• ABOUT ME
  • Published articles
    • CANADIAN HOME and COUNTRY MAGAZINE
      • Close quarters
      • Fresh-faced Christmas
      • Home and Country magazine bio
      • The house that dared
    • NATIONAL POST
      • A room of their own
      • Barbecuing takes flight
      • Fill your place with comfort and beauty
      • Lighting: the ultimate design tool
      • Modern becomes eclectic
      • Sitting pretty: retro rave
      • Tables that glitter and glow
      • The new look of outdoor decor
      • What do all these objects have in common?
    • TORONTO LIFE MAGAZINE
      • Designing minds
      • Home is where the art is
      • Industrial strength
      • The visionary
      • Third floor walkup
      • West intentions

canadianoriginals

~ a celebration of creativity

canadianoriginals

Category Archives: decorating from nature

Colour inspiration outside your window

21 Tuesday Jun 2011

Posted by canadianoriginals in cottages, decorating from nature

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Benjamin Moore paints, Farrow and Ball

One of the things I love most about life in Canada is our four seasons.  Winter drags on, but when the warm weather arrives we truly appreciate it. Today is the first day of summer and it has me thinking about fresh clean colours.

I took this photo while kayaking at the cottage. The simple reeds appear to be dancing on the lake. I love how the water changes colour with the weather. It can range from an intense blue to gray  — just before a storm.

Blue is a tricky colour to get right in an interior. I’m drawn to Farrow and Ball blues as they’re always spot on. I love Cook’s Blue paired with a lot of white, Lulworth Blue in a softer setting and Parma Gray, almost anywhere. The best Benjamin Moore blues are usually called grays. I love Wickham Gray and Stonington Gray. Woodlawn Blue is another winner, but many of the BM blues are just too strong for me.

The more it rains, the greener the moss gets. You can see how beautiful a hit of green would look in a room with soft gray walls. Consider trying Farrow and Ball Pavillion Gray, Cornforth White and Lamp Room Gray.

I’ve used Benjamin Moore Terrapin Green to paint the inside of some glass cabinets in my kitchen. It looks fantastic at night when the cabinets are lit up. If it’s too intense for you, BM Brookside Moss is also beautiful.

This time of year it’s all about green. That doesn’t mean you need green walls or furniture. Maybe it’s just a beautiful vase or a tranquil piece of art.

 I’ve paired some photos I took in Rome with simple green accessories. It’s a colour I never tire of.

Painting from Art Interiors.

I can always find a place for this tall green vase.

I picked these flowers and thought they looked so lovely against a chair I painted Farrow and Ball’s Plummet. This gorgeous shade of purple would be beautiful in a striking print fabric. Imagine an intense purple pattern on a throw cushion or an interesting occasional chair.

This orange poppy looks and feels like tissue paper. It magically appeared one day in my garden — a nice surprise. The colour reminds me of one of Farrow and Ball’s most popular new shades – Charlotte’s Locks.  You don’t need much of this in a room  – perhaps a highlight wall or a niche.

The Trillium (Ontario’s provincial flower!) sprouts up in cottage country every spring. To me, this flower is simple perfection.  For a pure white paint colour, consider Farrow and Ball’s All White or Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White.

The next time you go for a walk, take a closer look at the world around you and think about how you can incorporate nature into your home. It helps you zero in on the colours you love and what makes you feel happy. Enjoy!

All photos by canadianoriginals.

