Where are all the Men?

A wave of "pretty" has swept over interior design in the last several years, 

leaving plenty of Carrara marble counter-tops, closets full of embroidered linens, and tufted camel-back everything in its wake.

 Which left me wondering...

WHERE ARE ALL THE MEN? 

There's something about masculine design that is so appealing in its simplicity and strength. 

Not the beer-can-collecting-black-leather-sofa type of masculine, but an intellectual, slightly rugged, un-fussy aesthetic.

I'm not a big fan of the "man-cave," a small space carved out of the house where it's assumed the man of the house can do all of his man things, and then re-enter the more feminized domain when he's ready...

though these are gorgeous.

 Masculine design fits so well with the turn toward gray as the new neutral (even if there are far more than 50 shades of it).

  

Can a man's closet be a reflection of his interests?

Instead of white and linen and marble, think 

industrial + steel + satin brass + brick + grasscloth + worn leather + rough-hewn wood.

 Ultimately, masculine interior design is about artfully mixing textures and materials and playing with the inherent contrast.

with many thanks to:

www.lifeonsundays.com

www.coolgraywarmgray.tumbler.com

www.interiorsdigital.com

www.the-vogue-dreams.tumbler.com

www.habituallychic.blogspot.com

www.housebeautiful.com

Pink Is Not A Color

Much to the dismay of girly girls everywhere, 

the popular press announced this week that pink is not a color.

Apparently there is no such thing as reflected pink light, 

and the color doesn't exist in the rainbow.

Maybe that's why pink seems to get along so well with everyone else. 

Designers pair it with brown,

gray,

green,

even orange and black.

More than a few childrens' retailers would be out of business if not for pink.

So it may not be an official color, but that hardly matters. 

Just something else to contemplate while sitting poolside at my favorite pink palace, 

the Beverly Hills Hotel.

pink paints we like:

benjamin moore 1156 puppy paws

duron 7390W april blush

sherwin williams 7110 cosmetic blush

Spring

Avocado Green

Once in a while, you are handed something that looks like a liability, but turns out to be an asset. Such was the case with this room, whose walls were painted a vivid avocado green by the owners.

We found chairs in a slightly more subtle shade, and a Dash & Albert wool striped rug that introduced blue & white. Now we had various shades of blue, apple green and white, and we were on the way to a bright and cheerful family room.

The glow-in-the-dark map of the night sky is reflected in these rustic mirrors...

The chartreuse sand keeps time for reading breaks, and a custom slipcovered sofa with light tan baseball-stitched seams keeps this room informal.

Sometimes the best designs happen in the most unexpected ways.

Red Berries

Family Game Night

Stripes