Mae Brunken Design - LA, Santa Monica and a Moroccan Fantasy

Earlier in the week, I had a post showcasing Mae Brunken's
Hollywood Hills Mediterranean styled home. I would also
like to share some of her work. Her style is rich and homey.
I just love the colors in the living room of this L.A. home that
she designed.

I love this square coffee table and the colorful rug is a
really fantastic anchor and jumping off point for the entire
room.

The kitchen is modern with clean lines
and old school tiles for the flooring.

She blends vintage modern furniture wonderfully in the home.

Talk about earthy, homey with a touch of the exotic. This
is combination that Brunken dreamed up for this Santa
Monica home is killer.

The same theme is in the dining room -
rich and beautiful tones.

This room just makes you want to cozy up
in the bed and read, write and daydream.

I really like how she used small tiles for the
bathroom counter top which is unique.

Last but not least in this post is a Moroccan fantasy home
a client from Scottsdale requested. I'd say Brunken did a
pretty fantastic job. It feels authentic, lived in and luxurious.

Get a load of this fire place with stripes.

All of the arches really reflect classic
Moroccan and Islamic architecture.

This is a really neat built in bed with steps and storage.
What a wonderful use of space for a room with angles.

The dining room is every bit as rich
with tiles, fabrics and patterns.

Inspired?

Photos from Mae Brunken Design

L.A. Set and Interior Designer Mae Brunken's Hollywood Hills Home

Mae Brunken is a fabulous L.A. based set and interior
designer. Her mediterranean style home in the Hollywood
Hills has an extremely gorgeous courtyard as you can see
above.

Here is the facade to her home.

The front door opens up onto a very
impressive atrium with high ceilings.

Mae did something unique with the
ceiling of the atrium by covering it
with a pattern.

The house has been around for a long time and has history.

This is the exact same foyer which
a movie was filmed in 1954.

Here we segue into a spacious dining room.

The luxurious dining are has a
beautiful rug with a golden ceiling.

Here's another angle to the living room.

What a cozy living area. Love the pink and purple accents.

A photo of the entire living room during the day.

And a close up of shelf above her fireplace.
The color scheme on the shelf with the
gold camel is perfect.

The guest bedroom definitely has an old vintage feel to it.

The master bedroom is luxurious with feminine touches
that you can see in the rug and pretty pink lucite bench.

I'd say she put a beautiful array of pillows together
on her window bench in her master bedroom.

Her period bathroom has the original yellow
and black tiles that are obviously well preserved.

Here's Mae Brunken relaxing in her daybed in the
courtyard. I wouldn't mind having a Moroccan
themed courtyard!

So what do you think? There's more to come later
in the week of her portfolio. I really love her use
of color and vintage luxe.

Photos from LA Times and Mae Brunken Design

October 2009 Trip to Tokyo and Hong Kong

Can you tell by this photo alone which country I'm in?
The cuisine of a country can say it all. My trips back
to Hong Kong and Tokyo allow me to visit with friends,
visit old haunts, eat wonderful food and of course...to
shop until I drop.

The first leg of my trip was in Tokyo and I stayed with
two friends. The first friend I stayed with is my friend
Jon whom I've known for a very long time. Originally
from California, he's spent almost 10 years in Japan and
has decided to make it his permanent home.

Jon prefers small neighborhood haunts like this one where
one can go for great food and drinks in the evening. He's
been here so much that he knows the family who owns
the place pretty well.

The others laughed at me when I took this photo but
it's to show how clean they keep the kitchen. The
Japanese are insanely clean people. Believe me, I
have no complaints about that. Years ago, on one
of my first visits to Japan - my friend Jon caught me
taking a photo of his toilet. If you saw the toilet, you
would have taken a photo of it too!

Father and daughter.

Jon and Taki

This is the family the owns the small but warm place.

In the winter, the Japanese eat something called Oden
(pictured above.) It has different ingredients like tofu
and daikon (white radish) that is steeped in broth. My
favorite is the white radish.

Favorite place to shop? Harajuku
and Shinjuku hands down. There's
a reason why Gwen Stefani is obsessed
with this place!

On this trip, I traveled with a friend named Lindsay. Of
course the first place we hit was Harajuku. I had TONS
of bags going home - always a chore when I finally remember
that I have to lug it all home. This was literally our only
nice day out of the entire trip. The rest of the trip was filled
with rain and a typhoon no less. Lindsay was smart enough to
stay home on the day of the typhoon. I ventured out to see an
old friend I hadn't seen in a while and half of the trains were
down.

