apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Interior Designer and showroom owner Craig Olsen, loves chocolate brown with muted pinks. If pink isn’t your thing, try a cadmium red or a yellow.

Interior Designer Cory Pernicano is drawn to the classic look of a simple black and white palette with a few punches of color. Perhaps a canary yellow or a smokey gray rose/pink. Conceptually, it's a sophisticated approach for any room, whether deciding to go with light floors and dark walls or just the opposite, it is an inspirational method that we find myself using more frequently.

There is a definite popularity with the pinks and purples as Interior Designer and and Host for Design On a Dime, Kahi Lee mentions that she is really into fuchsia/magenta/raspberry tones are my current favorite accent color.

And the same goes for Molly Luetkemeyer of MDesign who loves the mix of a deep jewel tone purple with a bit of a magenta undertone, with a pale grey lavender and a strong Italian yellow. We like the juxtaposition of the cool and warm colors – if you play with the proportion, the colors continue to change. And the same goes for a mix of pastels and florescents – so chic and unexpected! Oh, and we love a strong yellow with khaki and crisp white. It’s another unexpected combination that feels really fresh to us at the moment.

Furniture and Styles:
Furniture lines and styles have really shifted in the last few years as we saw a big mid century modern explosion and now there is an overwhelming popularity with all things vintage while mixing various ethnic styles together.

Interior Designer Molly Luetkemeyer says, “I continue to love ethnic pieces – tables with bone inlaid in an unusual pattern, Moroccan poufs, colorful, highly embroidered textiles".

Interior Designer and showroom owner Craig Olsen adds incorporating organic elements into our design pieces. These would include metal, wood, textiles, stone, and even acrylic. With our design projects we think outside of the mundane-every-day looks. Cubes are out, but ovals, elliptical, octagons are in. Desks no longer face the wall and perhaps use the non-working side as a display area. Tuck an ottoman under the desk and feature a tray of decorative items.

Kahi Lee enjoys chipped painted furniture, old vintage books, rusted metal. We're liking pieces that are (or look like they are) from the late 19th or early 20th century. Apothecary jars, subway tiles, claw foot tubs, burlap "sack" pillows. We enjoy the juxtaposition of the old with the new.

Kelly LaPlante adds, "I am always mixing in vintage pieces in my work. I think this is becoming even more popular now that we are in a recession and people are needing to be more creative with their finances. Simpler pieces, that do not require as much money to produce are also becoming more popular for this same reason. I am happy to report, however, that none of my clients are resorting to low-quality pieces just to save a little money. I feel like we may soon be seeing the end of the "disposable furniture" era". (Example includes top image)

Tony Langness manager at Jonathan Adler Melrose Store adds, “In our Jonathan Adler Melrose store we are seeing people coming in for our happy and irresistible products!! The Hashish candle has been selling like mad as well as the OJAI dinnerware and super soft Baby Alpaca Richard Nixon orange black or camel throws. The whole Marrekesh, Sheltering Sky, Talitha Getty, let’s drop out for awhile vibe is always real strong in Los Angeles”

Fabric and Textiles:
With so many new textile and fabric options available, Interior Designer Molly Luetkemeyer says her latest passion is all things Mexican. We dig the mix of colors in traditional serapes, ranging from the palest pink to flourescent hues. We're obsessed with the beautiful objects produced in Mexico city on the 50s – Dan Zelen has a wonderful selection of taxco silver and insanely beautiful rugs from 50s designer, Cynthia Sargent at his store on Beverly.

Kelly LaPlante says ”I'm always on the look out for new sustainable fabrics that look refined-- nothing is worse, to me, than the green look. I am using a new textile line called Anne Kirk for TDC, when I saw them from a few feet away they looked like silk-- turned out they were hemp, to me that was a great surprise!"

And Kahi adds that flame stitch and chevron patterns have a been a big favorite basically anything that zigzags!

We think the over all census trend for interiors right now is that anything goes! Mix up that modern octagon table with that French antique chair upholstered in a David Hicks pattern, and be bold in your space weather you live in a small apartment or a large home. When it comes to decorating your own home, let it reflect who you are chose colors and patterns that you respond to - not because its cool or “in style” but what speaks to you. Mix different ethnic styles and don’t be afraid to mix patterns and textures. That’s the wonderful thing about design styles and eras they never disappear they just continue to evolve. And always remember to have FUN!

"Trending" is a weekly report from Vanessa De Vargas, owner of Turquoise, a Los Angeles furniture and interior decor business.