Family Room Update

Progress on decorating the once-empty family room has sped up in recent weeks. After much internal (and external) debate on ottomans and throw pillows I feel like the room is finally starting to take shape. Sure, I'd like a smaller swivel chair close to the fireplace (I'm thinking something with a skirt to counteract all the leggy pieces in the room already), curtains and dramatic built-ins on either side of the fireplace, but I feel like I'm finally starting to get somewhere with this room.

The biggest deviation from my original design (shown above) has definitely been the decision to go with a coffee table in lieu of an ottoman. Dave had initially wanted an ottoman for comfort's sake (he loves nothing more than a spot to put his feet up), but I had a lot of trouble finding an ottoman that I liked and that didn't feel too heavy or large for this rather narrow space. You probably don't want to know the amount of time I spent (okay, wasted) scouring my favorite online sources for ottomans or coffee tables that fit the bill. After all but giving up, the perfect coffee table managed to find me, on super sale at One King's Lane (which is increasingly becoming my go-to resource for decorating my new home). I need to get a piece of glass cut for the top (the table even came with a handy template I can take in to the glass cutter's!), but otherwise I'm loving it as its longer length and narrower width fits the space perfectly.

As the name suggests, the Raj cocktail table has an Anglo-Indian flair with its woven top, java finish, turned legs, and I think the British Colonial style plays nicely with the chinoiserie style of the other tables in the room (the silver leaf five-leg table and the collector's classics console table, both from Ethan Allen) without making the room feel either too eclectic or too theme-y.

And of course I can't resist a close-up of these gorgeous throw pillows (see HERE for the first half of the story). The three pillows I had made out of KWID's Imperial Trellis II really pull the room together for me -- the trellis pattern is the perfect compliment to the Chiang Mai fabric on the other pillows and the Madelaine Weinrib rug. I must thank Melanie over at Plum Cushion for making them so beautifully (and quickly!) and for even sending me back all my leftover fabric. If you're looking to get some custom pillows made, I can't recommend Melanie enough.

I didn't have a lot of time to really style the room, but I added a few of my favorite design books and candles to the coffee table to make it a little less stark. I also added the white orchid that Dave bought me after I returned from a business trip to the side table (it was living in our master bath).

As a final touch, I pulled out my Jonathan Adler hippo (scored last year off eBay), which had been sitting in our pantry since our move last August, awaiting his new home. Doesn't he look darling behind the sofa?

To illustrate the progress that has been made since August of last year (when we had absolutely zero furniture to go into this room):

On an only marginally-related note, Friday also marked the arrival of three rolls of this:

Osborne & Little's Summer Palace! Many thanks to Susie of Maddie G Designs for hooking me up with this wallpaper; it's even more fantastic in person. If you're not a design professional but are interested in getting direct access to trade-only products, Susie is a wonderful resource. Not only did she help me locate the product(s) and get a good price, but she was responsive and easy to work with as well. Thanks, Susie! Now the only task is to find someone to hang this for me -- anyone have any recommendations for good wallpaper hangers in Houston?

Weekend Update: The Powder Room

Yesterday we managed to complete another major project around the house -- without even being here! In fact, we were in Phoenix, Arizona, this weekend attending the wedding of a dear high school friend of mine. Meanwhile, back in Sugar Land, our trustworthy and fantastic wallpaper lady completed the wallpapering job in our powder room and I'm ga-ga over the finished results -- and completely thrilled at the idea of being able to cross a big project off my interminable "to do" list without having to do it myself. If you're in the Houston area and need a referral, let me know and I'll send you Pam's information.

As I discussed in an earlier post, I decided to go with Osborne & Little's Summer Palace. The scale of the pattern fits the size of the small powder room perfectly: it's neither too small so as to make the room feel smaller, nor too large so as I not be easily read on the narrow walls. The mirror over the sink is the Hampstead Mirror from Williams-Sonoma Home and was my Christmas present from Dave. The sconce is the Asbury Triple Sconce from Restoration Hardware.

I picked up "Chinoiserie Plate" by Anne Harwell specifically for this project and framed it a standard-issue ZGallerie frame. I did have the navy mat cut for the frame though as the print was a bit off size for the white mat the frame came with. I was a bit intimidated at the idea of hammering a nail into my brand-new wallpaper, but I do like how the artwork breaks up the pattern while still coordinating with it. Finishing touches include the ginger jar hand towels from Williams-Sonoma Home and Delirium & Co. candle in Blue Absinthe from Candle Delirium.

