HOLIDAYS ARE COMING....

ADDENDUM:

I wrote this post ten days ago and published.  So what's wrong with that, I hear you say? As written below, I headed off to the posh paint store, and to the only upscale home accessories shop on the island, with a real determination to buy something pretty.....(sadly, we do not have any vintage, junk or retro shops here).....then suddenly it hit me! What was I thinking?

• Isn't this exactly what I purport to have left behind? A hankering for things, just because there's a new dazzling colour in this season's paint chart or on the catwalks of London Fashion Week?

•  Isn't the little blue guest room functional, pretty and clean? And isn't that all holiday guests really want; somewhere clean and comfortable to rest after a day at the beach, or exploring the rainforest?  

So, I came home empty-handed and deleted the post.  However, on further reflection, I considered it was a good lesson for me, and one should learn one's lessons.  So I am re-publishing the original post, so that the next time I have an uncontrollable urge to spend money that could be better spent on something more useful (or even simply given away to someone in greater need), I will revisit this post. 

So here is the post in its original form. In fairness to Design Seed, they are doing a marvellous job of providing inspiration and great insight for those who do need help, and are seeking some creative guidance, and if that is you, dear reader, then you need look no further, because I feel sure you will find precisely what you need on their website. Unfortunately, I temporarily forgot, that I have no such need.....for now:

THE HOLIDAYS ARE COMING....
NOT "THE HOLIDAYS" - as in a certain soft drinks jingle ...but the summer holidays!

My brother has his first paying guests of the season flying in this evening - it's May, it's St Lucia Jazz Festival.....it's that time of year!

The time of year, when friends begin to make enquiries about when I will be around, and who else I have coming down to stay.  I often say to friends and relatives - "come anytime", and like to feel confident that when I say "your room is always ready" that this will be true.

To that end, I found myself looking at the little blue guest room and wondering if it needs a bit of a freshen up.  It hasn't been done that long, but high humidity and other tropical oddities, means that one needs to "freshen up" almost seasonally to keep things looking bright and welcoming. The truth is that a recent Facebook post by Design Seeds® ( http://design-seeds.com), suddenly made that particular room look a tad flat, and one-dimensional, and in need of a bit of a colour kick-in-the-pants!  After all this is meant to be a "tropical" home!  

THE INSPIRATION:  

http://design-seeds.com

http://design-seeds.com

Lord Leighton - The Music Lesson

freya art & design © all images contained 2012.

I foresee two issues:

1) Deco wise, the stores here seem to be way behind, so finding a reasonable match to the paint colour that Design Seed have inspired me to use, could be quite a challenge;

2) I am still firmly in the camp of less is more, and the most I may consider buying would be a few new throw pillows or some new fabric to bring the colours together, and of course just enough paint to bring an accent into the room.

So, with that in mind, I have a wonderful teal chenille throw and some turquoise china packed away, and have an idea to introduce just a splash of teal/turquoise into the blue room.   Minimal outlay, with maximum effect is the desired outcome.  Having been inspired by http://design-seeds.com's beautiful visual of a weathered, washed teal door, I'm considering painting the old white wardrobe this colour. 
I have a day off tomorrow as it's a holiday, so I will have a mooch around the delightfully, lovely home accessories store we have here to see what I can find.....I may even venture  to the Benjamin Moore paint store, which although rather expensive, will be a real treat as I don't need very much : )

I've added a canopy and mozzi net since this photo was taken

The canopy hangs from the vaulted ceiling, which can't be seen unfortunately! 

Can't decide if weathered/watered teal on that wardrobe would be too much?