Color Crush: Yellow

{A Stunning Yellow Oscar de la Renta gown as seen in Russian ELLE}

Yellow rarely tops my list of favorite colors, but I’ve noticed that I have been gravitating to it more and more lately. Slowly, but surely, more and more yellow pieces have been finding their way into my closet. It’s a universally flattering shade when it comes to clothing—try it, you might be surprised; and it acts as a great neutral when it comes to interiors. I think most of us, myself included, have typically thought of it as more of an accent color, but it pairs so beautifully with so many other colors. In the past, I’ve looked at yellow as a risky color because it seems like it could go one of two ways—completely awful or downright amazing.

I am dying to try a little yellow action in a design project, but in the meantime, I’ll keep coming back to these gorgeous images for inspiration. Chris Martin has written a song about this color and Sasha Adler has proclaimed “yellow goes with almost anything in my world”. Beautiful though possibly polarizing, I am currently obsessed with rich, saturated shades of yellow. Are you a fan of yellow? Ask yourself again at the end of this post. You may just change your mind.

{I am in love with this yellow velvet upholstered ottoman in a living space designed by Nate Berkus and featured in ELLE DECOR. It’s tufted and skirted and the scale is just perfection. Love, love, love it!}

{I think everyone probably remembers Jenna Lyons’ home from when it was featured in Domino years ago. Who could forget her statement-making yellow sofa? It’s such an unexpected twist on the most classic of shapes.}

{This vignette designed by Melissa Warner Rothblum and featured in the last issue of High Gloss back in June of 2011 has made the rounds on the blogs and Pinterest for years now and with good reason. The little yellow x-bench has a powerful impact.}

{The same issue of High Gloss also featured this beautiful yellow velvet sofa in Kristen Buckingham’s chic showroom on L.A.’s La Cienega Boulevard. Notice the gray and white striped lining peeking through the skirt. Design is all about the details!}

{How major was Sasha Adler’s former bedroom? It is just perfection from the bedding to the lighting and bedside tables, but the yellow, tufted velvet headboard encased in an antiqued mirrored frame steals the show. I hope it went to a good home when she sold it in a Tastemaker Tag Sale on One Kings Lane recently!}

{Yellow pairs beautifully with jewel tones and bold patterns, as seen in this space by Palmer Weiss.}

{But it also looks lovely when paired with more muted hues and pastels as demonstrated in this room by Thomas O’Brien.}

{Yellow is fantastic when you just need a pop of color to brighten things up, like in this gorgeous kitchen by Benjamin Dhong.}

{If you’re willing to take a risk, you can do all-over yellow as Nate Berkus did in this stylish Chicago dining room, turning to Clarence House’s iconic “Vase” wallpaper and chic yellow dining chairs.}

[This room features another iconic wallpaper, Scalamandre’s “Zebra” in a yellow colorway.}

[On the fashion front, I love crisp and bright shades of yellow, such as these gorgeous gowns by Elie Saab.}

{This type of gown is not easy to pull of, but is is SO chic.}

{Olivia Palermo in Yards and Yards of Silk Taffeta}

{Olivia Again, this time in Yellow Silk Chiffon with Citrine Silk Satin Heels}

{Model Lily Donaldson in Lanvin}

{Hanneli Mustaparta in Calvin Klein}

{Do you guys remember Reese Witherspoon’s lovely Nina Ricci dress from the 2007 Golden Globes? She had just gotten divorced and looked better than ever. This was the look that inspired me to get bangs!}

  {And who could possibly forget Michelle Williams’ iconic red carpet moment in this ethereal yellow Vera Wang gown at the 2006 Academy Awards? So lovely!}

 

{1. Emerson Fry Pockets Blouse | 2. Proenza Schoueler PS1 Leather Pochette | 3. Christian Louboutin PigalleSpikes 85 Patent Leather Pump | 4. Emerson Fry Oro Ring | 5. Miu Miu Scalloped Yellow Bikini | 6. David Aubrey Yellow Chandelier Earrings | 7. Chloe Lauren Flats | 8. Anthropologie Embroidered Plume Dress | 9. Yellow Lacquer Mirror | 10. Hillary Thomas Yellow Submarine Lamp Finial | 11. Lemon Yellow Greek Key Pillow | 12. Shaftesbury Bar Cart | 13. DwellStudio Citrine Border Sheet Set | 14. Jonathan Alder Bel-Air Scoop Vase | 15. Yellow Pierced Ceramic Stool | 16. Capel Rugs Yellow "Jagge" Flatweave Striped Rug}

 

Sponsor Spotlight: Atchison Home

{The Beautiful Atchison Home Showroom}

La Dolce Vita is thrilled to welcome Atchison Home as our newest sponsor! Based in Mobile, Alabama, Atchison Home is a fantastic resource for designers and design-savvy consumers alike. The company was founded in 1985 as Atchison Imports sourcing country pine furniture from England. In the years since, Atchison Home has evolved tremendously,  importing mostly from France and Belgium and offering lighting, bedding and accessories along with furniture, making it a one-stop shop for anyone looking to furnish their home.