Formal Dining Rooms

Sherrill Canet

Earlier this week Cristin posted about decorating dining rooms over at Simplified Bee and it's gotten me itching to start decorating my own dining room (to get a feel for what I'm going for, see HERE). When we first moved in, we managed to paint out the trim on the lower third of the room to resemble wainscoting and paint the balance of the walls a deep blue (Farrow & Ball's Drawing Room Blue), but that's all the progress that's been made so far -- and unfortunately, until my budget recovers, that's all the progress that's going to be made for quite some time.

But that doesn't mean a girl can't day dream, right? In fact, I'd say a temporary cash crunch can be a good thing for designing a room as you're forced to window shop in favor of actually, well, shopping. This forced abstinence allows you the time to really get a feel for what you love most (rather than what you love today or what your budget allows you to buy today). And, when you finally do have the luxury of going out and buying new pieces, having curtains made, etc., you know the market, the trends and what it is you're really after.

So here are a few of my absolute favorite dining rooms, collected over the past few months as I continue to contemplate the transformation of my small dining room into something truly spectacular.

Kara Mann

For me, a formal dining space should be exactly that: formal. It should also be luxurious, dramatic and special. After all, these rooms are for special occasions, most of them occurring at night. So I say work with that and go for lots of drama: crystal, gilt, mirrors, silks, velvets, dramatic colors, hand painted wallpapers...you get the idea. If you're looking for a good guide on how to incorporate all that and more without making the room feel overdone or too stuffy, you need look no further than Kara Mann's gorgeous gray dining room (above) that was featured in last month's Traditional Home. I particularly love the silver-leaf finish on the mantle against the Carrera marble surround.

Hillary Thomas Designs

There are those that argue that formal dining rooms are dinosaurs; that the modern family does not need to distinguish between public and private rooms, formal and informal settings. And that's certainly true to an extent, but at the same time I love the idea of the luxury of having a formal dining room. The luxury of having a place at home to celebrate truly special occasions. The type of room that is filled with memories yearound, even if it is only "used" a few times a year (though certainly there is nothing stopping you from using your formal dining room -- and your formal china -- on a regular basis, and I completely encourage this!).

In this dining room designed by Hillary Thomas, I love how the trim and wainscoting is painted out in a high gloss sage green. It's such a great way to modernize very traditional architecture (and the very traditional wallpaper). The glossy green also works well with the dining chairs, which are done in a high glass black with a sage green seat.

Ruthie Sommers

Wainscoting and wallpaper (especially handpainted wallpaper) are two of my favorite design elements for a formal dining room. The sea grass rug and lack of window treatments make this room feel much lighter than many of the others -- and also more approachable. For me, this room is the perfect balance between formality and luxury, on the one hand, and practicality and comfort, on the other.

Christina Murphy

A simple formula for high drama in a dining room is dark bare wood floors, metallic wallpaper and a crystal chandelier. The mirrored insets into the paneled doors is a simple and inexpensive way to add a little extra sparkle and to dress up an otherwise standard feature. I also love the Kartell Mademoiselle Chairs, with their lucite legs and low backs.

Katie Ridder

Here, I love how the dark slate walls contrast with the high impact turquoise chandelier and hot pink upholstered dining chairs. I think my first inclination would be to pair colors like this with a predominately white backdrop, but Katie demonstrates here how success dark walls with bright furnishings can be. I also like how she kept it from feeling too cave-like by having a lighter colored rug on the floor. This lightness is similarly reflected on the ceiling, which appears to be papered in a subtle tonal damask. 

Thad Hayes

Pastoral murals in dining rooms are very, very traditional. In fact, you can see many fine examples of them in homes in Pompeii. Here though, the brighter colors in the mural and in the fabrics lend a rather whimsical quality to Thad Hayes' space. So much so that it feels almost cartoon-like.

Ondine Karady

Anyone else remember Ondine from the second season of Design Star? [By the way, is that show ever coming back? I loved it!] In any case, Ondine is back and in the running for Traditional Home's Young Traditional Designer of the Year. Flipping through her portfolio, I fell in love with this dining room. I love the juxtaposition of the almost Medieval architecture with the vibrant pinks. In fact, I'd happily steal that set of Ikat chairs and the hot pink buffet for myself. How fabulous would that look against navy walls?

