Thursday, February 4, 2010

~ Celebrating Red ~

Hello everyone! Well another snow storm is on the way for tomorrow, but I've decided to remain cheery and focus on the positive , Spring will be here at some point :) February is filled with reds everywhere it seems, so I'm doing my own little celebration of it ...Most of you know It's a favorite accent color of mine and the pics below are great ways you can add a little bang for your buck in decorating with this warm , inviting color. The Vintage magazine cover above warms my heart, and it's also Good Housekeeping's 125 anniversary this month! Happy Anniversary Good Housekeeping!

This all white Kitchen below gets a splash of red in the curtains and accents. How fun is that? when you want to change your kitchens color to suit your mood, what better back drop than white? I happen to love the red , but next year it could be blue, or pink, or anything and you'd just have to change out the accents , easy as pie :)


How fun is this floor below?! And the Vintage accents are just scrumptious too! Now this one is not "red shy" at all, I might not commit that highly to it, but I certainly appreciate it's fun look!

Here it's all in the accents too... Nice creamy walls and loads of splashes of red, so inviting to me. Cozy and filled with color!

It's a great idea to paint the insides of shelves too ( below ), that way they can always be changed down the line to another color with a paint brush and a little elbow work. But it makes a nice impact in this Vintage kitchen. Love the table too :)

My last post featured my wallpapered and painted steps, but when I saw this picture I thought , uh-oh, lol, another future project? It's fabulous to me! I think that painted steps with a long cottage runner would be perfect too!

A runner just like this :) I think this idea would be stunning in any color combination, but I love striped runners!
Here's another idea for using color with white, or cream or a neutral backdrop, after all it's just paint, right? Oh and what sweet curtains too! :)

( photo above from Rejuvenation.com , a fabulous lighting and house parts site! )

This one below is jam-packed with ideas! The wallpapered ceiling ( never forget it's the 5th wall of a room ) and the gorgeous fabric covered cabinets, and what looks like to be a painted floor too! I'm drooling right now at this look! :)

( Photos above from Country living )

I have a few of my own splashes of red going on in my house
...My LR is a deep Merlot red ( but soon to be soft sage I think, lol ) and I put accents of it every where. My kitchen is a cottage blue, but the wallpaper ( on 2 walls ) has almost every color in it, so I bring out the red in the roses as much as I can in small accents...

My kitchen chairs have hand-painted red cherries on them and a pretty accent pillow from my friend Bekah too! ( Thanks sweetie! ) and the cupboard is filled with lots of little pops of red too :)


A little red behind the stove :)

And on the shelves too :)

The shades I picked up at Micheal's for 1$ each and I covered them with a rosy red gingham and some trim, gotta love those glue guns :)

A few cookbooks with red binders too ...

A bold red Emile Henry pie dish sits on top of one of my cupboards and with the little red roses on the antique wash basin, they give more small touches of red to the room...

This ones a little blurry below ( sorry ) but again, on top of a hutch I have a tray with red cherries and also a framed Susan Branch art with red gingham matting...I'd love to know what splashes of color you all use and how you use it too!

I hope you all enjoyed my little touches of red post! I couldn't forget the little guy who landed on a branch outside my kitchen window that very day! How fitting...actually, perfect I thought! ;)

Have a Beautiful week ahead ladies!

And Thank you so much for stopping in and warming my winter heart with all your sweet comments! Thanks too, for your support on my Etsy store! It's time to get busy restocking it this week!

Wishing you all love and blessings!

Hugs and kisses!

~ Cynthia ~

46 comments:

Bird said...

OMG Cynthia!!

I have just re-done my kitchen inspired on those very same CL pictures!! :)

I am totaly in love with red now!!

Dawn said...

Your reds mixed in with all your other colors are what first attracted me to your blog. I love red but also a mix of color and pattern. You do it so well!
Hugs,
Dawn

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

What wonderful pictures. I love accents of red, and there are so many wonderful ideas here. Hugs, Marty

Jen said...

I love the red, I am adding more of it to my own kitchen. I have been trying to convince DH to let me paint at least 1 wall red for about 6 years. No luck yet!!

Kim @ Home Is Where The Heart Is said...

I, too, love the color red and have been adding it more into my home color scheme as well! Love the pictures...so bright and cheery!

Cindy (Applestone Cottage) said...

Great pics, I am drooling now! Love your reds and your blog! Cindy

trish said...

Good Morning Cynthia.
I have that very picture to be hung in my kitchen. Baking bread is sort of a trademark with me and recently I painted a sign that says "Fresh Baked Bread", please drop by and see. :o)
Love all the reds. That has to be my very favorite color to accent with! :o)
Hoping your day is a nice one.
Sincerely ~ Tricia

Unknown said...