{Atchison Home Showroom}

{Atchison Home Showroom}

I recently had a conversation with Taylor Atchison, whose parents founded Atchison Home and we discussed a bit of what makes Atchison Home special.

{Atchison Home Showroom}

Paloma Contreras: Atchison Home has obviously evolved quite a bit since the company was started in 1985 as Atchison Imports. What has endured throughout the past 28 years?

{The Exterior of Atchison Home}

Taylor Atchison: The one thing that has remained is our European influence in business and design. Often clients tell us they feel like they are traveling abroad when pulling down our long drive. In true European fashion my parents built their home in the same building as the store. So many times on our trips to Europe we will be with dealers and shopping their inventory which seamlessly turns to having coffee or champagne at their kitchen table(that we will undoubtedly make an offer on). It just made sense to us. As a child I often came home and furniture would be missing from my room. When you deal in pieces of such quality that they last for centuries it makes it just a bit more special to know who was using it last.

{The Pantry in the Kitchen on the Residential Side of the Atchison Home Building}

PC: It’s great to hear that you offer such a lovely old world approach, with all of the conveniences of a modern shopping experience. Why did you decide to start an e-commerce site?

{Atchison Home Showroom}

TA: I recently started AtchisonHome.com which took some serious convincing. We made the site to serve our out of state designers/clients and we use it as a tool when working on the floor with customers. Everything on the site is not only in-stock, but available to be viewed somewhere within our four story showroom, which is being constantly rethought by our designers/staff. The design process never ends!

{1. Vogue Magazine Cover “Woman in Swimming Pool” | 2. Egg Lamp by Charlie West | 3. Dalia Sofa by Cisco Brothers | 4. Othello Coffee Table by Arteriors |5. Cowhide Zebra Rug | 6. Calypso Sheeting Collection by Peacock Alley | 7. Cisco Brothers Goodman Chair | 8. Venice Bed in Weathered Gray | 9. Acrylic Bar Cart | 10. Gold Leaf Pattern Bowl by Michael J. Clement | 11. Chester Chair by Verellen | 12. Green Cattail Balls by Roost}

In the Stacks

{My dear friend, Mark Sikes is an even bigger bibliophile than I am! He has stacks of beautiful books all around his house, including underneath the beautiful Chippendale console in his living room as featured in Lonny.}

I have a couple of addictions in life—magazine subscriptions and stacks of coffee table books mostly of the interior design, fashion, and travel variety. While I have several bookcases in my house along with a new built-in in my family room, and various other surfaces where I currently stack my books, I am constantly buying new ones and receiving them as gifts from thoughtful individuals who know how much I enjoy them. I grew up loving to read and looking forward to trips to the library. I always knew that I wanted my house to be filled with books on fascinating subjects, even when I was just a little girl. While I use books in my décor, I do not believe is using them solely for that purpose. Every book in my home is one that I love and have read. Having said all of that, I know that the day will come when I run out of real estate for my beloved books. My stacks are constantly growing taller as you’ll see when I share my house tour with you in the coming weeks. How tall is too tall? What does one do when there isn’t anymore space? I haven’t gotten to the point of stacking books on the floor yet, but the day may come at some point! Until then, I’ve rounded up some images of some stylish stacks.

{New York designer, Ryan Korban has stacks of books in his Manhattan apartment.}

{Ryan loves his stacks! Here is yet another stack of books, this time on a side chair, as featured on The Selby.}

{PaperCity editor and Claridge + King designer, Laurann Claridge’s chic Houston high-rise condo features this beautiful antique Biedermier chest, topped with a spectacular quartz lamp, Waylande Gregory bowl, a Louis Philippe Mirror, and of course, a stack of carefully selected books.}

{Hudson Interior Designs stacked books on this nickel bar cart.}

{Stacks of Books on Top of as well as Under a Table | Image via Cote de Texas}

{Although this is a library in a home, I love the way that these books are stacked on a large rectangular table. It reminds me of shopping in some of my favorite stores.}

{Stacks of Books Comingle with Decorative Objets in this Vignette from Domino}

{Miles Redd stacks the books in his bedroom on a chair as well as on a low-slung table across from his bed. | Image via Mark D. Sikes}

{Designer Carlos Miele’s Home features a gorgeous carved console with stacks of books underneath. Notice the spines are not facing the front. Do you have a preference when it comes to the placement of the spines of the books? I like for them to face forward. | Image via ELLE DÉCOR}

{It looks like the stack of books in this space functions as a martini table near the leather arm chair. Just make sure to have coasters handy! | Photo by Carolina Saunders}

{Stacks of Books on a Trunk used as a Night Stand}

{Another Bedside Stack}

{I don’t ever want my house to look like this! The key is for the stacks to be artfully arranged. Are you a fellow book hoarder? How do you store/display your books?}