Yellow Zebra Wallpaper

Ask and ye shall receive! One of my lovely readers, Liz Banfield, just had her bathroom papered in the yellow colorway of the Zebra wallpaper from Scalamandre was kind enough to allow me to share it with you. I've never seen the yellow used before and I think it looks really fresh. I love that this paper is fun but still looks sophisticated. I have to also give credit to the interior designer on the project Janet Gridley of Gridley Vaughan. Great work!

Mellow Yellow and Grey

I've been hearing from a lot of readers that they miss hearing about my design projects. I completely understand and will definitely be posting about them again but not until after they are finished. A top design magazine editor just warned me again last week not to post any photos if I hope to get them published. Not sure if that will actually happen but I'd like to at least try so for now, I'm listening to his advice. But from the beginning, my blog has always been an online version of my inspiration board and right now, I'm inspired by grey and yellow. These are just some of the images that are currently the inspiration for a guest room for one of my projects. I especially love the look of yellow draperies. Enjoy!

Canadian House and Home Magazine

Tibi designer Amy Smilovic Living Room by Bruce Shostak

Willem de Kooning

Deborah Needleman's Bedroom

Fawn Galli

Celerie Kembel

Dries van Noten Store in Paris

Steven Gambrel

Will Wick

Elizabeth Peyton

Domino Sneak Peak

I don't think the April issue is on the newsstand yet, although that won't prevent me from checking anyway, but Domino has sneak peak online of cover girl Drew Barrymore's office that was decorated by Ruthie Sommers. It is chock full of family photos and quirky vignettes and looks as down to earth as Drew herself. And keeping with my yellow theme is the powder room with "Ranelagh Papers" wallpaper by Farrow Ball. Good thing I didn't see that before I started redecorating!

Not So Mellow Yellow

I hate trends and I never follow them but I've made an exception for yellow. It all started innocently enough too. First, I just needed to have some head shots taken which the talented Porter Hovey agreed to take. Woo hoo! Then I needed some scouting photos of my apartment to send to a few publications. I'm a little superstitious so I can't give any details away yet but needless to say, my week was filled with a million decorating projects (and cleaning!) one of which entailed painting my television armoire Benjamin Moore French Quarter Gold and adding matching knobs from Anthropologie. I also switched out my winter wool pillows with spring/summer silk in complementary colors and made an early morning visit to the flower district for yellow flowers. More on that later. I am so exhausted I could keel over but I am delighted with how it all turned out. My apartment is all set for spring now too. Here are some other options to welcome a little yellow into your life and home.

I wanted to include my beautiful new yellow blouse from 3.1 Phillip Lim that I bought at Bergdorf's but it's already sold out in the store and I can't find it online anywhere so another fun option is the J. Crew Summerweight Chino Jacket. You can dress it up or down but I think it would look great with a pair of jeans and flats.

We're not quite into the April showers yet but you could plan ahead by buying a pair of yellow Hunter Wellington boots. Hunter has been in business since 1817 and is the original maker of Wellies, named after the Duke of Wellington. If they can withstand the wet British countryside, then they can certainly withstand slick city streets. They are even endorsed by The Queen! And if they are good enough for her, then they are certainly good enough for you and me.

My signature perfume is Narciso Rodriguez but in the spring and summer I love wearing Mimosa by Calypso perfume. It's the most perfect floral scent that is a "blend of Mimosa, Rose and Jasmine with a splash of green leaves." It seems clean and fresh and not too sweet or cloying. It also comes in the form of a candle so your home can smell like spring too!

An inexpensive way to bring a little yellow into your life is through flowers. I bought some mini daffodils this week that are just the cutest darn things I've ever seen. They make me smile every time I look at them. And for a minute, I forget that my window looks out to the fire escape!

And if all else fails, you can pick up one of the many April magazines with varying shades of yellow on their covers to brighten up your life. House Beautiful and Elle Decor are a little on the chartreuse side but British House & Garden and Martha Stewart Living have perfect yellow covers. And even Pottery Barn got in on the act. Yellow may be a trend but at least it's one that will cheer you up while you wait for warmer weather!