interior decor Archives - Letters from EuroLux

Living with Antiques and Heirlooms

We love living with antiques and heirlooms and vintage decor, and our customers who buy antique furniture in our online store also enjoy collecting and displaying these unique pieces.

This is why we were delighted when we found this book called Past Present: Living with Heirlooms and Antiques. Author Susan Sully’s book shows how to blend heirlooms and antiques into contemporary homes in a beautiful way that is easy to live with.

As Sully says: “Antiques add the touch of time and the human hand. Every dented baby cup, mended tablecloth, perfectly or imperfectly preserved piece of silver or porcelain tells a story that began long ago and hasn’t ended yet. There are no rules about living with them, except to take what’s old and keep it young by making it part of daily life.”

Every piece of antique furniture that we find in Europe and ship back to the USA certainly has a story behind it, and it is a joy to see these gorgeous hand-crafted antiques start a new chapter of their story in our customers’ homes. You can see for yourself how good they look in our mini tours of customer homes in our series of Customer Spotlights.

Sully’s book shows examples of 20 houses to illustrate how the past can meet the present in her guide to incorporating antiques and heirlooms into every kind of interior design scheme, including more contemporary looks. In the photo above, beautiful antique furniture like the painted Florentine chest are mixed with a contemporary leather sofa, a 20th century Lucite table and an exotic zebra rug! One of the key tricks in living with antiques today is to be brave about mixing and matching objects from different eras and in different styles. As we can see, the eclectic mix works perfectly!

Sully’s book also shows how to pull together traditionally-inspired interiors that aren’t fussy or stiff, For example, this kitchen looks so welcoming and cozy for a family gathering. Although there are many antique and vintage pieces here, the bolt of teal blue color gives a firmly contemporary touch. Another of Sully’s tricks is to change finishes and upholstery to give them new life, or to combine objects in unusual juxtapositions.

Sully also takes it upon herself to show how to set inviting tables, like this formal dining room with antique furniture which features a clever display of artichokes in classic European style. She also gives hints on how to display collections creatively. The 20 houses featured in the book range from a converted 1915 fire station in Alabama, to a Greek Revival mansion in New Orleans. What a terrific celebration of living with antique furniture and heirloom pieces!

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 8 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Strong Curves in Furniture Trends

by EuroLux Home

Strong curves in furniture were a key trend in both the 2019 Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market and the last Las Vegas Winter Market, according to Houzz. The curves might be in a more traditional piece of furniture or in a modern and streamlined piece. Either way the strong curved shapes break up the hard edges of straight lines and angles and give a softer and more welcoming look.

Let’s take a look at some great examples of curvy furniture available in our online new and antique furniture store.

We recently found this gorgeous antique Art Nouveau server or sideboard in France and shipped it back to the USA to put in the store. Dating to 1900, the beautiful walnut wood Art Nouveau cabinet boasts curvy side rails in the flowing style typical of Art Nouveau, framing the many useful shelves.

This versatile piece is perfect as a dining room server, but you could also use it as a home bar or — thanks to the mirror back — even as a vanity in your bedroom.

This Theodore Alexander bowfront chest of drawers features a bold curved front that creates a fabulous profile. The chest is based on original Louis XVI style furniture and it is crafted in burl with brass engraved panels. You can picture two of these flanking a doorway, window, or other architectural feature where the strong curve of the bowfront will create visual interest in a room otherwise full of straight lines.

If you are looking for curves, you look to Rococo! The swirling Rococo style of furniture is full of seduction, as you can see from this newly crafted La Rochelle settee. The new settee is designed in the French Rococo style with a solid wood construction and black velvet upholstery. The eye immediately goes to the settee back with its curves and flourishes and intricate lace carving. The French cabriole legs also add a softness to the settee, which has an antique gold finish to add to the glamour and romance.