Advertisements

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Recent Posts

  • IDS12 and a belated Happy New Year
  • 5 reasons why you need plants in your home
  • Merry Christmas!
  • Go ahead – create a gallery wall
  • How do museum curators pick the perfect wall colour?
  • What’s Martha Sturdy doing in Tokyo?
  • I like these stripes
  • Finding art in the attic – check out my article in The Toronto Star
  • 10 things you should know about Tom Thomson
  • For people who love trees
  • Kirstin Bojanowski’s striking abstract art
  • Wendy Tancock’s cool Canadiana
  • MADE’s fresh and original lighting finds
  • Martha Sturdy’s cottage — it’s all about the view
  • Start with the art
  • Is this house too small for you?
  • Could you live in a glass studio on the lake?
  • The best of classic Canadian cottage design
  • The simple appeal of leaf illustrations
  • Charles Pachter’s iconic Canadian art
  • Colour inspiration outside your window
  • A farmhouse cottage you have to see
  • Our cottage kitchen facelift
  • Blackbird Vintage Finds opens in the Distillery District
  • Anne Barkley’s intuitive abstract art
  • Mellow yellow
  • Priceless art in the style of Jackson Pollock
  • Nailhead trim – yes or no?
  • The simplicity of white
  • Acrylic shadow boxes showcase contemporary ceramics
  • Mosaicworks – handmade mirrors that will move you
  • Stamp art – easy and chic
  • Friday Five – fresh finds – April 15th
  • Noella Noel’s layered abstract paintings
  • Friday Five – design finds for kids – April 8th
  • Philippe and Anne Pallafray’s one-of-a-kind furniture designs
  • Kimberley Seldon hits a home run with Dabble
  • Turquoise inspiration
  • Friday Five – designs finds – March 25
  • Lynn Jackson’s knitted wire sculptures
  • Are you inspired by graffiti and street art?
  • Black and white done right
  • Soon Cho’s ingenious designs from everyday materials
  • The Carroll Street Woodworkers – creating visual texture
  • Armine Tatosian’s sophisticated small space
  • Alanna Cavanagh – clever design with a retro vibe
  • Christian Woo’s soulful and simple furniture
  • Virginia Johnson’s exuberant textile designs
  • Hambly and Woolley – living an artful life
  • Felicia Norris Bartlett’s serene landscapes
  • Can a log stool be rustic and chic?
  • The iconic appeal of birch trees
  • Michelle Morelan’s Schematic Life
  • IDS 11 – some colourful highlights
  • Silva – Making custom furniture that fits
  • Amanda Nisbet’s Canadian roots
  • The opulent art of Michael Adamson
  • Chic and natural Loyal Loot Collective
  • Fearless and original Martha Sturdy
  • Ceramik B. is simple perfection
  • Back to basics with Sarah Richardson
  • Recycled wood becomes abstract art
  • Alisha Marie Boyd – inspired by colour
  • Merry Christmas
  • Eco chic fresh textiles

Hot Topics

Abstract painting Alanna Cavanagh Artist Anne Barkley Artist Michael Adamson A Schematic Life Canadian abstract art Canadian art Canadian painter Ceramics contemporary art cottages Heather Campbell Textiles IDS 11 Illustration Interior Design Interior Designer Sarah Richardson Interior Design Show Michelle Morelan Design Richard Brightling Art Sculpture

Pages

  • ABOUT ME
  • Published articles
    • CANADIAN HOME and COUNTRY MAGAZINE
      • Close quarters
      • Fresh-faced Christmas
      • Home and Country magazine bio
      • The house that dared
    • NATIONAL POST
      • A room of their own
      • Barbecuing takes flight
      • Fill your place with comfort and beauty
      • Lighting: the ultimate design tool
      • Modern becomes eclectic
      • Sitting pretty: retro rave
      • Tables that glitter and glow
      • The new look of outdoor decor
      • What do all these objects have in common?
    • TORONTO LIFE MAGAZINE
      • Designing minds
      • Home is where the art is
      • Industrial strength
      • The visionary
      • Third floor walkup
      • West intentions

