Autumn Colours

Some of you may be wondering where I've been.  Well, I took a 6-month hiatus as the demands on my interior design business as well as a trip to France in June left absolutely no time to blog.  But I'm back and with the help of the rest of the Tobi Brockway Interiors team, I plan to provide you with design insights and practical tips on a regular basis.  And you'll also see the occasional photo and story that relates to architecture or design from one of my travel adventures.  

As I see all the fall colours around me, I'm inspired to look at the colour trends that are forecast for the coming year.  Earthy neutrals will remain a staple this year.  And grey continues to be dominant among these neutrals.  I've selected warm greys for 80% of my clients' living rooms in the past 6 months.  Benjamin Moore OC-49 titanium has been a favourite.

 

Bright colours reminiscent of fall foliage, such as citron yellow, tangerine orange and deep fuchsia will provide great accents in any room.  

Additionally, you can expect to see the introduction of brilliant jewel tones into many designs.  Emerald green, honey gold, deep teal, poppy red and varying shades of violet will be used in accent pieces throughout.  

More from New York Interior Design Show

The Diffa (Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS) exhibit was worth the price of admission alone. Last week, I showed a few creative dining rooms. Here are others that are all worth looking at.

I love the whimsy of the pink flamingos in this dining room setting. See how many you can find. (Hint: some are on the table.)


This next one has a touch of Gothic fantasy: check out the blackbirds flying around.


An upscale hunters' cabin in Northern Ontario, perhaps?


I hope you've enjoyed looking at these photos. Have they inspired you to add a few decorative touches to your own dining rooms?

Architectural Digest Interior Design Show Highlights

Last week I attended AD's Interior Design Show in New York City and the highlight for me was the DIFFA (Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS) fundraiser "Dining by Design". There had to be at least 20 dining room settings designed by members of the design industry that were absolutely spectacular. Imaginative, creative, original, some truly mind-boggling. Over the next week, I'll showcase the most interesting roomscapes for you to see for yourselves.

The first dining room used visual effects - a continuous video of underwater ocean scenes on the walls - that created a sensation of being in a dining room in the sunken city of Atlantis.

The underwater scene was completed by the "algae" chandelier and water-like table and chairs with blue table accents.

The most interesting component in the next dining room was the chandelier - made of wine bottles! It brought back memories of candles lit in Mateus wine bottles (you Boomers know what I'm talking about!) but with a modern edge.

Imagine a dinner held on an outdoor terrace with the New York skyline as a backdrop. Well, this room did have murals of the city skyline on each wall and, dropping from the umbrella lights, a cascade of giant glass bubbles filled with foliage. Fabulous!


Thinking about how to put the "Wow" in your dining room? The various elements of walls, light fixture and table top settings can be easily transformed as shown by these examples. More to come.

Coffered Ceilings

In the new custom houses that we've worked on in the past year, I've noticed that high-end builders are installing coffered ceilings in one or more of the rooms. The effect is dramatic and visually stunning. Most of us consider this luxury detail to be luxury-priced. However, there are many ready-made coffered ceilings products on the market today which can add an extra architectural element to your own home. For the do-it-yourselfer, check out Home Depot's step by step instructions. For those considering a home renovation, ask your contractor to price out a coffered ceiling. You may consider the enhanced value to be well worth the price.

Create a Picture Gallery

Do you have family photos or travel photos that you'd like to display? I have developed great-looking, yet practical, picture galleries for my clients using ready-made picture shelves.

In this example, the 3.5" deep shelves have been painted the same colour as the walls. They disappear from view, allowing for the frames to make a statement. The shelves and frames are uniform to create a specific look.

However, the shelves and frames can be varied in size (length and height) and colour in any configuration, depending on the wall space available, the size of pictures to be included and the other colours and finishes in the room.

Save the expense of custom framing and re-framing. These photos can be easily updated and rearranged to reflect what's happening in your life - family additions, your latest trip ... anything you feel you'd like to display.

Another Interior Design Show 2012 Find

So often it's the chandelier over a dining room table that provides the "WOW" in the room. For contemporary residential design, the custom light fixtures that are made by AM Studio, are absolutely exquisite. These designs can be customized by size, colour and shapes so that each one is unique. Here are a few of my favourites:

Interior Design Show 2012

This past weekend, IDS12 was in town and I scoured each aisle on Trade Day to source new and exciting finds. My clients with renovated kitchens and bathrooms know that I love backsplash tiles - they're the easiest and most economical way to add "wow" to your space. Here are a few that are worth noting:

Each if these tiles from Saltillo Tiles is actually rounded, giving a very cool look. For those of you who don't like patterned kitchen backsplashes and prefer a single colour effect, these tiles still provide a "wow". The smooth texture makes them easy to clean, another consideration when selecting tile for the kitchen.

For those of you who like pattern, these tiles from Orro Mosaics would look amazing in a bathroom!

A combination of ceramic, steel and glass in a dazzling contemporary pattern:

For a more traditional bathroom, imagine this backsplash on the wall behind the mirror. Beautiful!

Stay tuned for my other finds.......