If you are looking for something with a more contemporary silhouette, this new blue settee is hand-crafted in the USA with a wood frame and blue leather upholstery. The lines are clean and modern with a back that slopes down into curved arms. This is a more architectural and tailored interpretation of the strong curves trend. If you wanted to keep the tailored feel, you would add a couple of square throw pillows, perhaps in a bold contrast color like red or black. To soften the look, a chunky knit cream throw draped over one side would add texture.

Finally, this new Dovetail Furniture James chaise is even more spare in design, letting the curve of the chaise do all the talking! This chaise is a great choice for a Contemporary, Modern or Mid-Century Modern style space, and it is beautifully made and hand-finished. It is crafted with a chrome plated steel frame and hand-finished vintage look leather upholstery.

So… think outside the box! Whether you prefer minimalist structures or more flamboyant traditional styles, there is a piece of furniture with strong curves that will suit your interior design scheme and give a new twist to your decor.

Paint Color Trends 2019: Cool Blue, Gray, Green

by EuroLux Home

Cool blues, grays and greens are always a popular choice in home decor, but they’ve been given a new energy with dramatic versions of these colors selected as Colors of the Year 2019 by several paint companies. In my last blog post I showed you the more warm and earthy coral and clay colors of the year. Now it’s time to go cool!

Let’s start with Benjamin Moore’s Color of the Year 2019, called Metropolitan. This refined gray is calm and composed, creating a soothing and meditative atmosphere. It is also quite light and from the several photos I’ve seen, it changes in depth according to the light in the room and the colors around it. It almost feels like a basic neutral, like a gentle upgrade from white!

Dialing up the color a little more, Behr has selected Blueprint as its 2019 color. This is a new take on a denim blue, and, just like a favorite pair of jeans, the color looks incredibly versatile. I can imagine this in a casual room with a laid-back vibe, or dressed up for a more elegant space. It’s shown here in a Mid-Century Modern room, but I can also picture it in a more traditional space… perhaps a Dickensian London style library or an Old World living room. Some ornate gold picture frames and a crystal chandelier would be the perfect accent for the Blueprint paint!

Kelly-Moore Paints doubled down for an even more intense blue with strong green undertones, selecting Peacock Blue (above) as its 2019 Color of the Year. Actually, professional interior designers and members of the American Society of Interior Designers choose this color in a Kelly-Moore Paints survey, so we guess those guys know what they are talking about!

Some people might find this saturated blue too strong for a large expanses of wall, so opt for a feature wall or use it to highlight an architectural detail.

Or get a similarly dramatic effect with an accent piece like this gorgeous Cyan Design Peacock Feather blue vase.

PPG Pittsburgh Paints chose Night Watch (above), a color from their Aquas color family as their 2019 trend color. This dark jade aqua-green has a sense of luxury to it… you could really jazz it up with bold furniture and metal accessories for a glamorous look. But it also has a feel of lush greenery and the natural world, so it could be great to frame a window that looks out into a garden. Crisp white will brighten it up, while understated camel tones will pair beautifully for a sophisticated look. You could also think of it as an alternative to black as an accent on trim, or for doors and shutters.

What do you think of these cool blues, greens and gray that have been chose as 2019 Colors of the Year? If you’ve used them in your home, please tell us in the comment box and maybe send a photo!

Paint Color Decor Trends 2019: Coral and Clay

by EuroLux Home

Every year the paint and color trend companies release their ‘Colors of the Year’ and I’ve just been looking at the colors for 2019. Of course, the new colors chosen each year don’t mean that we all want to redecorate and change our color scheme overnight! But they sometimes give me new inspiration, shaking up my ideas on how I could use different colors, either on my walls or as a decorative accent.

In 2019, many of the paint Colors of the Year fall into a palette of coral and clay tones. Let’s take a look at them, starting with Pantone’s Living Coral color, a bold pinky orange.

