Pattern explosion is popping off—again. Designers share why the maximalist style enduresHannah MartinMARCH 8, 2023 1:47 PM
Article Source: Architectural Digest https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/allover-pattern-the-extravagant-indulgence-of-interiors-is-back
Painters today have more pigments to choose from than any other artists in history. They can buy traditional, historical varieties that Rembrandt would recognize, such as siennas and ochres, or 20th-century innovations like phthalocyanines and quinacridones—pigments with an intensity that would have startled even the color-loving Impressionists. Despite this abundance, many artists and art educators endorse the use of a restricted “limited” palette as a way to develop coherent, harmonious, and personal paintings.
Limited palettes are great learning tools. Students are often taught to paint in monochrome, using only a dark brown or black pigment, plus white. This allows them to focus on accurate shapes, degrees of light and dark—called “values” or “tones”—and paint application, without the additional complexity of color. By mastering these austere palettes, students build a strong foundation for the later introduction of color.
A more contemporary monochromatic approach involves using black and white, plus another color. In this example, phthalocyanine blue is introduced to produce a work of tonal accuracy that transcends the academic flavor of a strict black-and-white exercise.
To add more versatility to their palettes, painters may choose to select one warm and one cool pigment, plus white. In this example, burnt sienna and ultramarine blue are mixed to create a full tonal range, as well as temperature variations from cool to warm. Color temperature is a useful tool for creating the illusion of depth on the two-dimensional canvas.
Warm colors appear to come forward in a painting, while cool colors are recessive. This effect is visible at the inner and outer parts of the bowl. Both areas are greyed because they contain all three colors of the palette, and they are exactly the same value. Yet mixing a larger amount of burnt sienna into the front of the bowl results in a warm color, while mixing more ultramarine into the inner bowl makes it cool.
Notice how the warmer mixture appears closer to the front of the picture plane, while the cooler color recedes into the middle ground. This effect, added to the use of value changes, can create works that convey both form and space.
Limited palettes aren’t just for beginner painters. Many professional artists limit the number of pigments that they work with. Perhaps the artist who is most well-known for doing this is Anders Zorn, a Swedish painter active during the late 19th and early 20th centuries who developed a color palette that bears his name. This self-portrait from 1896 was created with the four-color “Zorn palette,” which you can also see him holding in the painting.
Anders Zorn, Self-portrait with Model, 1896. Courtesy of Nationalmuseum.
Though scholars have debated the exact colors the artist used, the Zorn palette is often considered to be comprised of yellow ochre, vermilion, ivory black, and white. Some believe he used a cadmium red rather than vermilion; regardless, cadmium red light is a modern substitute for vermillion, which is toxic.
These four pigments are capable of making a full range of color, despite the fact that the palette contains no blue. Ivory black’s bluish undertone allows it to act as blue; it can be mixed with vermillion to create muted purples, and with yellow ochre to suggest green. The Zorn palette is also effective for creating rich dark colors and beautiful greys.
The Zorn palette results in subtle, tonal paintings, but it may not satisfy artists with a passion for color. Even Zorn himself didn’t use it exclusively.
Painters who want the potential for both bright color and greyed color can choose from many other limited palettes, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.
For a broad range of color, a simple palette made of saturated red, blue, and yellow pigments, plus white, is key. Whenever pigments are combined, they lose some chroma, so starting with high-chroma colors ensures that your mixtures will be intense.
This color palette combines cadmium red light, ultramarine blue, and cadmium yellow light, plus white. As with the Zorn palette, it can make a version of every hue, but the saturation level is much higher.
Cadmium yellow light mixed with cadmium red light produces clean, high-chroma oranges; mixed with ultramarine, it results in saturated, slightly warm greens. The weakness of this palette is in the purples. It’s excellent for depicting something like these weathered pavers, but incapable of painting the high-chroma purple flowers.
Substituting cool alizarin permanent for the warm cadmium red light results in high-chroma purples that could do justice to the blooms.
