Classic French courtyard…the colors of stone, metal…

a range of gray and black and ivory…

I’m always drawn to this color palate…

Inside the same French home …architectural elements

and tones that are timeless…

with a single chair and a touch of new color…

Art and Decoration January ’10

Timeless faucets, marble, mosaic, gleaming chrome…

Walls a lime washed study in gray…

Restoration Hardware ’07

Simple, unadorned gray walls, angular shapes

Maison Cote Sud Dec. ’09

Some favorite gray tones…

A worn “Grande Dame” of a ballroom in Paris…

It’s moody atmospherics often the backdrop for photoshoots..

Vogue Living Australia May June ’09

Several months ago I wanted to paint my kitchen cabinet gray…but was so tired

of always running to the paint store to get “the perfect gray” that I mixed some leftover

ivory and black paints and came up with a blueish gray.

Yesterday I  added a bit of taupe glaze today to tone down the blue.  I’m determined

to whittle down my hoard of paint. My husband just hung this floral garland panel for me…

there is more light and wall space in the kitchen for both panels, and my lanterns will take

their place in the dining room. As a side note: he threatened to divorce me if I changed

my mind again. The cumulative effect of gray cabinet, side panels, and lime washed

fireplace is overall more gray to offset my very creamy colored kitchen.  This wall

is just screaming “paint me gray”.

The panel is new, but the floral plaster swag is antique…

and somewhat fragile

And I’ll have to find a place for my lavender “harvest”

baskets…

Love the simplicity of these cabinets, the honed black and ivory, the

metal pendant and “roast beast” silver cover…

and of course the linen shade with embroidered initials…

Plain English Cupboardmakers

Just to throw a little wrench in the classics game….

I find a keep coming back to the same classical elements…

Except for a plumber who will come for a few hours to set up toilet,

and fixtures…it’s only (blissfully) me and my paint cans.