After years of decorating, I'm moving more and more toward neutral backdrops so that I can accent with whatever suits my fancy - like RED!!!

I just bought a bunch of white dishes as part of my transition. BUT, I'm going to use different salad plates as accents. How fun is that?

Cheryl B. said...

Hi Cynthia :-D

Most of my house is painted in a very nuetral light white, so that any time I get the urge, I can totally redo a room by changing what colored accents I have out. Thus it is easy to highlight every season as it rolls around, or whatever else hits my fancy at the time.

In my kitchen, I did have the cupboards painted the lightest of blues after our house fire. It bings out the blue counter top and the blues in the flooring. But even that does not detract from changing appearances by changing other things here and there. Different type/color flowers in the old tin coffee pot on top of the cupboards, etc. change overall appearances quickly and inexpensivily (seeings how I am a clearance bin and mission store type shopper).

I think that 1931 Good Housekeeping cover you showed is adorable!!! So-o-o charming!!!

I had to chuckle though over one picture and your comments about it, you loved the floor, but weren't certain about the rest of it. I could easily take the rest of it, but not the floor ;-p

You commented about covering ceilings - we did that once, to our bathroom ceiling. We had been renting this house and were in the process of fixing it to make it qualify for FHA fiancing (if the deal did not go through, the landlord would reimburse us for our materials used, just not our labor). The bathroom majorily needed redone, including the ceiling. The thing is, the ceiling was an old horse hair plaster ceiling, which was cracking. There was no 'easy fix', yet demolishing it and replastering was neither time nor financially possible.

So we got some extremely heavy duty wall paper, used three times the recommended amount of wallpaper paste, and via the efforts of a dear friend, my husband and myself, two step ladders, some boards, and much laughter, (all in a not that large bathroom) we papered that ceiling!!!

The amazing part was that it was stil in excellent shape five years later, the night before our house fire.

Thanks for the cheery posting.

The Pleasures of Homemaking said...

I love red! Most of home is red and white. That red checkerboard floor is so fun! I love to do that in a craft room. I enjoyed all the photos!

Manuela

Lynn said...

I am finding out that I am liking the color red more and more these days, and that I am slowly adding it into my home decorating! I love all the inspirational pictures you've shared! They all are so very beautiful!!

Have a wonderful day and weekend too!!

Blessings,
~Lynn

Pansy Cottage Girl said...

Hi Cynthia,
I love all the red. Its just such a yummy pop of color. I am loving your header too, very cute.

Anonymous said...

Hi cynthia,i love all the pictures!!Everything is so beautiful! Your home is so cozy and warm.Thank you cynthia you were the first one to welcome me on my blog.You gave me some great advice.I'm still working hard on it.....Kathy

Its So Very Cheri said...

My Mother-in-laws favorite color is red.

I just wanted you to know I am a follower and have a fun give-a-way all month, with weekly give-a-ways.
Cheri

Crystal Rose Cottage said...

Love your touches of red!~Patti

Gretchen said...

I love the pictures that you posted! And that white lacy metal cake stand in your picture with the red pie plate is DARLING!!!! Love it ALL!!!!!

Unknown said...

SOOOOO many cute ideas! I love these red kitchens!

~Liz

Donna said...

Oh my goodness, Cyndie,

You know I love ALLthose pictures!
I have always loved that "Good Housekeeping" cover, and I'm right now in the process of recreating my own (cause it's cheaper than buying the print) Also, I NEED that red neck pillow. :)
Great post.
Donna
P.S. Picture on the way soon.

Gina said...

Some of those pictures have me drooling! I have lots of red in my kitchen...it's the perfect pop of color for white cabinets.

Old Centennial Farmhouse said...

Oh, red does it for me, too! All year, in fact. I love all your inspirational photos and of course the peek into your own rooms and all the rich reds you've chosen to pop! I love it and would love to have red in EVERY room in my home. I have a red vehicle that I dearly love, and I think it's because it's such a happy color!
XOXO
Joni

Bettie from Southern Thresholds said...

What a beautiful post to celebrate Red Day - the best part is the magnificant red cardinal. I always say that cardinals are a special Blessing from God. The best thing about the state of Virginia is the Red Cardinal. I use them everywhere. Happy February.

Rhondi said...

Hi Cynthia
I love all the touches of red in the photos and I love the red in your home too!

Elyse said...

hi cynthia!

beautiful ideas, as always!

stay warm, sweets.

xo
elyse

Terri Smith said...

Red. My favorite color! Cynthia, it was fabulous stumbling upon your site tonight. Think I clicked on your site through Wsprsweetly Of Cottages. I can't say for sure. I'm just glad I did.

