I had the good fortune of spending almost 3 months traveling around Europe; to take in the sights, sounds and tastes of Europe.  The fascinating history and architectural grandeur of England, France and Italy had me spellbound.  I toured through many cathedrals, churches and abbeys admiring the architecture of these historical buildings.  But it was the massive windows of beautiful ornate stained glass windows and their craftsmanship that was so striking.  The coloured glass made me feel like I was looking through a kaleidoscope of history.  In my own home I have 8 stained glass windows, they are not as grand but I do enjoy looking through them.  Recently I have been noticing a lot of coloured glass for sale except the coloured glass is in the form of wine glasses.  Now I am no wine expert but I thought that to truly benefit all the wonderful features of a wine the drinking vessel should be clear glass.   Legs and colour are just two of many characteristics you note about a wine but would a coloured wine glass not alter that.  I have always found that if I drank out of a blue glass my brain tells me I am drinking something blue.  i.e. blueberry juice??  Green – limeade.  Red – red wine when actually it was white wine.  And a cold glass of milk in an orange glass???  Too confusing!  Personally I would rather look through coloured glass than drink out of it.  How about you?    

Blueberry Juice??

Limeade??

White Wine or Red Wine??

The importance of colour in respect to choosing the right one for your walls, furnishings, carpet, drapery, accessories etc. can become a huge decision.  Colour means so much to us in our interiors.  Colour can calm a space, enliven a space, and make a space feel larger or make a space feel smaller.  The correct colour can make a room feel warm or keep a room feeling cool.  Heck, the ‘right’ colour in our homes can just plain make us happier, and who doesn’t want to be happier.  The psychology of colour in the branding of corporations is also very important.  Tiffany & Co. is so well-known for their colour ‘Tiffany Blue’ that the colour is protected as a colour trademark and the colour is produced as a private custom color by Pantone Inc.  Hermès is famous for their orange.  And what company is best known for red? Coca Cola. Brown – UPS.  So it was no surprise last week when President Obama’s decision to wear a purple tie (a departure from the usual red or blue) during his speech to the joint session of Congress last Thursday made the headlines.  A lot was at stake for the President as he tried to sell his $447 billion plan.  Creating a positive and trustworthy image amongst voters was important and apparently the colour of the tie would indicate this.  Synonymous with royalty, wealth and status, the colour purple projects power and authority.  In these financially unstable times one can only hope that the message of stability and trust was felt in the colour of the tie.

Is white right after Labour Day?  Unofficially marking the end of summer, Labour Day is thought of as the last day of the year when it is OK to wear white.  Although considered somewhat of an old-fashioned idea and I am definitely not old-fashioned but you probably will not find me wearing white shoes or carrying a white purse post-Labour Day.  But white does exist after Labour Day in so many other ways.  I am speaking about white in home interiors.  I would proudly display a Barcelona® Chair in white leather in my home any time.

Or a white Saarinen Table.

Or one of the beautiful white Jonathon Adler www.jonathonadler.com  vases.

Is there anything nicer than serving a wonderful meal on white dinnerware?

Or having a stack of soft, plush white towels waiting for you after a warm soak?

And any time of the year I love to have a bouquet of white flowers in my home.

 I love white picture frames with white matting and white and black art.

So….white is right after Labour Day! 

Photos via: 1. Knoll 2. Knoll  3. Jonathon Adler  4. PotteryBarn  5. PotteryBarn                         6. Pottery Barn