However, alizarin would alter the orange scale. Mixing this cool red with cadmium yellow light creates cool terra-cottas and siennas, rather than true orange.
Every three-color primary palette will have some weaknesses in color rendering, and artists who want to be able to achieve pure purples, oranges, and greens will have to add colors to it. One way to address this weakness is by adding a single missing pigment, such as green or orange, or by choosing to use a six-color split primary palette instead.
The six-color palette contains warm and cool versions of each of the primaries—red, blue, and yellow. A sample palette may contain cadmium yellow and cadmium yellow light; ultramarine blue and phthalocyanine blue; and cadmium red light and alizarin permanent.
Charting the greens alone shows the broad range of hues—from warm olive to cool lime—that can be achieved with two yellows and two blues. No single green you purchase can achieve such variety.
A painter’s palette is, ultimately, an expression of how they see the world and the colors that they love. By exploring a variety of limited palettes from earthy to intense, painters can discover the combination of colors that best helps them convey their world view.
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Reports of mysterious noises and ghost sightings might frighten some travelers, but intrepid ghost hunters know there’s nothing more exciting than staying in an allegedly haunted hotel. Across the United States, historic hotels have welcomed guests for decades or even centuries, but not every visitor has checked out. The 13 most haunted hotels in America offer more than a comfortable bed and room service — spotting the spirits that wander these halls should be on every thrill-seeking tourist’s bucket list. And with many of these hotels open in time for the spooky season, you could even plan a Halloween getaway to a supposedly haunted destination near you — that is, if you’re brave enough.
Once a Cunard ocean liner, the RMS Queen Mary is now permanently docked in Long Beach, California, offering guests a completely unique hotel experience. Visitors can imagine what life was like aboard the historic ship when they stay in the original staterooms, enjoy onboard dining, and tour the Art Deco ship, but ghost hunters will want to participate in a paranormal investigation to learn more about the RMS Queen Mary’s resident spirits. Often referred to as “the most haunted hotel in America,” the Queen Mary has several paranormal hot spots, including stateroom B340, where a passenger passed away in 1948. Since the 1960s, guests have complained about bizarre and otherworldly experiences in B340, and the room is available to those brave enough to spend a night among the spirits. The Queen Mary is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, earned its place on nearly every list of the most haunted hotels in America, partially thanks to horror author Stephen King. It was the inspiration for the Overlook Hotel in his novel, “The Shining,” and while you might not find a set of terrifying twin girls here, the property reportedly hosts a few spirits of its own. Freelan Oscar Stanley opened the now-historic hotel in 1909; he and his wife, Flora, are said to roam its halls to this day, among other ghostly spirits who checked in, but never left. The hotel is currently open with COVID-19 health and safety measures in place. You can even book a stay in one of the “spirited” rooms, which allegedly have high paranormal activity.
This iconic Los Angeles hotel opened in 1927, hosting countless stars throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood, including Shirley Temple, Montgomery Clift, Charlie Chaplin, and many more. A few of The Hollywood Roosevelt’s most famous guests might have returned in the afterlife — Marilyn Monroe lived in room 1200 for two years at the beginning of her career, and some report seeing her reflection in the room’s mirror. The hotel is currently open with COVID-19 policies in place for any fall travelers who hope to glimpse a spirit for themselves.
One of the longest continuously operating hotels in the United States, Boston’s Omni Parker House has seen its fair share of history. It’s rumored that the ghost of the hotel’s founder, Harvey Parker, still roams the halls, checking to make sure guests are enjoying their stay — talk about hospitality that goes above and beyond. Others report that the spirit of Charles Dickens, who briefly lived in the hotel, may still linger on the third floor where he stayed. Thrill-seekers can now book a room at this historic hotel — it recently reopened after closing amid the pandemic.
