Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Traditions in Blue & White
























20 comments:

Pam said...

I've never liked upholstered headboards, but I might make an exception for this one in the pic. Yes, blue and white is lovely; fresh and breezey, very beachy. Probably why I've never thought to do one in my landlocked state. How are you Ms. Fishy???

sparringK9 said...

crisp and refreshing, yet soothing too. that cake takes the cake though. wow. a real thing of beauty. i like it the farmhouse way too....i was thinking of staining the floor in the new studio in blue or green.....

Dani said...

It's a great combo for sure. When we gutted our bathroom we went with a beachy blue and white. Feels so relaxing now when you're in there getting ready.

fishy said...

Pam,
You might be landlocked but do you not live in the land of beautiful big blue skies with white fluffy clouds? One point of logic regarding blue and white rooms, is you cant go wrong because it always is compatible with Mother earth! It does though, work best in rooms with lots of big glass.

Miss Fishy is fine and I have a question for you ..... which zoom-zoom did you get? My current zoom-zoom is getting up there in miles so I am starting to think about replacements.

K9)
Exactly right....STAIN the wood floor don't paint it! If you are going for a vintage, not new construction look, then please consider using a semi-transparent deck stain. Not often used indoors but it works fine, needs a top sealer coat. Also a great trick for aged sort of driftwood or whitewashed looking wood walls too. Are you doing plank interior walls or beadboard or drywall?
Looking forward to the construction pics.

Dani,
Glad you stopped into the Pond today. Good for you, I agree you are on your way for a lovely spa like retreat bath feel with that beachy blue you mentioned.

When we were departing Florida for the Carolinas, I went to my favorite beach every day, at my favorite time of day, to find the best paint match for the color of Sarasota Bay waters and the sand. Once I bought here I had the main rooms of my house painted in the Sarasota Bay color, the sand color in the hallways and lots of glossy white trim. We love this and it truly does comfort me when I am pining for those other waters.

Dani said...

That sounds so pretty Fishy!

h said...

The one you labelled "BWBOYS" is my favorite and not far from what I want the SECRETARIAT TRIBUTE room you're designing for me to look like.

By the way, would that be easier for a room that's 16' by 14' with light beige carpeting or one that 25' by 14' with large beige tiles?
They both have white walls and ceilings. The larger room is open-connected to a space that's 14' by 11'. The smaller room is open-connected to a ghey little "Lady's Make-Up area" about 4' by 4' and door-connected to a tiny bathroom and a huge closet.



They both have good lighting from Windows/Sliders that face the West.

Kymical Reactions said...

I love the one with the splash of green. I've not seen that done! I do love the blue and white with the cheerful splash of yellow. Makes me very happy.

These pictures remind me of my grandma.

xo.

Aunty Belle said...

Do hydrangeas come in cerulean? Lovely. All of it.

fishy said...

Troll,
A Secretariat history room? How awesome. Yep this sporting style will look great. Either room size will work. Tile appeals to me more than carpet as it is more "outdoorsy" . Is the 4x4 ladies vanity area something which can be raised and used as a bar? West sun in Florida can be a challenge. Is there an adjacent outdoor area with a roof out the SGD?

Kym.... jeepers, I hope you like your Granny's and am looking forward to you saying the 3rd from the bottom does not look dated, but classic!

Blue with green, or green with blue is Mermaids preferred color choice....just perfect for a sea creature! She always does a good job with her locations ... she is still in that move every year or so pattern and trust me her first activity is always to paint.

Aunty,
Yes! There is a new hybrid which is amazing. I do love a beautiful Hydrangea. Currently I am drooling over the Oak Leaf Hydrangeas in the catalogs. White, not blue but oh so gorgeous!

Doom said...

Uhm-hu You got me at blue. And the right shades of it. I dream, sometimes, a sort of those shades of blue. I see that type of color in neon in my dreams and it always means life is good again somehow.