Photo by ABRAMS – Look for bedroom design inspiration

Here’s the Living Coral color in a bedroom in New York. Pantone describes Living Coral as “An animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge.” Certainly this bedroom looks cozy and inviting, and the warm coral color goes well with the traditional decor and wood furniture.

Earthen Trail is Pratt & Lambert‘s color of the year. The soft terracotta is quite similar in nature to the Pantone shade.

Both of these colors, Earthen Trail and Living Coral, have a sun-kissed quality to them that make them quite cheerful colors.

If they are too strong to use on every wall in a room, you can think about using them on feature walls, architectural features, doors, or as outside colors on your patio or deck.

Or choose accent pieces in furniture and home decor, like this gorgeous Trade Winds coral wall mirror, with a painted mahogany frame.

Sherwin-Williams has also chosen a warm terracotta for its color of the year in 2019, and they call it Cavern Clay. This moody brown evokes the desert Southwest and has an earthiness that can look either refined or casual.

Cavern Clay in the dining room makes a great color that offers more oomph and warmth than a lighter neutral like white or gray, but is still subtle and sophisticated to create a backdrop for elegant dinner parties!

Spice of Life by Dunn-Edwards continues the earthy warm tones that have been chosen as colors of the year, and this is the boldest of the bunch!

Spice of Life is a vibrant fire brick red / brown with orange undertones. “Spice of Life is an outgoing, confident hue that adds drama and stimulates the senses,” according to Dunn-Edwards. Traditional interiors will make the most of this intense color when teaming it with khaki tones, deep blue or cream. For a more contemporary look, pair it with crisp white, cool grays and black.

In my next post, I’ll look at some of the cooler blue, green and gray tones popular right now. But till then, what do you think of these coral and 2019 colors of the year?

The Hygge Home: Cozy Serenity

by EuroLux Home

January is the perfect time to think about the Hygge home! Hygge is a Danish and Norwegian word for a sense of cozy well-being… a mood of peaceful comfort and contentment. In a troubled world, It’s not surprising that Hygge is a big trend. It is so comforting and lets us take a relaxing and replenishing escape from the busy world!
Here’s Lenny taking a Hygge moment, just to show the humans how to do it!

The style is associated with Nordic interior design, but even if you don’t like Nordic style you can add elements of Hygge style into your space. Here are my tips to get a sense of Hygge at home. The word is pronounced hoo-ga – which already makes me smile as it is pretty fun to say!

The easiest way to get into the Hygge frame of mind is to think warmth, candlelight, fireplaces, and snuggling up with a delicious hot drink and a deep conversation with a few close friends, or perhaps a quiet evening curled up with a great book! This photo from the Farrow and Ball paint company evokes the feeling perfectly, and their dark blue paint (called Oval Room Blue) adds to the appeal of the roaring fire. The antique-style mirror helps reflect light back into the room even in winter’s dark nights.

Another nice way to bring pretty light into the room is to pull out the Christmas string lights and drape them across the mantel, an antique buffet or sideboard, a shelf, or an architectural feature to give a firefly glow.

Candles are essential to the Hygge look. Gather all your candlesticks to make an eclectic display, or use votives or tea lights. This Cyan Design Kalliope candle holder from our selection of new and vintage candlesticks is a great choice. The natural oak and dimpled glass evoke a sense of simple serenity.

Photo by Mint House Interiors

Also think about soft and cozy textiles, with tons of texture. For example, sheepskin throws, chunky cable knit blankets, cuddly cushions and pillows, and snuggly hand-hooked rugs, like the selection of rugs by Michaelian Home in our online store.

Definitely you’ll want to put away your phone and other technology for your few hours of Hygge well-being!

Whether you spend some self-care time alone or share a more social gathering with friends, turn off the beeping, buzzing, and constant online notifications! Unplug from the virtual world and make a soul connection with the people around you by sharing memories, discussing your favorite books or movies, or playing good old-fashioned games! Whether your game of choice is Trivial Pursuits, Monopoly, checkers, or chess, games are a great way for young and old alike to bond and share a real connection.

