I asked for it! Pantone's 2013 Color of the Year

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Last year when Pantone announced it's 2012 Color of the Year was Tangerine Tango I came across the above image of theirs which listed the last dozen Colors of the Year and I got to wondering if there was a discernible pattern in their selections, so I re-sorted by color family:


And realized that my favorite color, green, was not represented. I did a post here where I wondered how one of the most popular colors could be so overlooked. And I put together a few images making my case for the 2013 selection of green as the color of the year and included Tobi Fairley's Living Room, several gorgeous Veranda covers and my own kitchen.


And lo and behold, the 2013 color of the year is simply: Emerald

Says Pantone:

Most often associated with brilliant, precious gemstones, the perception of Emerald is sophisticated and luxurious. Since antiquity, this luminous, magnificent hue has been the color of beauty and new life in many cultures and religions. It’s also the color of growth, renewal and prosperity – no other color conveys regeneration more than green. For centuries, many countries have chosen green to represent healing and unity.

“Green is the most abundant hue in nature – the human eye sees more green than any other color in the spectrum,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “As it has throughout history, multifaceted Emerald continues to sparkle and fascinate. Symbolically, Emerald brings a sense of clarity, renewal and rejuvenation, which is so important in today’s complex world. This powerful and universally appealing tone translates easily to both fashion and home interiors.”

So, while this shade of green really isn't my favorite, I tend to prefer more muted yellow/greens to blue/greens (though an emerald wouldn't go overlooked should one come my way!) I am thrilled to have my favorite color family receive the recognition it deserves. I'd also like to send a shout-out to Steve Fuller of An Urban Cottage blog for his calling it early in this comment on last year's post:


We are Steve, we are!



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QT Gold Coast, Surfer's Paradise

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If I had a choice between a Hilton or a Marriot and a boutique hotel, I would definitely go for the latter.
Boutique hotels range from quaint to stylish but the personal touches make all the difference. From ecletic and stylish furniture to more personal touches from hotel staff, that's the reason why boutique hotels are gaining popularity with many tourists. QT Gold Coast has so many of these quirky colourful touches that I just can't stop taking a closer look and snapping away. I wonder how their rooms look like. 

The exterior of QT has an interesting feature wall that reminds me of the Chinese abacus 

Cup cakes, rocky road, macaroons, meringues -these are a few of my favourites things

Many colours and different textures but they come together beautifully

Chairs that radiate the bright rays of the sun

Playful patterns

I love love the organic patterns of the coffee tables

Vintage + surf = hip 

A funny guy fooling around with the bike at the entrance 

Old school weather board that has to be updated daily

Peter's Fish Market - Gold Coast Australia

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The last time I had fish and chip from a take away shop was when I was in Cornwall, England during my teen years. It was wrapped in newspapers and I gleefully headed to the beach with it so that I could enjoy the sea breeze and my hot and fragrant fish and chips.But things turned ugly as a flock of seagulls descended upon me like a group of well trained commandos. Think my fish and chips were ultimately abandoned on the beach as I made a dash.

Well that was years ago and here I was in another country where fish and chips are enjoyed with a similar gusto. The billboard at Peter's Fish Market in Gold Coast says "Fresh and cooked, straight from the trawler."
I could see a funny looking seagull at the corner of my eye but at least he was alone. According to Sun Tzu's Art of War, it is important to know your enemies. As for the fish, it was battered and fried and served with fries. The fish was fresh so it definitely tasted better than the average fish and chips served at family restaurants. But what I loved were the oysters costing only Australian $15 for a whole tray. They were fresh and succulent and ultimately, I abandoned the fish and chips midway, left them to my lunch companions while I just focused on the oysters. Perhaps fish and chips and me were never meant to be.

There are lots of seafood offered within Peter's Fish Market and I was particularly amused by the bugs , a name that locals call this clayfish looking creature as well as the spanner crabs which somehow looked too plastic to be eaten. You can choose your seafood and request it to be cooked to your liking. Battered, crumbed or grilled , seasoned with lemon pepper, spices or cajun pepper. They also do their seafood with a Thai vinegrette - with garlic, chilli and lime. The food can be enjoyed at the benches and tables outside, Alfresco style or you could take them to the beach ! Just be wary of those innocent looking seagulls. Everything is casual and relaxed at this place.

Tiger prawns from Australia 

Spanner crabs- don't they look plastic ! 

Australians call these bugs

Fish that I don't see back in Singapore markets 

Fresh succulent oysters 

Fish and chips 

Singapore advertising in the 50's and 60's

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Took a picture from a friend's magazine of the 50s just the other day. It was an old jewellery ad from one of  the many Chinatown goldsmiths in Singapore. I remember some of the jewellery styles from my mum's old collection especially that of the insignia ring. Singapore 's advertising scene at that time was probably very influenced by that of the British with just drawings and words. The era of models and artiste endorsements came much later. I would love to look out for more of these vintage Singapore advertisements as it shows the trends of fashion and style of the different eras.

Lin Dai - Asia's screen goddess

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I love going to Cathay Restaurant for dim sum and amidst the pictures of Cathay's movie stars of yesteryears on the walls is that of Lin Dai, the screen goddess of Asian cinema in the 60's. My mum was a big fan of hers and she used to mention to me that Lin Dai was a true beauty with the tiniest waist ever . Seeing this picture made me realise that she wasn't exaggerating at all. Love her hair cut and her dress with the musical notes. It certainly wouldn't look out of place today with the popularity of vintage designs.

If the table just next to the picture wasn't occupied, I would usually insist on sitting there for lunch, close enough to admire the picture.

Holiday House Touring in Newburyport, MA Pt. 2

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And so, here we have more beautiful houses from the Newburyport Holiday House tour. You can see Pt. 1 here. I shot the image above a few months ago because I love a big yellow Federal house. My condo in Nport was also in a yellow Federal, although it had seen many owners over it's two centuries and had been an apartment building for many years, so it's not quite as grandly maintained as this one. This house was built in 1795 and has had only four owners since - which is pretty amazing. The cupola and vestibule were Victorian era "improvements". Given what they could have done to the place, these aren't bad additions. 

 
The portico entry on tour day decked out for Christmas.    They did the decorations in a Nutcracker theme.

The dining room featured a beautiful metallic ceiling which looked gorgeous in the light of the chandelier. Obviously, this pic didn't really capture it, but it was an unexpected bit of glamor.



 
The next house (image above from online source) has spectacular views of the Merrimack River and Joppa Flats. Built in 2001, it's got an open floor plan first floor that focuses on the amazing views. 

This is the only real shot I got of the kitchen. I forget whether it was too crowded or the pic didn't come out well...

Looking from the kitchen into the family/sitting room. Love the furniture detailing on the cabinet base.


They had a nice mix of rustic and bling in their holiday decorating.


This "island" separated the kitchen and table from the sitting area nicely, while maintaining the open feel. The dark walls were painted Ben Moore's Newburyport Blue, appropriately.




Cozy on a cold New England day overlooking the water.

  A mediocre picture of a beautiful view.    Loved the stair case that opened up onto the first floor. 
On the second floor there was a sweet little inlaw apartment that was actually quite spacious and featured a decent size, if utilitarian, kitchen. 

And a very pretty room with a view. (it's out there, I promise!)
Part 3 of this series will have my favorite house, so stay tuned! But meanwhile I leave you with a couple of house shots, both gray, as it turns out.





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God Jul: Happy Santa Lucia Day

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I'm a little late, but today is the Feast of St. Lucy (Santa Lucia) a 3rd century early Christian girl who was martyred in the name of her faith and is the patron saint of those who are blind. The name Lucy, (or Lux, Lucis), comes from the Latin for "light". Lucy was blinded for her devotion to God and unwillingness to marry a non-believer. Santa Lucia is revered by Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans and Orthadox Christians alike. Santa Lucia Day is particularly important in Scandinavian countries and is marked by a ceremony with young girls all dressed in white to mark Lucy's purity. One girl is selected to wear a crown of evergreens with white candles.

















There is something just so elegantly beautiful in natural simplicity, isn't there? God Jul (Norwegian for Merry Christmas!)

All images and credits here.
I also wanted to thank my Skirted Roundtable pal Joni Webb of Cote de Texas for including my work in her recent post on fitting out book shelves in interiors. Very honored to have my work included amongst that of Suzanne Kasler, Phoebe Howard, Brooke Giannetti and other fantastic designers. It's a great post - so click here to read


If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please email me. Thanks!
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