Surrounded by Books

5531526813_0277e09656_zPenguin Books. Just looking at these brightly bound classic paperbacks brings on a sensory overload. I smell the old paper, mingled with sun and sand, and I see the light filtering through the windows of the tiny library on the Floridian Island where we used to visit my grandparents. If I close my eyes, I can even feel the air in that little library. There is something about these little Penguin books that stir up memories in all of us – feelings that you want to surround yourself with as often as one can.

Screen Shot 2013-05-15 at 9.55.12 AMPenguin Books published its first ten paperbacks in 1935. For the first time, classic titles were available to the public for the price of a pack of cigarettes. No longer did reading require a library card – you could now buy your books at the newsstand. In this respect, Penguin Books stood out from its other publishing house counterparts with their expensive, overly decorative hardcover books. The famous paperback covers were designed by Edward Young, a 21 year old office junior, who would later go on to become Penguin Books’ Production Manager. Fun fact: the different colors on the covers have significance; orange is fiction, blue is for biographies, green is for crime novels, and so on.

Screen Shot 2013-05-15 at 10.06.00 AMWallpaper! Now you don’t even have to go to a bookshop or a library to get that Penguin Books sensory overload. This Spring, Osborne & Little, Britain’s premier wallpaper and fabric house, has released Penguin Library wallpaper. Featuring tons of different classic titles, such as Wuthering Heights and others, now you have the ability to surround yourself with these classic books in any room of your home.

grey upholstered chair on a penguin book wallpaper backgroundLike a Pantone color chart, these books breathe life into any space they are assembled in. And what a cocktail party conversation they would make! I can imagine having a few drinks and wandering around the room looking at the titles. Might also be wonderful in a kids play room – it might encourage your children to read! I wish I had a place for this wallpaper, because I think it is absolutely wonderful, don’t you?

Photos courtesy of Osborne & Little & Stephen Small on Flickr 

 

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Neutralized

Happy New Year! We are back from a journey up north, and I am ready and determined to be here for you all every single day. So get ready. Today, after a few weeks of holidays and parties and sparkle and color, I wanted to post about neutrals. My favorite neutral paint colors. I think that the important thing to remember is that not all neutrals are white or beige. Neutral is defined by matching well with most other colors – and there are a lot of colors that match well that aren’t white or beige. That being said, don’t discount white or beige! Herewith, a few of my favorite (and tested) neutrals.

Benjamin Moore Gray Owl. It is gray, so the list of colors that go with it is endless: white, blue, green, purple, pink … the list goes on.

Benjamin Moore Lavender Secret. Lavender is a sneaky neutral. Think about it with orange, lime green, chocolate brown, turquoise.

Benjamin Moore Horizon. This is even lighter than Gray Owl, but really changes color depending on the light in the room and the time of day. I used this in the living room of my first New York apartment, and it was amazing. Pair this with gold and silver, blue, orange, green, purple – wherever your heart may take you.

Benjamin Moore Gentleman’s Gray. The least obvious of the foursome. I don’t understand why people are so ready to paint a room chocolate brown, but less inclined to paint it navy blue. This is a beautiful, deep color, that also changes colors depending on time of day. And I must say, there is nothing like an evening with dim lights and candles in a navy room. This was the color of WWB’s bedroom in his NYC apartment paired with dark woods and deep reds – very masculine. Then, when I moved in, I paired it with white lacquer and lime green – and the color took on a whole new tone. Navy looks amazing with red, orange, green, gray, brown, tan … really anything. I dare you to try this in a room – you will be surprised how neutral it really is.

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