Because I got a new camera, I was determined to try it out.
Although I wasn't able to take many photos outdoors because
of the weather, we did our best. Here's me in a Harajuku
cafe in the middle of the crowds and the shopping.

Here's Lindsay.

And I particularly love this photo
of her since it was so natural.

A fun photo in the train.

Lindsay had never been to Nikko so I took her on a short
excursion to Nikko. Nikko is a wonderful 2 day/1 night
trip from Tokyo and is about 2.5 hours away. The round
trip train tickets cost about 5200 yen ($50-$60) which
is very reasonable. I always stay at a minshuku called
Rindou no Ie (family run Japanese style inn or their version
of the hostel or bed and breakfast.) It's owned by a wonderful
couple who have been running it for years. Look up Rindou
no Ie if you ever plan to visit Nikko.

Nikko is a national park as well as a Unesco World Heritage
Site which has many shrines including the shrine and grave
of Ieyasu Tokugawa (who was the founder and first Shogun
of the Tokugawa dynasty during the Edo period.) It is an
absolutely gorgeous place to go during the changing colors
of the autumn leaves. The best time to see the leaves in Nikko
are the end of October and the beginning of November.

We paid for dinner at the Minshuku and look at the
feast we got! In traditional Japanese style with little
plates of fish, tofu, pickled vegetables and more.

I thought this was an interesting function on my camera
that I found where you can overlay exposures into one
frame. Funky.

In Hong Kong, we were also hit with rain. I managed
to get some photos in before the rain set in (the rain
often comes and goes quickly.)

I bought a lens to go with my camera (the D300) that has
really great bokeh (the blurriness in the background) which
is really awesome for taking photos of subjects or portraits.
Here's Lindsay in the foreground with a gorgeous bokeh in
the background.

A little earlier in the day (like 20 minutes) where I was
using my wide angled lens which I also love.

It's amazing the angles you can get with a wide framed lens.

Here's a typical street market in Hong Kong.

Always busy busy.

Lindsay totally cracked me up. She had previously lived in HK
for about half a year as an exchange student and had loved an
eggplant dish that she had practically eaten every day when she
was there. Only she didn't know the name to the dish...The two
full days we were in Hong Kong, Lindsay literally ordered every
eggplant dish she could in hopes of finding it. On the very last
night of the entire trip, when it was pouring, I cornered the waiter
and asked him if he had an eggplant dish that had salty fish in it.
Lo and behold, Lindsay finally got to eat her favorite eggplant dish
before we left. Things worked out after all. Being able to converse
in the local language has its perks. Linds chowing down.

Street food is the best!

When I was trying to pack all of my contraband in Japan,
my friend Satoko whom I stayed with most of the time in
Japan helped me pack. I have this habbit of going to the
supermarket for a shopping spree in most countries I go to.
Not only can you find wonderful souvenirs there, but you
can foods you can't easily get home. She thought it was so
funny the stuff I bought that she made me lay it all out and
take a photo of it. So there you have it - magazines, teas,
Japanese wooden slippers, food products, etc.

And This is my dollar shop contraband. That's right, who
else can come out of a dollar store having spent $60. That's
right, that would be me. Cosmetics, bags, portable slippers,
ceramics, eye glass pouches, containers and bottles, pouches
for loose leaf tea...and the list goes on. Believe me when I say
that I identified with the book "Confessions of a Shopaholic."
Did I mention that I came home with 9 pairs of shoes (three
pairs of long boots, 2 booties, 1 pretty chic pair of rain boots,
1 pair of gladiator sandals, 1 pair of lace pumps and my first
pair of purple pumps.) I literally came home with another
suitcase and to weigh both of them to make sure I wasn't
overweight. It's not difficult to exceed 50 lbs!

Where do you like to travel? If you were to go to a place
like Hong Kong or Tokyo - what would you want to do
there? Nature? Hot Springs? Shopping? Culture? Food?
I'm curious.

A Gorgeous Rustic San Franciscan Loft - Ken Fulk Design

I've always thought industrial lofts were very very cool spaces.
This loft in San Francisco has a lot of wood in it giving it a rustic
feel. It is designed by San Franciscan design extraordinaire
Ken Fulk who is the designer of choice to many tech moguls in
San Francisco.

A kitchen complete with a full counter dining space.

The kitchen is outfitted with a very glossy
modern red look. The wooden barstools
soften the space with a natural element.


A second table that can be used as a meeting
or working space that is open to the rest of
the living space.

Here's another look at the table from another angle.

I especially love the look and feel of the sofas and
the coffee table made from reclaimed wood.

The loft has a fantastic view and the sofas look like they
were made to snuggle up in. I imagine that the sofas would
be very comfortable to sleep in as well as they are very deep.

A canopy bed was used in the bedroom.

Crisp white sheets and a clean white duvet
make the bed look modern and inviting.

The guest bedroom off of the main
living space also offers beautiful views.

I certainly wouldn't mind staying in a guest bedroom like this.

Another look at the guest bedroom.

A makeshift bars space with rustic accents.

Isn't the space fun in an eclectic rustic sense?

Would you live in a loft?

Photos from Ken Fulk Design

10 Fabulous Bedrooms - Color and Texture Inspirations

The bedroom is The Sanctuary. The place where you go to
hide from the world...Where you go to relax...read...and rest.
Here are 10 fabulous bedrooms that will hopefully brighten
your day and give you inspiration how you can spice up your
room!

We start with this gorgeous turquoise room. Talk about color,
texture and layers. It's got it all.

I especially love the delicate floral patterns in this room.
Where can I find such a gorgeous duvet cover. Making
two panels and covering them with a gorgeous wallpaper
or fabric makes a great headboard. What's neat is that
the panels are vertical while most headboards are tall
or horizontal. A pair of old and ornate doors would also
make for a gorgeous headboard.

Who says wallpaper is out? It doesn't have to be.

The wallpaper is too busy for my taste. However the color
palette and the room arrangement are spot on. Can't go
wrong with a symmetrical look.

I love how romantic this bedroom feels. It's
got a vintage feel to it in a feminine way.

A close up of the nightstand area.

A tufted duvet cover adds instant luxe and romance.

Here's a clever way to use stencils to frame the
bed. It gives a much needed focus on the wall.

This would be a wonderful guest room.
Gray is so very soothing. I've really come
to love the color Gray.

The butterfly stencils are so fun. This is certainly
a fun and modern bedroom with Zen lines.

I have to admit that my obsession with plaid makes me
Adore the flooring in this room. It really gives the room
some extra pizazz and reminds of Ireland and the UK.

Which bedroom is your favorite? What color and style
is your bedroom? There are so many colors and styles
I love that it's hard for me to choose.

Photos from Ideal Home Magazine

Bathing Culture and Fabulous Bathing Spaces (the Bathroom)

Sorry for the delay... I came home with an atrocious
cough which I've been nursing with Codeine so I can
get a decent night sleep.

In the mean time, I thought I might do a post on
bathrooms since I just came back from visiting Japan
which has a really great bathing culture. Due to the
number of volcanoes that litter up and down the land
of the rising sun, they have thousands of natural hot
springs. To this day, the Japanese are very serious
in their bathing rituals. It is quite the opposite in Hong
Kong or China where the Chinese don't really have such
a bathing culture. In Hong Kong, I'd bet 9 out of 10 pple
either do not have a bathtub -- and if they do, they don't
use it.

One of my favorite past times in Japan is to go to the
country side and seek out an onsen (hot spring.) It's
really not a great idea to find one in the city - it's really
not the same as it's probably not natural and without
the natural scenery, it just isn't the same.

There are so many styles a bathroom and bathtub
can be. In the end, it's all about what soothes you
and what relaxes you.

There are no rules. (What a fabulous view.)

If pink is what suits your fancy, then by all
means - do your bathroom up to be pink.

If you're into darker and something more
masculine, here's a great example.

This bathroom is defined by its crisp
clean lines and streamlined fixtures.

Want a little luxury? You really can't go
wrong with Carrara marble.

This reminds me of a posh 1930s hotel bathroom.
By the way, did you know that the word posh came
from the acronym P.O.S.H.? I'm obsessed with
etyomology. The word POSH stood for Portside
Out Starboard Home. It was for the upper class
when booking tickets aboard a cruise. Taking cruise
from England to India in those days meant that the
cruise ship would not stray far from the sight of land.
In this case, the better view would be the side of the
ship that could view land -- better known as Portside
(Left side on a ship) Out and Starboard (Right side)
Home. Because only the upper class could usually
afford these cabins, the word P.O.S.H. eventually came
to be used as a word to mean rich and luxurious.

The small round faucet gives a feminine
touch to this simple but airy bathroom.

Carrara marble + dark wood finish = POSH

This bathroom has a super tall ceiling. It's
neat how the counter space and faucet is
one continuous piece.

This is definitely a zen moment.

Small doesn't mean it can't be pretty.

And something special for last, I quite like
concrete as a finishing material. I rarely
see a bathtub encasement in concrete. This
is quite nice.

If you could design your bathing area, how
and in what style would you design it in?

Photos from Canadian House & Home

I'm off again ~ to Tokyo and Hong Kong...Images from Nikko and Tsukiji

Well, I'm off again... This time to Tokyo, Nikko and Hong Kong.
I'm making this trip for fun to visit friends, sit in natural hot
springs, eat and shop till I drop. Did I mention that I need to
buy a box of trouser socks in Hong Kong?

My trip is for 13 days with the majority of it spent in Tokyo and
two day one night trip to Nikko where I'm taking a friend. I only
get two full days in Hong Kong -- in hindsight, I should have
scheduled and additional day, oh well. My friends an family are
making fun of me that I'm stopping by Hong Kong just to buy
my blasted socks. Doesn't that sound ridiculous? But it's probably
partly true... About 3 years ago, I moved from Hong Kong back to
California with no less than 7-8 dozen pairs of socks. I now have
only one dozen left. I have no idea where they go. Paul seems to
think I eat socks but I'm convinced there is a black hole in the
dryer...Anyhow, I am bent on buying a LOT of socks in Hong
Kong. How can I help it when socks here are about $3 a pair
and I can get a dozen good trouser socks for $2. It's the Chinese
cheapskate in me - always looking for a bargain :P

These are some photos I took in Nikko Japan in 2006. We
were really lucky in that it was a festival night as they usually
do not light up the shrines at night. Nor do they have beautiful
ladies in full kimono garb out on a rainy night all gathered
together.

Alas, I've seen the weather forecast for the next 10 days in
Tokyo and it's supposed to rain almost every day :( I was
planning to take some beautiful photos with my new camera
too. I suppose they will just need to be rainy photos.

I lived for almost 2 years in Japan. It really is a fascinating
country. If you've ever had the chance to visit, I must
insist that you put Japan on your list of places to experience.

And I say experience -- not just see.

The world's largest fish market is in Tokyo, Japan and it
is called Tsukiji. The market is busiest between 5AM and
6AM. To get there at 5Am, you have to arrange alternative
transportation as the trains in Tokyo do not start until 5AM.
We got up at 3:30AM to get ready and drive there to arrive
at 5AM.

The most fascinating event is the fish auction that occurs
during this time. I'd seen photos of Tsukiji before but
nothing really prepares you for the sight or size of the
tuna that are auctioned every morning. They have tuna
from all over the world. The yellow tags denote where
the fish are from.

Many of the buyers would cut into the tail of the fish to
look at the meat. I suppose it's like knocking a watermelon
at the supermarket to see if it's any good.

The auctioner stood on a crate and started waving
his arms and belting out fish lots and prices. A crowd
of buyers stood in front of him with little signs and flags
to signal whether they were bidding or not. I'd never
seen such incredible hand movement in my life -- the
auctioner literally looked like he was a chicken in the
way he was crouching and flapping his elbows up and
down at his sides. I really wish I had taken a video.

Now once you buy the fish (which are literally thousands
of dollars which might explain the not so cheap cost of sushi),
you are definitely on your own in getting the fish from the
market to where you need it. Look at this man wrestling
to get this giant tuna he won onto a wheel barrow.

This photo might give some perspective to the size of
these tuna. Makes me wonder how they fish and catch
these fish!

The fish can be cut up into smaller chunks. I saw one
seller in a stall take out a sword to cut the fish. Using
a power tool as you see here is not a bad idea...

Other than fish, you'll find seafood of all kinds for
sale. Octopus is another common item in Japanese
food.

I hope I haven't put any of you off with my "fishy"
topic but I will certainly endeavor to bring fun
photos back from my trip.

I'll be back in 2 weeks. In the meantime, I pose
this question to you. Have of you been to Japan or
Hong Kong? Is it a place that you would want to go
or not? What about these places fascinate or repel
you?