Top Posts & Pages

  • IDS12 and a belated Happy New Year

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Blogroll

  • Remodelista

Blogs I Like

  • A Perfect Gray
  • A Schematic Life
  • Apartment Therapy
  • daily imprint
  • Design Sponge
  • Desire to inspire
  • Donna Hay
  • for the love of a house
  • French Essence
  • Goop
  • Griege
  • Habitually Chic
  • Hotel chic
  • Patricia Gray Interior Design
  • pr chatter
  • Pret a voyager
  • Slim Paley
  • Style files
  • Sweet Paul
  • The Design Files
  • The Sartorialist
  • The Style Saloniste
  • Tricia Foley
  • Velvet and Linen
  • Vicente Wolf Blog
Advertisements

Recent Posts

  • IDS12 and a belated Happy New Year
  • 5 reasons why you need plants in your home
  • Merry Christmas!
  • Go ahead – create a gallery wall
  • How do museum curators pick the perfect wall colour?

Cdn. design finds

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • IDS12 and a belated Happy New Year
  • 5 reasons why you need plants in your home
  • Merry Christmas!
  • Go ahead – create a gallery wall
  • How do museum curators pick the perfect wall colour?
  • What’s Martha Sturdy doing in Tokyo?
  • I like these stripes
  • Finding art in the attic – check out my article in The Toronto Star
  • 10 things you should know about Tom Thomson
  • For people who love trees
  • Kirstin Bojanowski’s striking abstract art
  • Wendy Tancock’s cool Canadiana
  • MADE’s fresh and original lighting finds
  • Martha Sturdy’s cottage — it’s all about the view
  • Start with the art
  • Is this house too small for you?
  • Could you live in a glass studio on the lake?
  • The best of classic Canadian cottage design
  • The simple appeal of leaf illustrations
  • Charles Pachter’s iconic Canadian art
  • Colour inspiration outside your window
  • A farmhouse cottage you have to see
  • Our cottage kitchen facelift
  • Blackbird Vintage Finds opens in the Distillery District
  • Anne Barkley’s intuitive abstract art
  • Mellow yellow
  • Priceless art in the style of Jackson Pollock
  • Nailhead trim – yes or no?
  • The simplicity of white
  • Acrylic shadow boxes showcase contemporary ceramics
  • Mosaicworks – handmade mirrors that will move you
  • Stamp art – easy and chic
  • Friday Five – fresh finds – April 15th
  • Noella Noel’s layered abstract paintings
  • Friday Five – design finds for kids – April 8th
  • Philippe and Anne Pallafray’s one-of-a-kind furniture designs
  • Kimberley Seldon hits a home run with Dabble
  • Turquoise inspiration
  • Friday Five – designs finds – March 25
  • Lynn Jackson’s knitted wire sculptures
  • Are you inspired by graffiti and street art?
  • Black and white done right
  • Soon Cho’s ingenious designs from everyday materials
  • The Carroll Street Woodworkers – creating visual texture
  • Armine Tatosian’s sophisticated small space
  • Alanna Cavanagh – clever design with a retro vibe
  • Christian Woo’s soulful and simple furniture
  • Virginia Johnson’s exuberant textile designs
  • Hambly and Woolley – living an artful life
  • Felicia Norris Bartlett’s serene landscapes
  • Can a log stool be rustic and chic?
  • The iconic appeal of birch trees
  • Michelle Morelan’s Schematic Life
  • IDS 11 – some colourful highlights
  • Silva – Making custom furniture that fits
  • Amanda Nisbet’s Canadian roots
  • The opulent art of Michael Adamson
  • Chic and natural Loyal Loot Collective
  • Fearless and original Martha Sturdy
  • Ceramik B. is simple perfection

Blogroll

  • Remodelista

Blogs I Like

  • A Perfect Gray
  • A Schematic Life
  • Apartment Therapy
  • daily imprint
  • Design Sponge
  • Desire to inspire
  • Donna Hay
  • for the love of a house
  • French Essence
  • Goop
  • Griege
  • Habitually Chic
  • Hotel chic
  • Patricia Gray Interior Design
  • pr chatter
  • Pret a voyager
  • Slim Paley
  • Style files
  • Sweet Paul
  • The Design Files
  • The Sartorialist
  • The Style Saloniste
  • Tricia Foley
  • Velvet and Linen
  • Vicente Wolf Blog

