Pink and Black

Images: 1 & 2)  Living etc, August 2013, February 2013. 3) Keltainen Talo Rannalla. 4 & 5) Homes & Antiques, Issue 240, October 2012. 6 & 7) Vogue Living, Vol. 46, No. 1. 8) SF Girl by Bay.

Film Interiors: W.E.

So much of Madonna's W.E. represents the best offerings of film artisans that the senses have trouble absorbing all that is projected at them. The gorgeous original score by Abel Korzeniowski brings to mind Yumeji's Theme from In the Mood for Love. The costume design is flawless, with Wallis (Andrea Riseborough) always dressed for company in haute couture gowns and Cartier jewels and Wally (Abbie Cornish) wearing a black and white Chanel-inspired wardrobe. And the sets that are their backdrops tell as much about the characters as the dialogue. Surrounded by opulence first in England and then France, Wallis' residences start to feel like gilded cages as she learns what it really means to be married to a royal who has committed the unforgivable sin of abdication. Similarly, Wally's Park Avenue apartment seems to mock her as it suggests a perfection that she cannot approach in her marriage. Everything is in its place and yet all is not as it should be. When Sotheby's security guard, Evgeni, rescues her from her abusive husband, she is finally able to breath again in his welcoming exposed-brick loft. Spaces tell stories, and sometimes we have to change the spaces we move in to live a different story.

Images: Semtex Films.

Color Palettes by Design Seeds

I recently discovered Design Seeds and I can tell it'll be a favorite for a long time to come. Individualized color palettes are created from professional photos of everything from food to places. Search the archives by creating a color value or look up swatches by themes like "vintage" or "mineral". If you find yourself gravitating towards one color, just print the image and take it to your local hardware store to have them match the shade. Gorgeous and handy -- it's now a must-have in my tool kit.

Images: Design Seeds.