Photos from Alkemie (Karen Olivia)

Traditional French Upholstery ~ L'Atelier du Cap Gris-Nez

I posted about Pascale's wonderful workshop
about a year ago. It's definitely time to revisit
the work she's done since then. To recap, Pascale
owns her own upholstery shop in France. She uses
the traditional methods of upholstery and does
absolutely beautiful work. Her workshop is called

L'Atelier du Cap Gris-Nez.

Pascale is here hard at work in her workshop.

The fabric on this chair is simply gorgeous.

This chair looks traditional and a little
run of the mill until you see what is
used as the fabric.

Who would have thought to just use lace
on the back of the chair? This chair
definitely belongs into a sultry boudoir
if I may say so myself. Absolute genius.

Some fun play with polk-a-dots.

Velvet striping, how luxurious.

I especially love the plum tones.

Can't beat antique french furniture.

How gorgeous is that?

This is an old telephone bench. Here's the before photo.

After everything has been stripped off.

Now that it's been painted, the fabric goes on.

What a transformation!

Simply dramatic and gorgeous.

Last but not least, a vivid purple chair.

Hope this gives you some ideas for your
upholstery projects. Aren't Pascale's
creations divine? If you're interested in
more of her work, you can see my original
post from last year here.

Photos from L'atelier du Cap Gris-Nez

David Carter Interior Design of London

Some of you may remember the post I did a couple weeks
ago on the small boutique hotel by David Carter called
40 Winks. I really wanted to showcase a little more of
David's work and not just his boutique hotel and home.

David Carter has very diverse style. As you can see above,
the room looks like it has a lot of age to it. David has a
unique specialty in using paint finishes of all kinds. The
room above genuinely looks old but in fact, it is not.

Here's a closer look at the aged and distressed paint job
in the room to give it patina. Isn't it amazing?

David also has works a lot of traditional styles
that are a little updated by color - without
sacrificing the luxury and old world feel.

I quite like the contrasting striping in this kitchen.
I had to look at this photo twice to realize it was
a kitchen. I thought it had been an office of some
sort at first glance. One thing is for sure, he never
gives up elegance.

This room has a modern feel with the walls
looking like iron. It's quite a cool effect.

I totally want to steel the chair.
The green velvet is absolutely
yummy.

David is very good at blending modern with
the old for an eclectic but unique and
luxurious look. I absolutely adore mirrored
tiles. He layers a large mirror on the mirrored
tiles with an impressive but heavy console
table. The light fixture is just stunning.

If I can ever afford this kind of mosaic
tiling for an entire wall, I would certainly
indulge.

This is what the entire wall looks like. The left is a mirror
version of the right by the way. Makes a cool effect for
the photo. All those golden and glimmering tiles makes my
eyes twinkle just looking at the photo.

What did I say about David being a master of using paint
finishes on walls? Here's another fantastic example. Don't
forget the ceiling!

I heard it through the grape vine...

I really love the huge cellos painted on the walls
of this music room. It's whimsical yet not little
kiddish.

As you can see, David uses very saturated
and vivid colors. I totally fell in love with
this particular hue of blue.

A closer look at the wall murals.
Isn't it just gorgeous?

A totally Crimson room if I've ever seen one.

I hope you enjoyed more of David Carter's
designs and work. What do you think of
his use of paint finishes? Isn't it amazing
what you can do with just paints and a brush?
A cool paint job can totally transform a room,
make it look decades old or make flat walls
look like it's got architectural details.


Photos from David Carter Interior Design

Glorious Plaid and the Scottish Tartan - Clan Pride

I am a huge fan of plaid. But it needs to be
the right plaid to suit me...When I think of
plaid, I think of the Scottish tartans and clan
pride since each clan had it's own color and
design. I also think of decor in Scotland and
Ireland where plaid is often used in home and
castle decor (not that I can afford one.)

I really like the room above from the Ralph
Lauren collection because of the walls. The
entire wall is covered in plaid which I've is
quite luxurious. It makes me think of a
library or a gentleman's club.

The use of plaid in this guest bedroom is just
perfect. The plaid perfectly complements the
rustic nature of the room with the gorgeous
ceiling beams and wood floors.

Here plaid covers the table and chairs. You'd
think using red would make you think of
Christmas but it really suits the space to give
it some life.

