black, white and a little...

Black and white always looks clean and its a great way to emphasize pops of color.

From Garance dore a simple black and white background makes her red lips stand out. A great inspiration for a room!

From the DWR bubble club chair collection the clean white with black background really makes the color of the pool stand out. 

The Selby featured Alexander Wang's showroom which is all black and white. I especially love this photo of his office. The black and white background shows off the industrial steel lamps.

Guest room at the Chateau Les Merles. A boutique hotel in the South of France with just 12 guestrooms. The modern black and white allows the antique oak armoire to really stand out. I just recently discovered this hotel on Habitually Chic. Its is now top on my list of places to go!

Gwenyth's black with white powder room with Apple's sweet little lavender stool.. Simple yet stunning.

I just love this room...

Great shot of a black and white winding staircase with a little pop of red at the bottom.

 

Gwenyth's all black kitchen really makes the center butcher block stand out in this photo. 

The all black and white Versace plane. I don't really know what to say here. I dig it though. 

This kitchen is amazing! I am not sure where its from I found it on the jjjjound site. if anyone knows where this photos is from, please tell. 

Thats it for tonight!

xoxo

brownie points

The Sartorialist posted this picture of her friend in the brown jacket today and it got me thinking about incorporating this cool clean masculine look into a room. I have always loved brown with true white, or blue white, or another cool pastel. Brown adds warmth and depth against a clean, modern background. Using brown against a clean background is a good way to give something a masculine quality without it feeling heavy and weighed down. I love the way they use brown accents amidst stark white walls at the James Perse Store below, also the equestrian brown leather sofa with white cushions. Its so clean but still has a warmth to it.

foto wall

So there is a wall in Jesse's office that I want to put all black and white photographs on. I want to include fine art photos, baby photos, wedding photos as well as photos we that we have taken together. I have done them a bunch for clients and they have turned out great, but before I get started I want to do some research, and also share with you some tips I use for making a successful photo wall. 

Consistency: I like to have some consistency, whether its all the same color frame, all color photos, the same size white mat around each picture, or all black and white, I think that there should be one consistent element in the photo wall, and the rest you can be creative. If you are mixing black and white with color photography and art I would use all the same color frame. If you are using all black and white you can mix it up. 

Be accurate: Measure the area on the wall that you are planning to hang the photos, and then measure out the same size and area on your floor. Start laying out your photos on the floor within that area. Leave about 2 inches between each photo.

Keep photos secure: Use a level and hang frames on two hooks or you will constantly be straightening them on the wall. Using mounting tape on the back of the frames will keep your photos in place.

Staircase rules: When making a collage going up a staircase keep in mind to mimic the staircase lines in your collage. Also make sure to measure on every second or third step the distance from the collage to the stair to make sure it has the same distance consistently. 

Get creative: Pick interesting photos from different times in your life and your family's life. Do not use only from one photoshoot. Its so much more interesting to mix an old pictures of your family (i.e. mom at the beach as a teenager) with more recent ones. Get creative, tell a story. 

When all else fails: If you are still intimidated by the thought of creating a photo wall that works check out The Picture Wall Company. You can buy a template for a perfect photo wall all without measuring! I haven't tried it but I would love to hear from anyone who has. 

It was hard finding photos of photo walls I really liked, but stay tuned I will post mine hopefully sooner than later. 

Please send me any successful photo walls you have done or any that you love and I will post them.