Originally built in 1886, the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, was taken over by criminal and entrepreneur Norman Baker in 1937, who turned the property into a hospital and health resort, claiming to have a cure for cancer. Some paranormal experts say the hotel’s sordid past is one reason why spirits stuck around. The hotel (currently open) is now a beautiful, expansive retreat, and it offers ghost tours and even features images of ghosts spotted at the resort on their website.
For nearly 100 years, the stunning “Pink Palace” has welcomed guests to St. Pete Beach on the Gulf Coast of Florida, but its eternal guests have a surprisingly heartwarming story. Thomas Rowe fell madly in love with Spanish opera singer Lucinda while in London, but her parents forbade their relationship, leaving the lovebirds heartbroken. Thomas returned to America and built The Don Cesar as a tribute to his lost love, and some say that since his passing, they have seen the couple — reunited in death — roaming around the resort. The hotel is currently open with health and safety measures in place. Visit, and you may spot Thomas and Lucinda wandering the hotel, hand in hand.
Related: 10 Real Haunted Houses From All Over the United States
Once a playground for America’s wealthiest families, including the Morgans, Vanderbilts, and Rockefellers, this historic Georgia resort opened in 1886 as a recreational club. Some say you can still feel the presence of wealthy visitors and hotel workers today. The resort is currently open, and it offers an annual ghost hunt weekend — this year falling on Halloween.
This Manchester, Vermont, resort has welcomed guests for over 250 years, and it has a couple of lingering spirits. President Lincoln’s family vacationed at The Equinox, and it’s said that the ghost of his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, is still spotted around the property. The resort is currently open with new health and safety measures in place.
The historic Pfister Hotel opened in Milwaukee in 1893 with elegant interiors and advanced technology for the times, including electricity, individual thermostat controls, and fireproofing, making it one of the most sought-after accommodations in the city. The hotel is supposedly home to a number of spooky sightings — in fact, several MLB players have reported their own personal ghost experiences in the hotel, and some are even too scared to stay there. For guests who want to hunt for ghosts this season, the hotel is currently open with new health and safety procedures in place.
The beautiful Emily Morgan Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, wasn’t always a hotel. The 1924 building first housed a hospital and doctors’ offices, and before that, this was near the site of the deadly Battle of the Alamo. It’s believed that this history is the reason for the mysterious occurrences that happen throughout the hotel; some guests have even reported seeing a woman in white wander the halls. The hotel is now open, if you want to check it out for yourself.
This beautiful Santa Fe, New Mexico, hotel has an incredibly rich history. Since 1609, a number of inns have been located on this very site, but a handful of events may be the cause of continued hauntings. According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the ghosts of a judge shot in the lobby, a businessman who gambled everything away at the hotel before jumping down a well, and a bride killed on her wedding night are just a few of the spirits that you may come across during your stay here. The hotel is currently open with COVID-19 procedures in place.
Savannah, Georgia, is known for being a hotbed of paranormal activity, and The Marshall House is just the place to stay if you want a fully immersive spooky experience in the city. Since 1851, the property was used once as a wartime hospital and twice as a hospital during the yellow fever epidemics. Any hotel with such a history is bound to have a few residual spirits hanging around, and guests report seeing ghosts and hearing children running down the halls late at night.
The luxurious Omni Shoreham Hotel is one of D.C.’s most historic hotels, and arguably one of the most haunted. A young girl and a maid both died of mysterious causes in one suite during the early 1900s, and some guests report bizarre noises with no explanation on the floor where they passed away. The hotel is temporarily closed due to the pandemic, so ghost hunters will have to wait a little longer to check out this beautiful property.
Elizabeth Rhodes is an associate digital editor at Travel + Leisure who loves a good ghost story. Follow her adventures on Instagram.
How to create interior in neutral shades without being boring?
It is believed that a minimalist interior in a neutral palette is very easy to create. It seems – what could be simpler than a combination of shades of beige, milk, sand, gray? However, often the result is very boring. When we walk past the windows of real estate agencies, we often see a familiar picture: in the photographs there are rooms of uncertain colors, without any life. The beige sofa almost disappears against the exact same beige wall. The yellowish carpet tries to show off against the parquet of the same tone. Grayish curtains do not decorate the room at all. That is how the look of the house becomes “dry”, there is no sense of volume and play of shades in it. The fact is that creating an interior in a neutral tones requires knowledge of certain rules.
