2015 COLOUR OF THE YEAR

This week is focusing on the new year and it cannot be a new creative year without the announcement of the Pantone Colour Of The Year. There has been a lot of speculation around this colour, which I feel pretty much happens every year, as the colours have not been as conventional or easy on the "palette" per say than most other years. I have to say though, I very much love the colour prediction for this year, Marsala. When I think of Marsala or I hear the word I instantly think of my dad cooking and making his famous marsala stake sauce, the sweet and musty smell of a really dark red almost brown glistening au ju ( french for sauce made with it's own juices ) ... I am getting hungry just talking about this. I also love the colour red, it is my favourite colour... I know, slightly shocking, it is a horrible colour for anything in an interior, except for accents and it has to be treated very carefully. Which is why I think I really love this year's prediction, it is such a deep rich colour that I think will be great for winter 2015. You read it hear first! My prediction for winter 2015 will be very earthy and a testament to Marsala.

What do you think about Marsala? Do you like? Do you not? Why? Share with me all your thoughts!!

Look out for the next post on Marsala where I will be highlighting my favourite stylish items in the colour.

Images sourced from Pinterest. Follow me here! 

Lots of love,

JDZ x

WHEN PALETTES RETURN

Since getting back from my recent trip, which completely inspired me in all aspects of my work ( Yes you are thinking correctly, there are big changes coming AGAIN to JDZ Designs, including a whole lot more of me... i'll explain closer to reveal date ) I have been in an absolute funk and everything I see reminds me of where I have been and what I was doing. The great thing about this however is that it has really opened my eyes to the emerging pastel palette that is making a come back this spring and summer.

How is it making a come back might you ask? Well, I keep seeing it teamed with lots of metals including the very popular copper. So if you have been seeing these tones around in your favourite homewares shops lately then you are not imagining it. It also makes sense when I was talking about my aqua colour palette merely two weeks ago.

The colours are fresh as well as warm and playful when teamed with copper.

I do have to say you will see some images of my favourite place Santorini as I am still in post holiday funk.

Take a look through my Pinterest for more inspiration, including the images I am sharing today.
These images demonstrate exactly the new season colour trends that are ever emerging and expanding so make sure to keep your eye out.

THE AQUA PALETTE

One of my favourite colours over the last couple of months is aqua and all the tones that surround this colour. It is fresh, vibrant as well as warming and pretty much the one colour I have been seeing a lot on this trip so far.

Today I wanted to share with you an inspirational palette from our trip, a colour that surround these beautiful islands. This colour can be interpreted in so many different ways and applied to many different applications in the home to create a range of styles, from beach, Hamptons, french provincial, classical to rustic and contemporary. 

You can find all these images on Pinterest and you can follow me by clicking here. 

PALETTES: MOODY INTERIORS

With all this gloomy weather it is already making me want to curl up into a ball with a really thick blanket, anyone else feeling the same way? On Friday's guest blog post for Men Behaving Handy I gave my top tips for changing up your interiors to suit the cool front coming through. Today I wanted to share a moody palette that captures the essence and beauty of really dark interiors. I am a lover of black and dark joinery, which I feel always makes a space feel very rich, warm, intimate and high end. Take a look and see what you think? Are you a fan of dark interiors? Would you be so bold as to embrace dark tones in your home?

COLOUR PALETTE: BED HEADS

Having a beautiful frame for the top of the bed allows for you to really create a statement in a bedroom. I am a big believer in having a bed head for your bed, which means that I do not particularly  like the idea of buying beds that come with pre made headboards or all in ones. Don't get me wrong though, sometimes you can come across some really great all in ones but generally I think that if you have the chance to create your own bed head of get one made, why wouldn't you? It really allows you to play with pattern in a room and create your own individual look that frames the centre piece of a bed room, where you sleep.

I have been furniture sourcing lately and designing some features for bedrooms, so when I came across this DIY bed head post... I just had to share it with you. Where does the colour palette come into play? Well, with the emerald and earthy tones of course. I thought why not combine the two together, as I normally would not gravitate towards this colour for a bed head, but it works so well in creating a very fresh, calming but vibrant look.

I found all the information regarding this awesome DIY bed head via this great blog Fabric, Paper, Glue and Adore Home Blog. You can find both by clicking directly on their names <----------------

All the DIY information can be found here and the colour inspiration from my Pinterest, so make sure to click and follow me.

Are you renovating and have a DIY project you are proud of and want to share?! Make sure you do by commenting below. If you require any assistance with furniture and colour choices, make sure to contact me through my website or email me at info@jdzdesigns.com.au .... we would love to hear from you! 

WARRIOR WEDNESDAYS: GET YOUR GOOP ON

I have written about Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop before, but I had a feeling last week that is was perfect for today's explorations. It is a serious go to guide for everything, from design to style to food to wellness... and wellness is something that we are very passionate about here at JDZ. It is one of my main goals to combine the two together and always inhabit spaces that really make you feel good. As a designer we have total control on how a space makes you feel and we can control and inform on how to inhabit and experience that space too. It's all very complex beneath the surface... believe me, but that is what makes our job as designers a lot of fun!


