Birds of a Feather Part II of III (The Magenta Wars)

I believe in PINK.

                                    Audrey Hepburn

Join me as I tell you a story, a story of how I fell in love with ALL the pinks. . .

This was exactly the pink in the first room that Susan and I shared.

My sister Susan and I are only 14 months apart.  When we were really little we lived on a gravel road between Marks and Lambert, Mississippi, on our cotton farm on the Coldwater River.  No one at all lived near us, so we had only each other for playmates. 

Marilyn (Me) and Susan, my original Bird of a Feather   ca 1964

We created lots of things to do both inside and outside, and ultimately found ourselves spending a lot of time with our coloring books and the highly prized box of 64 Crayola crayons.  I promise, I used to dream and plot and plan on how to get my Daddy, who was and still is the sweet pushover, or Nanny my grandmother to get us a brand new, every color sharp box at the Lambert Drugstore. 



CRAYOLA MAGENTA



Susan and I would sit down with our coloring books and the highly coveted box of 64 and carefully open it along the perforation.   The first thing Susan always exclaimed was,  " I call the magenta!"

At first I would argue with her, because it was a beauty!   I was THE SWEETEST big sister, although I am sure she would argue with this, so I usually gave in and just let her have that magenta. 

But my secret was that I knew if I let her win the coveted magenta, that I actually won all the other pinks!   Ah,  I was just a bit older and wiser, and a bit sneakier, I will admit.

And thus began my love affair with ALL the pinks.

I actually spent long hours simply fondling and studying ALL my pinks.

    

So many, many Pinks . . .

. . . And lots of rooms in which to use them!

Pale Pink

CRAYOLA PALEST PINK

(Actually called Piggy Pink now, but I cannot bring myself to call it that)

This living room is done in a pale pink, but is a bit icy.  I generally avoid icy colors, but I like this with the all graphic neutrals and the pattern on the natural fiber rug.  Don't you love the  silhouette pillow fabric?

 

I am especially fond of this pale, slightly fleshy baby pink and the collection of sketches.  I just selected a very similar color for a client's living room in the Delta. 

 

Pale pink (Dunn Edwards Sheer Rosebud) in a more mod, casual and eclectic setting on the walls of Santa Monica, California's Hideaway restaurant at the Oceana Hotel. 

I love all the natural elements in this bookcase at the hotel.  Note the little bird on the top shelf!

Mauvy Rose Pink

CRAYOLA MAUVELOUS

An Elegant AND Earthy AND chalky, mauvy rose pink foyer

Purplish Pink

 CRAYOLA PINK FLAMINGO

A palette of soothing grays with lots of natural shell accents is livened with the shock of purplish pink poufs and flowers in George Stephonopolis' home. 

Pink

CRAYOLA TICKLE ME PINK

I love the rustic chalky floorboards, the 'fur' pillow, the fresh flowers,  the framed collection of eggs and the antique framed botanicals, again juxtaposing the rough and rustic with the more formal, and bringing the outdoor and natural inside, in Steven Gambrel's pink card room in Sag Harbor.

Watermelon Pink . . .

CRAYOLA WILDEST WATERMELON

Candace Bushnell's 19th century Venetian hot watermelon pink chaise
is reminiscent of a gondola.  I love it and all the pink books in the shelves!



Hand Marblized Pink Birdwing Paper would be fantastic for book jackets in  a pink library and is one of our great Birds of a Feather Blog Launch Giveaways.

Lipstick Pink. . .

PINK is lipsensual.

                                      Terri Guillemets

Not one of my crayola colors, exactly, but one of my favorite pinks,  Lipstick Pink, as Interior Designer Mary Douglas Drysdale has dubbed it



"Lipstick Pink" Wallcovering, Mary Douglas Drysdale for Casart Coverings.  The onions (not eggs)  in the black modern art bowl are a wonderful earthy touch.



Definitely one of my birds of a feather, highly published and acclaimed for her way with color, Washington, D. C.  based interior designer

Mary Douglas Drysdale says,

"......pink is a real color to contend with. I think that it is the new red. It is fresh, optimistic, self confidant and just plain pretty!" 

Mary Douglas Drysdale

And last, but certainly not least

THE ONE AND ONLY . . .

