Color Stories: Scenes from Another Island

Continuing with our week of guest posts (last up: artist, Anne Harwell of Annechovie), I'd like to Welcome Robin from Around the Island!

Around the Island started out as a personal blog chronicling the daily life of Tel Aviv transplant Robin and her family (the "island" being the counter top in the center of her kitchen). But over the past couple of years, Robin's beautiful photography has become a strong focus on the site and Around the Island Photography was born (that's the Etsy shop link, you can find more HERE). That kitchen island has come a long way!

One thing I've always loved about Robin's work is her use of color. While we do see a black and white shot here and there - it's far more common to log on and find an explosion of local wildflowers or bright bolts of fabric from a bazaar stall. Even the starker images usually have a flash of color for contrast.

I asked Robin to send us some of her images and something about using photography to add color to your home. So let's see what she has to say...welcome Robin!

A great way to let your own individual style shine out in your home is to use art as a focal piece for a room. Pick a great piece – one that really reaches out and grabs you – with colors that suit your room and your lifestyle and let the piece inform the design.

A bright, multi-colored piece adds visual interest and opens up a wide range of color possibilities


A piece with just a few strong colors and a single theme really pops, drawing the eye to it and providing the perfect foil for coordinating colors or accents – and if a rectangle isn’t right for your space this one works as a square piece as well.


If a classically elegant palate is more your style go with a piece that reflects that, like this White Lisianthus, and use the subtle shading and texture of the piece to inform your design.


You can also use variations on a single theme to provide distinction and a variety of colors within a single unifying theme, as with this image created from a detail of a wrought iron fence outside Dublin Castle in Ireland. The overall image remains the same, but the background color changes to suit your unique style and needs.




(Editor's Note: The above image is available in any combination and arrangement of colors. You can contact Robin to create the one that suits you best.)

Use a favorite piece of artwork as a focal point in your next room and let your creative spirit run free – the possibilities are limitless.

Thanks so much Robin! But before I hit publish today, I'd like to add a few of my recent favorites:




Come by tomorrow to hear from Megan à la BonBon Rose Girls!

Color Stories: Anne Harwell's Everyday Color

Mom and Dad are out of town for a week, so I've asked a few guest posters to drop by and tell us some color stories.

Our first guest is none other than Anne Harwell of Annechovie. We've featured her here many times, as we can't get enough of her vibrant work (seriously - she had us at aqua). And today, brings us a collection of images from her home - a little glimpse into the color of her everyday life.

Which includes...

the light, sun and water here provide a perfect backdrop for living with lots of color

I believe that placing everyday objects in fun and colorful containers can add a lot to your daily routine

a few of my favorite possessions

I live in flip-flops

having relatives that garden can be really convenient!

I have a strange fondness for royal silhouettes

gotta keep the eyes covered!

Thank you Anne - and we hope that you all have a bright, sunny summer weekend!

The Answer Is Blowin' in the Wind

If you're like me, you probably have something in your home that doesn't quite represent the fabulously stylish person you are...it might be an old tv stand, hand-me-down lamp, or in my case, this...


I made a mental note to replace it when I first saw it, but as it often goes, other things take priority, the fan serves its purpose, and eventually it becomes invisible. That is, until it came time to clean the blades, at which point I became bitter that I was spending one moment of my precious time trying to make this hideous thing look better.

At Style Key West we carry a fabulous line of ceiling fans called Fanimation. So I arrived at work today ready to start shopping in earnest for a replacement for The Beast.

The obvious choice for Key West is tropical.


This lovely fan comes in a variety of finishes and blades. I could choose the palm leaves or go with the woven bamboo


Isn't it heavenly?

Or I could choose one that is curvy and contemporary.


The curve of the blades reminds of ribbons dancing around a Maypole.

I like this one too

It's a no-nonsense little number, and it also comes with an uplight which adds a really nice glow to the ceiling.


I could go sci-fi with this


But I'm pretty sure that would not only terrify the cat but might also be a little alarming to me coming home after a couple of margaritas.

And I have always been intrigued by this model.


It evokes images of Hemingway and Rick's in Casablanca, and it boasts 360 degrees of continuous orbit! Again this is something that might not amuse the cat.

In any case, I have lots of choices. If you find yourself cleaning the dust off of fan that burst onto the scene at the same time as Madonna, you can visit fanimation.com and choose one for yourself.

Not So Mellow Yellow

I moved into my apartment late last summer, and my landlord painted the bedroom, living room, and bathroom the colors I requested before I moved in. I wanted to wait on the kitchen to see what color it "wanted" to be. The cabinets are white, and my counter top and back splash are white ceramic tiles with a few blue denim tiles scattered randomly. My mother's kitchen was always yellow, so I decided my kitchen wanted to be yellow too.

I love yellow...whenever I answer one of those chain emails that tells you what color you are, I'm always yellow. Sunflowers, lemons, cute little baby chicks - how can yellow be wrong? So I'm thinking...


and this is how yellow can go wrong...


Yep, that's my mom's kitchen, circa 1970, minus the weird pattern on the soffitt and ceiling. I've reached age where retro doesn't necessarily appeal to me; it serves as a shocking reminder of how many fads I've lived through that are suddenly hip again.


This one isn't so bad, but factoring in the blazing Key West sunlight that bathes my kitchen every afternoon, it's safe to say I'd be ordering more takeout than my budget allows.

So, off to the Internet for inspiration of yellow palettes that evoke the sunny warmth of yellow that I love without making my eyeballs ache. Something between a baby chick and Big Bird.

Yellow was last year's Pantone Color of the Year, so how does it look paired with this year's darling, Turquoise?


Not very inspiring


Not very uplifting


On the right track


That's more like it. It's a bridal palette, but I can work with that.





These combinations are much quieter than I had envisioned, but very beautiful. Uplifting without making me feel like I'm walking into a pep rally every time I enter the kitchen.

Then I thought about sunflowers. There are so many beautiful and exotic flowers in Key West, yet I find myself missing the sunflower.


So I went in search of bolder palettes and found...





So somewhere between the sublime and the ridiculous, between quiet sophistication and retina-searing garishness my little kitchen will decide what it wants to be. Is there a room in your home that suffers from color schizophrenia?

Another Art Form For Anne

I'm having some computer issues today, so it looks like I'm only going to be able to do something short...

But I saw something very exciting on Annechovie today and thought I'd pass it on.

As you know, we're all big Anne Harwell fans at Style Key West. The bright cheery colors in her water colors and prints fit right in with the shop design aesthetic. So we love the idea of transposing those prints onto needlepoint patterns.


Art Needlepoint is a company based in Boston that provides needlework enthusiasts with the finest canvases and threads to create heirloom quality decorative cushions and accessories for the home. And they are now carrying several of Anne's most popular designs!

Here are a few that I would love to buy:





Of course, first I'd have to learn how to needlepoint at a level of expertise that requires years of practice...and at this point, I'd say that I've clocked about, oh...ZERO hours with a needle and thread... So I may not invest just yet. But if I did know how to needle point, this would absolutely be my next project!

For those of you in the U.S., hope you enjoyed the long holiday weekend. And for everyone else...hope you enjoyed your average two-day.