House Stuff Works: Orange and Blue

Whew, a little quiet on the house blog front lately! I've been hard at work on BartleysRun, describing how to "do" a triathlon. If you're interested or have ever considered it, get over there and check it out!

I never thought I'd ever say this in a million years, but I think I'm jumping on the orange bandwagon. It's growing on me. Orange is such a happy and cheerful color, it just seems to wake you up when you're looking at it. Since I'm still beyond stumped as to how to deal with this dark brown sofa we've got in the front room, maybe a little pale orange would complement the tan walls nicely and subtly.

The other day, I came across a beautiful home featured by Erin at House of Turquoise (As you might guess, she really likes turquoise!) I love the use of a happy orange color without being too bright or overzealous - so you won't be seeing any orange walls or orange furniture. It is so inspiring that the orange is not the feature color, but pops out of the room filled with tans, woods, and linens. The light blues, yellows, and greens in this color palette make it seem relaxed but fun. Click here for the full home tour. This house is gor-ge-ous... what's the best part? Is it the architecturally interesting ceilings? The industrial chairs? Or how about those curtains that you could totally DIY? I'll take two, please!

This new beachy-feel orange and light blue inspiration led me on a deeper hunt. Here are some of the other playful-but-polished rooms featuring this color combo: