Red is the color of love – it hugs the soul and makes your heart happy. Merlot is a shade of red, with a bluish hue, giving the color a richness that is not overwhelming. Throughout my interior design career, I have found that people are actually afraid of color. They don’t trust themselves to incorporate rich hues into their decor and instead stick with whites, off-whites and beiges. Merlot is the perfect shade for the [color] faint-of-heart.

How to Use Merlot in Your Home: Ideas for Everyone

1. Color-Wary: Keep your walls and upholstery neutral. Incorporate merlot into accent pieces, such as throw pillows, vases and art.

2. Color Comfortable: Paint an accent wall merlot, such as a stairwell, and let the color bounce off the neutral surroundings. Paint your ceiling a pale turquoise (yellow or lime green could work here, as well). Incorporate the additional accent color into your accessories.

3. Braveheart: Paint all four walls merlot and use one of the additional accent colors on the ceiling, in a bolder hue. If turquoise is your accent color, try painting your ceiling aqua (Rainwash by Sherwin Williams is a great shade).  Keep your upholstery neutral and toss in a couple pumpkin or yellow colored throw pillows. Keep other accessories neutral.

IMAGES

• Merlot Bed Frame: Luxe Interiors + Design
• Merlot Lamps: Mottega
• Accent Stairwell: House Beautiful
• Kitchen Accent Wall: House Beautiful
• Merlot Dining Room: Jolene Smith Interiors

Last weekend was my cousin Virginia Harper’s wedding to Sean Breen. The two said their vows at First Scotts Presbyterian Church and then had a beautiful reception at the Carolina Yacht Club. I was lucky enough to help with the styling and decor of the reception; my largest project was the 10-foot mantle! While we wait for the professional photos, I figured I would share a few shots I took myself.

48 blocks of oasis, a whole case of sheet moss and an entire forest of smilax, 4 dozen hydrangeas, 150 roses, 30 french tulips, 36 stems of hyperium, berries and several colored orchids.

As I noted in my earlier post, last winter I was up to my ears designing and styling my son and now-daughter-in-law’s wedding, that was held on May 5, 2011. The reception was held in the beautiful historic building, 701 Whaley in downtown Columbia, SC.

The outside of 701 is beautiful, so little needed to be done in terms of decor. I placed boston ferns and lanters along the sidewalk to guide guests to the reception. In the entry-way, I built two white fabric topiaries, which had a line of asymetrical flowers, which matched the line of handmade flowers on the bride, Katherine’s dress. The topiaries stood outside the entrance and oval wreaths wrapped in green satin fabric hung on the entrance doors.

Fabric flowers, of all shapes, sizes and materials played a large role in the design, the inspiration of which came from the hand-made flowers on Katherine’s wedding gown. I started making the flowers using extra fabric I had around my studio. As the project progressed, the fabric flowers took on a life of their own and I had to call in for support! Luckily there are a few local wedding dress designers in Charleston that were kind enough send their fabric scraps my way.

The interior of the historic warehouse has been renovated, but is still a raw space. The Grand Hall is an expansive (6,700 sq feet), open space with windows that reach 12 feet high. The 24-foot exposed-ceilings make the space feel even larger! It is the perfect blank canvas.

Wrought iron centerpieces gave the necessary height, without blocking anyones view. On the tall cocktail tables, we placed tall hurricane glasses with four tall green candles that were lit once it got dark outside. White semi-sheer curtains hung to separate the room between dinner and dancing. Garlands were wrapped around the banister, hung on the windows and decorated the cake table.

Photography done by: Sara Parker Photography 

This time last year, I was working on a true labor of love; designing and styling the wedding for my son, Laird and his new bride Katherine’s. The two wed in Columbia, South Carolina at West Ashland Methodist Church and celebrated their nuptials at the historic building, 701 Whaley.

Rehearsal Dinner: Capital City Club

Photography: Sara Parker Photography

Inheriting furniture from family members can be tricky at times. You are often challenged with something that has significant sentimental value, but may not necessarily work with your current design. In my opinion, that is what makes a home unique to the individual.

