I love to read the New York Times WEDDINGS AND CELEBRATIONS section every Sunday. I find it interesting because with each couple’s photo there is information about their background—education, occupations, and parental history—a kind of human resource resume. What I like most is that one couple is featured each week, and their story includes why they were attracted to each other. Recently, I was thrilled to read about an emotional poet/color lover, Carley Wellman, and her new husband, an uptight, routine-loving scientist, Dr. Kevin McAbee.
The article ends with his observation about their new life together. “I try not to see things in black and white anymore,” he says, adding, “Our whole life is color.”
This is one of my favorite quotes by the great candy philosopher, “Willie Wonka” What can I say, I believe in Wonka Vision. Will Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is the first movie I remember going to, where I was getting dressed for a special movie occasion and knew cute boys were going to be there. My anticipation and excitement for the premier were over the top. It ended up being one of several movie premiers I will never forget, including Grease, The Exorcist, Empire Strikes Back, and this last Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix. Heck, I even remember what I was wearing: Plaid mini with a large safety-pin, crinkled white leather go-go boots, with my hair parted in the middle, just like young girls wear today.
I recently got a call from a client whose colors were just wrong! The funny thing is that when I saw the colors all together, they weren’t wrong at all.
As a matter of fact it was a perfect palette. All the colors were rich neutral purples, reds and greens like Devine Bavarian, Devine Cappuccino, Devine Merlot, Devine Georgette, Devine Date and several more prefect relationships that she absolutely hated…So I set out to make a visit. She had avoided moving to the NW from the fear that the gray winters would do her in. It was no longer avoidable.
“Everybody has an opinion, but for the artist, it’s about the process”. This is a quote from a hysterical movie called Untitled: The Movie. out in theaters this weekend. For anyone who has ever struggled with wanting to create an experience from imagination, this is a must-see movie, even if your experience is something as simple as wanting to change a recipe. It is inherent for humans to want to “mark” their lives with personal expression—this is even more so true in their homes. I seek a process to create colors that helps everyone get their self-expression out easier, with paint colors they easily recognize as those that live in their thoughts.
What makes the Viceroy so color cool?...the way it features black and white, with stunning charcoal grays- that salivate from a blue spice, preventing the colors from looking dull and institutional.
I see magazine articles that feature the look of luxury or ads about the feel of luxury. What about the color? Is there such a thing as the luxury of color?
When I was growing up in Puerto Rico, I had some wealthy friends at the private school I attended. We lived in a modest townhouse in a modest neighborhood, next to the “Beverly Hills of San Juan.”
One childhood friend was flown to Germany by her dad to select the color of her brand new 924 Porsche, hot off the assembly line. She chose Egg Benedict Yellow.
In the fall preview issue of “Vogue” magazine, the headline reads, “Red is the New Black.” There you have it. Just when you think a color is passe, the ones who foresee the color future give you another opportunity to view a color of the rainbow in a whole new way.
The color red is shown on a familiar supermodel in variations of itself with gray, white, black and print. There’s French Revolution red and a lot of red shades that point to burgundy. Yes, burgundy, the red that saturated and dominated the 80s. ln Devine Color’s timeless and trend-proof world, it is Devine Bordeaux, Cabernet or Damask. Now that is reappearing in leather accessories, with a hint of pink, can mauve be far behind?
By the time March comes around we are ready to drop our winter blankets on the floor and kick them under the bed—out come the lightweight cotton linens. We wait, with sleepy anticipation, for sunrays to fight their way through and reach past the chilly veil of winter. Spring feels like an awakening. When the cold air becomes lukewarm, a spring color brigade emerges out of nowhere. New growth gets its marching orders from the sun and is sent forth to declare that things are about to do more than just heat up—they are about to reproduce and produce in full color! The first line of attack comes in, in fits and starts, with a strong mission to prepare the way for what is about to come—the guts and glory of summer and fall color. Watch around you as the “coup d’état” begins—subtlety, as if to soften the blow for winter’s bare backgrounds so they don’t feel attacked or dismayed.
During difficult economic times, we turn toward the comfort and safety of our homes—and now is a time to do it it with colorful style in mind.
This is the time to break out the mauves again is anyone ready? Let’s pair mauve up in a new dynamic. From hand-dyed silk shoes to colorful appliances, new versions of old colors are surfacing. Tossing warm vintage greens, roses, and lilacs into your decorating will sweeten the spicy earthy reds and strong coffee color strokes that have dominated in recent years.
There are times when you simply have no choice. After all, change is inevitable in our lives and color is often used as a way to mark a change. The best example of this comes in the way of products.
Products determine the lifecycle of a color, so when you find your self being told, “Sorry, that color has been discontinued” it comes as no surprise. Products like appliances and automobiles improve and change over time, and therefore, color makes the change sweeter, as the medicine goes down.
