Aubergine or eggplant will be blooming this fall and winter season.
“This may have something to do with the royal wedding earlier in the year as well as the winter Olympics in London. Purples have always been associated with royalty and are considered a very prestigious color,” says Jeané Shurtliff, a design associate at La Maison Interiors, 15450 N. Scottsdale Road.
La Maison co-founders Alan K. Reinken and Davinder Chawla are celebrating the first anniversary of their full-service design showroom this month.
“When used in home interiors, purples will help to relax and calm your senses and are often used in bedrooms for this reason,” Jeané says. On the other hand, “If you would like to have a pop of purple in a room, just add it through pillows or accessories or, if you dare, you can also paint an accent wall.” Other trendy colors to look for are tangerine and deep to turquoise blues.
Don’t be afraid of color: Jump in! Color can lift you and calm you at the same time. And, after all, it’s only paint and can be changed as quickly as it was applied, she says.
Grey is the new neutral: Jeané has been working with new grey for three-plus years — and today’s version is not ‘80’s grey and mauve. “With the new greys, think of walking on the beach and picking up a piece of driftwood and seeing how the sun reflects the soft dark greys with light browns and taupe,” she says. “Greys mix beautifully with browns, which is perfect because most of the cabinetry in our kitchens and wood pieces are in brown tones.”
She recommends: Start the transition into a neutral grey palette through upholstery. “Today, there is a wonderful selection of fabrics which have several different shades of greys, ranging from soft to dark, and most of them will have taupes and brown weaved through in order to correlate with your existing wood pieces.” But, she underscores: Too much neutral becomes mundane, so don’t forget purples, tangerines or blues sprinkled somewhere in the room.
You don’t have to change furnishings to change the spirit of a room. Just buy some paint, a good roller and paint brush. Inexpensively, you can paint an accent a wall or an entire room. “This will not only update the look of your room but you might be surprised how it will uplift your mood as well, and it only takes a few hours,” she says. And, if you don’t want to paint the room, you can always paint or buy a piece of furniture with an inspiring color.
If you want to transition from textured and faux-finished walls to today’s sleek and clean-colored walls, try simple flat or metallic paints or textured or patterned wallpaper.
The key to the ultimate wall? Understand the style you want. “If you want your environment to represent a place of relaxation, stick with soft or solid bright paint colors,” she says. “If you want a stimulating environment, go for a wallpaper that keeps your eye moving around and complements the furnishing with color and pattern.”
Hollywood glam? “Then have fun with metallic gold or silvers paint and/or wallpaper color.”
At La Maison, Jeané works with clients to find an object or memory that color inspires: a painting handed down for generations, a postcard from a previously traveled location, a bouquet of flowers and even a beautiful designed dress or blouse.
“Whatever your inspiration is, La Maison we will work together to create your personal space, whether it’s through upholstery, wood pieces, accessories or by painting a few walls,” Jeané says. “We are dedicated to making sure your home is the one place you can go to for whatever inspires you!”
As always, when you think home, think La Maison.
La Maison Interiors, www.lamaisonaz.com, 480.948.1144