Then whip up some homemade cookies or cake, make some delicious hot tea or cocoa or another warming drink, and enjoy every Hygge moment!

How do you create the Hygge mood and decor in your home? Tell us about it in the comments!

Top 10 Antiques and Home Decor Blog Posts 2018: Part 2

by EuroLux Home

In my last blog post I gave you a roundup of the first of our top home decor and antiques blog posts of 2018. Here’s Part 2 with the remaining five of our favorite 10 posts from last year. It’s been fun to recall some of the things we talked about in 2018. I hope you enjoy seeing the highlights too!

6. Customer Spotlight: Cam Davis Mansion

We were thrilled to see a feature about our customer Tamra’s home in Columbia Living Magazine. The article mentioned some of the antique furniture Tamra purchased from us and we found out more about Tamra’s house, this beautifully restored Greco-Roman mansion in Newberry, SC.

See the full story and more photos of the inside of the house in the blog post Customer’s Newberry Cam Davis Mansion and Antiques in Magazine.

2. How to Repurpose Antique Furniture

Some of our customers have been very creative in the way they’ve repurposed the antique furniture they bought from us. Lifestyles have changed over a century, so our home decor and storage needs have changed too. But our love for beautifully made and hand-carved furniture doesn’t change!

Perhaps a piece was first crafted as an armoire, nightstand or buffet, but there is no reason that you can’t use it for a very different purpose.This Repurposed Antique Furniture blog post shows how our clients have thought creatively to adapt an antique piece to their needs!

3. Meet Our New Dog, Ernie!

Last July a scared, lost pup turned up literally on our doorstep. He was terrified and seems to have been severely abused, with a large infected bite wound on his side. A trip to the vet revealed a very high fever of over 103 degrees. We guessed that he may have escaped a life as a bait dog.

Well, after a few weeks of TLC, he was all healed up…. and he’d also found himself a new home! While we REALLY didn’t need another pet, how could we resist? See the full story and more photos, including his first introduction to Minkey the cat, in the blog post Meet Our New Dog, Ernie!

4. The Greek Key Pattern in Home Decor

The Greek Key pattern is one of the most elegant designs in home decor and furniture. The classic angular design is very harmonious and it has remained popular for thousands of years.

It works with all styles of interior design schemes too! So in my blog post Greek Key Pattern in Furniture and Decor I tell you a bit about the history of the design and also show lots of ways to incorporate the pattern into your home.

From textiles to tiles, from furniture to light fittings, the Greek Key pattern always looks chic and interesting.

5. Customer Spotlight: Antique Brittany Buffet and Jadeite

Our customer Debbie found a very beautiful antique Brittany buffet in our gallery that was on the smaller side and so it was the perfect fit for her kitchen. It was also the perfect piece to display Debbie’s Jadeite Fire King collection. The Jadeite dishes were made by Anchor Hocking in the 1940s and Debbie started collecting them a few years ago because she loves the jade green color. It looks fabulous against the dark wood of the buffet!

In my blog post Antique French Brittany Buffet with Jadeite Fire King we take a look around Debbie’s lovely home in Charleston, SC.

We are looking forward to another year exploring the best in antiques and home decor, and also taking tours of our customers’ homes! We hope that you have a wonderful 2019 too!

If you missed Part 1 of our top 10 antiques and home decor blog posts of 2018, you can see the other five at the link.

Top 10 Antiques and Home Decor Blog Posts 2018: Part 1

by EuroLux Home

As we head into the new year, it’s time for our annual round-up of our most popular antiques and home decor blog posts from 2018! Here is the first half of our Top 10 posts of the year…

1. Client Spotlight: Antique Chinese Wedding Bed

As part of our series of client spotlights, I wrote in May about this exquisite antique Chinese wedding bed that had been due for demolition before we rescued it! You will also enjoy the unusual story of how it found a new home with our customer in Greenville, SC. It had traveled a long way from its origins in the Zhejiang Province in Eastern China, and it was all thanks to our customer’s daughter’s craving for Arby’s that it landed in Greenville! Read the whole story about the beautiful Late Qing Dynasty bed with its twist of fate in my blog post about the Antique Chinese Wedding Bed.

