The Neutral Color Palette

One of the most popular directions in interiors today is a neutral color palette. When well executed it is a sophisticated and chic look.  How do you give it interest and keep it from becoming too flat and sterile?

Mix patterns and textures. Try to visualize what the room would look like in a black & white photo- is it all the same color of gray- mix it up.

Use different but similar colors. Mix different grays with beiges. Add white and ivory to give it a pop.

Use both soft feminine elements and hard or masculine elements and organic and inorganic elements. Add side panels, pillows, and rugs to soften a more masculine space. Use metals with florals or coral specimens.

Add a little color in art & accessories. A neutral interior is a great background for a fabulous piece of art. A little touch of color in a throw pillow or rug can really make a statement in an otherwise neutral room. 

Added interest with padded headboard wall

Masculine and feminine elements

Mixing textures and finishes to create interest

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Subtle palette- interest added with textures- sparkle of glass backsplash
& metals

Greige study

In the Press- Living Inside Out

We all know the best thing about living in Southwest Florida is our wonderful climate and beautiful surroundings. We spend equal time inside and outside so we need to equally consider outdoor to indoor spaces when remodeling, building, and decorating our homes.

Click HERE to read an article featuring Southern Showcase and Kingon Homes all about bringing the outside in and the inside out.  Click HERE to see the entire magazine- our article is on page 41.

Enjoy!

Hillary & Ann

Video tour- from Old World to Casual Elegance

This is a house that had great architectural details, but was dated by the dark Old World faux finishes and heavy window treatments. Together with the home's new owners, we updated and refreshed the whole house. Mixing some of the clients antique pieces with newer pieces makes for a really charming and personalized interior.

The palette is very coastal with crisp creams and whites, spa blues, sea glass, and coral. The house has a casual elegance. It is very chic but also very inviting and comfortable. 

To see a video of the interior click HERE.

We hope you enjoy!

Ann & Hillary

The Finishing Touch!

Accessories are as important to a room as the furniture and the right finishes. Often clients are surprised that we suggest dedicating a good portion of budget to accessories but the right pieces can really make the difference between almost there and truly fabulous. The right accessories should help set the tone of the house and speak to the clients personalities. The items can be old treasures carried from home to home that we know from the beginning of a job that we are going use, or new pieces that speak to the house and the client. 

A great example of using accessories to personalize a space is in this study.  On this job, we took photos when the furniture was in but before we had the art hung and again when totally completed. In the before pictures, the room is nice but lacks personality.

 In the after pictures, using the owner’s collection of sports memorabilia we made an art wall and now you can really see who the owner is. It is now a room he can really enjoy spending time.

It is also not about quantity- less is often more. Often we will refresh clients homes by editing the accessories. Removing and simplifying accessories is a great way to update a look. Often one or two well chosen pieces can be all you need.  

Accessories truly are the key to a personalized, warm, and finished interior.

Watch for our upcoming blog on mastering the art/ photo wall!

- Hillary & Ann

In the press: Creating a Safe Place

Working with Kingon Homes, Southern Showcase just completed a whole house renovation on a house that had had Chinese drywall.  It was an involved process to return the house to a safe, healthy home. The owners also chose to use the time to remodel and update the home.  The end results are fabulous! The house is now healthy and in the process was transformed into a casually elegant and chic house made for entertaining. 

The project was featured in Your Home magazine. Click here to view/ download the article. Click here to see the whole magazine (the article is on page 15).