Piping...Pipe Up!

Take a look at your sofa. Chances are, it's got some piping on it. What is piping? It's a thin strip of covered cord or material, used to edge cushions or hems. To be more thorough, piping has many meanings. Another definition is "to utter in a shrill tone; to pipe a command." which is an appropriate manner of describing why an interior designer might specify contrasting piping on a sofa or chair. Interior designers use piping a lot to get that one-of-a-kind look. Piping adds a detail that makes a tremendous difference; it even makes a sofa or chair "pipe up" in a room. Here's an example of some contrasting piping:














Why do I bring this up? Because today I noticed that "piping" is not a new idea...it's all around us. I saw that piping occurs in nature, and took this photo:

I literally walked right over this and couldn't help but notice. Don't you love the "contrasting piping" the yellow leaves made on the concrete sidewalk? It makes a statement! And so, I felt the inspiration to share the statement with you.

Take a look around you, let me know if you find some inspiration, I 'd love to hear all about it.

The Power of Red

Just read this in The St. Paul Pioneer Press, September 22, 2010:

Our hummingbirds, ourselves
Maplewood Nonna: "On September 15th, I was sitting on my deck reading, with my legs extended on the lounge chair, and my feet bare, with my toenails painted red, when a female hummingbird came along and tested every one of my toes."

See? Red is a powerful accent color. Try it somewhere...you never know what will happen!