My name is Terri Smith. I'm a visual artist out of Bonaire, Ga. Only been blogging since December but I'm simply loving it.

Currently in an effort to familiarize my voice and my art to the blogging community, I'm offering a "Free Giveaway" promotion over at my site, Dimples & Dragonflies.

A beautiful 12X12 Original Oil On Canvas. Oh Yes..there's lots of RED in my color palette. Anyway, if you think you'd be interesting, pop over to: http://www.dimplesdragonflies.com

Blessings, joy and sunshine from the Peach State, Terri Smith

Sandy, Sisters of Season said...

Cute never seems to go out of style . . . love the red!

Julie Harward said...

THIS POST JUST ABOUT GOT PAST ME...I TOO LOVE RED! I HAVE IT ALL OVER IN MY HOME AND ON MY BLOG. LOVE ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL IMAGES AND ALL THE RED IN YOUR HOME TOO. COME SAY HI :D

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Beautiful reds! Especially that last little lovely. Sweet cardinal! Blessings, Tammy

Mahek said...

great post cynthia...

Just a little something from Judy said...

Your red and white post just made me smile this Saturday morning. Your appreciation of the vintage decor and your artisitic creativity just makes each picture of your blog so much fun to look at. I really like the white sink and white cupboards with crystal knobs. Well, actually I liked every one of these decors. Another fun post from you, my snowed in friend.

Rue said...

Hi Cynthia :)

I love all your red touches! I have a little red, a little aqua and some yellow.

It's funny you're thinking of painting your red dining room. I have been too, but I can't decide if I really want to or not. You go first ;)

xoxo,
rue

Kathleen Grace said...

It's red all the way for me. I try to branch out, really I do, but I always come back to the warmth and cheer of red. I am especially fond of pairing it with pale blue right now. I always love seeing how you have combined the two colors in your gorgeous kitchen!

Simple Home said...

I love all the red and white and like you said, the fact that you can change out the color at another time if you want too. Your photos are beautiful.
Blessings,
Marcia

Phyllis @Around the House said...

wow love all the red and white mixed with the other colors, love all the great ideas....I will have to copy a couple of these...great post...Phyllis

Tracy said...

Oh I love it Cynthia! I still have that CL magazine with that dining room on the cover. I love it so much!
Hope the weather is better for you!
Have a great week!
Tracy

Brittanie Gordon said...

Those pics are great!! Love your kitchen chairs!!

Brittanie
www.cupcakeskissesncrumbs.blogspot.com

Joyce said...

I love the red splash of color. It really is so pretty especially with white. My MIL was way ahead of her times with using the red in her home. I love your fun blog. I will peak in again.
Joyce

Karen said...

Cynthia - what a great post. But it makes me want to paint my stairs (which are covered in carpet). Not this house, but maybe someday . . .
I'm getting ready to break out the paint brushes and repaint my stuido. It's a daunting task - but I'M READY!
HAGD! Karen

Michelle said...

Oh I love red just because it adds such a cheery pop to any decor! Your accents are always so cheery! I can't tell you how much I am enjoying my little Etsy buy from your shop!! Thank you again! I love it!

xoxo

Cindy said...

Cynthia, I used to have red as my accent color, but I could not find a way to use it in a cottagey kitchen. I wish I had seen these images before I redecorated. I might have kept my red things.

Lori @ here's a hand said...

How nice of that bird to come on red day! I have creamy yellow walls in my kitchen, dark blue counter tops and my accent colors are red, olive green, and turquoise.

GwendolynKay said...

Love the Good Housekeeping cover. All the reds in your kitchen are so pretty and charming!
Blessings!
Gwen

Nancy said...

Love the red, especially on the stairs. You are right about white being a nice background. So easy to change accessories!

Sharon said...

Love the post about my favorite color (red) I look forward to your blog weekly, your blog is about every thing I love. Thank you for all the wonderful ideas you share.

Beverly @ My Sew Sweet Studio said...

Cynthia, I love all the kitchens with red accents. It makes for a cheery place to work. Really loved the last one with the painted floor and ceiling wallpaper. Your touches of red add a warmth to your kitchen and the little Cardinal....how perfect.

Shirley said...

What a great post with all these touches of red. Very inspiring.

Eileen @ Star's Fault said...

Cynthia ~ Your kitchen is so lovely and cheery. the picture you posted from Country Living is my favorite, and reminds me of my Grandmother's kitchen. Mine is much more traditional, Craftsman, with vintage wooden cabinets, but I find myself longing for cupboards that I can paint and change out once in a while. Silly me... !

Blessings ~ Eileen @ Star's Fault