Like you all, I love to keep up with the top designers and see what inventive new things they are doing in interior design. So the other day, when I happened upon a room that designer Miles Redd had completely washed in teal, I nearly swooned. It was so beautiful and dramatic, I couldn’t get enough of it. That moment, teal became my heartthrob and I got busy designing a gallery that showcased my newest color crush.
Years ago, when I was selecting my very favorite hues to include in my Mary Carol Artisan Paint line, I knew the Perfect Teal had to be among them. We mixed up the most gorgeous teal tone I’ve ever seen and called it Commercial Street, named for the main drag in my hometown, Atchison, Kansas. It was on Commercial Street that my folks had their clothing shop, where I worked long hours as a salesgirl and fell in love with retail.
My first step in my visual ode to teal was to repaint our largest gallery at Nell Hill’s Braircliff in Commercial Street. Next we filled our color lab with furnishings that look their absolute best with teal. I was blown away by how long that list ended up being. Orange, gray, navy, coral, purple, nutty browns. They are all perfect with teal. Who knew teal was such a chameleon and that it took on a new life depending upon what you paired it with. One of my favorites? Gold and white.
White chairs, surrounded by gold and white accents, wrapped up in a sea of teal, is to-die-for gorgeous. Light and bright furnishings wrapped up in deep, moody walls feel like a ray of light breaking through a stormy sky.
You don’t have to paint your room teal to enjoy this powerful color. Bring it in through your furnishings. Teal leather chairs are hot sellers. Traditionally masculine, yet also edgy and contemporary, they are an ideal pick for a study, family room or even your bedroom suite.
Scott, one of our uber-talented designers, and I pulled together some swatches from our fabric room to show you how to build a textile story in your room that features teal. A grouping of classic patterns still feels fresh, thanks to their contemporary coloring and scale. Pick one of the solids, like the brown herringbone, for the sofa. Add in a pair of matched club chairs in the watch plaid or teal herringbone. Finish with a liberal number of pillows in the hound’s tooth check, teal velvet and a mix of all the others.
If your home is more contemporary, here’s a fun way to weave in teal. Cover your sofa in the teal herringbone. Add in some chairs in the contemporary geometric or floral. The third fabric would make a great upholstered ottoman. There are millions of possibilities.
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