Orange and black are wonderful color combinations to incorporate into your space. It’s not only the colors that represent the SF Giants, but its also the colors of Halloween which is just around the corner. It is such a bright and happy color that radiates warmth against the cool and elegant black. The colors complement each other very well. Adding patterns and textures in orange and black will give your space that edge, spark, and pop! Also, orange comes in various shades and hues from light pastel to bright bold for those of you who are still warming up to the idea of introducing orange into your space. There is so much you can do with the color scheme that doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. If you want to start out small, you can paint your walls or even paint existing furniture such as bookshelves or night stands in a shade of orange. You can add accent pillows, hang artwork and new drapes, replace light fixtures, reupholster your chair or sofa, in Halloween colors. Give your place a splash with orange and black just in time to celebrate Halloween!

Weaver Design Group

In this living room designed by Weaver Design Group, orange accents were used such as pillows, artwork, throws, and floor lamp against a black and white base color with various use of patterns in different scales.

Diego Alejandro Design

In this modern dining room design by Diego Alejandro Design, the seating, artwork and candles provide a pop of orange in contrast to the dark floors, patterned rug, and black and white picture frames.

De Mattei Construction

This modern kitchen designed by De Mattei Construction displays a mimimal, clean, and sleek design with different colors on the cabinetry from orange to white to black.  It’s very interesting because the kitchen cabinetry are not all one color but split between 3 different colors to provide visual interest to the space.

Orange and black office

I love this transitional home office design by Christi Holcomb.  The large scale patterned orange rug with the drapes brings vibrancy to the space in contrast to the dark walls and shelves.

 Orange and black bedroom

This is such a great space, especially the recessed wall where the bed resides and the pop of orange and black in the room. 

I hope you enjoyed these wonderful interior design images that use orange and black color schemes and perhaps it will inspire you to be creative with your own space this Halloween!

Recently I was on Houzz.com researching some products for a kitchen design and stumbled on a custom plywood and furniture cabinet shop called Kerf. Their shop is located in Seattle, Washington and the custom cabinetry they create is not only colorful and fun but appears very functional and simple. The design of each of their custom project comes from a seamless integration of three essential components: the function of the item, the method of its construction, and a simple unadorned presentation of the materials from which it is made – plywood and plastic laminate. It’s a neat idea which allows you to create custom designs by selecting the colors you want and also determining placement of the custom cabinet doors, drawer fronts, and interior frames.What was originally just a simple plain kitchen turns into a fun and exciting design with a pop of color!

Below are some of their amazing custom projects.

Kerf Custom Kitchen Cabinetry

Kerf Custom Bathroom cabinetry

Kerf Custom Console

Kerf Custom Kitchen cabinetry

Kerf Custom Bathroom cabinetry

I came across Jo Nagasaka’s Iro collection for Established & Son’s and fell in love with it. What makes his pieces so unique and interesting is that Nagasaka peels away parts of the surface of Douglas fir boards to expose the grain before encasing the wood in brightly colored resin. Adding the pigmented resin transforms the uneven texture of the wood into a smooth surface, while the intensity of the resin’s color is affected by variations in the depth of the peeled wood. What results is a beautiful, minimalistic, simplistic, yet elegant focal point that just pops with color. Anything that involves color and texture catches my eye and I was immediately drawn to Jo Nagasaka’s stunning collection of coffee tables, side tables, chairs, credenzas, and dining tables. Different colors of resin are available from red, blue, green, and yellow. At $3,000+ retail price for a coffee table, it doesn’t come cheap but it is a beautiful work of art and definitely makes a big statement in your space! Check out some pictures of Nagasaka’s lovely pieces from his Iro collection below.

Coffee Table

Shrine Flat Table

Udukuri table

Slope Table

This year I attended the American Craft Council show in SF for the first time and was amazed by the talented artisans showcasing their creative, handmade work of art. There was everything from wool felt bags by Audrey Modern, hand-pleated paper sculptures by Erik and Martin Demaine, fine reclaimed woodworking from Elliot Stith, intricate ceramic porcelain by Jennifer McCurdy, clothing, jewelry, and much much more! Also, this year at the ACC show, there was a special decor exhibition called “Make Room: Modern Design Meets Craft.” Six bay area designers created entertaining spaces using a suite of fine craft from the show. From cocktails in the kitchen to an outdoor oasis, the designers vignettes incorporated local artisans work to bring texture, color, and everyday materials into the space.

Below are some of the unique, creative, and handcrafted work showcased at the American Craft Council.

Kathy Colt

Ealish Wilson

Victor DiNovi

Elliot Stith

 Amy Nguyen

I find neutrals such as white, beige, gray, tan, and cream as the only color scheme in a room bland. I’m amazed to see that so many people really like Restoration Hardware. I got to hand it to Restoration Hardware.  They are great at marketing their products but they aren’t helping the interior design industry and most interior designers don’t like Restoration Hardware. Perhaps the majority of people out there just want to play it safe and stick to neutrals rather than introduce unique colorful, patterned, and textured furniture pieces and decor into their space. I asked my friend why she liked Restoration Hardware and she told me because she likes the “earthy” look it conveys. Even though I don’t understand the appeal of Restoration Hardware, I can appreciate that my friend likes the look and feel of their designs even though I find it very blah and quite boring. I think most people would agree with me that when they have guests over, they want them to say “WOW, where did you get that light from or where did you get that coffee table from?” instead of saying “You got that at Restoration Hardware or Pottery Barn or Crate & Barrel”.

Most people want to be unique and special. They don’t want to dress like everyone else nor do they want to look like everyone else. The same is true of interior design and its products. Most people want unique one of a kind pieces that no one else has that not only speaks to who they are, but also evokes an emotion. For me, that means finding creative, colorful, and beautiful pieces that give my clients the “wow” factor. Restoration Hardware doesn’t do that in my opinion, so I’m curious why people are so interested in Restoration Hardware?  For all of you who love Restoration Hardware, please let me know why!

Below are my pick of unique products (from affordable to luxurious) by talented designers that make me say “WOW”. I would definitely incorporate at least one of these pieces in a design I’m working on.

Riviera Bench

Vise light by Bec Brittain

Metaphysics sideboard by Hagit Pincovici

Osaka Chair

Yves Klein Gold Leaf coffee table

I recently attended the SF Luxe magazine launch party held at the amazing Coup D’etat furniture store and fell in love with the showroom. They have such amazing, artistic, and uniquely curated pieces on display from an octopus ceiling light fixture to a shoe form mirror, a Marseilles buffet in brass and goatskin, a pebble swivel seat of natural marble base, and much more. Each piece tells a story and I can imagine it when I look at the form, shape, color, and details of the artwork. The showroom also features beautiful designs from artisans such as Paolo Troilo, Jocelyn Marsh, and Daniel Hopper to name a few. I could spend all day in Coup D’etat and was in awe of the craftmanship and creativity by these amazing artisans. I encourage anyone in the area to check out Coup D’etat. If you are on the lookout for unique pieces, you will fall in love with the showroom as much as I did. Check out some images of the showroom gallery and their collections!

Pave by Kreoo

Ochre

Coup D’etat

Coup D’etat

Popova Desk by Sylvan