Nathan Egan

Nathan Egan is one of my favorite designers for subtle drama. Rooms like the dining room above show that you don't need bold colors or expensive, embroidered wallpaper to make a big impact. I also love how the oversized photograph is hung between the wall and wainscoting. The gesture feels almost haphazard, but the effect is incredibly striking. I also love the large wine barrel chandelier -- sure, it's been trendy, but there's also a nice rusticity about it that works so well with more traditional interiors.

Suzanne Kasler

One of my all-time favorite dining rooms, by the near-faultless Suzanne Kasler. While I usually prefer trim painted-out white, the blue lacquer that Suzanne applied to both the walls and trim here is incredibly striking. I also tend to prefer matching chairs (or at least matching side chairs with a pair of larger chairs for the ends), but yet again Suzanne proves here there's no "rule" that I can come up with that can't be successfully broken.

Annie Selke

This dining room was featured in a spread House Beautiful did last year on a beach house Annie Selke decorated and I absolutely fell in love with all of it. I love the mix of patterns here as well as the mix of blues. A deft hand is needed for this type of mixing, but Selke is skilled at mixing both patterns and colors in a way that feels very modern, without any of the eclectic-bohemian element that I'm admittedly not a huge fan of.

Virtual Vacation: Edinburgh

Work has been incredibly hectic for me as we rush to close on an acquisition in a matter of weeks (instead of the months that we should have had). For all the craziness though, one upside to being overextended at the office is that, when things finally do settle down, you feel incredibly entitled to make the most of it and go on vacation. Dave and I are booked to take a much-deserved (for us both -- Dave has been just as busy as I have, if not more) trip at the end of May to London and then to Scotland. During our five days in Scotland, we'll be spending two nights nestled in the Highlands in Inverness and three nights in Edinburgh. During out time in Edinburgh, Dave and I will be staying at the Hotel Missoni -- and I'm beyond excited. So I thought today in anticipation of my upcoming vacation, I'd indulge in a little virtual vacation and explore all that the Hotel Missoni (and Edinburgh) have to offer.

I've long admired Missoni's brand; their clothes, fabrics and home accessories lines are exactly the kind of bold, brightly colored patterns that I'm always drawn to. It's very modern, but not spare. And, from the pictures I've been able to find online, their newest venture into boutique hotels (the first in Edinburgh, with more in the works in Kuwait, Cape Town, Brazil and Oman) has the exact same feeling as the rest of the line (modern, colorful and fun, but also incredibly luxe) -- and that's to be expected considering Rosita Missoni herself designed the hotel.

I love the predominately black and white vibe of the lobby. It's all so very, very Missoni. The style of the hotel is far more modern than anything I would ever do in my own home...and that's not to say that I dislike modern design per se as I quite admire modern design when done well for all its crisp spareness...it's more that it doesn't feel especially "me" and it's not something I think I could live with day after day. That said though, I always try and use traveling as an opportunity to stay in hotels that have a very different design sensibility than my own home. After all, half the fun of traveling is getting to experience something completely different from what you're used to.

I think my favorite design element are these giant urns in the lobby, which are visible from the street. Talk about making a statement.

Even the hotel's elevators are decorated in signature Missoni prints.

This hot pink, black and white suite is probably my favorite of the ones photographed (and I'm sure not at all representative of the baseline room Dave and I will be staying in). I love how the rug is a reverse of the pattern on the sofa and how the glossy pink buffet mirrors the pink accent wall on the other side of the space. Despite a growing penchant for more organically designed/eclectic spaces, I'm still a big fan of a well-thought out, tightly designed room like this one.

The same room, from a different angle. I love all the light pouring into this space from the windows. Too often hotel rooms are decorated too darkly, often to disguise cramped quarters or small windows. Here though, the overall feeling is one of light and space: two huge luxuries in Edinburgh.

Not sure if this is the same suite, or another suite with the same color palette. Either way though, I love that low slung, round chair; it's the perfect place to lay back and read a book or watch TV.

A second style of suite, this one decorated in a more masculine black and white with small touches of red.

I love how these two very different styles of chair are united by the common fabric. I'm not normally a fan of shaggy carpet, but the plush rug adds a level of warmth to a room that could otherwise read as a bit cold.

