New Decorating Crush: Brown!

The other day, I posted about this new brown lampshade:  

When I came home with it, I couldn't figure out how my usual overpowering need for white and otherwise light, airy colours was displaced by the need for something...brown.  

Brown, after all, is not my favorite colour.  And moreover, since it's spring (well, not in Canada anyway), you'd think I would have yellow or pink on my mind instead of dusty old brown.  But somehow, brown had worked its ubiquitous brown self into my head and I was seeing it everywhere!

If you asked me two weeks ago, I would have said that yes, I like brown, but in the form of pale linen browns, milky cafe au lait browns and dark brown furniture.  Period.  And other than those light shades, it would not have figured in my decor.

So I came home and looked through my files and realized that I had quietly developed a brown fixation in the last two weeks while looking at the rooms of James Michael Howard (see my previous post here).  His rooms feature some very serious browns (usually combined with white or light-coloured rooms), and I had fallen for this image specifically, with its elegant brown and white platters:

And then there was the brown and cream rug in this photo (below), which caught my eye for its elegant pattern and perfect brown-ness (I like these medium browns best).  And it looks so great with all the blue and white (my two favorite colours) and really grounds all that airiness. 

Then, there was the simple photo (below) that Catherine posted on her beautiful blog Simply Natural a short while ago.  I saved this picture and clearly the decorating part of my brain processed this image while the rest of me was asleep, because I did not consciously notice this brown lampshade until tonight!  I had liked the image simply because it reminded me of the colouring of Jim Howard's rooms and possessed the same quiet grace and inviting quality.

Photo:  Australian Home Beautiful

Then today at the office, I started daydreaming about the exquisite Gien earthenware I'd seen at Printemps in Paris (and have regretted not buying ever since).  I fell in love with the country images and the pretty browns and whites.  From their website, it appears they deliver!  I was mad about the tureen but cannot justify the price! 

And then I went through my files and found many brown and white rooms, proving that my unconscious mind has been way ahead of me for a while.  

The following two photos are from House to Home:  

I now notice the brown and white pillows but saved the photo originally for the linen curtains, white walls, and rustic styling!

Then this week Michele at My Notting Hill posted some exquisite photos of a Paris apartment (from this site) and I was smitten with the brown and white pillows on the bed (below).  These gentle brown and white pillows, combined with the white walls and blue bed are heavenly!

I think the combination of brown and white is the best way to use brown...

And here is another brown and white room, in a photo from OKA Direct, who have stunning rooms in their catalogue:
And then there are these two wonderful sofas from Restoration Hardware.  Note the conspicuously brown colour that my all-white-obsessed brain had deceptively admired.

Another perfect example of brown and white together, in this Shoot Factory picture:

The Lesson:

I've realized that not everything in a light and airy room needs to be light-coloured. Dark colours like brown, when used as accents, help to ground the rooms and actually highlight the light colours.  I can't believe it took me this long to learn this simple and obvious lesson!  I won't be painting my walls brown any time soon, but you can be sure I'll be bringing a few more brown accessories into my home!

I guess the Buddhists are right when they say that happiness (or is that enlightenment?) lies within.  All you need to do is pay attention.  The browns were there all along - I just wasn't seeing them with my heart. 

 ******

And if you still need proof, this room from Traditional Home proves that brown can be very, very sophisticated, especially when paired with the finest creams and white!