An interior in neutral notes must contain color contrast. If you use a combination of several neutral colors, it is better to use them with dark shades of brown and gray. Be careful – do not get involved in a lot of dark shades – there is a chance to make the interior too gloomy. Therefore, it is a great idea to choose several accessories or one or two pieces of furniture of a dark color, but nothing more.
An interior in neutral shades always looks more advantageous if the decorator combines different textures or materials in the composition. This move compensates the lack of bright colors that usually catch the eye. For example, you can use carpet pile, pillow fringe, three-dimensional embroidery, fabric folds, unusual wall decoration, fluffy bed cover.
Combine objects of different sizes. For example, large cabinets and sofas – with small tables and elegant accessories. Do not be afraid to use large objects in a very small room. Despite to popular belief, they will help to divert attention from the modest size of the room and create a “wow-effect”. In any case, the game with scale brings an element of diversity into the interior, which is very important.
This is a big trend now, accessories made of non-ferrous or white metal add an interesting sparkle to the minimalistic or neutral interior. They always look great on a dark or light background of any color. Now it is very popular to combine metal objects of different colors in one interior.
Geometric patterns go well with stripes, for example. Also, the odd number rule applies in the decor: combinations of an odd number of patterns – three, five and so on – looks great.
You must think about the balance. Many designers begin to think through decor with flooring. The floor acts as a core of the interior – in everyday life we look mostly down and always see a rather large floor area. Furniture items and bright accessories should be visible, but should not argue among themselves. They need a fairly neutral background. If the walls are bright, objects against their background should be more modest and concise in design.
And, of course, each room should have a compositional center, some accent which we see first of all when we enter. It can be a large or bright piece of furniture (for example, a bed in the bedroom or a fireplace in the living room), a large bouquet of flowers or a picture. It is also important that this compositional center (focal point) is the only one. If there are two or three of them in the interior, the interior will seem overloaded. Think about what you see when you enter the room. Where does your look go right away? There, as a rule, there should be a focal point.
Link: https://interioristaweb.com/2019/11/09/sopisticated-neutrals-in-interior-design-7-main-rules/
Hotel Le Meurice is renewed again: in 2019, 29 rooms and suites were opened after renovation, including a penthouse with a terrace with a view…
LE MEURICE HOTEL IN PARIS OPENED RENOVATED PENTHOUSE SUITE ON THE ROOF — Interiorista
The collection Studio 10 is a source of inspiration. Ten versatile colour worlds, each of which standing strongly for itself, lead to new room concepts. The collection book consists of 23 high quality articles which have been developed specially for the international contract business.
At the centre of the collections are the two sophisticated jacquards Niva and Calito; they dominate the collection with their impressive designs. Enriched by high quality wool fabrics, beautiful transparent fabrics and functional dimouts and blackout the collection becomes universally useful for up-market hotel furnishing as well as the furnishing of cruise ships.
The upholstery fabrics complement the concept perfectly. Next to the classically structured upholstery fabric Finn there is of course also an upholstery fabric from our functional DELIGARD collection (Deste DELIGARD). The 3D-knitted fabrics Flux, Drop and Haze are the eye-catchers of the collection. They differ from normal upholstery fabrics by the interaction of an innovative knitting technique and a soft voluminous weft. This gives the material extraordinary volume.
The colour themes are diverse. The trend colour coral in combination with petrol gives a modern and exciting appearance. Warm burnt colours in combination with beige give a modern statement. A deep majestic changeant blue meets blushed rosé. Deep and confident is the combination between a deep burgundy red and cool brass tones.
Pistachio and royal blue meet in a modern and courageous way. Classical colour worlds such as silver grey, nature colours and black & white complement the concept.
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