A smaller suite, probably more representative of the majority of the hotel's rooms. Despite the smaller size, the room is still elegantly appointed and cheerfully decorated. I particularly covet the zig zag pillows on the bed. Additionally, all rooms come with complimentary Wi-Fi, laundry and minibar (nothing I hate more at pricey hotels is the nickel and dime-ing you for any "extras"). I also like the pale blonde wood floors that runs through all the rooms. Not only does it add a natural (and more casual) element to these very modern interiors, but it's so much better than scuzzy hotel carpet.

Another one of the "standard" rooms, this one featuring a single king bed. I love how the bedding picks up on the turquoise and yellow used on the walls. It's not my favorite color combination, but it's peppy and fresh. A nice change of pace from the golds, browns and reds so often favored by hotels.

I tend to gauge a hotel's class by the quality of its bathrooms. I'm sure I won't be disappointed with these as they boast deep jewel-tone walls, rainfall showers and plush Missoni robes and towels.

Views from the hotel. I actually spent a few weeks with my family back in the summer of 2002 touring around Scotland. We went to Glasgow, Perth, St. Andrews, and Edinburgh (with a brief day trip up to the Highlands to take a boat ride on Loch Ness). And, while much of Scotland is achingly beautiful, my favorite stop by far was the few days we spent in Edinburgh. Edinburgh's Old Town is -- as you can see from this photo -- a wonderful mishmash of ancient and modern. I love the idea of staying in an ultra-modern hotel right off the Royal Mile, one of the oldest streets in the UK. It's this very European juxtaposition that, as an American (and a Houstonian in particular), I find so attractive.

The Royal Mile is so named as it's the approximately one mile stretch of road connecting Holyrood Palace (the official residence of the monarch in Scotland) to Edinburgh Castle (dating to the 12th century, the defensive stronghold is situated above the city on top of an extinct volcano). The Hotel Missoni is within a five minute walk of Edinburgh Castle and within ten minutes of . The Queen is rarely in residence, however, and typically only stays at Holyrood a few days a year en route to her private summer home in Balmoral. When you've had your fill of cultural outings, stroll over to Princes Street for the best in high street shopping. Jenners, Scotland's equivalent of Neiman Marcus or Bloomingdales, is the crown jewel of Scottish shopping and is a must-see.

There is, of course, plenty of entertainment to be had inside the hotel itself as well. Dave and I plan on spending a quiet, romantic evening at their much lauded restaurant and bar. I absolutely adore the collection of prints displaying the phases of the moon in Bar Missoni. The copper-topped, flower-shaped bar is also stunning. I'll be trying out one of their signature cocktails: the Basilito, a twist on the classic mojito (a blend of basil, grape and Italian lemon), or Biennale, a twist on a bellini, but with fig and vanilla preserve and prosecco.

The hotel's restaurant Cucina is (of course) Italian, with an emphasis on serving fresh, local ingredients. The graphic black and white patterns of the hotel lobby are carried through to the restaurant, punctuated with pops of bold turquoise and pink.

If you interested in visiting Edinburgh, my best advice is to stay in Old Town -- or as close to it as your budget will allow. Unlike London, Edinburgh does not have a subway system and getting around via cab quickly gets expensive. By staying in Old Town, you'll be guaranteed to be right in the heart of the major tourist attractions. Besides the Hotel Missoni, I've also heard wonderful things about Tigerlily, another very chic boutique hotel that also happens to be more moderately priced.

If you've visited Edinburgh recently, I'd love to hear your suggestions for restaurants, bars, shops and sites that we should add to our itinerary. It's always great to get travel tips first hand!

It's a beautiful day...

It's a beautiful Spring day here in Houston today and I'd much rather be lounging in a gorgeous poolside cabana than in the office. Unfortunately though, it's Monday and my backyard is still in the state in which we bought it (i.e., completely empty) so until we have the time and funds to turn our attention to landscaping, I'll have to make do with a little virtual daydreaming, courtesy.

I love how Kristen has infused classic hacienda style with other global influences like the Morroccan lanterns, the Chinese garden stools, the turquoise Ikat print and the British Colonial furnishings. Despite this cultural mix, the overall effect is seamless and tramquil, with the dark browns and creams providing a neutral base for the pops of turquoise. 