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Categories

  • 1930's Canadian commercial art
  • A Schematic Life
  • Abstract painting
  • Alanna Cavanagh
  • Alisha Marie Boyd
  • Amanda Nisbet Design
  • Architect Frank Gehry
  • architects gh3
  • Art Gallery of Ontario gift store
  • Artisan Jessie Hirt
  • Artisans
  • Artist Amy Friend
  • Artist Anne Barkley
  • Artist Bobbie Burgers
  • Artist Chari Cohen
  • Artist Charles Pachter
  • Artist Christine Flynn
  • Artist Felicia Norris Bartlett
  • Artist France Goneau
  • Artist Guido Molinari
  • Artist Isabelle Trudel-Benoit
  • Artist Karen Johnston
  • Artist Kay Plante
  • Artist Kim Atlin
  • Artist Kirstin Bojanowski
  • Artist Lynn Jackson
  • Artist Michael Adamson
  • artist Murray Duncan
  • Artist Nasco Pelev
  • Artist Nina Sampaleanu
  • Artist Noella Noel
  • Artist Ray Cattell
  • Artist Richard Brightling
  • Artist Tom Thomson
  • Artist Vince de Vita
  • Artist/Designer Martha Sturdy
  • Artist/illustrator Alanna Cavanagh
  • Artist/Sculptor Martha Sturdy
  • AT Design
  • Black and white interiors
  • Blackbird vintage finds
  • Canadian abstract art
  • Canadian art
  • Canadian painter
  • Canadian stamp art
  • Ceramics
  • Christian Woo Woodwork & Design
  • contemporary art
  • Cottage Life magazine
  • cottages
  • Dabble magazine
  • decorating from nature
  • Eco-friendly textiles
  • Elte Carpet and Home
  • Farmhouse cottage
  • Food and Travel
  • Freshly Printed textiles
  • gallery walls
  • graffiti art
  • Graphic Design
  • Guggenheim paint collection
  • Hambly and Woolley
  • Hardware Interiors
  • HBC Point Blankets
  • Heather Campbell Textiles
  • Hudson's Bay company point blankets
  • IDS 11
  • IDS11
  • Illustration
  • Illustrator Wendy Tancock
  • Industrial design
  • Interior Decorator Armine Tatosian
  • Interior Design
  • Interior Design Show
  • Interior Designer Elle Jungkind
  • Interior Designer Kimberley Seldon
  • Interior Designer Sarah Richardson
  • Jenna Rose
  • keiko
  • Leanne Shapton
  • LIM Furniture Design
  • Lloyd Ralphs Design
  • Log stools
  • Loyal Loot Collective
  • Michelle Morelan Design
  • Modern Canadian lighting
  • Modern furniture
  • Modern industrial furniture
  • Mosaicworks
  • Nailhead detail
  • PA Philippe et Anne Pallafray
  • Painter
  • Patricia Gray Interior Design
  • petite miss fred
  • Printmaking
  • Recycled furniture design
  • red thread design
  • Richard Brightling Art
  • Sculpture
  • Shuyu Lu
  • Silk screening
  • Silva Custom Furniture
  • Small houses
  • Small space decorating
  • Surface design
  • Textile design
  • Textile designer Soon Cho
  • The Carroll Street Woodworkers
  • The Cross in Vancouver
  • tulip+i
  • Turquoise
  • Uncategorized
  • Viki Mansell and Absolutely Inc.
  • Virginia Johnson Textiles
  • White interiors
  • Woodlot

