Something to admire...

I Spent the morning at The Lyme Art Association and was totally inspired! The interior decorators are beyond talented.

The designer vignettes at the Lyme Art Association are highly imaginative and packed with take-home ideas -- for decorating a home that expresses who you are, how we live and how we enjoy life.

Interior designer Paula Perlini of New York and Old Lyme set the tone right off the bat -- hers is the first designer vignette you see when you walk into the Lyme Art Association, and it's a gorgeous tapestry of color and fun.

A "dog's study," as she calls it (above), the space has walls of Venetian plaster in a rosy raspberry, that gleam and play off the quiet sheen of gorgeous Scalamandre curtains in raspberry-colored silk, edged in plaid. Paula continues the plaid in the tightly pleated shades atop a pair of lamps made from 17th century brass candlesticks from Sweden. A Portugese needlepoint rug picks up the color as well.

"I love color," says Paula, honorary co-chair of the event with Alexa Hampton, who is her niece. And, says Paula, dogs are one of the passions of her life.

A painting of two of Paula's English setters almost pops from the richly colored walls, and the inviting space continues to intrigue with a collection of numerous other dogs. 

All day designers kept talking about "the mix," the growing freedom and fearlessness in home design to be a bit eclectic. Greenwich designer Victoria Vandamm's dining room vignette embodied the mood.

Against a wall plastered in a a subtle scroll design with an Old World patina by Julie Hardridge of Architexture Studios, corner columns and sumptuous pillows in Osborne & Little fabric, Victoria juxtaposed a lucite table, orange dahlias in a row of minimalist vases ("They were in my garden yesterday, and they said, 'We want to come!' "), and the sharply architectural look of black and white photographs of sailboats -- by her husband, Kevin Dailey.

"I really try to do the push and pull between the modern and antiquity," she says.

My FAVORITE! I worked as a helper at this designers room, Larry Hamre. This is a French inspired Garden room on a grey-on-grey palate. 

The point of departure for a garden room created by Larry Hamre of Lawrence Hamre Designs in Essex was an etching by Rococo artist Jean-Antoine Watteau.

Larry had a portion of "Summer" from the artist's "Four Seasons" series enlarged to huge proportions. The effect is lovely and light -- somehow sheer as a porch screen or a delicate fabric.  

With a pagoda-like white trellis roof overhead created by Christian Winkley of Oxford Builders, and a floor of large black and white marble tiles, Larry then rigorously stuck to his grey-on-grey palette, choosing a very warm shade of grey.

A wirework table, heavy lead Warwick urns on pedestals and a stone garden stool -- all from antiques dealer John Roselli's famed Treillage store in New York -- and a pair of Italian chairs continue the romance in grey. Against this restrained and calming mood the gold leaf of the French mirror comes as an energetic jolt.

So does that sassy pair of red stiletto heels!! Yes, they were for sale and yes...they were my size!

"A little trash goes a long way," says Larry, pointing to the red lipstick on the champagne flute. "It tells a story. You wonder what happened here."

Other designers at the Interior Inspirations show are Melissa Lindsay of Pimlico in New Canaan, who created a glorgeous little jewelry box of a woman's dressing room (detail at right); Richard Ott of Richard Ott Interior Spaces and DesignSourceCT in Hartford, who created an intimate foyer niche; Hannah Childs of Hannah Childs Interior Design in Old Lyme, whose adventurous sitting room (below) is filled with happy color and lively patterns; Melissa Barbieri of Melissa Barbieri Studios in Essex and Greenwich, whose artist's atelier features many of her own sea-inspired paintings; and Ellen Virden White of Boxwood Interiors in Old Lyme, whose "Safe Harbor" of a child's bedroom has the sunny cheerfulness of a beach house by the deep blue sea.

This takes me to few ideas of interior inspiration. My favorite combination blue and grey, is an elegant and beautiful color combination. It is a great choice for home decortating. Grey is a neutral and conservative color that goes well with many colors. When paired with blue, the combo evokes feelings of tranquility and calmness.

These rooms have a peaceful vibe that I love. It has everything to do with the soothing grey and blue tones.