This East Lake chair was my grandmother’s, and ever since I can remember it has been covered with this red velvet fabric. It was handed down to my mother, and then to me and I’ve always loved the intricate detail of the woodwork. As I have been re-decorating my own home, I realized the red velvet fabric of the chair was not going to fit as well as it had – I was looking for something a bit more “fresh.” Since I have been just CRAZY about hides lately, I had the chair re-upholstered in a funky off-white hide with metallic gold “burn out” spots. I absolutely love the combination of the traditional parlor chair with the modern fabric!

Last month, Pantone announced Tangerine Tango as the color of the year for 2012. Since 2000, the Pantone Color of the Year has influenced everything from graphic design and packaging to fashion and beauty collections. The reddish orange hue is described as “sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it.”

For the past several years, orange has been making a comeback, in a bigger, brighter way. I have selected some of my favorites…there will certainly be more to come. Happy New Year!

Visit the Pantone website to see all of the past Color of the Year selections.

If you ask my son his favorite childhood memories of Christmas-time, many that he will recall involve the decorations that I used and the traditions we established through our annual holiday decor. I always put up a white christmas tree just for him, decorated differently every year (but always including the ornaments he made himself!)

To me, the best part of decorating for the holidays is creating a new theme or color pattern for my holiday designs, wrapping and decor. Of course, every family has those few traditions that you’ll put up year after year, but have fun with your holidays by getting inspired by the season as well as your own personal style.

Over the years, I’ve created holiday tablescapes, decorated trees and wreaths and mantles, in an effort to show my friends and community the joy and creativity that can be found in holiday decorating. I’ve wrapped orange and pink gift boxes, mixed them with bright flowers and greenery from my own back yard, added pops of turquoise to accent red poinsettias and created strings of ornaments to hang on my tree. I love grouping odd-shaped ornaments together, they help fill up the tree and saves you time hanging ornaments, too!

I perhaps find the most fun in selecting a “look” for my gift wrapping. I’ve done everything from purple with green and golds, to traditional green wrapping paper with the simple message, “Merry Christmas from Jolene.” It doesn’t get any easier than that! Take a look at some of my choices this year and in previous years.

Most importantly, have fun with your holiday decorating. There’s no reason to decorate if it stresses you out or isn’t fun, so make sure that it is by keeping it fresh every year and taking advantage of the things that you already have around. And, after all, if you don’t get the bow on the wreath, who really cares?!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

While shades of turquoise dominated this year’s furniture market in High Point, NC (as noted in last month’s Color Pop post), emerald had a prominent presence as well.

Emerald has a deep richness that works with almost any color palette, and is guaranteed to make a statement. Depending on whether you want the pop of contrast by  pairing it with whites or creams, or a blending of similar colors; aquas, turquoise, minty greens, the gem of emerald shines all on its own.

I like using it both ways;  Emerald walls, accessorizing with black and white gives a more bold, sophisticated look.  Grouping similar colors, gives a more monochromatic look in which case, a pop of yellow helps lift the room and keeps the colors from fading into one another.

Photos courtesy of:
1. Pinterest
2. Rue Magazine
3. Charm Home Design
4. Lonny Magazine

Glass Art in any form amazes me. While vacationing in Bermuda a couple of years ago, I discovered Dockyard Glassworks, a glass art studio situated on the western end of the islands. For more than ten years, artists at Dockyard Glassworks have been blowing, molding and shaping glass into gorgeous pieces. The space is broken up into two parts; the studio and the gallery. The Studio is where I spent most of my time, watching artists transform glass blobs into beautifully crafted pieces. The Gallery showcased the finished products, as well as other handmade glassware from all across the island.

I decided to commission the artist to create eight salad plates. My only constraint was that each plate had to be different. A pile of crushed colored glass was effortlessly spun into the most incredibly unique plates that are both decorative and functional.

Side note: Did you know there is a difference between Art Glass V. Glass Art? The term “Art Glass” is a much more general term, encompassing both decorative art pieces displayed in your home, as well plates, and glassware you use daily. “Glass Art” usually refers to a large scale, one-of-a-kind modern piece made mostly or completely out of glass.

Turquoise has not lost momentum as a favorite among interior design professionals, and the color still reigned supreme at this fall’s Furniture Market in High Point, NC. Here are some of my latest turquoise favorites that keep me convinced the blue hue hasn’t lost its spark.

\