thumbnail on a website where Bromeliad had pinged our DIY napkin pillow post… (Thanks Brom). And it spit me out here on this Abigail Ahern website. That’s the journey of how we met.

It was a pretty instantaneous intrigue. I am drawn to glossy painted furniture like birds are drawn to shiny things. And I’m really thinking that this uber pink on top of the charcoal gray will fit into my idea of what pretty is. So, if this pink were a boy in the subway, I’d maybe have a little fantasy about our life together.

But ultimately, I think we’d break up. He’s too bold for me, too sophisticated, to shiny. Maybe I couldn’t really be myself around him.

What do you think about this pink?

Bunny Williams’ contribution to the Kips Bay Decorator Show House did a lot for me in the way of inspiration.

Just when I started to have second thoughts about the turquoise and green color scheme in my living room these images appeared a couple of months ago. I just needed a little jump start.

Bunny Williams, Kips Bay House

This room has gotten tons of acclaim from the design industry but interestingly enough I read a post on a blog called Colour me Happy which didn’t totally agree with the color choices in Williams’ design. Colour me happy thought that the clean turquoise combined with the other “muddy” colors was a bad choice.  Your thoughts on Bunny’s room.

Stephen Gambrel

I realized after seeing these rooms that the green & blue combo with neutrals mixed in was still very much alive.  I also realized that honey gold tones and wood tones were a pretty decent accent to throw on top. Like maybe this pillow for instance…

Jayson Home & Garden

I just can’t embrace the whole pink thing.

You will probably say but everyone who knows anything about design thinks pink is fabulous when its applied the right way of course.  There have been some rooms that were pink that I thought were midly appealing but they usually have a strong bohemian quality like this one for instance, remember it from Domino?

But this?

I also posted this image for Kristin, to remind her of what the desk next to the bed concept is all about. Now Kristin I know what you are going to say about this room but please overlook the palpable femininity here and focus.

design by Phoebe Howard

The sweetest of blues, that perfect hue with a hint of green, can be so clean like all of those fresh white rooms in Sweden.  Maybe thats why that watery blue is so perfect for bathrooms but I’m pretty sure it can freshen up any room in the house. Here’s the nudge, paint it blue.

Scott Engler via Design Sponge

Jill Roberson’s sneak peak via Design Sponge

Image via Martha Stewart

I don’t remember where I got this image, I’ve had it for a while but in addition to that the beautiful blue wall tile, the floor tile is… dynomite!

Designer Monique Lhullier’s Bedroom

One of my all time favorite rooms from Domino

Can I stop showing you this image… probably not

Image via Martha Stewart

From Domino

Image via Martha Stewart

From Domino

Photo by Max Kim Bee, Domino