MAGENTA

CRAYOLA MAGENTA

Ah,  Magenta for Fall AND My Sister Susan. Truce. We can share this one.

Bashful, Blush, Flesh, Flush, Rose, Coral, Salmon, Carnation,

Light Red, Hot Pink, Bubblegum, Flamingo, Lipstick, Fuchsia, Magenta,

Raspberry, Russet, Sepia . . .

What is your favorite pink and why?

 I love this original Watercolor  "Nest and Pink Eggs" by Art Enchanted Woods on c. 1889 Robert Burns Poetry on Etsy. 

Designed by Per Design Studio and soon available at our Etsy store, these decorative matchboxes  are made from a set of ca 1790 French black and white bird prints and are hand tinted, so we can custom produce them for you in any colors.   We are giving away five pink ones.

Stay tuned for Birds of a Feather Part III for more birds, more great pink design, and more Birds of a Feather Blog Launch Giveaways. Don't forget to subscribe to MS Design Maven and 'like' MS Design Maven and Per Design Studio on Facebook to be eligible to win one of the great prizes including a copy of Barry Dixon's new book Inspirations, two hand painted pink birds in nests, five boxes of hand tinted pink bird matches, and a hand marblized sheet of pink birdwing paper.

Photo Credits:  Crayola,  Design Sponge, House Beautiful, Veranda, Hotel Chic, Elle Decor via Irene Turner at Home, Elle Decor, Casart Coverings,  Mary Douglas Drysdale,  Marilyn Storey, antique bird cages -- 1st Dibs, other photos unknown sources






 

Birds of a Feather Part I of III (Barry, Birds, AND Pink)

WELCOME!!!

Come On In . . .

fist full of air
hand full of light
sigh of pears
look from a pencil
glance towards nail
. . . doorway to an illusion
Waking up is always
A place well feathered

                    Colleen Ross

A great big Mississippi welcome to my MS Design Maven blog  --   a champagne cocktail toast to you, my first followers!

 

When I was growing up in the Mississippi Delta on the Coldwater River, my very wise and expert homekeeper maternal grandmother, whom we lovingly called Nanny, had an expression for EVERYTHING, and I find myself using one or another of her expressions nearly everyday. 

One she often used to admonish us to ''stay away from the WRONG crowd" and to "associate with the RIGHT crowd" was, "Birds of a feather flock together."

When I started getting serious about launching my design blog last spring, I found myself gravitating toward Facebook to explore and feel my way around the virtual design world.  I have ''met"
 so many great friends in the design community there, and I often find myself commenting, "We are birds of a feather," when they post great design photos, and we find that we share similar design tastes.  And of course, since I happen to love birds, nests, eggs, and feathers of all sorts, again thanks to Nanny,  I get a little secret satisfaction for somehow working birds into my comments.  

Nanny and Me, ca. 1961

Nanny loved her well-tended yard and constantly talked about her shrubs and trees, and always pointed out to me every species of bird that she saw in her yard.  "Oh look, there is one of my little redbirds," she would say.  That must be why I am so drawn to birds and find myself often using "bird things" in my designs.  I have a true penchant for everything from concrete bird statuary to antique bird prints and bird cages.  I think this is one of the ways I am able to incorporate nature and the outdoors even into the most formal room.  I do LOVE that juxtaposition!

Hand made enamel and sterling silver pink bird earrings from Design Options on Etsy.

At the top of my Birds of a Feather List, because I seem to absolutely adore every project he designs AND he has Mississippi ties, is Barry Dixon.  I was thrilled and inspired by the September cover of House Beautiful featuring the living room of a Victorian row house on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. that Barry has designed in shades of pinks and brown. Barry, Birds, AND Pink!  I am in heaven!

In the accompanying article Barry says, "There's nothing that evokes emotions more than color.  The bleaker your life, the more important color becomes.  Color makes you happier. "

This is indeed a happy room. It got me to thinking about PINK. 

 I love the use of the pink in this room.  The older I get the more I am drawn to pink. I used to be a totally orange girl, but as I get older it seems just a little too harsh for me to wear.  As they say, "Pretty in pink."  (I do still love orange for design projects though! And anyway, it looks great WITH pink and there are great shades of salmon and pinkish orange when we examine the whole range of pinks.)  I think it indeed sets the mood, smooths, soothes, and  brightens and freshens things up all at the same time. 

