I was when I sat down to figure out the colour palette and design theme for the main floor of our home. I flipped through the new Benjamin Moore Accent colour fan deck,I found a colour I loved. Moroccan Spice. I knew that I had to have this colour in my house. So as I sat down to figure out companion colours I remembered a book my husband gave me many years ago for Christmas. Moroccan Interiors! I dashed into my office to find it… Then I realized that my office was still in a state of disaster b/c of the renovation… I further recalled that I’d amalgamated my interior design books with the non-fiction library. In any event, I found it. And I remembered why I was so drawn to anything Moroccan or Middle Eastern inspired.
There is such realism to this style of interior design. It’s earth, homey, warm and lush – without being pretentious. It’s a style of design with simplicity of materials coupled with ornate embellishments that can be easily recreated. The colour palette is unique and warm, opulent and inviting. And who doesn’t love Moroccan tile?
This is my look and even though it in no way related to the architecture of our home, my main floor will be Moroccan inspired with modern twists.
Since the beginning of this project is focused on the Foyer (aka Back door), I wanted to make sure that what we do in that area will flow into the rest of the house. Initially I thought it would be too soon to figure out the whole house plan, once I saw that colour, flipped through some inspiration, I knew I had it. The additional bonus is that with some touch-ups, I don’t think I’ll have to refinish my existing cabinetry as the present colour is dark and rich in tone and with updated hardware and perhaps a topical treatment, they will work very well!
Because our dog is an enthusiastic wonder, the gypsum board around our back door damaged, as it the casing around the door and there is a hole in the wall behind the door because the door stop didn’t stop the door… I decided I wanted wainscoting to protect the dry wall. The standard size available is only 32” high – Max is taller than that so I’m bumping it up 4” and adding a nice chunky baseboard and am capping the top with an ornately detailed quarter round. I’ve decided to build a custom unit in the closet that will act as a seating bench and shoe storage. In addition, to free up some space, I am removing the clothing bar and installing iron hooks for our coats. Bulky or heavy coats or those without any hanging loop can be hung on a hanger and then hung on the hook. The shelf will get renewed with dark wicker baskets liked with rich materials to house the seasonal gear. I will likely rehang the existing ‘leash’ shelf and I’ve found ‘the’ light fixtures to illuminate the entire main floor design without breaking the bank! New paint, baseboards throughout and painted handrails will cap the area. I’m also installing picture shelving to begin the start of a rotating gallery wall of my husband’s photography. I’d love to replace the back door with something ornate and distinctly Moroccan but I think I’ll just settle on a nice clean white door with little detail and a window to add additional light to the space.
I like it when I get something right that excites me! I cannot wait to start the rest of the house (yes, yes – I know I have to actually finish the basement first)!
This week, I’ve my sample board to show and the rendered illustration of the Foyer – the colours may not be exact as I was using a new program to do these illustrations and I’ve not yet settled on the paint colours – when I sat down with my fan decks, I came up with 20 different colours. So my next step is to get my big chits out and pull all the colours out and look at the different combinations and view the colours in the Foyer at different times of day.
Design Tip When stepping outside of your colour comfort zone, it is worthwhile to buy sample jars of the paint and paint a small area of your room. Look at the colour throughout the day and in all the different light that will be in the space. This will help you be able to properly conceptualize the colour. Benjamin Moore sells many of their paints in small pots. If sample paint pots aren’t available, try to order the biggest chits available – most companies offer 8.5x11 sheets – often, however, only available to professionals but it’s worth a try if you’re thinking of painting your living room orange!
This week, I'm heading back into my office to continue to get ready for the basement renovation. I'm hoping to get it cleaned up enough to move my husband's existing office into my office so we can begin emptying the rest of his space and packing up so we can begin the demolition!
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