Is anyone still visiting plenty of colour?! I sure hope so! Sorry everyone for the ridiculous delay in posting. I received some very sweet emails asking if I was okay. Indeed I am. I recently returned from Turkey where I was working on the inspiring Istanbul 2020 Olympic bid. If you haven’t been to Turkey, go. What an extraordinary country bursting with stunning colour, brilliant architecture, delicious food and warm people. Every corner seemed to have a new colour palette and unique fusion of modern and historical design. Yep, I even saw blue mosaic tile used to fill potholes! Istanbul is a magical city that you all should visit ASAP. I had a marvelous time and one of these days, I hope to post a collection of colourful images from my jaunt. Above are two quick images of a place I found endlessly fascinating – The Spice Bazaar. Pile upon pile of textured colour and the heavenly wafting scent of mingling spices. What more could someone want? Oh Istanbul, you have a piece of my heart.

I think five days was my longest posting break in the past. Oops. I had big plans of posting regularly while I was away but work got a bit crazy. And I got distracted by Turkish colour. Hee. On a side note, Kate Spade selected my wee colour blog as a “site we love” while I was away and I am honoured to be featured by such a colour icon. Long story short – back to regular and frequent colour posting! – Chloé

(photos by chloé douglas)

I love this photograph of vibrant sarees scattered across the stairs of the Ahilya temple in Maheshwar, India. Captured by photographer Eli Shams, the contrast of old stonework and drops of rich colour create one smashing palette…

(photograph by eli shams; via imagekind)   

“Private Moon” by Russian artist Leonid Tishkov has captivated me for quite some time. The mobile art installation and visual poem tells the story of “a man who met the Moon and stayed with her forever”. Leonid has travelled the world with the piece for ten years, placing the illuminated artificial moon in unexpected places across China, New Zealand, Taiwan, Moscow, Italy, the Arctic, France, Austria and so forth. I love the massive scale and glowing beauty of this work and how it manages to bring a rather inaccessible natural wonder down to earth. A “private moon” indeed. As Leonid puts it, “the moon is a shining point that brings people together from different countries, of different nationalities and cultures. And everyone who gets in its orbit does not forget it ever. It gives fairytale and poetry in our prosy and mercantile world.” Personally, I find it simply magical. Fingers crossed this installation reaches Canada one day very soon. I will be first in line to see it…

(there is a great interview with leonid about this project on his blog. read it here)
(photographs by boris bendikov, po-i chen and marcus williams, all via leonid tishkov) 

Stunning autumnal hues with a dash of pink is how I would describe these gorgeous spices for sale in the Souks of Marrakech captured by British photographer Shoreham Boy. I am mesmerized by how full of life neutrals become when mixed with a couple vibrant hues. From Holi powder to piles of spice, exotic markets always seem to have the best colour palettes…

(photograph via shoreham boy)  

I can’t imagine not living next to the ocean. An endless source of inspiration and natural beauty, oceans provide stunning colour palettes from dreamy persimmon sunsets to streaks of foggy lavender to layers of neon sailboats. I love this shot of Venezuela by photographer Sergio J. Padrón A because it highlights the many dimensions of water hues and how just a bit of colour pops against a textured blue canvas…

(photograph by sergio j. padrón a)

The first of May is known as Lei Day in Hawaii, a celebration of Hawaiian culture. A day full of music, lei-making competitions, the coronation of a Lei Queen and her court, hula and general merry-making, this year is the 85th anniversary of Lei Day. Hawaii is my adopted second home so I plan on bringing some Lei Day festivities to Vancouver today! One of the best facets of Lei Day is the celebration of the holiday’s namesake – the gorgeous, fragrant and colourful flower garland known as a “lei” worn around one’s neck. Icons of “aloha“, these traditional symbols of Hawaii mean welcome, friendship, respect and love. They are heavenly feats of flower architecture and definite eye candy for a colour lover. From pure white tuberose leis to ornate magenta orchid ones, there is not shortage to the inspiration found in these famous symbols of Hawaiian culture. I love seeing modern interpretations of leis too including injected gold geometric shapes or creating artful half-leis on silk ribbon. After researching photos for this post, I am determined to find more reasons to pop on a colourful lei…

(from top, photographs via style me pretty, bloomers blog, style me pretty, elliot chang, makena g, sweet blossoms hawaii, noel hawkins, tiger_tim_2000, neka pearl, martha stewart weddings and rue magazine)

I spotted this image of Skogafoss, Iceland earlier today and felt instantly entranced by the dreamy, misty hues of soft green. What about the profile of a face the man stands on? It looks like a woman wearing an extravagant headdress. A stunning and rather magical photograph by Reinhard Pantke that shows the beauty and depth of green.

