2017 Pantone Color of the year

Greenery is a fresh and zesty yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring.  In northern California we finally have a lot of rain, which has produced wonderful shades of green in vegetation.  A trip through Sonoma County last weekend displayed hillsides covered in wonderful green grass- similar in shading to the “Greenery” color.   […] Read more »

Pantone Color of the Year 2016

For the first time ever, Pantone has selected two shades for the “Color of the Year”.  According to Pantone Rose Quartz– is a persuasive yet gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure.  Serenity is weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, bringing feelings of respite and relaxation […] Read more »

Marsala- 2015 Color of the Year

Every year Pantone selects a “Color of the Year”.  For 2015 the color “Marsala”, a rich and robust earthy wine red color, was selected.  Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, explained the selection by saying “much like the fortified wine that gives Marsala its name,  this tasteful hue embodies the satisfying richness of a […] Read more »

NATURE’S PATTERNS

  Each year during the last week of February my husband and I stay at our time share at South Lake Tahoe.  Usually we downhill and cross country ski.  Unfortunately, the winter of 2013-2014 has been the driest since record keeping began 150 years ago. With no snow at lake level we decided to hike […] Read more »

A FUN VARIATION ON THE “GREEN & RED” HOLIDAY THEME

On a recent trip to London I stayed at the St. Irmin Hotel, located close to Westminster.  The hotel is a wonderful old “grand dame” building constructed in the 1880’s.  The holiday decorating throughout the public areas of the hotel was done in a fresh and imaginative way.    A tomato red and dark lime […] Read more »

RADIANT ORCHID CHOSEN AS THE 2014 COLOR OF THE YEAR

Last week the Pantone Company announced the color of the year for 2014- “Radiant Orchid”. The new selection is described as “a captivating, magical, enigmatic purple” in the company’s annual announcement.   Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, depicts the new color as “an invitation to innovation, expanded creativity and originality”.  She […] Read more »

The importance of good detailing

As the former representative for Wood-Mode Cabinetry in Northern California and Nevada, I have enjoyed the opportunity to visit a number of cabinet installations. As part of our duties as the rep agency, we checked all the orders submitted in our territory against the floor plans. So I have viewed probably several thousand cabinet layouts […] Read more »

WHAT WAS A “DREAM KITCHEN” ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO?

If a person thumbed through popular women’s magazines, such as “A Woman’s Home Companion” or ”Ladies Home Journal”, one hundred years ago one would see advertisements for a work center or kitchen cabinet that commonly became known as a “Hoosier” cabinet, named after the preeminent manufacturer of the kitchen center units. Built-in cabinetry so standard […] Read more »

How did you select the painting for your website?

Sometimes when I give people my business card I’m asked “how did you find or select the painting?” The short answer is, of course, searching through websites on the internet. The selection reason is a bit more involved. When I decided to continue my career in the Kitchen & Bath Industry I wanted to use […] Read more »