Recent Posts

  • IDS12 and a belated Happy New Year
  • 5 reasons why you need plants in your home
  • Merry Christmas!
  • Go ahead – create a gallery wall
  • How do museum curators pick the perfect wall colour?
  • What’s Martha Sturdy doing in Tokyo?
  • I like these stripes
  • Finding art in the attic – check out my article in The Toronto Star
  • 10 things you should know about Tom Thomson
  • For people who love trees
  • Kirstin Bojanowski’s striking abstract art
  • Wendy Tancock’s cool Canadiana
  • MADE’s fresh and original lighting finds
  • Martha Sturdy’s cottage — it’s all about the view
  • Start with the art
  • Is this house too small for you?
  • Could you live in a glass studio on the lake?
  • The best of classic Canadian cottage design
  • The simple appeal of leaf illustrations
  • Charles Pachter’s iconic Canadian art
  • Colour inspiration outside your window
  • A farmhouse cottage you have to see
  • Our cottage kitchen facelift
  • Blackbird Vintage Finds opens in the Distillery District
  • Anne Barkley’s intuitive abstract art
  • Mellow yellow
  • Priceless art in the style of Jackson Pollock
  • Nailhead trim – yes or no?
  • The simplicity of white
  • Acrylic shadow boxes showcase contemporary ceramics
  • Mosaicworks – handmade mirrors that will move you
  • Stamp art – easy and chic
  • Friday Five – fresh finds – April 15th
  • Noella Noel’s layered abstract paintings
  • Friday Five – design finds for kids – April 8th
  • Philippe and Anne Pallafray’s one-of-a-kind furniture designs
  • Kimberley Seldon hits a home run with Dabble
  • Turquoise inspiration
  • Friday Five – designs finds – March 25
  • Lynn Jackson’s knitted wire sculptures
February 2019
M T W T F S S
« Feb    
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728  

Hot Topics

abstract art Alisha Marie Boyd Amanda Nisbet Design AM Studio Arbutus & Denman art curator Joan Murray Art Interiors Artist Alison Fowler Artist Dagny Bock Artist John Fox Artist Robert Genn artists'collective Artist Tom Thomson Artist Tony Scherman Brian Gluckstein Design Brothers Dressler Canadian custom furniture Canadian House and Home magazine Canadian modern design Canadian resin furniture and accessories Canadian sculpture Canvas Gallery custom furniture Design Inc. Dream Gallery eco-friendly textile design eco-friendly textiles etsy.ca Farrow and Ball Freshly Printed textiles hand-painted silk scarves Harbourfront Craft Studios Heather Campbell Textiles HGTV Canada Holland and Sherry fabric IDS11 Illustration Industrial design interior design Interior Design Show Jeremiah Goodman log tables Mapleseed Gallery Martha Sturdy Inc. Michael Adamson minimalist design Modern Weave carpets Montreal ceramics Moore Gallery natural palette One of a Kind Show Toronto Ontario College of Art and Design graduates Open Country series organic design porcelain ceramics Quadrille fabrics recycled wood renderings Richard Brightling Art Rich Brilliant Willing Ridgelystudioworks Room Service Sarah's Cottage Sarah's House Sarah Richardson Design screenprinted designs Silva Custom Furniture Soba Fine Arts Steven Sabados and Chris Hyndman Studio K Textile design Theo Richardson UrbanCanvasArt.com Urban Electric Co. W.Studio carpets

Top Rated

Blogroll

  • Remodelista

Blogs I Like

  • A Perfect Gray
  • A Schematic Life
  • Apartment Therapy
  • daily imprint
  • Design Sponge
  • Desire to inspire
  • Donna Hay
  • for the love of a house
  • French Essence
  • Goop
  • Griege
  • Habitually Chic
  • Hotel chic
  • Patricia Gray Interior Design
  • pr chatter
  • Pret a voyager
  • Slim Paley
  • Style files
  • Sweet Paul
  • The Design Files
  • The Sartorialist
  • The Style Saloniste
  • Tricia Foley
  • Velvet and Linen
  • Vicente Wolf Blog

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
%d bloggers like this: