This morning I walked through the garden and said farewell to my lovely rose (and calla lily) friends. Those seven-foot high rose bushes have provided me and my neighbors with much amusement and joy. I know that having these friends is only a fleeting thing…three weeks ago, the fifty or so bushes were a riot of color and perfume. Now, only a few blooms remain and the neighborhood and I are in mourning.
Each day the Arizona heat and wind have diminished the color and dried up the beauty…I know the end is near. Within weeks the desert temperature will soar to 110 degrees and the bushes will shrivel, defying that hot, never-ending beating sun, and my lilies will literally be cremated. So…all that I will have left are pictures to remind me that my friends will return, will be resurrected in the fall when the temperatures will return to “normal” and the sun retreats to the south giving us all relief from the heat!…it cannot come fast enough.
Roses are not only an inspiration for me in the garden but an inspiration for many in the world of interior design. They are seen printed on fabric and wallpaper in various genres from traditional to modern. They are borders on rugs, painted on furniture and grace beautiful botanical drawings.
Bennison Fabrics has a wonderful pattern that recalls vintage living with a “tea stained” looking ground and Lee Jofa provides some wonderful fabrics that make my heart sing! The one pictured 
inspired a client’s bedroom.
In Arizona, sometimes the only relief when the garden is bare of my floral friends, is to stroll through the Design Center and once again see my favorite roses…and lillies.
I recently had the pleasure to be present when Karen Reid , a New York based rep for Bergamo, gave a bombastic presentation of the spring textile and wallpaper collections from the family of Bergamo which includes the fabric houses Rubelli, Sahco and Donghia at the Scottsdale John Brooks Showroom. What captured my imagination right away was the beauty of the new Donghia fabric “Hollywood” and only maybe because it was sitting on the easel as we were gathering for the presentation…there it was just demanding that I love it. I did!
This stunning silk satin fabric looked liked the most fluid metal ever with flame stitching…my favorite color line was the cheerful ochre and gold. This named fabric collection is inspired by places dotted across the US. like Jackson, Key West and Annapolis to name a few. Jackson is a velvet inspired geometric design that shows itself well in copper and Annapolis is the perfect military stripe constructed in wool…may I shout “Attention!?”
Sahco has some equally beautiful fabrics. “Contura” made me covet it’s beauty and I had to order a memo sample so that I could appreciate it privately with no one watching…sigh. Numa, a contemporary “bull’s-eye” woven in silk was also inspirational and finally, Jolie, an embroidered linen is the perfect girlie girl’s companion.
Rubelli had the most delicious cotton velvet floral print that had some designers at the presentation thinking fashion couture, not interior design. Malvasia, as it is named, reminded me of watercolor class in college with stunning color pairings. A companion stripe, Frezzeria, is the epitome of formal casual striping at its very best. Yummy!
Fabric presentations like the one I attended here are the perks of my business. Not always will I have the opportunity to place any of these fabrics in one of the interiors I design, but that doesn’t matter to me. Looking at these fabric gems allows my creativity to spark…and then, who knows, maybe one day “Hollywood” will come to Phoenix!
One of the most successful color pairings in the recent past is the color combination of blue and brown/tan. Visually, the palette pairing provides a soothing aesthetic for both masculine and feminine spaces alike. Barclay Butera has successfully paired these colors himself in his new bedding line for Eastern Accents in his new “Hyland Park” collection that features paisley, stripes and solid colors.
The collection’s duvet features a strikingly bold paisley pattern in blue and tan which is offset by toss pillows in stripes of blue, brown and tan. These are complemented by euro pillows in brown velvet and standard shams in tan velvet both trimmed with coordinating cord. To set off the look, a smart looking velvet animal print pillow to sit front and center of the completed bed. The whole ensemble works well in a traditional setting though can be equally at home in an urban loft setting.
The new bedding ensembles also feature additional collections including “Sag Harbor” and “Palm Canyon”. Sag Harbor is a fresh outlook on a beach collection with blue beach striped pillows and an accent pillow featuring a blue coral pattern…Palm Canyon plays to my love of animal patterned whimsy with tailored zebra print pillows! Each collection would be a beautiful additional to any bedroom!
Blue and brown…I’m thinking I need to call a great client to show her the new Butera collection for her teenage sons’ bedroom. It would be perfect for them…but…maybe without the animal print accent pillow!
This morning I walked through the garden and said farewell to my lovely rose (and calla lily) friends. Those seven-foot high rose bushes have provided me and my neighbors with much amusement and joy. I know that having these friends is only a fleeting thing…three weeks ago, the fifty or so bushes were a riot of color and perfume. Now, only a few blooms remain and the neighborhood and I are in mourning.
inspired a client’s bedroom.