2. How to Fix Scratches on Antique Furniture

This year I made a video showing how to fix wood blemishes, watermarks and scratches on antique furniture using furniture crayons. It is an easy process to solve the problem we hear quite often from people who have antique furniture. Perhaps they’ve accidentally scratched the wood or maybe they’ve inherited an heirloom that needs some superficial dings tidied up. Along with the video in my How to Fix Scratches on Antique Furniture post I’ve also given a written summary of the simple process. This was part of our series on antique furniture restoration tips and tricks.

3. Decorating with Pink

Sometimes people can be wary of decorating with pink because they fear it might look too young and girly or sugary sweet, but in fact pink is an incredibly versatile shade that can be used in lots of sophisticated ways.

I wrote two blog posts to give you some inspiration about how to work pink into your interior design scheme. The first one was Decorating with Light Pink and I followed up with Decorating with Bright Pink.

This shows lots of ways to bring a blush of pink into your home, from the subtlety of ballet slipper pink to the elegance of rose or a rich jolt of fuchsia.

4. What is the Renaissance Henry II Style of Antique Furniture?

Renaissance Henry II furniture is always in demand. In fact, this is one of the most popular styles of furniture in our EuroLuxHome.com online store. The noble Henry II style is very classic and beautifully carved, usually in oak or walnut wood. In my blog post What is the Renaissance Henry II Style of Antique Furniture? I tell you all about the history of the style and how to identify it.

I also share some photos of pieces of Henry II style furniture in our customers’ homes so you can see for yourself just how handsome it looks! This is part of my series of posts on the history and styles of antique furniture.

5. Antique of the Week

We had a lot of fun this year with a new series of social media posts about our “Antique of the Week.”

The #AntiqueOfTheWeek hashtag is our way of showcasing some pieces that our customers might like to see because they are especially wonderful, unusual and interesting.

Sometimes we highlighted a piece of antique furniture or an antique decorative object because it tied into the season or topical events. For example, we chose this beautiful romantic French antique bed as our Antique of the Week to honor the royal wedding when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle.

We use the hashtag #AntiqueOfTheWeek on our accounts on on Pinterest, Facebook and Google+ so if you aren’t following those accounts already, you can search on that #AntiqueOfTheWeek hashtag.

Happy new year to everyone! If you enjoyed this, see the rest of our picks for the year at this link for the Part 2 of our top 10 decor and antiques blog posts of 2018.

Greek Key Pattern in Furniture and Decor

by EuroLux Home

The Greek Key pattern is one of the most elegant designs in home decor and furniture. The pattern is a linear design that keeps folding back on itself in a pattern of right angles. The simplicity is very harmonious. It is very popular for any style of home, and it has remained popular for thousands of years!

Photo above by Tracy Murdock Allied ASID Photo below by Abbe Fenimore Studio Ten 25

The geometric pattern was frequently seen on ancient Greek architecture, tiles, vases and other objects – hence the name. The picture above shows the Greek Key in tiling on a contemporary bath in Los Angeles and the classic effect is lovely.

But despite the name, this motif has actually been seen in many other places, even before the ancient Greeks adopted it! It’s popped up in ancient Egypt and China as well as some older South American cultures.

People probably weren’t reading home decor blogs back in those days! So it seems that the geometric design has a natural appeal for many different people in different ages.

The original name for the Greek Key is a meander pattern, inspired by the very winding River Maeander in Turkey. It is often used as a border for tiling, ceramics, curtains, rugs, cushions and other textiles. But it can also be a filled pattern covering a complete surface. And of course it looks great on traditional architecture, like this fireplace.

