3/2/10

What Can Brown Do For You?

Well, lot's of things!
Its richness does as much for my palate as it does for my interior palette.
tom-eckerle-white-dark-and-milk-chocolate-pieces Brown Velvet Paisley  
While chocolate crème brulee makes me very happy!
chocolate-creme-brulee-h via Sunset Magazine The stark contrast of handsome carved wood against fresh white millwork makes my heart pitter-patter!
Eric Roth wood touches
Brown serves as a good strong base and is perfectly happy to be a backdrop.
pink flowers against brown wall
But occasionally it cannot help itself and wants to join in the mix. These chocolate cosmos and black pepper berries bring a rich baroque feeling when mixed with pink & green hydrangeas.
brow cosmos by Brie Williams
It has been noted that people who prefer brown are often conventional and orderly. That's me!
However, my craving for chocolate brown has always gone well beyond the dessert course. I completely agree with what designer John Saladino has to say!
John Saladino for Veranda
Where beige seems boring, cocoa adds drama.
farm table by Tim Young
Where ebony seems severe, mocha appears flattering.
brown and whitle by James Merrell
This deliciously rich hue is the perfect complement to candy-colored pastels.
Wainscott by Farrow & Ball mocha brown by benjamin moore cocoa by Divine Color
So many shades and tones - each producing a different effect.
 eames by David Prince In fact, because the color looks so great on nearly everyone,
harp1 by Paul Westlake we call chocolate brown the new neutral.
When my summer glow is all gone, I always turn to my saving grace, Bobbi Brown. One brush of her magic can give me a fresh face & fresh outlook on the day, even when it's the dead of winter!
bobbi  bobbi-brown-300x279
Brown is the smell of nature. Its woodiness brings this gardener to her knees, literally, for hours.
 pine cone planting soil via Hartley Botanic
Solid and reliable, it's the color of earth and is abundant in nature.
adrian briscoe Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. This Hermes Brasilia saddle is talking to me!
Hermes Brasilia Saddle
Brown can also be sad and wistful.
Tim Young Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors. 
leather by David prince  While the color may be received by many as utilitarian, boring or conservative,
dresser by Ellen Silverman
for seventh and eighth-grade boys, brown bags are the cool way to go. And UPS has taken ownership of the color and used it as a point of distinction.
 intro-lunchbags brown-ups
Brown can mix into many surroundings.
rustic bath via Lonny
The negative meaning of brown can be a repressed personality or a lazy person,
Listening Chair by David prince  but still, it always gives a feeling of solidity. Someday I would love to live in a beautiful Beacon Hill Brownstone!
beacon-hill-boston-ma062 Brown can be stabilizing. I love this rosewood Eames Potato Chip Chair!
rosewood Eames potato chip chair Some shades of brown create a warm, comfortable feeling of wholesomeness, naturalness, and dependability.
virginia macdonald        And some shades of yummy brown just remind me of being a kid.
bowl I can think of a number of places where I have always enjoyed brown in my world. So tell me, what can brown do for you?
numbers  by David Prince
Just for the record, my favorite color is blue. I wonder if there is such a thing as navy brown
All photo credits linked to the source.