Connect the Dots

I'm noticing a trend towards more color in home décor. One of my friends just painted the inside walls of her living room a brick red ­ and it works! Everything else in the room --­ the woodwork, the view from the windows, her artwork --- just pops now.

I had fun exploring ways to add more color to the home when I was researching the polka dots feature that's in the April issue of Hudson Valley Connoisseur. I had wanted to include polka dots in the magazine for a while, and when I went around to local shops and boutiques to do some research, I found last year's trend toward earth-tone dots has staying power and has also evolved into a brighter palette.

If I fall in love with every product I want to feature in the magazine, I'm going to have to find a second job or inherit some mad money. The silk pillows at Carreras in Rhinebeck. might be the first step towards my having to check out the Help Wanted ads. The raw silk pillows have hand-painted polka dots in rich fruit and chocolate colors.

They would just look SO GOOD on my black sofa.