Photo by Rinfret, Ltd. – Discover living room design inspiration

There is a lot of Greek Key design and its variations in this photo: in the fireplace, the cushions, the mirror frame. Some might find it a little too much, but it shows how the geometric element can be used and combined in multiple ways. Also, the bold pattern cleverly pulls together an otherwise simple design scheme with a neutral palette.

The Greek Key design also looks terrific on furniture. We have several pieces of Greek Key furniture in our online store, including this terrific new Greek Key console table with a rustic pecan finish. It is also available in white and an antiqued walnut finish.

Variations on the design often turn up in Hollywood Regency style interiors. I can easily imagine this stunning Chelsea House gold leaf console table with a dimpled glass top in a Hollywood Regency design scheme. The table is quite simple, but the Greek Key accents give it a chic and refined design twist.

The meander motif is easy to add to your home with lighting or other smaller home accessories. This terrific new Currey & Company wall sconce offers an elegant interpretation of the design. With the sleek design and antiqued brass finish, a pair would look superb in a bathroom, powder room, bedroom or hallway.

The decorative and classic Greek Key design works for both more masculine or more feminine design schemes, whether contemporary or traditional. It is often seen in black on white, but any color combinations work, as do tone on tone variations like the sconce here where the raised key gives a textural effect.

What do you think of the Greek Key pattern? Do you have it in your home? Tell us about it in the comments box!

Decorating with Bright Pink

by EuroLux Home

It’s time to break out a riot of color to show you some inspiration for decorating with bright pink! My last post was about Decorating with Light Pink so now we will ramp up the color level and show that although decorating with bright pink needs some thought, it is actually adaptable for many different spaces and styles of home decor.

Let’s start with the maximum wow factor! This bright pink and gold room is in the Palais de Compiègne about 50 miles from Paris.

The royal and imperial palace was built by Louis XV and Louis XVI, and remodeled by both Napoleon I and Napoleon III. None of those guys was shy about showing off and the Palais de Compiègne was a center of power and court life. Although the decor here is probably too extravagant for most of us — and who has such high ceilings and amazing architectural details anyway? — there are some lessons to be learned about decorating with bright pink from this classic room. First, the tidy, formal symmetry helps contain the exuberance of the color. The gold and the white also punctuates the color to give it form. The pattern on the upholstery also breaks up the solid color a little.

Here’s the updated 21st century version of that look! This photo from Traditional Home magazine shows how you can translate the French palace grandeur to your own home. It shows designer Robin Weiss and husband Bill’s Palm Beach vacation home. You’ll notice the same sense of symmetry as the French palace and the same use of white and gold, although with a greater emphasis on white rather than gold. This gives a lovely fresh look while still keeping the nobility with the gold mirror. There is also an ornate chandelier and two wall candelabra, which are important to show that yes, we really do want a sense of flamboyance! With this much bright pink, you don’t want to pull your punches or try to squash the energy by playing safe with too small or too ordinary light fittings. The textured floor covering helps ground it all too, and it adds a contemporary touch.

Another way to use strong pinks is in textiles and in decorative wallpaper. This photo shows the Leicester Room at Chatsworth House in England, home to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, and passed down through 16 generations of the Cavendish family. The 1830s Chinese paper on the walls shows how a fairly bright pink can look fabulous when it has a surface design on it to break up the color intensity.

Photo by Katie Rosenfeld Design – dining room design inspiration

Here’s the 21st century version, showing how to update the strong pink wallpaper look. The Balata wallpaper in this dining room in Boston is accented by white, gold and a crystal chandelier. This combo always helps lighten up the intensity of a deep pink while keeping true to the spirit of the color!

