katyelliott.com » inspiration

Pale Blue Walls and White Linens

Katy Elliott — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:56:54 +0000

I prefer simple unisex bedrooms. I don’t care much for clutter and would prefer everything to be built in and put away. Blue walls are soothing against timeless white bed linens. Floral patterning appearing on a round bedside table adds a note of femininity. Maybe on his side a round candlestick table?

Photo by Patrick Cline. Found on Pinterest via Lonnymag.com.

Beacon Hill Exteriors and a Rock Path

Katy Elliott — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:07:01 +0000

After the Boston Flower & Garden show (post to follow) on Saturday we took a walk over to Beacon Hill. Beacon Hill is a beautiful 19th century neighborhood in downtown Boston. It’s super fancy and I always find great inspiration. Above a house I spotted on Pickney Street. The exterior colors are a stunning collection of green/blue/cream with a gray undertone. I love the combination but I be going green overboard? The den molding will be basically the same color. My favorite exterior in Marblehead has a greenish/gray/putty clapboard and the shutters are a dark hunter green.

Below snapshots of Pickney Street and few front doors we spotted. On the left a red door with beautiful hardware and a bell jar lamp. The snapshot on the right doesn’t do the entry justice. The angle of the stairs plays with your eyes as you pass by. At the very bottom a rock pathway Greg spotted—he tried to convince we should do our driveway in rocks because we’ve found so many on our property and in the dirt basements.

Rock paths are common in New England check out these paths spotted in Marblehead and Salem. I played around with the rock driveway idea last summer too but I don’t think they’re practical for a driveway. I want to turn our driveway into a large patio in the summertime (we have a parking ban in the winter) and the bumpy rocks make me nervous that every table, chair, flower pot will be tippy. We’re a long way off from putting in the driveway, first we have to work on the rotten clapboards and painting the house this summer.

Old Marblehead Harbor Postcard

Katy Elliott — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:38:07 +0000

I found this old postcard at Abbot Hall (our town hall) for 25 cents about 6 months ago. It’s my absolute favorite find! I keep it tacked above my desk reminding me how much I love walking out to Fort Sewall in the summertime. I think we have the most beautiful harbor in New England! On the back it’s reads: Harold M. Gorman, Marblehead, Mass.

On My Radar: December

Katy Elliott — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:38:37 +0000

Lately the renovation has been sucking me dry mentally and physically. The last few weekends I’ve taken some mini-breaks to New York and Boston. Meeting up with old friends and checking out holiday sales was just the refresher I needed. Above and below things that caught my eye while I was out and about the last few weeks.

#1 Gingham thank you cards from Stripe & Field (boston), #2 simple green wreaths (marblehead), #3 beautiful hand-dipped candles at Saipua (brooklyn), #4 handmade hats at Yarn Over Marblehead (marblehead).

#1 & #2 Sullivan Street Bakery’s Cavolfiore pizza from the author of No-Knead Bread book (new york), #3 & #4 Martha Stewart Craft Sale where I discovered Pip Squeak Chapeau (new york).

Come Darkness At Chelliswilson

Katy Elliott — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:05:15 +0000

I am feeling blah this afternoon and probably shouldn’t be online because everything I write won’t make sense. I wanted to share my plans for turning my office into a studio before I headed into my Nyquil induced coma. Greg is moving out the office and we are building two new desks for me. One for the computer and one for crafts. I can’t wait to organize all my paints and fabrics. It’s been years since I have committed myself to really painting. But without it as an outlet I’ve felt lost.

Above and below some images from a small curated show called, “Come Darkness” that was on display at Chelliswilson in Portland, Maine back in November. The colors feel so perfect. Purples with grays and greens are great inspiration for a new painting series that I hope will open a new chapter in my life while returning to something I left behind. Does that makes sense or has the cold medicine already taken effect? Effect or affect? Crap. Going to bed.

The Hubble & Candy Art

Katy Elliott — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:56:16 +0000

It rained all day Saturday. I got kinda stir crazy. I kept thinking about my black/color background idea. Images from the Hubble telescope kept appearing on all over the web which had me thinking about it even more.

On a side note–did you know at the center of every galaxy is a black hole? I’ve been geeking out and watching a lot of Nova.

Anyway…back to my color brainstorming. It was raining and I was bored. At the time it seemed like a brillant idea to make some collages inspired by the Hubble using candy. I spent about $3 and got a handful of penny candy to test out my color combo theory. I had a lot fun creating the designs. See my creations below.

Inspired By Dark Backgrounds & Bright Colors

Katy Elliott — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:16:20 +0000

Great black and color combo by Tauba Auerback.

Over the weekend I was thinking a lot about how much I love black paired with bright colors. Bright colors just seem to pop off dark backgrounds projecting great energy. The color combo could work in a number of different situations from art, interior design, textiles, and photography. Above and below are the images that got me started on my black/bright color brainstorming.

Coral Silverman‘s Flora Blacki discovered via Julia Rothman’s tweets.

A photograph by Frances Pelzman Liscio discovered via design*sponge.

I can’t remember where I grabbed this. I love the floral!

A wedding invitation designed by Anna Melcon Bond.

1960′s science charts found at the Adirondack Museum’s annual Rustic Furniture Fair via Country Living.

Kaptiza: Geometric Book

Katy Elliott — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 02:50:00 +0000

It’s late but I wanted to share a little color and pattern that made me happy from kapitza.com. Discovered via ffffound via changethethought.com.

Edna Lawrence Nature Lab @ RISD

Katy Elliott — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:20:00 +0000

Edna Lawrence Nature Lab at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence looks so cool. Full of amazing inspiration. Check out the video Etsy.com did of this treasure filled museum.

(discovered via acquireboutique)

Side Room in Tiny Pink Stripes?

Katy Elliott — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:00:00 +0000

I’ve been thinking about this tiny room a lot this week. It hasn’t gotten much attention. We started removing layers of wallpaper sometime last fall for fun. I love the wallpaper but it does need to go. It has paint and plaster stuck to it. The paint probably has lead and not the best idea to have in a house that could have kids. So sorry guys the wallpaper does have to go. I hope I can save a big piece and have it framed.

I’ve thought about painting the walls pink (see inspiration here). I have a chair rail so the bottom with be an off-white just like the rest of the molding in the house.

I had an idea this week to paint the walls a ticking pink stripe (like this). Maybe pink and khaki? The problem? Finding painter’s tape narrower enough to use. I found 3/4″ painter’s tape but I don’t think that will be narrower enough to get the look I want. Am I being crazy?

Other things that I hope will happen in the room. The bookcase will get replaced with a smaller table with some baskets below and a mirror and some pictures above. I want a pretty stool or table to fit under the window for my plants. Floral curtains and more art. The floor will get stripped and then maybe a muted antique rug. Below photos from every angle of this very small room.