(photograph by reinhard pantke, spotted on miss moss)

Cutting up an old fabric Pantone guide for a project the other day, I realized that my palette of the week feature has been, um, rather slow to get started. No more! Each week, I plan to feature a different number of colours (perhaps a hue duo or a group of twelve) and keep the subject loose and always changing (found objects, a discovered photo or a street capture). Where there is an inspiring palette to be found, I hope to feature it here. This week is a foursome I started to love when chopping up my Pantone guide. Teal, turquoise, coral & chartreuse – all fresh Caribbean hues that make me dream of tropical travel…

(photograph by chloé douglas / plenty of colour)

I have a soft spot for hotels that find beautiful branding opportunities. Technology perks are great but something tangible and old-school often has distinct magic. Case in point: this sublime star-studded black stationery and silver pencil by L’and Vineyards in Portugal. Perfect for crafting one exquisite letter home (or notes of a memorable trip)…

(photograph via condé nast traveler & l’and vineyards)

My love affair with Holi, the Indian Festival of Colour, continues to grow by the year. A joyful celebration that includes throwing vibrant powders and pigments? Yes please. I did a rather large post on the topic last year so take a look if you are after colourful eye candy today! I was also lucky enough to be asked to create a t-shirt design focused on Holi for Made in the Now, a Brisbane-based studio/shop that produces a design every 24 hours inspired by a top of mind news story of the day. With just a couple hours of time at your disposal, it is a challenging yet mucho fun project to work on! Long story short, my t-shirt design is only available today so if you are interested, take a look here. My thought was, as India celebrates Holi, the entire country is bursting with brilliantly colourful powder far into the midnight blue night…

(holi photographs via the big picture and tee design by chloé douglas)

That fireplace. Good Lord. A large expanse of fuchsia that will be in my dreams indefinitely and is only one colourful detail at newly opened The Saguaro Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. The space was “inspired by the contemporary architecture of Mexico and the Arizona desert… designed around the color and light of the surrounding landscape.” Doesn’t it feel like you are in the middle of a desert sunset? A really inspiring palette including tangerine, fuchsia, grape, coral, saffron and a host of other warm hues. I love those bold pops of colour mixed with varying shades of natural wood. The bedrooms feel airy, vibrant and modern yet still calm. If I am missing in Scottsdale, you can definitely find me sitting by that beautiful fireplace…

(photographs via saguaro & knstrct)

Pantone Hotel is a boutique hotel in Brussels devoted to colour and designed around the famous Pantone Matching System. Although it opened last year, my obsession with visiting has not dimmed one bit so I decided I had to post about it. Designed by architect Olivier Hannaert and interior designer Michel Penneman, the building feels very similar to Pantone swatches with bright white features creating a canvas for saturated bursts of colour. Each of the seven floors is focused on a different hue so you can decide if you want to stay in a passionate red room or a tranquil blue one. I like how the room numbers are three Pantone swatch numbers. The hotel lobby is the cheerful heart of the colour drenched building and houses the biggest selection of Pantone licensed products worldwide. From the coloured glass on the exterior to the rugs of small vivid squares, I love how every detail has been thought of and that they all embrace Pantone swatches with wit and style. Maybe one day, we will have a conference in this embassy of colour and discuss the world of hue with a Pantone mug in hand?

