Jolts of color for January

The start of a new year always makes me crave bright, fresh colors. Not springy pastels. I need something much brighter in the cold and overcast Boston.

Fuscia flowers do the trick.

(Domino Magazine)

So do these chair cushions. So cheerful, yet in a cozy velvet.

(Mary McGee)

Now imagine that you're walking home from work. It's been snowing, and there is slush on the streets. It's 4:30 p.m. and pitch dark outside, because that's what happens in the Northeast. You open the front door to your house, and you walk into this:

(Austin Patterson)

Wouldn't that pink chair be nice thing to see everytime you walked through the door? I think so. In fact, I think any jolt of bright color makes a home feel so much cheerier in the winter.

Take this next picture, for example. I'm not usually a huge fan of accent walls. But this room has reopened my mind to the possibilities.

(Apartment Therapy)

It's definitely the architectural details that make the brightly colored wall work. The gently arched window, the oddly shaped closet that juts out ever so slightly, and the single pendant lamp hanging over the wooden table. It's so simple and fresh.

I've been stashing away different fabrics to use for pillows in my living room, but not of them feels quite right. After seeing these pictures, I'm thinking I need something bright. Pink velvet? It's tempting ...