Color your life

Gan

After much agonizing (see my previous post on Black and white)... I am going back to Africa! Mozambique  and Botswana, absolutely not a wise decision, but travel is the essence of my life and I need much resourcing before  facing the next steps...

The antithesis of black and white is color in all its transmutations, forms, shapes, texture. Thanks to my very design and color driven clients who expect me to push the envelope, I have been working with colors and textiles. Reaching out to textiles designers in Senegal, Morocco, Laos, Bhutan, Italy, France
.... my last weeks have been infused with colors, so welcome during these past dreary, depressing days.

I fell in LOVE! love of colors, love of the fabulous designers behind some of the pieces that I hope to place in my current projects.

All pics from Gan an Paola Lenti

Enjoy a bright day,

A Bientôt,

Francine

If you would like me to create your personal and ideal home, contact me about our Interior Design Services

Color inspirations

Summer is a slow time in New York, which leaves me a little freedom to work on our fall new designs, materials, colors, etc....  I just recently had dinner with a Benjamin Moore creative executive, and with wine helping us, we had so many laughs and at the end of dinner we realized that we actually sat 3 hours at the table! A good thing I  train it into town.

We talked about life, travel, opera, wine food and colors. It is so interesting to compare how one operates from a corporate environment compared to my approach of operating purely on my gut and fancy.

Days later, as I was going through powder coated finishes that we presented to a client, my eyes stopped on one color... I knew it! This is it! I became totally absorbed by this color, ran around the showroom in search of similar tones, found the perfect shag carpet sample from our Limited Edition Collection and the ultimate complimentary color in a pair of scissors. Inspiration cannot be planned, learned, scheduled or even called up on demand, it has more the character of a leap of faith.

I carry usually an Iphone or a small camera and just take snapshots of anything that speaks to me, especially colors. When traveling, my eyes are constantly roaming and scanning the scene.

I gravitate towards natural tones, greys, dark browns, soothing non aggressive colors which are reflected in my recent design works. It only took a dark, cold, brutal winter and a winter escape to the warm seas, et voila!

Will unveil my fall color story soon..

A bientot, Francine

Maisons et Objets: Trends part 2

Shelter was a current theme in many displays and  installations....seeking the ultimate refuge, anxiety about a very uncertain future, the demands of a virtual, global world, make us look for our very own cocoon. We need to create an environment in which we can let go of our defenses, be ourselves, invite our family and friends, treasure private times.

We can create such an environment through color, textures, nature, soft designs. We need to explore outside the standard and expected vignettes. Let's bring in the old and mix it with the new....experiment, be daring, after all this is your life, with its ups and down...build your cocoon, your refuge.

This is what I would label as conceptual design....

I saw many different types of individual cabins, this being modeled after a gypsy's camper

A modern version of the mobile cabin

Wish I were  kid!!

I noticed a strong trend towards rich colors, daring palette of purples, reds, lime green with the occasional bright white, a touch of silver and gold

I have carried these merino wool throws in my showroom...my fall color choices

Will be ordering the collection of beautifully handmade Italian ceramics by a young artist

Paola Navone, again this fall on display (soon in my showroom interieurs)

I ordered these bronze tables

loved the contrast of the japanese screen with the funky white cactus ceramics

Loved these plates designed by Paola Navone for Richard Ginori...very tempted to place an order

I met this artist and loved her work. I commissioned a series of sphere sculpture, including this piece

More to follow on outdoor furniture trends...my apologies for the rather poor quality of these images, but it is strictly forbidden to take photographs at the shows...I was yelled at quite a few times and pretended not to understand french...thanks for the I Phone, I was able to captures a few pics...