I think it's no surprise that I absolutely LOOOOOVVVEE color and bold statement pieces, but I have one tiny problem...I live in a rental town home in the middle of Riverside, where I can't change anything!!! Not to mention working with people day in and day out, helping them pick beautiful colors and feeling all kinds of inspired only to come home to my blah beige apartment, it is just oh so drab! Which now brings us to this post...where I'll be sharing the color scheme and all the finishes/materials for my very own Palm Springs inspired space (fictional of course, but hey a girl can dream, right?), as well as some design tips for painting and selecting colors!!
Palm Springs can be a magical place, especially if you're into awe-inspiring landscape and mountain views, retro and modern architecture, pop art and design, as well as scrumdidilyumptious (did I spell that right...?) food and drinks. The downtown area at night ain't too shabby either, but it is my personal love for art, architecture, and design that draws me to Palm Springs. Oh, and those statuesque palm trees of course!
I was lucky to be able to attend their Modernism Week event this past February for work and learned all about upcoming design trends, home finishes, sustainable features, new as well as old artists, and I got to see some freaking cool architecture that ultimately inspired me to come up with this Palm Springs influenced space. Get ready to get inspired by these beautiful photos of Palm Springs' whimsical details, including the mood board I put together for my space imagined space.
So, I'm pretty sure you've seen some of these places pop up on your Instagram feeds a few times, I know I have, because some of these places shown above are a few of the most Instagram worthy locations...like the colorful hotel, or cute lemonade bar, and even that to-die-for adorable pink front door. These iconic locations and design styles are absolutely what make Palm Springs an amazing location as well as where I drew much of my inspiration.
MOOD BOARD
The aesthetic for the space is an eclectic mash-up of all things related to Palm Springs and tropical design. I really wanted to fuse the ever-popular Mid-Century Modern design with the retro details of Art Deco for a truly unique and bold style, which still embodies my personality. There is a combination of bold colors and prints toned down by soft dusty pinks (super on trend right now - Millennial Pink is all the rage), gold accents, and a fresh creamy white to break up all those bold features. When I look at the mood board I created, three adjectives come to mind: chic, retro, and vibrant.
Although these aren't the exact pieces I plan on placing in the space, they definitely served as an inspiring place holder until I could really find the furniture and decor I was looking for, especially since I've decided to design this room using a budget (keep reading to find out further details). The point of a mood board is to capture the essence of the space you're designing. You could think of it like a brainstorm or mind map almost, where you layout all your ideas (usually in an inspiring manner) in order to be able to refer back to them and keep on track with your intended design style.
Now let's talk about the color scheme and paint...
COLOR SCHEME
As I stated previously, I wanted to go with something bold and full of color, but I also want the design to be fresh, crisp and sleek. In order to achieve this look I took some tips from an older post about 2017's Interior Design Trends and went straight for the citrus inspired colors. The idea in my head was I needed a bright option, a darker jewel toned color, and a soft white to be my foundation for the decor. I found that palm leaf chair along with one of SHAG's paintings and used those as my jumping off point.
A little bit about SHAG the artist...real name Josh Agle.
"Shag is a painter, designer and illustrator working in Southern California. His distinctive artistic style draws from commercial illustration from the past five decades, but the work is imbued with an attitude and sly sense of humor which is unmistakably of our time. Solo exhibitions of Shag's work have been held in the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia and South America." - www.shag.com
I've seen his work before in places like Disneyland (retro Tiki Room and Tomorrowland paintings) and in a few other random places I've been to, but I didn't really pay attention until his work was being showcased in our work booth at the Palm Springs Modernism week. What drew me in initially was his use of color, but then I began truly noticing the content of his work...it's sophisticated, celebratory, yet mysterious and sensual all at the same time.
Here is the piece I ended up choosing for my space:
I felt it really captured the swanky atmosphere and vibrant vibes of Palm Springs, but still adds a whimsical touch for a more playful space. Similar to the colors I selected, which were basically pulled right from SHAG's paintings' colors.
To break up the highly saturated paint colors I decided to offset the decor with luxe gold finishes and soft pink accents. This not only adds a dash of whimsical magic to the space, but it will also help tone down the harshness of the lime paint color as well as tie the whole space together.
PAINTING PRODUCTS & DETAILS
Since I've already chosen Dunn Edwards colors, I will also be specifying their paint and products for this pretend job. I'll give you a little insight on painting techniques, which products you should be using, and why I selected Everest (Dunn Edwards' highest quality interior paint/primer) as my choice of paint.
Everest is a complete line of ultra-premium, low odor, Zero VOC, self priming, 100% acrylic paints ideal for use on high-end residential and commercial projects. (now that's a mouthful lol) They apply easily and feature exceptional hide, superior stain resistance, wash-ability and adhesion. If you're interested in learning more about this product, please click here.
For this particular project, I think I would go with a Flat finish for the deep Ocean Oasis color because I would like it to have more of a matte look, where as the other two colors (Lime Twist and Daydreaming) I decided on a Velvet finish for a little bit of shine and easier clean-ability. Here at Dunn Edwards, we call our Velvet finish a washable flat because it has such a minimal sheen, but can still be wiped down and cleaned unlike the Flat. The reason I chose Flat for the jewel tone is because I like the luxe factor it provides and going matte gives the color a richer final appearance.
FURNITURE, FIXTURES, & MATERIALS
Budget wise, even though this is a fantasy room, I still want to keep it practical and real. So for this living room/dinning room combo design (above is just an inspiration photo), I tried to find moderately priced items that I would probably be able to afford today or at least in the near future, only because I know some of the true Mid-Century Modern or Art Deco fixtures tend to be on the more expensive side of the spectrum so I still want to be honest with myself, after all this is a "fantasy" space.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find an affordable Palm Leaf arm chair, but I did find some other great pieces that all fit the price scale and are either blatantly tropical in design, reflect it, or compliment it in some way. I tried to keep the whole overall aesthetic fun yet sophisticated in order for the space not to feel too immature or gimmicky. Scroll through below to check out the different furniture, fixtures, and materials I selected for the space...if you click on the pictures you'll be able to see details. I'll also provide links for some of my favorite standout pieces...you know...in case you wanted to add some tropical elements to your own space!