And how awesome are these mini-canopies (with the giant tassels!) for the chaise lounges. Not only are they great aesthetically, but they're practical as well. I love getting a little bit of sunshine, but I'm always vigilent about making sure my face/neck are in the shade. The fabric on the pillows is called Tilbury by Laura Ashley and is available through Kravet. It's been making the rounds lately on the blogosphere and I absolutely love it.

One thing I would change though: I'd be trading in that Pellegrino for a glass of white wine or a margarita.

Mood Board Monday: Purple & Brown Nursery

The latest edition of Mood Board Monday (organized by the lovely Sarah of Pewter+Sage) focused on decorating from the ground up by centering a design around one of two fabulous, go-anywhere rugs. I remember reading an interview with Thom Filicia a few months ago wherein he suggested designing a room around a rug as its colors and patterns are great springboards for selecting paints and fabrics.

In any case, I chose the Andalusia rug (above) from West Elm in the rich chocolate brown. While this rug would truly work in just about any room in your house, I decided to do something a bit different and use it in a nursery room design. One of my favorite color combinations is a rich chocolate brown and purple. It's young and energetic, but doesn't feel overly sweet or kiddie. In fact, the combination can be downright sensual when the purple is as deeply saturated as the brown.

So how do you translate this grown-up space into a nursery? I'd start by using less chocolate brown, confining it to furniture and fabrics instead of using it as the dominate wall color. But don't get rid of it altogether: the dark brown here is essential as it will make the room feel more grown-up and ground all that lavender and white. I'd also follow Amanda's lead and keep a lot of white in the room though as the crisp white furniture and bedding keeps the room from feeling oppressively dark and is a great contrast to the brown.

I'd start by selecting a cool and calm lilac for the walls, with enough gray in it that it doesn't veer into mauve {shudders}. Serena & Lily's low-VOC paint in Lilac ($45/gallon) is a great option. As with grown-up bedrooms, the focal point of a child's room should be the bed (or crib) and I love the bold statement this sleigh crib makes. I'd put it in the center of the room, allowing it to be viewed from all angles. For bedding, I adore Serena & Lily's posey collection, with its crisp lilac and white pinstripe and chocolate brown piping. I also love how the floral pillow has a slight ethnic feel -- and tons of other bright colors (like the hot pink, yellow or turquoise) to pull out if you decide to incorporate another accent color. To bring in more color and pattern, I'd have simple curtain panels made out of China Seas' Wildflowers II (I'd go with the brown and white colorway for the curtains with the purple and white colorway as trim and maybe an extra throw pillow or two).

To play up the Moorish pattern on the rug, I'd use a Moroccan key table, painted glossy white to match the sleekly modern ZGallerie dresser. For lighting, I'd keep it feminine but not frilly. I absolutely adore Barbara Barry's scallop pendant -- sure, it's expensive, but it's a "forever" kind of fixture; no risk of growing out of this light! The curvaceous lilac table lamp from ZGallerie is also a lot of fun and I love its lucite base. Since every new parent needs a comfortable place to sit (and sleep), I selected the Presidio glider from Serena & Lily, complete with coordinating lilac trim on the white slip cover. Most gliders are honestly pretty hideous, but I love the narrower arms and sleeker frame of this model.

Going Green

Christina Murphy

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd be pretty uncreative and pull together some of my favorite green rooms. I'm always a fan of bright, monochromatic (or dichromatic) spaces and green is one of my favorite colors when you're trying to go bright and bold, but still have a "liveable" room. Unlike, say, orange or yellow, Green -- and even bold greens like kelly green -- read as a neutral when they stand alone or when only paired with true neutrals like white or black.

Amanda Nisbet

 

I've been coveting these Ava dining chairs from Annie Selke for months. I also love how Amanda carried the green onto the heavy beams, creating a real architectural feature out of what could otherwise best be described as bulkheads. I also love the soft brass fixtures with the green, the warmth lends a richness and depth to the room that I don't think nickel or silver could.

Jonathan Adler

With its cheerful color palette and midcentury touches, this room is classic Jonathan Adler.

Thomas Jayne

This room feels classic New England to me, with the roaring fire, heavy moldings and quilt on the bed. The color, however, really pulls it into the 21st century. I don't know if you'd call this color a blue-green or a green-blue, but I love it.

