Summer Color Inspirations

Let Summertime guide your color choices this year - and you'll be pulling nature into your home, and creating your own 'happy place'. Certainly, you could consider these palettes anytime of the year - and painting is the perfect quick change for an interior space.

Of course - Chromotherapy, sometimes called color therapy, colorology or cromatherapy, is of itself a way to effect your mood, and balance "energy". And, on a more practical application - light therapy is used in medical circles to treat SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

So - you will want to consider the room you're going to paint - the color, and the lighting. Depending on the size of the room and the color, a test patch on the wall is always a great idea. If it's well lit with natural light, you can generally assume that any inspirations from Mother nature that you pull in will be reflected similarly. If it's not well lit - then you'll want to utilize lamps and artificial lighting of course. Make sure the color works with the space, the accessories and furnishings - and that it's what you want it to be, and has the desired effect on your mood and sense of well being. Colors always can 'feel' different once they cover a large space.

The Beach
Teals, deep blues - these cool colors are sure to keep the mood light, relaxed and fresh. Utilize stark whites along side the bold walls - with lamps, drapes and accessories - couple with soft lighting.

The Meadow
"The Meadow" theme is frequented by all shades of yellow, and works well with almost any space. Yellow is one of those colors that is generally considered a 'happy' color, and goes especially well with nearly any floral print, or pattern - and looks great with whites or woods (even really dark woods!).

The Desert
You don't need a mesa to feel on top of the world, just paint your walls the color of a hazy gray-blue sky, and accent with the colors of pink sunlit sands. You'll really be bringing nature indoors, so make sure to consider and review the actual desert at different times of the day - and notice the differences in hues between early morning, and late evening. Be your own Yogi in minimalistic style, with colors you might have thought only God could paint.

Starry Skies
The darkest blues and violets call for bright white accents or rich furnishings. Be careful with patterns and use of other colors when using dark blues and purple hues - in fact - monochromatic accents are safest here if you must use a color other than white or a metallic accent.

Don't be scared though - this is another cool combination that can really soothe the senses if done correctly.

Just don't ruin this one with complimentary colors - it won't work. In fact, it might make you sick. Could you imagine this cute little powder room with orange anywhere - ? It's miss the mark.

Observe your world and figure out what moves you. Then - grab a can of paint and go to town. Bring your love of life into your interior design.

A King's Throne

Father's Day is June 19th

What is man’s best friend? We think a dog might actually be a close second, and a fine chair the winner of this war! And with Father’s Day coming around we’re sure that dad’s old recliner is getting to be a bit out of date – so why not get him a new one? In fact, why not go even further and make him feel like a king with a new throne for his office, or perhaps a fine piece of seating?

Of course, J. Douglas Design is the exclusive retailer in Dallas for Marge Carson fine furniture. (both chairs pictured in this post are from Marge Carson) We not only have many different types of chairs for every day use, but more specifically, we have chaises, super-manly wing back styles, executive desk chairs and sets of chairs and foot rests.

Chaises, while not a traditional recliner, certainly act like one. They are long chairs for reclining that not only give your dad – or any family member – the capability to recline, but to recline elegantly at that. At first, chaise lounges were neither easy nor inexpensive to create. The metal hand of the chaise was actually curved by hand, which made the chaise lounge unavailable to the public. It also had to be shipped in full assembly, which presented transportation troubles. Now, though, chaises (like ours) are put out into our stores so that anyone – with a good eye, of course – can have one to complete their home décor.

Father’s day is an important day to be celebrated and revered, and we know that you only want your dad to have the best – so let us help you! J. Douglas Design sends well wishes to ALL the Father's out there. Still not sure what he might love? Come down or call J. Douglas Design any time and we will gladly help you pick the best gift for your father and his tastes!

Matching Luxury

Here at J. Douglas Design we are always striving to give you, our clients, the finest selection of furniture and unique pieces for your home furnishing endeavors. And did you know? There is a magazine out there, which strives for the same sort of excellence that we do: Grand Luxe Magazine.

Grand Luxe Magazine works in the same circles as we do - with a distinctive style and a clientele who expects only the very best.

Every issue of Grand Luxe Magazine is filled with stunning full-color photography and includes culture, society and lifestyle features which are printed on the highest quality of paper around.

What all is in this magazine? Well, there are multiple profiles of influential people, the arts, philanthropy, destinations, fine dining, entertainment and luxury event coverage. And if you decide that you would like to be on of their Grand Luxe VIP members, then you have access to multiple different events like the monthly Happy Hours and Trunk Shows and the Annual Holiday Wish Book Cocktail Party, as well as the Grand Luxe Polo Cup Championship.

If you are one of our customers then we already know that you look for the best within your community, so, if you haven’t already, sign up today for Grand Luxe Magazine and enjoy all that life, and Dallas, has to offer!

International Museum Day and Art this May 18th

Have you ever been to a museum before and thought to yourself – there should be a day where we celebrate places like this! For those of you who do not know – there is!

ICOM (The World Museum Community) established International Museum Day in 1977 to encourage public awareness on the role of museums in the development of society, and ever since then the worldwide community of museums celebrates International Museum Day on May 18 every year.