But you don't stop there. You go on to show some of the most beautiful pairings and settings within which to highlight the shades in the most elegant of ways. Some of it sends my mind to the notions of baroque, another of my psyche soothing... somethings. I am a poor man, so I will probably not be able to set up my house like that. But I hope to have little places of warmth, and you have certainly given me some ideas. Blue is no more a thing of sadness for me than 7 or 13 are unlucky.

Thanks for the notions!

h said...

Fishy,

Wow, you're sharp. Maybe I should let you do both rooms. Making that 4 by 4 ghey area a bar is the best suggestion I've heard. Yes, there's a 13 by 13
screened area outside the tiled room. Ugly roof that I've been meaning to do something about. Painter's table. Glass shelves with plants. Under-used basically.

I tinted (Medium shade) the large west window in small room. Right now, the only "treatment" is one of those old-fashioned total-sun-block white plastic pull down shade things. No blinds. No curtains. No weird thing that goes above curtains.

Both the SGD and the West Window in the large room have pull-down-see-through shades and Verticle Pull-across blinds.

I want new doors virtually everywhere too. What do stylish people with 3 bedroom condos do with the doors in the two rooms not used as bedrooms? I was thinking GLASS doors.

Oh, and I called the walls "white". they're really...uhm...eggshell? Considerably darker than the White ceilings, trim, doors, etc...

I'd be willing to paint. I like painting.

h said...

Oh, and I would be willing to tile the small carpeted room.

fishy said...

Doom,
Blue is not a gloomy color unlike "I feel blue" means "I am depressed". Most humans find blue skies, blue water, blue mountains, blue flowers are uplifting.
Economics is not a factor. You can cheer up a room so easily even by taking used coffee cans, wrapping in blue & white wallpaper, gift wrap, or favorite old blue shirt remnant and putting twigs or just greenery in them. Another great trick is to make book covers from fabric or wrapping paper or craft papers in a variety of blue and white papers. Arrange on shelves with interesting objects, a found bird's nest, a collection of smooth river rocks, arrowheads, or driftwood, etc. Nature really can provide "free decor" to almost anyone willing to see and fetch.
Post pictures!

Troll,
e-mail floorplans and photos for specific solutions. Er, Why have doors? Can you just remove and store the current doors? Is resale an issue for you? Is there a need for keeping each space separate or would you USE AND ENJOY your home more if you opened things up a bit? It can be a much better solution to revise a single door opening to a 4,5 or 6 foot opening. This increases the sense of space, improves flow. If there is a need for changes later then just install a pair of french door in the enlarged opening. Do you entertain in these rooms, do you need more circulation space for the number of fellow Trolls who visit? Does it need to be a space for snaring your Helen of Troll?
If a door is swinging or sliding is a function of the hardware. ANY style of door can be used as a sliding door...do yours have outdoor "Pockets" or are they by-pass sliders? Sigh ... too little data, too many options. Send the e-mail :-)

thrifty but tasteful said...

Dear Piscine Decorator

Target and TJ MAXX stock wonderful kitchen equipment in cheery colours.
Any ideas for a condo kitchen 13x10 double window over the sink using this frugal, bright primary and secondary colored kitchen stuff without the circus taking up residence?

fishy said...

Thrifty Condo Kitchen Man,
just remember when you do this you are essentially setting up a still life so plan accordingly. Biggest trick in a window is to get the scale and proportions correct for the room at night time and for the images beyond the window in the daytime.

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Jenny said...

I love the combination of blue/white. I grew up with Blue Willow as my inspiration. I have a room I'm going to work on in the Spring and I was wondering what I would do..... now I know! Blue and White. The room is small and I think the color combinations really open things up. Thank you Fishy.... not only for a lovely post but helping me cement my direction. Yay!

Jenny said...

P.S. to Thrifty but Tasteful. He's right. You can mix in many things from Target and make a room fabulous without over spending. You just need a good eye and Fishy's wonderful direction. :-)

fishy said...

Boxer,
I think there will be a blue and white video for us all to look forward to! And yep, thrifty is fun and smart.

sparringK9 said...

fishy i tell the tale of the loser builder on K9's blog.
gah!

good help for troll here...i expect pics~