Photo by Colordrunk Designs – Browse dining room ideas

If you want to try using bright pink in a more restrained way, check out this gorgeous home in Atlanta which uses a bold pink textured wall covering as a feature wall. The color on the far wall creates depth and visual interest for this room, which might otherwise seem rather one-dimensional, despite the many patterned surfaces. Again, white and gold are the major colors paired with the pink, so I think we are getting some good pointers about smart ways to plan our bright pink decor!

Another easy way to add bright pink is with accent furniture, such as this lovely new French Heritage pink nightstand.

The maple bedside table or 3-drawer chest has brass handles and cute castors to make it easy to move around. The strong raspberry pink trim on the nightstand makes it stand out and add a dash of color to a bedroom.

Have you decorated with bright pink in your home? We’d love to see photographs or hear how you use this gorgeous and uplifting shade!

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 7 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.

Decorating with Pink : Light Pink

by EuroLux Home

I’ve been seeing a lot about decorating with pink this summer. Sometimes people can be wary of decorating with pink because they fear it might look too girly or sugary, but in fact pink is an incredibly versatile shade that can be used in lots of sophisticated ways. Whether you like the subtlety of ballet slipper pink or the elegance of rose, the softness of blush or a rich jolt of fuchsia, I’ve found some ideas to inspire you. In this first blog post I’m going to focus on decorating with light pink. Next time I’ll look at the livelier bright pinks!

To prove just how elegant and yet comfortable pink can be, here’s a wonderful Country style living room with textiles by UK textile designer Kate Forman. She’s got the English country charm completely sewn up! Notice the pink ticking upholstery on the sofa and how it echoes the linear design in the rug and even the folds in the drapes, providing a sense of structure that makes this pink look very grown-up! Then Forman layers different prints in the cushions in a way that gently softens this quite formal space.

Photo by kelly mcguill home – Search bedroom design ideas

Black works brilliantly with a soft pink, including the slightly grayed out tones of the fashionable Millennial pink. As you can see from the otherwise quite traditional Farmhouse style bedroom in Boston, the black gives an edge to the pink and grounds it, removing any hint of saccharine sweetness and keeping the whole look fresh.

Photo by Dillard Pierce Design Associates – living room

The black chair and sharp angles of the graphic black frames also ground this pink living room in Atlanta, which looks a little like a sitting corner in a French boudoir to me, it is so inviting and arty! The pink chandelier really sets this space off. It’s a little like some of the pink chandeliers we have for sale on our website, including this nice new Cyan Design new Cyan Design Florence chandelier crafted in Murano glass style with cascading swirls.

Stepping up the color voltage a little, the living room cleverly mixes a soft pretty pink on the walls with darker tones of pink and pinky red to create a lot of depth and texture.

The eclectic feel of the room is wonderful and feminine and if you like that pink on the walls it is Sherwin Williams Paint Color Bella Pink. The pink is offset by green cushions, which is a classic color combination and you often see pink and green together in Art Deco design.

Decorating with pink can be a short cut to setting a romantic mood, as in this delightful pink bathroom. I think I might add a few more fresh flowers or a large plant in the corner, but the pink tub and the handsome fireplace already set establish a romantic Old World mood.

Photo by RLH Studio – Powder room

The ballet slipper pink wallpaper by Ralph Lauren also evokes an elegant turn of the century feel in the in the powder room of this Victorian home in Minneapolis. I’d probably want to choose a slightly larger wall sconce with a bit more decorative impact, but the overall impression is serene and graceful.

I hope that this post about light pinks has got you “in the pink” about decorating with pink. In my next post I’ll show you some bright pink decor schemes and how to update the classic bright pinks for today’s homes!

Aimee owns EuroLuxHome.com with her husband and best friend, Greg. Aimee sources amazing antique furniture, vintage lighting, & high-quality reproduction furniture to help her customers decorate their homes in a unique way. She loves her 7 (you read that right) fuzzy children and is renovating a 1920s bungalow in South Carolina. Find us on Facebook or connect with EuroLux on Google+. Or you can sign up here to receive this blog in your inbox.