 Pink has so many shades and facets, from the palest, palest sweet pink like Benjamin Moore's Soft Pink 2012-70 to vibrant coral pinks (Hydrangea Flowers 2008-40), shocking carnation pinks (Springtime Bloom 2079-40), raspberry pinks (Vibrant Blush 2081-30), and even pinkish sienna (Terra Cotta Tile 2090-30).

Barry explores this gamut of pinks in the room.  He says, "I wanted to play with different shades of pink."  He mentions using a "frothy strawberry milk shake" pink, a coral pink, raspberry pink, and pink with a lilac cast all grounded by a cocoa chocolate and vanilla, creating a no calorie Neopolitan. 

 No calorie, perhaps, but it IS yummy!

The other details in the room also make the heart sing.  In an interview published last fall, Barry commented, "Design harnesses the exterior elements and brings them inside." I am naturally drawn to bringing outside elements in. Barry has done just that here, with the bird painting, the natural fiber rug, the statuary elements by the mantle, and of course the fresh flowers.  All elements that I tend to use in every design project.

I also like to repeat shapes when designing a space.  Note Barry's shape repetition using round and circular shapes in the room, from the mirrored chandelier medallion on the ceiling, to the circles on the Bergamo fabric, which is tufted with round buttons, on the walls, and the round rug on the floor with round nailhead detail on the border.  The pink Tuscany ottoman,  referred to by Barry as "a  cupcake", and made by Stewart Furniture  is definitely round.   And the barrel backs of the Niermann Weeks French Club Chairs are round and upholstered in Barry's Vervain Crop Circle fabric. 

It is ALL in the details, and Barry is a master of detail!

Barry Dixon, Birds, AND Pink!  I AM inspired by Barry Dixon's work.  He is a bird of my feather and a great inspiration.

I am really enjoying working with Barry's debut fabric collection from Vervain, here in a pink/melon/orange palette. The Cacao Vine Draperies are shown here in Mustard.

(I am working on client draperies in Cacao Vine in Citrine for a client right now.  I can't wait to see them completed.)

Barry Dixon wearing pink.  I do love a man in a pink shirt!

  

"Nothing is more inspiring than the natural world beyond the window, the father/mother of all artful creation. That, and the rich history of ornament & decoration that is the legacy of generations of gurus and geniuses who inhabit and define the continuum of design."
                                          Barry Dixon







Barry Dixon's newest book Inspirations is one of our Birds of a Feather Blog Launch Giveaways. 

   



Two of our precious little Mississippi hand painted pink pottery birds are also
part of our Birds of a Feather Blog Launch Giveaway. We will also have flocks of these birds available in many colors in our Etsy store soon.

O birds, your perfect virtues bring,

Your song, your forms, your rhythmic flight,

Your manners for your heart’s delight,

Nestle in hedge, or barn, or roof,

Here weave your chamber weather-proof,

Forgive our harms, and condescend

To man, as to a lubber friend,

And, generous, teach his awkward race

Courage, and probity, and grace!

 

RALPH WALDO EMERSON, May-Day and Other Pieces





Pink Silk by Kathe Fraga 

 This painting by Kathe Fraga would be a fabulous inspiration and focal point for a pink room similar to Barry's. 



Stay tuned for Birds of a Feather Parts II and III for more birds, more great pink design, and more Birds of a Feather Blog Launch Giveaways. Don't forget to subscribe to MS Design Maven and 'like' MS Design Maven and Per Design Studio on Facebook to be eligible to win one of the great prizes including a copy of Barry Dixon's new book Inspirations and two hand painted in MS pink birds in nests. 

We will announce more giveaways in our next post!  All winners will be drawn September 19, 2011.

Special thanks to my grandmother Nanny (I miss her everyday.),  my inspirational client Pamela Walton, fellow blogger Maureen Bower of Eclectic Revisited who is a bird of my feather and an inspiration, and all of my Facebook friends, especially Colleen Ross,  Kathe Fraga, and Danielle Charney!

Photo Credits:   Unknown Sources, House Beautiful, Vervain, Barry Dixon, Birdhouses -  1st Dibs