Black, White + Gold

"We need space that liberates us from terra firma, allowing our spirits to soar and our imaginations to take flight."  ~ John Saladino

I love the sophisticated look of black and white with gold accents.  There exists a tension between glamour and badass/good and bad/yin and yang and gold is there as a gorgeous, harmonious ally.  While I do like some color in a room, I would like this elegant foundation for our living room.  I am currently looking for the perfect white paint color and these super stylish homes are serving as inspiration. This is quite the challenge. White is a tricky guy because of the many, many undertones.  The lighting in our house has always been an issue.  Before painting, I always have several [several can mean 10] color patches on the wall to determine the winner. This is habit drives Andrew crazy but he is always the good sport. The painting begins and I always second guess myself.....ALWAYS.  I am subconsciously rocking back and forth in corner yelling, "It was the wrong color!  You should have chosen "Linen White" dummy! There is no way this will work." Once the room is painted, I feel nauseous and hesitantly begin styling the room.  Suddenly, the clouds part, the sun shines and the room starts looking better.  With the addition of every picture and every drapery, the color takes on a certainty that I was indeed correct. This is an unhealthy practice that I put myself through every time.  The absurd part of this is that when decorating for a client, I remain calm and say, "The paint will look {insert: less dark, less bright, less muddy, etc.} totally different with the addition of accessories.  Please hold your opinion until you see the end result."  Crazy, right?!  

                                                                   [via desire to inspire]

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[via Made by Girl]

[via Noir Blanc un style]