String Theory

You know what I've been loving lately? Fringe. That's right. I said it. Now I know y'all are probably thinking: what's gotten into you, Erin? First you're asking us to approve of shabby slipcovers, now this? Are you turning into a musty old cat lady who sleeps on a stack of newspapers you've been collecting since that nice man Roosevelt was in office? While it is true that I find the twin odors of mothballs and urine particularly appealing, I assure you that I am still young and hip. I mean, did you see the Black Eyes Peas at the Superbowl? AWESOME. But I digress.

BOOM. How do you like me now, whippersnappers? Every single thing in this room by Pamplemousse Design is the MF bizness.

Remember the unimpeachably chic home of Marie Olsson Nylander? That's where this lovely resides.

Oh yeah. You know you want a huge fringed chandelier in a light bright shade of red. Special bonus: that sucker would make a fantastic cat toy.

Sure, according to Encyclopedia Raina this room is from 1992, but just because I love it doesn't make me old. Right??? It's got squiggly lines, for Pete's sake.

Ok, we are headed down the primrose path of waspville here, but Tory Burch does have a pretty green velvet couch with gold fringe that reminds me very much of a couch my mom had. Of course, my mom's couch started out as a white sectional (please see yesterday's post about the perils of white couches and children), but then she recovered it in green and gold damask with gold fringe all up in that joint. My mom also used to pick me up from school in a topless Jeep (when I was hoping for a minivan mom), and she wore flashdance sweatshirts with bare shoulders. So, now you get that fringe is not for old boring people, right? I'm sure my story made that crystal clear.

This is just a bonus picture from Richard Powers that will allow me to sing:

All the world will fly in a flurry When I take you out in the surrey, When I take you out in the surrey with the fringe on top!

The lyrics may come from a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, but that doesn't make me old at all.

Does it?

That Seventies Series: Paint the Trim Fantastic

So, I have this secret interior decorating weapon called Living Spaces. I bought the book for a buck at a Goodwill a while ago, and was amazed to find that its 1978 goodness is perfectly aligned with current interior trends, and maybe even a few upcoming trends that I will attempt to predict a la Miss Cleo. This bad boy was produced by the Whitney Library of Design, so you know it's good. Anyhoodles, I'm starting a series based on inspiring images from the book, so let's see if I can get this sweet puppy to fly.

Clean lines, natural surfaces, neutral backdrops -- this ain't your momma's carpet infested house. Actually it's a fat villa in Florence, and what I'm really digging is the colored trim against the pale background (please ignore the hideous table setting... yikes!). So I've done my very bestest to find some contemporary examples of trim that are not painted white or blended into the wall color. Why should all the other surfaces have all the fun, anyway?

Sorry, not sure where this picture came from, but let me just say that it takes some pretty powerful trim to distract me from the vintage card catalog in all its sexified glory.

If you're really brave, you can dispense with the white altogether and bathe the entire room in saturated hues, like this pic from Domino. (By the way, has anyone received their January copy via mail yet? Anyone? Anyone?)

Sad story: this is NOT the picture I wanted to include. Months ago, I saw this gorgeous image of a very spare room with pale walls and maybe pale concrete floors, and the only color in the room came from the citron yellow window trim. I cannot for the life of me find the picture... I swear, I went all Captain Insano and searched for HOURS for it, and I'm really tired now. OCD sucks. If you know which picture I'm talking about, please send me the link and I'll swap pics. Until one of you superfantastic readers can bail me out, you'll have to make do with this pic from Apartment Therapy.

So maybe you like the idea of having non-white trim, but are looking for a little less contrast in value:

Even if you choose color for your walls, you don't have to paint the trim white. Thoughts on this color scheme? Photo courtesy of Marie Claire Maison.

A more subdued palette of butter yellow and a pale purplish blue, courtesy of Apartment Therapy.

This twist on traditional features dark gray walls with medium gray molding, which reads as understated and sophisticated rather than cartoonish. Photo by Richard Powers.

Or perhaps you'd like to keep your Sanders-approved color on the walls, but still want to funk up the trim? Once you go black, you'll never go back. Like, seriously -- it would be a pain in the ass to paint over.

But, no pain, no gain, right?

Elle Decor UK reminds us to "Go With the Flow." With gorgeously framed windows like those, (and a disco ball!) I'm feeling a lot more fluid.

This quirky room from Apartment Therapy might be enough to make me take the plunge. I love the Roy Lichtenstein look:

Color is fun, but there's certainly nothing wrong with classic, clean and simple:

In these images from Bo Bedre, straight black trim sets off the crispness of the architecture and decor choices.

I love the simple black trimmed windows in this otherwise light and bright space. Image via the awesome decor blog, Roseland Greene.

Finally, I've been crushing over this gorgeous room since the always fabulous Door Sixteen first posted it. It's the perfect mix of drama and breathing space, and the stunning architecture doesn't hurt. I loooove the way the black draws attention to the windows, framing them like pictures.

White trim, eat your pale, listless heart out (but don't worry, I still love you).