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Palette | Red and Green
What better day to embrace a green and red palette, than today, Christmas. This may seem like a color scheme best reserved for the holidays, but I’m actually a big fan. My own home riffs on this palette. And because both red and green have so many gorgeous iterations, you can do some really interesting things when using them in an interior. I created three designs below in honor of the combo and this magical holiday.
Living Room
Mint and cherry red in an aesthete’s modern living room.
Study
Avocado and burgundy in a textural, eclectic study.
Bedroom
A tomato red canopy bed is tempered by murkier greens and russet, as well as shades of blush.
Short and sweet, but chock full of inspo for your Christmas Day. May your holiday be one of love and laughter. Cheers!
PS: You can source the rooms above on our Luxe & Lucid Pinterest page. Unfortunately, the link will eventually expire.
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Concept Before Color
The most common question I have been asked as an interior designer over the years is, without a doubt, “What are your favorite paint colors?” I suspect it ranks among the most popular design topics of all time. Funny thing is, I don’t have favorite paint colors (shock, awe!). I do not have a stable of SW’s BM’s, or F&B’s that I play on repeat. I liken that to a makeup artist applying the same look to a young, cherub-faced, blonde as she would a middle-aged, raven-haired woman with high cheekbones. Each home has its own architecture, light, and vibe that necessitates its own palette and specific application. How do you figure out that palette and specific application?! Start with a concept.
Example 1 | Delray Beach, FL
CONCEPT
COLORS
RESULT
WHO/WHERE: A beachfront, second home in Florida for empty-nesters.
VIBE: Relaxed, soft-modern
PALETTE: A low-contrast range of beiges and browns with accents of silvery, blue-grey
Example 2 | Washington, DC
CONCEPT
COLORS
RESULT
WHO/WHERE: A city townhouse for a young couple and soon-to-be parents
VIBE: Old-school formal meets youthful cool
PALETTE: From ecru, cafe au lait, and green-grey to caramel, peacock blue, and near-blacks
What you’ll notice is that the Delray Beach and West End palettes are not in opposite hemispheres; there is overlap. It’s the contrast, variety of hues and color temps, as well as the adjacent materials and finishes that set them apart. Both interiors may have shades of creamy-white, but we selected different versions because the light and vibe in DC varies considerably from the light and vibe in Florida. And, of course, the floors were a factor as pairing paint with white oak is worlds away from pairing it with an ebony-stain.
Visit the Delray Beach and West End portfolios on the Huntley & Co. website for a more comprehensive view of each project (note, not all rooms are photographed). Go to Tiktok and view my companion video to this post for additional examples of the concept-color-interior throughline. I am on a quiet mission to change hearts and minds! #conceptbeforecolor
{ PS: Photography and online screens distort the actual colors of the samples shown above. }
All work and projects above are by Huntley & Co. Interior Design
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Warm and Cozy
I have a new mantra now that the weather has turned in Minnesota – “WARM and COZY”. What I wear, where I go, what I eat and drink … all of these decisions will be subjected to the same question, “Will this make me feel warm and cozy?” Even things I love get the cold shoulder (pun intended) if they can’t cure a chill. Sayonara, sushi. Thankfully, winter brings with it a myriad of delicious opportunities.
Interiors
If you are a Huntley & Co. client, your interior will typically lean warmer. And if we start work on your project in winter, you will definintely end up with velvet, mohair, wool, and/or suede in your home. Thankfully, these materials are perennially chic.
above: A scheme devised for a Huntley & Co. home office.
Fashion
I prefer colder weather fashion. Don’t most women? The sweaters and boots and wraps and coats and …
above: A montage of F/W street fashion and 2 close-up’s of my own favorite cozy outfits.
Sustenance
Perhaps the best part of the cold weather months is THE FOOD. There is nothing like a rich, savory meal when the weather outside is frightful. Thank God for the bulkier, layered fashions above because the foods seen here are not low-cal.
L to R: Gourmet cheese and caviar on display in Beverly Hills; an English grocer with pasta that’s almost to pretty to eat; prosciutto wrapped figs
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More Confidence on the Job Site
Building a home? Have a renovation project in the works? Or are you a designer who wants to be empowered on the job site?
If you are (and are overwhelmed) I’ve created a guide that can help. Get your complimentary copy on the H&Co. website and gain control of your project!
* If you have used the guide in your project, I hope it was helpful! Share a message below if you have a comment or question.
TRICIA HUNTLEY | HUNTLEY & CO.
“The glamorous space where tradition and modernity collide.”
THE MUSINGS OF DESIGNER TRICIA HUNTLEY