Each year there is a theme, and this year the theme of the International Museum Day is Museums and Memory. Museums conserve memories and tell stories and they have, in their collections, several objects that are vital to the memory of the areas we live in. Many of them are delicate, some endangered, and they all need special care and protection. International Museum Day 2011 will be an opportunity to discover and re-discover your individual and collective memory.

The purpose, as a whole- of International Museum Day is to make communities around the world aware of their heritage and aware of where they came from as a people, and it is also to help share all that the museums have to offer. Museums, no matter which one you go to, all have the common purpose of sharing with the masses the different art and art styles that have come about in this huge world of ours.

What is the purpose of art though? The purpose of art is to communicate ideas and to create a sense of beauty in even the darkest of places. If you are looking to accomplish either one of these things, any type of art that speaks to who you are as a person would definitely help you do this.

At J. Douglas Design not only can we help you figure out how to incorporate this art into your home, but we also proudly feature and use the artwork of Phoenix Art Group in our designs. So not only can we give you the type of home furnishing and home accents needed to make your home truly yours, but we also have an insight into what kind of art can help you set yourself apart from the rest.

Taylor King Furniture - a perfect style for your home

Do you ever go into a furniture store looking for a specific “something” that you just cannot seem to find? Then, when you can’t find it, do you go home in frustration? Well, let Taylor King Furniture help you with our many own “do it yourself” styles in multiple different collections, where you get to design your own style and seating arrangements!

In the Taylor King Collection you can see that we have something called “Taylor Made,” which is our way of telling you that we have what you need to make the furniture that you want in only five steps. First you have to choose between “Standard” or “Continental” Depth. Then you choose which back you would like, and then follows the frame, then the arms. After all of that is done, you choose your base and you’re finished!

To get more specific, if you are looking at the King’s Road collection, you’ll see that we have something called “Cozy Creations” which helps you design any couch, chair, or loveseat into what you want in only four easy steps! First, you choose your back cushion, then pick the perfect seating arrangement from a single seat up to a full sectional. Then you get to choose the arm style, and lastly pick a base option. Depending on your taste, Cozy Creations can be designed for sophisticated elegance or everyday casual.

If you’re honestly tired of trying to look for something that can just not be found, make it yourself with Taylor King Furniture, which just so happens to be one of J. Douglas’s featured lines, which means you know that you’re getting the best quality of fine furniture around the Dallas area!

Decorating with Vintage Wine-the color of the year

The color brown, along with its’ different variations, is once again being brought to the attention of the J. Douglas Community. In all areas of fashion today, whether it is in clothes, accessories, apparel items, paints, or furniture, the color Vintage Wine is making a comeback.

Benjamin Moore's color designers are even expecting the color Vintage Wine to be the Color of the Year for 2011.

Starting out on the fashion runways of New York, Paris and Milan, this dulcet hue with a hint of smoky violet and a deep brown base is just as striking in the home. This prevailing Vintage Wine color, being a deeper hue of brown, not only gives one the feeling of luxury and warmth, but also makes any room that has this color in its interior design have a cosmopolitan feel to it, because it does have the uncanny ability to make any room seem exceptionally refined. This color would go well in any room, like for the bedroom designs or living room designs, and could also work well if you just simply took the color and painted it on your walls, or even made it an accent wall of sorts.

What makes the Vintage Wine color so great is that not only is it a shade of brown, but it then has its own variations of shades as well. There is Mirage White, Touch of Gray, African Violet, Hazy Lilac, Cabernet and Night Shade so no matter what you want your room to look like; this color can show up in many different forms, and even make your room stand out even more.

As always – if for some reason you cannot seem to figure out how exactly to incorporate this fashion-trendy Vintage Wine color into your room, come by J. Douglas Design, and we will gladly give you some interior design tips to help you figure out how to make your room the best it can be.

Brown - the color of sophistication this Spring

The color Brown denotes a feeling of warmth, comfort, and security. It is often described as natural, down-to-earth, and conventional but brown can also be sophisticated. When trying to decide what color to make those white walls of yours, consider the color brown if you’re trying to achieve this warm sophisticated look. Designing with brown isn't easy. You have to choose just the right shades for your spaces.

Many people have heard horror stories of the color Brown, makes a room look too small, makes a room too dark, too depressing - that is old news as Brown is one of the most popular colors these days, especially when it comes to designing.

Brown is considered a neutral color in landscape design and is often used as a background color but remains popular for fashion design and home décor and is normally easily matched with other colors, because it is so neutral in nature. If you want red, blue, or sleek silver, any shade of brown can be found to match. There’s Auburn, Beige, Chocolate, Sepia and many more even obscure shades.

Brown is a color that is used in many different ways in many different rooms. If you ever need to know what shade is right for you or for your favorite color let J. Douglas Design make the perfect choice of colors for your spaces. Just tell them you want to "go brown" and let them lead you down the right road. Decorating with the color brown isn't that hard but sometimes we need help in making the right shade choice and J. Douglas Design has the perfect way to open up your spaces with colors of browns.