THE FURNITURE
Picking furniture for your space (especially when dealing with a specific style or theme) can be a daunting task, which is why it's important to prioritize your space's needs before jumping online for those quick purchases. Of course, I'm not saying don't browse...yes by all means browse through all of your favorite sites, but before clicking that checkout button make sure you're touching on all the important pieces you need.
For example, since I'm designing a living/dining room combo, I'll start my list with the most essential - couches, dining table & chairs, accent chairs, coffee table, etc. - and then work my way down to the accessories and decorative pieces. This insures I not only stay on budget, but I also invest in the most important pieces first to make sure I'm getting quality furniture that will last over time as well as not over spend on useless items. For this section, I'll be sharing a few of the most important pieces for the space, how much they cost, where I found them, and why I selected that particular item. Moving forward you'll also be able to see some of the fixture choices, materials/textiles selected, and some of my favorite decor accessories I was able to find that really bring the design to life!
First, I'll talk about the chair over to your left. A two-toned dinning chair in a rich wood stain and crisp white upholstery that will proudly surround a similarly stained round wood table. I went with round and curved lines to help fuse Mid-Century Modern and Art Deco design styles (the wood and general shape reflects Mid-Century, while the organic lines tie into Art Deco). The upholstery fabric also came in a teal color, but I didn't want to overwhelm the dinning room area since it will already have the deep jeweled tone teal (Ocean Oasis) painted as an accent wall, I decided to keep it simple. I found this chair at All Modern (Frederick Barrel Chair) for only $129.99 and I've opted to get 4, which brings my total to $520!!! Furniture is expensive guys, which is why I strongly recommended browsing around and searching for your best options.
Next on my list of furniture is the couch! Can't have a living room without a couch right?
This adorable dark teal loveseat is also from All Modern (Burchill Loveseat) and is on sale right now for $499.99 - almost 50% off the original price - which fits right into my budget and design. There are several different colors available...one of the colors was a bright sunny yellow, I was super tempted, but knew it would be too overwhelming in a small space. That's why I went with a small loveseat instead of a sectional; plus I really wanted to add two accent chairs and this allows more room to do so.
Click through below to see some of my other furniture choices.
THE FIXTURES
Fixtures can absolutely help add ambiance to a space, making as large or small an impact as desired. These types of items range from lighting to door knobs and handle pulls all the way down to your light-switch and outlet cover plates. There's plenty of ways to drive your design style and this is one of them.
My main fixture showpiece for these two rooms is the Starburst Ceiling Pendant, to go above the dining room table, that I found at World Market on sale for $199.99 (DISCLAIMER: pendant not on sale anymore, now priced regularly at $249.99). I think it adds that Mid-Century Modern flare, while the brassy gold finish brings the glamour. Plus I've wanted a light like this for a while now...so here it is, in my dream dining room.
The remaining fixtures and finishes are mostly in the same brassy gold tone, while others are done in a mid-tone wood stain to bring in the natural characteristic found in Mid-Century Modern and Tropical design styles.
Keep on browsing through to see some of the other fixtures I selected for the space. I was even able to find an affordable arched dome floor lamp...like those ones you'd see in the 1960s or in Mad Men.
THE MATERIALS & DECOR
Cute little throw pillows and pineapple sculptures unite! I got to have a lot of fun picking the decor for this space, even if I don't actually get to but it, it's still pretty awesome to know what kind of pieces are available. Like this dreamy soft pink and green palm leaf pillow that will match wonderfully with the jewel tone couch I found. The pillow is technically part of Pottery Barn's Teen collection, but shhhhh I won't tell if you don't! :) The pillow is $39.50 (Emily & Meritt Palm Print Pillow Cover) and I plan on getting two of them.
Since most of the furniture is more along the Mid-Century Modern style I kept the majority of the decor and textiles tropical, with breaks of the dusty pink to add sophistication. This gives the space structure without compromising the whimsical feeling of the overall look.
Other items you'll find in this section are fabrics I plan on using, fun decor pieces for the tables and shelves, wall art, and any other miscellaneous features I would like to call out with hopes of driving the overall design aesthetic forward. Decor is the fun part and when selecting pieces it's important to always remember the primary style you want for the space otherwise you could become scatter-brained and start selecting items that could clash or simply have nothing to do with the design style.
Below you can scroll through the different accessories...
So that's how I would bring Palm Springs to my Riverside rental (if I were allowed to paint of course); keeping the space elegant and sophisticated yet still fun and inviting. I love adding a little humor to any space I design and this one is now different, so of course when I came across this hilariously perfect piece of wall art...I knew I had to have it. Don't you all agree?!
Heehee, he's so stinkin' cute and the perfect addition to this Citrus Oasis.
Well that concludes this post and all the details for my Palm Springs inspired space. I tried to keep my accessories and furniture choices minimal with hopes not to overwhelm all of you, but I hope it's just enough to convey the design aesthetic for the space.
So remember, if there's ever a location you're just absolutely in love with...figure out ways to bring that place to you. What are the prominent design styles, popular color schemes, or even just the general vibe of that location? The answers to these questions can help jump start your design as well as keep you on track throughout the entire designing process. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with how seamless your project comes along when you create guidelines and stick to them - any design can become successful.
Happy designing and decorating my friends! May this post bring you vibrancy and inspiration for whatever comes your way!!