INTERIORS TO INSPIRE: JOLT OF COLOR

It's time to wake up winter with a jolt of color! Maggie here from Maggie Rose Interiors with a home that leaves no color behind. Jewel tones and animal prints combine, but the effect is anything but sultry or sleazy. It is playful and fun, tempered by neutral tone floors and walls, and oversized black and white art.

In the living room, white walls provide a blank slate for loads of plush bright fabrics and animal prints. A jumble of colors mix seamlessly - I spy fuchsia, pear green, turquoise, and goldenrod. Using lamps in pairs lends a little symmetry and structure, and the oversized portraits make use of the high ceilings. Little martini tables dot the room. See that bullion fringe on the skirted table? I'm predicting that it's poised to make a big comeback.

The dining room may appear to have a completely different look on first glance (that gingham!), but several of the elements are repeated: pairs of lamps, more pear green, bullion fringe, large portrait art, and animal print are all here. Granted the mix of pattern has been taken up (a slightly crazy) notch, but I am in love with those red leather dining chairs surrounding the circular table.

The study is dark and moody with its lacquered chocolate walls. The wild colors are toned down, but we still have our pear green and animal print in one. Petite wall sconces replace the pairs of table lamps, but topiaries on the fireplace still add some symmetry. Round little tables are more flexible than a traditional coffee table.

So how can we get the look?


With an infusion of color, of course! A fuchsia arm chair pairs will with a yellow side table while a neutral sofa (with bullion fringe!) mingles with gorgeous vintage leopard stools. We get our jolt of turquoise with a patterned pillow, and a black and white print would look amazing framed. We'll lacquer our walls with chocolate brown (Benjamin Moore "Night Horizon") and splurge on a set of traditional dining chairs upholstered in a pop of red (animal print, for good measure). And of course, it wouldn't be complete without a pair of green lamps.

*room images via architectural digest