This is a more feminine plaid design which I adore
because you don't see many plaids in feminine colors.

This is one of the guest bedrooms for one of the past
HGTV dream houses. Covering all of the walls in fabric
is super luxurious and gives the room a really cozy feel.
It's the perfect place to settle in after a day in the snow.

Sometimes you don't need a lot of plaid to make a statement.
In this room, the only thing that is plaid is the bed covering.

These passport covers from Room Service
are a lot of fun.

I don't see a lot of furniture in plaid much less
a chair in a modern design. From Kenneth
Brown Designs.

Now That is a statement if I've seen one!

Alexander McQueen

There is a lot of plaid that is still used in modern wear.

Plaid is a lot of fun and definitely adds character.

Now that is a gorgeous ball gown. I adore
the fabric - the color and pattern are so
pretty.

Tartan: Romancing the Plaid

I own a couple of books about plaid
myself since I like it so much. This
book is a lot of fun with plaid found
in fashion and in the home.

Here's a little peek at the inside of the book.

Tartans by Brian Wilton

This is the other book that is
loads of fun that centers around
plaid and tartans.

If you like plaid or tartan - definitely
check them out. In the meantime,
do you like plaid? Would you use
plaid in any of your decor?


Photos from Ralph Lauren, HGTV, Vivienne Westwood,
Country Living, Kenneth Brown Designs, Room Service,
Country Living UK.

The Crosby Street Hotel in SOHO NYC

Tim and Kit Kemp of London who are celebrated
for their hip and chic hotels in London are now
opening up hotels stateside. Their first project
in SOHO of NYC is due to open later this year.
The 86 room new hotel will be called Crosby
Street Hotel. As customary, their taste and
design is fun, chic and hip.

They are retaining the floor to ceiling
windows in this gorgeous building.

Love the furnishings and the striped dark walls.

Of course all of the modern conveniences are included.

The bathrooms are luxurious with
a very fun neon green stool.

Like their other hotels in London, their hotel
will have different themes in the rooms.

The midcentury inspired lamps are spot on.

The green and chartreuse theme is refreshing.

The suites are well appointed.

And spacious...

A common or lobby area in the hotel.

Here's a closer look at those gorgeous
windows from the outside.

What do you think? Chic hotel or what ^_^

Photos from Crosby Street Hotel

Decorating with Beige & Neutrals

I must admit, that being the color fiend that I am -
I tend not to gravitate towards beige and neutral
tones. I'm usually the girl who's picking out vivid
jewel tones because I can't resist them. But I must
say that there is something to be said about the
peacefulness of a neutral room. I truly love the
rustic room above with the gorgeous wood floors
and trim for the tan colored headboard. It's quite
a beautiful room.

Here is a truly relaxing but beautifully
appointed beige and neutral room. No
color at all but still intriguing just the
same.

Just because you might paint your walls in a
neutral tone doesn't mean you can't accent
with richer colors like this velvety chocolate
brown couch.

The above design by Danielle Mac of Fuse of Ireland
is such a gorgeous guest room that I think one would
be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't want
to stay in a room like this. It has such a relaxing
atmosphere. I could totally nestle in a room like this
and read all day.

If beige is too light for your taste, a golden
caramel can add a little richness to any room.

Beige walls with orange as an
accent - it definitely works.

The red pair of chairs really pop
against this neutral colored room.

This room looks super comfy and lived in.

You don't need to stick to one color for your entire
home. As you can see here - the dining space is
quite a strong brick red and it's adjacent to a living
space that is done up in neutral tones. Neutral tones
are not necessarily for dazzling the eye but it soothes
the eye instead (which is something that everyone
needs as well.)

Beige organic cloth like the sheers above are
gorgeous in so many rooms including this
kitchen.

This is a neat space with a turquoise ceiling
paired with beige walls. It's not jarring to
the eyes but rather a unique combination.

Another gorgeous neutral bedroom!

Neutrals does not simply mean beige or tan.
It could mean any hue of color really that
can serve as a calm backdrop. In this case,
it's a neutral green color that graces the walls
of this living space.

Although the backs of the bookcases are painted in
a rich brown color, the rest of the walls are painted
in a tan color which brings the brown contrast out
of the book cases. The layered effect is sophisticated.

Do you prefer neutrals to sooth, or perhaps
sharp colors to dazzle the eye?

Photos from Domino