{image by Lis Parsons courtesy of nigella.com}
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I practically fell out of my chair when I saw this photo -- the composition of saturated colors in this salad, paired with the wood of the bowl and that fantastic deep teal is so amazing and completely inspiring. I bet the salad doesn't taste half bad too. ;)
One of the lovely looks from the Jenny Yoo 2009 Collection.
It's a super chilly day here, reminding me how far away spring still is (we haven't even hit winter yet!). But I've got several invitation projects underway for spring brides right now, which are bringing many warm thoughts into my cold studio.
One of our spring brides is working with an interesting color palette - a muted aqua paired with a mustardy yellow. It's proving to be a lovely combination for an invitation suite.
It reminds me of this photo, which I find very lovely and inspirational-
{credit: Twig Hutchinson via The City Sage}
Last year at the Brimfield Antique Show, one of my favorite finds was this antique bracelet. It was such a unique piece, with such an intricate, delicate pattern - like metal lace - that I couldn't resist buying it even thought I wear bracelets very infrequently.
A client I'm working with for 2009 requested that we base the design of her wedding invitations on the antique brooch she will be wearing with her wedding gown. Her request reminded me of my bracelet. After admiring it once again, I was inspired to create an invitation design with a similar look.
I chose a pink accent for the charcoal and gray in the invitation because I've had a hard time getting these pretty glasses out of my mind, so they played an inspirational role in this design as well.
{fleur-de-lys glasses from anthropologie.com}
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Overall, I think grays and soft pink are a seasonless, elegant combination for a wedding, and a nice update to the palette of pink and brown, which seems to have finally reached a saturation point in popularity.
This invitation design, with coordinating enclosures, will be part of our spring 2009 semi-custom letterpress collection, available in January.
I love the colors in this photo from the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living. What better way to welcome in the "pumpkin month" than with a beautiful rainbow of gourds. :)
One resource I frequent for gathering inspiration is the collection of vintage magazine images offered for sale by Conde Nast. The Vogue covers, illustrations and photographs are charmingly beautiful and often very colorful, and I love that they are snapshots of fashion through the decades.
One of my very favorite Vogue covers is this one, from 1918 -
{Illustration by George Wolfe Plank for Vogue via the Conde Nast Store}
That dusty turquoise (which you all know is a favorite color of mine) with the pops of bold orange balanced by neutrals (beige, black, champagne) is a perfect color palette. And no one can deny that this image is glamorous. An image from 90 years ago (!!) is still very relevant today, and this would be a really lovely inspiration for a wedding.
Here's an invitation designed with this in mind -
Every season, I am hard-pressed to find a single piece by Paul Smith that I don't love. I am still smitten with this outfit from the spring/summer collection -
And now there are all sorts of treats available for fall. A few favorites...
I especially like the charcoal, cobalt, and warm red used in two of those outfits. And the contrast of that adorable deep purple dress against the camel-colored sofa.
{all photos courtesy of paulsmith.co.uk}
For some reason, I have a hard time liking lavender (or other light/pale purple shades) these days. Maybe it's because I loved all shades of purple as a child and requested a light purple painted room to grow up in and now I suffer from lavender burn-out. Or maybe it's because it washes me out, so I can't wear the color in clothing. Or maybe it's because I just hadn't yet seen it paired with colors that truly makes it look lovely. I think the heat was turned up under my lukewarm feelings for the color when I recently saw this room by Andrew Suvalsky.
While the room itself is a bit over-the-top for my personal taste, the color palette of this room is (in my humble opinion) stunning. I love the lavender as an accent to those shades of warm gold and champagne. I think this color palette would be beautiful for a wedding, particularly one in the spring or early summer. Using lavender as the accent color instead of the main focus really makes it feel elegant instead of princessy.
Here are a few other pretty things in this palette -
{photo credit: Stephen Ludwig Photography via theknot.com}
{via Martha Stewart Weddings}
{earrings via Baffona on etsy}
And here is an invitation design inspired by these photos and color palette --
Lavender is actually one of Pantone's Top 10 colors for spring 2009, so this palette would not only be perfect for that season, but it would be officially "in style" as well. :)
Today is the first official day of fall, and yet I've got spring on the brain...
Pantone creates a list of projected "in" colors for fashion and home for each upcoming season (usually coinciding with New York Fashion Week) and I've just had a look at their selections for Spring 2009, released earlier this month.
{via pantone.com}
My personal favorites are Lucite Green, Dark Citron, and Slate Gray. Our premier semi-custom design portfolio (launching January 5 for the Spring/Summer 2009 season!) will feature several of the Top 10 colors. Take a peek at Pantone's full color report, featuring relevant designers for each color. Enjoy!
{via fille_de_photo on flickr}
Dahlias are my favorite flower. I love how they are full and bold and come in variety of rich hues and fun shapes. I also love that they are a flower of late summer/early fall, which - I think I may have mentioned a few times here - is my favorite time of year. When I was living in New York City, it was always a highlight of the season to walk past all of the flower shops and corner markets with buckets of dahlias on display along the sidewalk. And, of course, dahlias make me nostalgic for my wedding, in which they played a prominant decorative role. :)
It's a bit dreary around these parts today, so to welcome in the weekend, here are a few beautiful images of my favorite flowers in action.
{via allie bruch on flickr}
{via Saipua}
{via Big Sur Wedding}
{via lemonlight}
And an extra special thank you to Cassandra from coco+kelley for mentioning Smashing Cards in her blog this week!