(photographs © sven laurent – let me shoot for you except 5th from top by serge anton; all via pantone hotel)

I came across this beautiful terrace located in the Vasastan district of Stockholm, Sweden and decided it would be the perfect place to be spend Monday morning. What a joyfully colourful nook with an almost magical view of warm-hued rooftops. It also goes to show what life you can bring to a tiny patio with some colourful details. Pop over to 1 Kind Design to see the rest of this stylish space. Oh and guess what? The apartment is for sale! If anyone out there buys it, can I come visit? You will find me on the terrace….

(photographs via 1 kind design)

Curaçao is a brightly hued island country surrounded by the sparkling turquoise of the Southern Caribbean Sea. It recently became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands but the architecture and design soul of its native country remains a distinct characteristic. In fact, Curaçao is often called Caribbean’s “Little Netherlands”. The neon blue liqueur “curacao” is probably the first thing that comes to mind when the country name is mentioned but aside from insanely bright booze, it is an absolutely stunning country. The island is covered in gorgeous natural hues from uniquely vibrant flowers to a lush green landscape edged with a vibrant blue sea. In addition, the capital city of Willemstad is full of beautiful historical buildings that feature Dutch details and a crayon box’s worth of colourful paint. The cityscape is so unique that UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. Thank goodness. That means these vibrant shops and homes are here to stay. Curaçao is full of spectacular nature, colourful building and festivals, intriguing history and beaches with dazzling sea vistas. I could post endless pictures and adjectives but the bottom line is that I have a major crush on this colour saturated jewel in the Caribbean Sea!

(photography via infinite magic photography, infinite magic photography, mari ward foster, peter koke, keith delong, pietcur, versgeperst, haroldo castro, dksluis, scout13ca, derpunk, bea moedt, greetje dijkstra, michael from minnesota, syncronaut, haroldo castro, pietcur, soul aperture, syncronaut, derplunk, hawkfish, air farce and duenitas digital world)

A couple of months ago, I posted about brilliant studio Maricor Maricar being one my ‘colour heros’. Their stunning embroidery typography is what made me fall in love with the art of embroidery and its modern interpretations. As a true creative and colour inspiration, the note I got from Maricor Maricar this morning was a thrill. The studio just finished a new commissioned embroidery project based on a Rolling Stone lyric and, as always, the large piece (40 cm x 40 cm) is an absolutely gorgeous feat of colour and typography. Maricor (one half of the twin-sized studio) emailed me to say that my post on Cinque Terre, Italy inspired the colour palette of the artwork. Say what? First off, it is a thrilling to know that I have actual colour heros visiting plenty of colour but the thought that my little colourful nook on the web helped inspire work this beautiful is just about the best news ever. Take a look at the Maricor Maricar blog for more background on the project and Maricor’s own memories of her travels to Riomaggiore, one of the beautiful towns of Cinque Terre. The studio’s process, from sketch to thread box, is fascinating. Thank you for the email Maricor. I can safely say it made my month. Your studio is a huge inspiration and I can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

(cinque terre photograph by robert crum)

Buenos Aires has been at the very top of my wanderlust list for a decade or so. Often called “Paris of South America”, the port city is a mosaic of Latin American flavour with a distinct European influence. The birthplace of tango, Buenos Aires seems to echo the dance’s passion across all aspects of its culture. From fashion to football to art and architecture, there is so much character and colour in this eclectic city. I found it almost impossible to stop looking for images! One particularly colourful area is La Boca, a working-class neighbourhood and tourist hub that that features tango clubs and vividly-hued tin houses. I can’t wait to visit Buenos Aires one day and see this seductive city in person. Any place where tango just randomly breaks out on city streets just needs to be seen, right? Even the subways have elaborate and colourful tile patterns! I’m hoping to feature Argentina as a whole one of these days as there are gorgeous landscapes and unique areas all over this beautiful, one-of-a-kind country.

(photographs via bob krist, hanna ali, for 91 days, paulete matos, robbie ewing, monica l, paulo capiotti, robert o’duill, argentina countrywide, carlosmf, clelia pellicano, kk_wpg, thomas locke hobbs, juan ignacio rela, thomas locke hobbs, carlos a. redondo, stephen weaver, daniel-on-tour, azotesdivinos, junior reis, nina’s clicks, hardieboys, for 91 days, paulo capiotti, thought for thought, globe trodden, peter mcbride & ryan murphy)