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sweet as honeysuckle!

Every year the Pantone colour company pronounces the ‘colour of the year’ and 2011 marks the year of Honeysuckle. An “uplifting” reddish pink that lends a “lively flair” to interiors and a “healthy glow” when worn by men and women. Sounds down right rosy!

In case you didn’t know, Pantone is like an international language of colour. It’s a way to tell someone on the other side of the world, or in an office down the hall, what colour you mean and it’s a standardized system that all disciplines of design use. But lets get back to Honeysuckle…even Louis Armstrong had a thing for it…

Ev’ry honey bee…. fills with jealousy

When they see you out with me

I don’t blame them….goodness knows

Honeysuckle rose

When you’re passin’ by….flowers drop and sigh

And I know the reason why

You’re much sweeter….goodness knows

Honeysuckle rose.

When I’m taking sips…from your tasty lips

Seems the honey fairly drips

You’re confection…..goodness knows

Honeysuckle rose.

Even though I’m not a proponent of yearly trends, I’m proud to say that cobistyle features lots of uplifting reddish pink! Here’s a sneak peak of a drapery panel with a pink silk sash - just the right amount of colour like a great scarf with a classic suit.

And this little grouping of cobistyle pieces shows a perfect honeysuckle cozy throw to liven up neutral upholstery.

Lastly, I love this cobistyle pink velvet tufted bench. What a great piece to put at the end of a bed, in front of a fireplace or in a hallway. Covered in pink it’s like a flower blooming in your room all the time.

And so Honeysuckle it is! Something tells me 2011 is going to be flush with happy decorating.

heart of the home

Tomorrow I’m appearing on the Steven & Chris show and I’ve taped a little piece in my own kitchen. Although it’s been shown before, I thought it was a good place to talk about the whole idea of making a kitchen warm and inviting.

I’m a firm believer that your decorating shouldn’t stop at the door to the kitchen. Although a kitchen has to work harder than other rooms of the house, it should still be as inviting and comfortable as the others. We certainly spend enough time there!

Since my kitchen was first published in House & Home in about 2003, people have written to me with questions and comments. It was published again in Chatelaine last fall. I hadn’t owned the film until now and so I was unable to show it myself. I think the thing that people respond to most is the ‘homey’ quality of the room brought on by the colours; details like the cutouts over the shelves and the chintz curtains; and of course the windows.

Everyone loves the windows…

And the bronze and porcelain light fixtures from France (unfortunately the lady whom I purchased them from is no longer in business but I blogged about them in May 2009 if you want to look back for more info.)

We only had room for a corner banquet in the kitchen. It works quite well for day to day use with kids and smaller meals. I’m now champing at the bit to recover the cushions in my own cobistyle indoor/outdoor fabrics that are launching next month. It will be a serious endurance test for the high-performance fabric.

In fact, our kitchen is one huge endurance test for all the materials and surfaces used there! The cabinetry is already in need of a new coat of paint and the floor could use some work too. I’ve decided to think of it like our dog: One time I took the dog for a checkup at the Vet’s and I apologized for his dirty paws and a few burrs in his coat and she replied, “don’t worry about it, it’s a sign of a happy, active dog!”. When I look at the dings and scratches on the cabinets and wipe off the spaghetti splashes I found on the ceiling the other day (!!) I’ll say to myself - “don’t worry about it, it’s a sign of a happy, active kitchen!”. Spoken like a true professional.

cobistyle comes to town

Well, it’s been a long and winding road, let me tell ya….but this year marks the beginning of a new era for me and if you don’t mind, I’m going to use this space to tell you a bit about the personal side of this journey. First, have a look at the image below - it’s me with all my new ‘schtuff’! I love it and hope you do too.

As many of you know, I’ve been hard at work for the past two years working on my own vision of what I think makes a house a home. What you may not know is those thoughts and ideas, that I’ve written and spoken about so often, quite naturally developed into a concept for a product line - let me tell you why…

So often people would ask me where to get things (or where I got things!) and so often my answers were not helpful - they were from places like Chinatown, flea markets, antique stores, a trip away - everything but mainstream retail. It occurred to me that the worldly and vibrant ‘look’ I love - and I think many others do as well - wasn’t being represented in the local marketplace. And so I went about trying to make the kinds of products you and I love, find their way into our favourite stores.

Well, let me just say - if someone had told me how long and winding that whole process would be - I might not have been quite so ambitious. And so it’s good no one did, right?!

I thought I knew a thing or two about product development from my past career, but I quickly figured out how little I knew and put my head to the grindstone. Two years of sweat and tears later, the products are coming to market this month and next. Currently, they are in four amazing categories - upholstered furniture; decorative accessories; upholstery fabric for indoors and out; and ready-to-wear drapery with coordinated cushions. I’ve partnered with companies that really know their stuff and it’s all completely thrilling to see my ideas and direction come to life in tangible, gorgeous products.

You will see cobistyle products in stores in March and my own website and newsletters will be changing in February to reflect them.

I have many more ideas for my friends homes waiting to be explored - cobistyle bedding is a slam dunk in my mind - but we’ll have to wait and see what’s around the next corner.

For now, I’m loving every minute of seeing my ideas make their way into the retailers and designers hands and eventually into your homes. I feel like the seed I’ve been watering and watching grow tall has finally budded and the flower is unfurling before my very eyes. I know in my mind, I’ve lovingly and personally watered and tended this plant for two long years - and in fact I’ve been “gardening” for over 25 years! - but in my heart it’s still a surprising and wondrous thing to see the final reward. Truly beautiful!

eat, pray, lovin’ my way into the new year

I know I’m a little late getting to the this whole Eat, Pray, Love thing, but with colours like this, you’ll have to forgive me…

I still can’t believe that three people in my life gave me the book (that’s a first) and told me they thought I’d like it, and it took me over a year to finally give it a shot.

In fact, I actually saw the movie first and then read the book (that’s a first too!). But there were so many brilliant lines throughout the movie, I had to read the book to really soak them in (and my nearest and dearest were all right - I did love it).

I only wish they’d cast a lesser known star for the lead - sorry Julia.

But wow! Look at that poster behind her at the launch…gorgeous!

Of course the location settings of the movie were pretty spectacular… Rome (look at that beautiful fence)…

And how about the stunningly crumbling apartment her character rented there…

Then just when we start to get used to that, she’s off to India…

The ancient home of vivid colour…

A wonderful shock to the senses…

Then snap, we’re on to Bali…

Another ancient home, but this one, more subtle and serene…

Still lots and lots of pattern though…

And that exciting feeling of ‘the Bazaar’ where everything just seems to jumble together beautifully without a plan…

The story and it’s settings left me inspired.

As I guess it did with many. I had no idea there were Eat, Pray, Love fragrances on the market…

Or products being sold under the colourful umbrella of the E,P,L look…

Prayer beads are a hot fashion accessory…

As are bracelets of all kinds using E,L,P as a selling hook…

Event planners have used the story as inspiration for party themes…

And of course, corresponding party favours…

Fashion blogs have used it to build stories around…

And sell more bracelets…

Heck, even foodies have written about the colours of Eat, Pray, Love.

You know something has touched a nerve when people see it in all aspects of life - from fashion to fruit.

And so guess I’ve learned two lessons:
One - next time three people give me a book, I’ll read it.
Two - “in Bali before dawn the roosters for miles around announce how freaking cool it is to be roosters. “We are ROOSTERS!” they holler. “We are the only ones who get to be ROOSTERS!” Geez, I loved that darned book!

clean slate

This is how I want my house to look this month.

Open, clean, uncluttered….lots of room for possibilities….Happy New Year!