Lindsay Coral Harper

I typically try to avoid competing shades of a single color in a room, but the lime green walls and turquoise chairs really works together here. The overall effect is updated Palm Beach, without the hyper-coordination that can often make a room feel stuffy.

Phoebe Howard

Ah, another set of dining chairs that I'd love to own for myself -- anyone know the source on these? All the major elements in this room are neutral, but the room feels very colorful thanks to the green curtains, seat cushions and plates. In a few years the owner could easily switch these elements out with a different color for an entirely different look. It just goes to show you that you don't need a lot of color to make a big impact.

Jamie Drake

The mix of modern and traditional elements in this room is wonderful, but the best feature by far is all that gorgeous natural light streaming in from the floor-to-ceiling window.

Meg Braff

I think I'm increasingly obsessed with grass cloth -- if only I could find a place to use it in my own house! In any case, I love the mix of patterns in this room. The graphic rug, the cheetah print chairs and the grasscloth on the walls all lend different but subtle patterns, the combination of which is really greater than the sum of its parts.

Katie Ridder

Using a great print as a jumping off point for a room is a sure-fire way to achieve a cohesive design. The lavender and lime color palette is pulled from the fabric used on the ottoman and side chair in the foreground. The fabric is then repeated in the pillows on the sofa, ensuring a balance between both sides of the room (after all, it would feel a bit "off" if all the print were on one side of the coffee table and all the solid fabrics were on the other).

Miles Redd

These forest green leather doors with brass nailhead trim make me realize that my hollow-core doors are such a missed design opportunity. I also like how the hallway stands on its own design-wise, yet still works with the adjoining entry as it picks up on the greens in the wallcovering and generally harmonizes with the browns that dominate the adjoining space.

John Willey

I love the tight brown and lime color palette in this room -- it really enabled John to mix prints with abandon: plaid, Ikat, butterflies, geometrics...and yet it all harmonizes beautifully because all the prints contain the same colors (and when they don't, like in the plaid and Ikat prints, Willey added the missing color in as trim). I normally shy away from floral or butterfly prints as too girly, but the color palette and the great mix of other prints makes this room feel gender neutral to me. Also, did you notice the trim on the ceiling? What a great (and inexpensive) way to bring some interest to your fifth wall!

Hillary Thomas

Pink and green is such a classic, preppy color combination, but it's one that never fails to make me happy. It's even better when the colors are turned up a notch as with the hot pink drapes here. The softer neutrals in the rug and chairs help the room from feeling too much like the inside of a Lily Pulitzer store. I will say though that the composition feels a bit unbalanced to me, as all the saturated color in the green sofa and yellow pillows isn't set off by anything. I'd perhaps have included brighter pillows on the neutral side chairs and the white flokati pillows on the sofa...but that's just me.

Martha Angus

More fabulous pink and green, but this time both the pink and the green are in bold, saturated shades. I particularly love the contrast of the modern pop art with the very traditional handpainted wallpaper. Such a great contrast really makes this room stand out for me.

Sixx Designs

As much as I love a serene bathroom, I can't deny that this bright green bathroom from Sixx Designs is tons of fun. The salvaged pharmacy sign is a great touch and picks up on the retro black and white tiling. I really love the strong blue of the pendant light fixture. It's an unexpected, but brilliant touch in this room.

Tobi Fairley

Tobi is definitely a designer after my own heart. She's fundamentally traditional, but she's fond of bold color schemes, patterns and tightly edited spaces, all of which is perfectly exhibited in this green, white and gold living room. It's unusual to see two side tables that are actually taller than the sofa arms, but I like the built-in, cozy look that it lends the room....Oh and I would give my right arm for that coffee table. My only complaint? That Tobi karate-chopped the throw pillows. I hate that! Why do people do that?! Fluff, don't chop, I beg you.

Amanda Nisbet

I love the sophisticated, yet tropical feel of this bedroom. Again, I love the grasscloth wallpaper and its chartreuse hue is a very modern touch against the cottage-style bed as almost any other color green could have read as too country here.

Green is, ultimately, a natural color choice in interior design. It pairs well with both complimentary colors (like pink) and analogous colors (like yellow or blue) and is a great accent color for predominately neutral palettes. Green can read as energetic or calming, intense or calm, glamorous or laid back. Green also works in a variety of design styles, from traditional to modern. But whichever direction you choose to take green in your design, you can be assured that you'll be bringing in a little bit of Irish luck into your home.