pink damask

We're finally about to start painting a (pre)teen's room that is sure to be an epic before and after. Between the tornado and back ordered fabrics, the project has been drawn out several months longer than we anticipated. Although we won't post photos until the room is complete, we did want to share the perfect rosy creamy white wall color we'll be using. It's Benjamin Moore's Pink Damask and we are tickled to find such a bright, happy neutral shade. Definitely a little easier on the eyes than the polka dots or Honeysuckle pink - two options that were (sort of) in the running, but don't stand a chance against the this hue's timeless and feminine softness.

weekend showers

Flamingo pink and Robin's Egg blue were our inspiration for the celebration of a mom-to-be and her growing nest. Check out the buffet table, above - who can resist the flamingos?

Many thanks to Mary Keeley McAllister for making our dreams of a photo booth come true.

pinky

Pantone announced the color for 2011, and we couldn't be more tickled...especially on a cold, rainy, January day. Pantone 18-2120 Honeysuckle pink is the hue of the year. We've already seen it popping up among tastemakers. From high fashion to interiors, we love a punchy pink pop.

The experts at Pantone explain, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.” Speaking of summer, we're counting down the days until the solstice, and it's exactly 21 weeks until June 21st. Coincidence? We think not!

oscar is in

We are head over heels for Oscar de la Renta's collection for Lee Jofa fabrics. The line launched in Fall 2010, and we were thrilled to get the green light from one of our favorite clients to use an exquisite embroidery on a pair of chairs. The fabric just arrived to the shop! It's amazing - beautiful details in embroidery and a super-sharp ethnic design. And the color combination! Unfortunately, the images we've found online don't do justice and my camera is at home today, so we'll be sure to post a finished product once the cushions are complete.

spot-on

After a few weeks of Holiday celebrations and recovery, the blog is back. We've hit the ground in full sprint this year and are deep in lots of amazing projects. One of our decorating jobs is for a 12-year-old's bedroom. Her funky sense of style and penchant for bright color gives us lots of opportunity to go a little outside of our comfort zone. There was one request we had to turn down: big blue polka dots painted on the walls. Interestingly enough, we found this image from This Is Glamorous. Even though this image makes it look tasteful, we still don't think it will fly with the tween's mother.

crimson

Just in time for an epic Iron Bowl, one of our favorite blogs pulls together a lovely color inspiration story of scarlet, crimson and vermilion. Roll Tide and Happy Thanksgiving from Matt Clinton Designs!!

a glam fete

Today, the Matt Clinton Designs team spent the morning staging a New Year's Eve fete for Tuscaloosa Magazine. Inspired by the Black and White Ball, we accented our palette with gilded accessories, bubbly libations and sugary confections. Many thanks to everyone that helped us pull the "event" together...keep an eye out for the piece in Tuscaloosa Magazine's Holiday issue!

glorious gloria

NY Mag's Home Design issue is out (well, it's been out for over a week, but being in Alabama we are just now getting around to blogging about it...) and our favorite piece was Wendy Goodman's peek into Gloria Vanderbilt's pad. An eccentric angle on traditional glamor, her Fifth Avenue dwellings are saturated with boldness, out-of-the-box details and design elements evolved from Vanderbilt's colored past. After seeing this fascinating view of Vanderbilt, we can't wait to get our hands on Goodman's new book, The World of Gloria Vanderbilt.

fall flowers

Yesterday's autumnal equinox marked the first official day of Fall! We're using a beautiful fall palette for Matt Clinton Designs' Friday deliveries (one arrangement pictured above). The colors were inspired by changing leaves...just a few more weeks until Tuscaloosa's trees start turning. Check out our facebook album featuring a Fall cocktail party where we used branches and foliage from the home owner's yard. Just gorgeous!

a breath of fresh air

We have lots of decorating projects moving and shaking right now and are thrilled with our newest client, a homeowner in Birmingham. We visited her yesterday and though she already has exquisite furnishings, we helped fluff-up her space, toss what she didn't need and place her furniture in a way that would impress anyone who walks through the door. The day was quite productive (finished product above), and we parted ways with a plan to take her living spaces to the next level with a few more essential touches.

Oftentimes, we find that houses have many of the elements to make a homeowner proud, but they are cluttered with useless accessories, and/or not placed to achieve the most potential and balance that the home is capable of offering. Additionally, our expertise in recognizing the few décor components that make a house a home take the stress (and needless spending!) off a client's agenda. MCD offers one of the lowest decorator fees in town ($65/hour) and our talent is tops. Give us a call if you're thinking of revitalizing your home this summer.

role model

We picked up the May 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living this weekend – it's packed with lots of tips on adding color to your “life.” (We especially liked her spin on “Superneutrals.”) Like so many others in the design industry, we constantly turn to Martha for ideas and inspirations. Her awesomeness is untouched in the world of entertaining. Her creativity and knowledge of any and everything DIY goes far beyond anyone on Earth. Her floral designs take our breath away. We could go on and on (in this overly dramatic fashion) about how much we love Martha, but would rather share some pictures from her pre-domestic goddess phase. She modeled to put herself though college! The picture above is our favorite, but there are more gems here.

it's electric

One more post on fabulous floral hues. The roses above are called Star 2000 and they are the most intensely color-saturated roses we've ever seen. They are making quite an impression on our weekly deliveries – yesterday's administrative professionals raved at the sight of them in their arrangements!

We used them for a fall engagement party last year and are loving them for spring and summer. We bet that if we paired them with the perfect shade of citron green and a few other reds, they would be refreshing in holiday arrangements, too. An impressive rose for all seasons!

milva rose and antique blue

This past weekend, one of the four events we juggled was an intimate cocktail party at a lovely historic home in Tuscaloosa. Though the home's interiors have an air of fresh glamor, we decided to take it to the next level of modernity with tablescapes and arrangements inspired by renowned floral designer Jeff Leatham. We used a simple color palette of salmony orangish pink and muted blue-green sea tones, then layered in lots of glass, water and floating candles. It was gorgeous and the roses smelled amazing.

We carried this color palette into some of our weekend deliveries (pictured above) and look forward to more experimentation with these summery hues in the forthcoming months.