Goop is a guide/ website that presents you with the positives in life, so naturally you can see exactly why I really like it and think you all should get into it too. Goop has a weekly journal that is released to it's subscribers that embodies a lot more information and resources that is shown on the website.
Recently on the "see" part of the blog they had featured the steps in creating a beautiful and inspiring guest apartment. I really liked how they simply explained the process and showed the development of the initial stages of developing the concept to final stage of bringing it to life. Making a space function as well as feel good is a challenge and what I really like about this design process is that Goop demonstrates how some attention to detail and planning can really make some serious positive changes to an environment. These changes will not only change the space but how the space is perceived, used and inhabited. There is no doubt, the guest who stays in the newly styled apartment won't love it, feel comfortable and have a positive experience.

Here are some of the images from the Goop site. You can see all the design details by clicking right HERE. 

Before Photos

The Plan

The Concept and draft development

The mood board

The Final result- before the final result is produced you of course have to source all of the furniture.
You can see all of the design details by going to the direct link.

All images sourced directly from the Goop Journal blog and

can be found by clicking HERE.

FEATURE FRIDAY: RADIANT ORCHID

It is nearing the end of 2013 and with that comes the new prediction and nomination for colour of the year from none other than Pantone. Do you know what Pantone is? Well, it is the universal colour chart of all colours for designers and printers alike, it just makes sure that we all have a reference to every colour combination around and it just makes it so easy knowing that we can reference the colour and everyone/anyone you are working with will know the exact combination to achieve the  exact colouring you are after. There is a real art to the printing process and understanding colours and how they transform from digital to print, from screen to paper etc. It really isn't so black and white, as what you may understand to be black, may not be black at all, it may be a really dark brown or blue, so you have to be very careful. Colour variation occurs all the time and it also just doesn't happen from screen to screen it happens when it is applied to different materials and paper weights as well.

It is an exciting time of year to know the Pantone colour prediction for 2014 is here and we know what will be very popular over the next year. I think it is a very good prediction as for the last couple of months leading into the new summer season, the bright as well as pastel colour combination have been very prominent. Just as the name suggests it is very vibrant/radiant and warming... What do you think of the new colour of the year?

Ps: Orchids are my favourite flower!

BTS: WHAT A HINT OF ORANGE, AQUA AND WHITE CAN DO

As I have been mentioning over the past couple of weeks, I had been helping some lovely friends prepare for their engagement party! It was lots of fun and was so excited to help them make it into the special night that they wanted it to be. It had a summer nights theme and to our surprise the weather held up and really made the theme come to life, as well as all the beautiful decorations my lovely friend put together herself and all my little designed elements that assisted to bring the theme together. It was such a success and the way they set it out, zoned the space and organised everything turned out fabulously! It looked great and it was lots of fun! To top it off, they even made their own DIY BAR!!! It is absolutely awesome, such a great job and it was a hit. Well done on getting it all together, so happy I could help you make your vision come to life, it looked amazing and worked really well.

The colour palette was an elegant mix of soft colours to really bring the vibe of Summer into the back garden as well as make it feel classy and fun at the same time. By using such a colour combo we brought a little of the Greek Islands vs Ivy Pool into the backyard! Orange, Aqua and White seem like an odd combination but mixed together softly and in the right way really made for a winning palette. Little touches and details of soft pinks in the flowers and white also added that extra softness and layered the cocktail tables. Lots of little jam jars, milk jars with string and tags as well as a fresh looking cocktail menu tied everything together nicely.

It also is a great example of how you can really utilise your outdoor space and bring it to life for any particular event you may have over the festive season.

Hope you enjoy your sneak peak and a look into the DIY behind the bar as well as the party!

JDZ x

MY NEW FAVOURITE COLOUR COMBINATION

Blue and Orange are my absolute favourite colour combination for this summer! They are so complementing but contrasting at the same time and for some reason they just really really work. You will be seeing a lot more of this combo popping up around in accessories and furniture right throughout the summer 13' and 14' season. It is a great combo that can really bring a room to life and will go with almost any existing neutral base. It really reminds me of a European summer with lots of bright colours and evokes that feeling of lying on the beach and drinking a cocktail ... which is what this summer is all about.

Here is some seriously good inspiration from my Pinterest page! What do you think? Do you think you could love this combination as much as I do?

Happy Monday,
JDZ

CUSTOM MAKING A RUG

For my current project we have a massive long hallway that needs filling and warmth. Due to its size and the nature of the home I have the opportunity to custom make the runner. I have something very specific in mind so it is great that Cadrys are going to assist me in making it come together.

There is so much to consider which you may not really think about, different pile colours, the loops, what type of material to have made from, should we have texture, no texture and mixtures of colours.
We are going for a very worn rustic look ... but let me just put it out there, it is not your typical rustic brief. Colours have not been exactly decided yet as we have some options, but here are some sneak peek behind the scenes at some of the colours and patterns that inspired me during my recent visits.

Cannot wait to keep revealing more and more! Make sure to keep up to date with this exciting project.

JDZ x