Leah Hennen, a fellow freelance writer (she has all the big guns like Real Simple, The New York Times, HGTV.com, Health magazine, and now, her own blog, More Ways to Waste Time on her resume), shared The Washington Post series on lavender today. Quite exciting — more design inspiration if you’re looking to add a little lavender love into your life. Seems others are turning their attention towards this color so the timing on this is perfect. The four articles are linked below from The Washington Post. Enjoy!

“Lavender, Neutralized” discusses how lavender can be a “soft and embracing neutral”. Side point: Is the dog on the sofa not the most overly used, yet utterly charming, accent in home decor photos? It’s almost like dogs are cooler than kids, more hip. If someone flips open their wallet to show their grinning kids, the “friend” usually forces themselves to show interest and politely looks at them. They’re totally hiding the “whatever” look and famous eye roll, pretending that your smiling son is the cutest thing alive. Whip out photos of your new dog, and the whole office forms a line at your desk, requesting you bring in more photos, or better yet, the whole dog. Back to my point. Dogs in photos. Kids in photos completely bombs unless you are selling products for kids. Dogs in photos always work whether you are selling a sleek Italian sofa or an oil tanker. But I digress… Just a ‘trend’ I’m seeing with dogs in photos.

“How They Make the Most of Lavender” (expert advice on using the color). Good article, check it out.

“The Experts’ Specific Picks”: This article features fave paint hues from design experts. I’ll add my voice here, as I have my opinions on the subject, too. Ahem. My favorite purples from Mr. Ben Moore are Violet Mist (greyish), Whispering Wind (heavenly, soft purple), and Irises (if you are looking for a deep, dark purple that almost reads as a charcoal grey in certain light).

And finally, a photo gallery over at The Post showcasing lovely lavender interiors. Like some of these photos I’ve included in this very post.

I absolutely adore this image. Delish! A purple table for the entry. What a statement. Despite how perfectly stylized things are (shell artfully arranged on (or near as in this case) a book, Nate Berkus and Oprah would grin and the audience would clap at this one, especially Miss Beckster), I think the homeowner sincerely hopes you’ll see that they’re really a fun bunch behind all the OCD perfection. They’re secretly praying that when you enter their home, that purple table will show off their amazing taste, perky personality, and their ability to read books.

Ah. One can only look and admire the perfect placement of every single item. Thankfully, the white coverlet gave this room the grown up feel that it would not have had if the designer added a pattern on this bed. As is, the room is absolutely serene and very, what would that girl on Top Design say, Glamtastic? Or was it Glamalicious? Glammaramma ding dong? :)

Okay, so I think we can call it quits on Purple. I need a break. I think I’ll go back to the regularly scheduled program here on decor8. Hope you had fun with this because the goal here was to break the mold and for some (—->me<----), position purple in a more positive light. I'm cured, what about you?

Thank you Leah for the GREAT tip!

(all images from the washington post)

13 Responses to “Lavender Love from The Washington Post”

1 Leah commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 3:29 pm

Thanks Holly — glad you enjoyed the Washington Post pieces! I adore lavender, and this whole series you’ve been running has only served to deepen my passion for the color.

Anyway, a tiny clarification: I wrote for the New York Times exactly *once*, and though that fact will probably go on my tombstone, I can’t really claim to “write” for the NYT.

LOVE your blog!

All the best,

Leah
2 katiedid commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 3:40 pm

Love the Anne Coyle photos. She is able to use lavendar in a very fresh way.
3 decor8 commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 3:54 pm

Ha! Sorry about that Leah. I actually used your profile on LinkedIn as my guide. Let me revise that a bit. :)
4 deerseason87 commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 4:32 pm

Yay for purple! I’ve been noticing alot of purple houses lately in California. I think it’s a color that has been through the worst (royalty, little girls’ raincoats, etc.) and I’m glad to see it making a comeback in a classy way.
5 Julieann commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 4:37 pm

This is fabulous! I am so glad you are talking about purple, it has been a favorite in my design boards for years. At the moment I am transforming my living room with violet, coral and ivory accents. There is something about a strong lavender that just says….classy, sophisticated and strong! Love it, thanks for exploring purple Holly!
6 terri commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 4:37 pm

Love your observation about dogs in decor photos. Too funny. I am always noticing those great looking dogs! I also like sleeping cats on beds.

I am loving the lavender/purple focus this week!
7 courtney commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 5:12 pm

Our guest bath has this hideous mauve tile in the shower and toilet. We can’t afford to replace it, and the only color that drew the eye away was purple. We used Peruvian violet by behr and it is GORGEOUS. The room has no windows, and is long and narrow which is not conducive to good light. But I swear the color looks just as good in the shadows as it does in the sun.

I suggest people check it out when looking for “adult” purples.
8 studio wellspring commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 5:27 pm

swooning over here ~ absolutely gorgeous rooms. and that entry table is to-die-for. thanks so much for stretching your wings & embracing the purple passion for a couple days. i know i’m in a blissful violet haze now. ;o)
9 modmom commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 8:19 pm

lovely
10 Jennifer Ramos commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 8:25 pm

Hey, that LAVENDER BATHROOM is by Jamie Drake. Hes great! I had posted him a few days ago on my blog along with that lavender pic. Love it!

http://madebygirl.blogspot.com/
http://www.madebygirl.com
11 decor8 commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 9:51 pm

Well Miss Jennifer, I guess that means that the Washington Post and you both have amazing taste!!

xo
Holly
12 sadie commented:
May 17th, 2007 at 10:06 pm

These articles were great, and I like seeing your sense of humor shine through, you are such an entertaining writer. Dooce Part 2.
13 Jody commented:
May 24th, 2007 at 2:52 am

Love the purple and now I can’t stop thinking about which room in my house I should paint lavender.

I’ve been thinking about your dog and kids post and politely have to disagree. Well, I may have agreed pre-kids, but now that I have kids, I love seeing children used in home design photos. For example, this picture from Domino Magazine has been a huge inspiration for me as I redo my kitchen.

Have you seen the new Ikea commercials with the kids and different families? I think those are by far the best tv ads I’ve seen for a home store.

(Oh, and I honestly do enjoy seeing pictures of my coworkers and friends children. Of course, they are never as cute as your own and I just don’t need to see one every week! :))

*Love* your blog Holly.

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