“…I think Thomas Wold just solved our furniture hoarding problem!”

“How’s that?”

“Well, so far as I can tell, the solution to our problems isn’t taking home less furniture.

“So what *is* the solution, then?”

“We’re just not making the most of our vertical space!”

These are the offices of Drake Design Associates, to give you one example of how Drake plays with color. With clients as diverse as Madonna and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, he must of course design spaces that aren’t as richly colorful, but even his neutral interiors feel bright and brilliant.

Er, not that that’s one of them!

Like what you see? Then you simply must have a looksee at Jamie Drake’s New American Glamour, which is an amazing book full of lush photos and fun, over the top writing!

Maybe it’s just me, but the prints and color combination in this old Victorian house family room just scream old lady to me. Or if they don’t scream old lady now, they will in five years. Of course, what do I know? Maybe an old lady lives there!

The word ‘ibride’ is a play on words in French meaning ‘hybrid’, and many of the pieces combine several forms and several functions.

The animal trays are themselves hybrids – should they be used at teatime or hung as art on a wall? Ibride’s animal trays are indeed water-resistant and dent-resistant, but imagine the looks you might get if you served coffee on one.

See, it’s easy to deny one’s desire for SERIOUS COLOR when one is a mature, responsible grownup-type person. The kid in your head says “Oh em gee, let’s paint every wall a different color! We own this house – we can finally do this!” while the person in your head who goes to the office each day and wears pants with a nice crisp paint counts with “Oh, I don’t know. That’s a lot of color. Maybe we should choose a nice white and think about this some more before we do anything hasty.” I’m not advocating that you do anything truly hasty, of course (unless you really, really want to!). Choose three colors, four colors, whatever – and do it carefully. Use an online colorwheel. Think about the furniture you already own. Be a grownup, but have fun!

Now Amy Butler is launching a wallpaper collection for Graham & Brown, squee! On one hand, wallpaper sucks – it can be amazing. On the other hand, unless you plan to wallpaper forever, covering over the old with the new, it’s the biggest butt pain to strip.

But you (by which I mean *I*) could use the new Amy Butler wallpaper for craft projects, providing you can be small enough lengths of it or you plan to make a bajillion crafts. That’s right…BAJILLIONS.

Loving the blues and greens, the use of circles in the rug and in the artwork, the vivid furniture, the kid’s bench, All of it – just the whole package.

Loving the way the chairs contrast with the thickness of the classic wood table and sideboard.

Loving the white! It’s so clean, and it’s gorgeous paired with that pine (I think) floor. The gray chair is just the right touch, along with the pink coverlet.

And here are a few things that might appeal if you, like me, love the interiors above. As always, all six of my picks are clickable!

Born in the Netherlands and raised in South Africa, Ghislaine brings a special blend of international sensibility, intuitive style, humor and refreshing enthusiasm to her work. She is driven daily by her passion for interior design especially by form and color. “Color excites me. As a child, I would feel a rush of excitement when opening a box of crayons.”

Which isn’t to say that her choices of furniture are anything but amazing. She mixes modern and vintage pieces in such a way as to create a kind of perfect harmony. Hers are not rooms in which one might say “How clever to have mixed something old with so much new.” Rather, eras blend, united by Viñas’ color choices.

I would be happy to give Viñas carte blanche to come into my home, throw out most of what I own, and replace it with stuff she picked out in my stead. Now I would love to link to her site, but every time I try to visit I’m warned off by Google, which says there’s malware there. So I’ll share a link to her Interior Design Magazine blog instead – check it out, she seems like a lot of fun!

And, as always, here are some inspiring things that might help you and/or me introduce some color to our worlds! (Just click the pics!)

(all images via)