Guest Blogger: CA from How to Be a Heroine

When Erin asked me to do a guest post for the blog I was beyond thrilled and excited! I was also very intimidated. This is the Erin Olson of House of Turquoise, for goodness sake! She is the goddess of all things turquoise, and in my mind I picture her this way:

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Except of course she'd be wearing an aquamarine dress, with some hydrangeas in her hair. Oh, and the tigers are teal. Or maybe she's flanked by two enormous sea foam green sea horses. Even though I imagine her like this and totally revere her amazing taste, I quickly overcame my intimidation because at the end of the day we're both two girls that are obsessed with all things turquoise. And really, is there any better color?

Turquoise is both calming:

Miles Redd

and exciting:

Lonny

This paradoxical quality makes it the the perfect punch of color for all seasons.

In the fall, it's a wonderful foil for all the warm, autumnal colors. Since turquoise is opposite orange on the color wheel, it's an ideal complement to russet colored leaves, pumpkins and fiery-hued flowers. Can you imagine being a Thanksgiving guest in this dining room? I'm swooning just thinking about it.

David Jiminez

During winter, the right touches of aqua can imbue a feeling coziness - just add splashes of black and some luxurious texture; like a fluffy, sumptuous area rug. A fireplace as a focal point doesn't hurt either.

Nest Instinctual Interiors

Springtime and turquoise go together like peas and carrots. Just think of branches of burgeoning blooms against a clear, aquamarine sky. Or the color of robin's eggs. This time of year, the world is just reawakening from its slumber, and turquoise echoes this sense of hopefulness. (Plus, it looks really fabulous when mixed with spring green.)

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So, even though every season benefits from turquoise, there is no more appropriate season in which to start layering in some of these beautiful colors than SUMMER!

Kristin Hutchins Design

Turquoise telegraphs an aura of relaxing beachiness - no matter if you're sitting on a Caribbean island or many hundreds of miles away from the nearest large body of water.

Coastal Living

This color makes you want to take your shoes off and savor the moment. I believe no outdoor space is truly complete in the sultry months of summer without at least a dollop of this gorgeous shade.

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With Memorial Day right around the corner, the time to dip your toes into the décor world of turquoise is now. This is easy to do without spending tons of money. So don't worry my darlings - you can splash some aquamarine, robin's egg blue, sea foam green, azure and teal into your world and have gas money for a summer get-away! (Although a color infusion of this caliber may inspire a full blown stay-cation, blueberry mojitos and all.)

Here are some things I am thinking of adding to our front porch to usher in the season:

Pillows from Restoration Hardware, for lounging in comfort and style

A laquer tray from West Elm, perfect for perching atop an outdoor ottoman

Some tumblers from Ikea that make even a simple glass of water seem infinitely refreshing

This candle from Anthropologie actually came home with us this past weekend. If such a thing is possible it actually smells like turquoise - absolutely heavenly. We were walking by the store and I felt like the scent pulled me right in. And even though the glass is more of a cobalt, when the flame is burning it throws off an aquamarine glow.

And there are a few simple projects I have up my sleeve as well:

Painting the porch ceiling:

House Beautiful

Planting some hydrangeas:

Bumblebee Blog

And even though I can't find a picture anywhere on the internet, I want to spray paint the chain that holds up our porch swing. I'll give you three guesses as to what color, and the first two don't count.

Wouldn't the chain on this swing look amazing as a glossy pop of turquoise?

These are just a few ideas to get you going. You could add one little thing or go all out! We are just starting our porch makeover and will have lots of pictures coming over the next few weeks. I hope you can join us as we delve into this transformation of our favorite "room" in the house - just in time for summer! I promise there will be lots of turquoise!

xoxo,

CA