I'm so sorry that I was absent from class yesterday. I wish I had some amazing excuse to impress you (ha ha) but alas, I have none. I am fighting a nasty cold so I've been doing little more than trying to get better since I leave for London this weekend for another week of shoots 'n styling for next week. Well, not a full week - but I do have many homes to work in on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then a meeting on Thursday along with a few visits to some favorite stores so I have something fun to share with you from my next adventure! With a jam-packed week coming up, I have to be healthy and ready so that I can be as creative as possible because it's hard to do your best work when you are run down. And so this is my reason for being absent yesterday. But today, I'm here as I will be tomorrow and Friday as well. Next week, Leslie will fill in for me with posts while I'm away, including her June Color Me Pretty column, so stay tuned for that!

So for a moment can we just escape together? I would like to journey to the land of painted furniture and daring homeowners who simply GO FOR IT. Furniture painted in colors like turquoise. Seriously, how stunning is the table shown above from Danish company Oi Soi Oi (Vietnamese for goodness gracious me) in that gorgeous hue? For those who have shopped Pier1 imports or import stores in general where there seems to be a lot of very dark wood, you really have to rethink what you are looking at and imagine color instead. Just look for something with great bones and try to imagine it in your favorite color as you stand in the store. Look for pieces that have nice curves or decorative edges or perhaps some unique carving or hardware. Furniture that looks the best wearing your favorite color usually involves pieces that have something interesting about them concerning shape, proportion or details.

There is no crime in painting a dark wood cabinet in your favorite color - the furniture police won't cuff you for it (I mean the mattress police never show up when we cut off the tags, do they?) because painting wood on furniture, at least pieces that are not antique, in my eyes is a-okay. I've seen people paint antiques too, but that really isn't for me to say because it depends on the condition and value of it doesn't it? But for new furniture that you are finding at import stores or even on sites like Overstock.com, why can't you slap on some gray, red, turquoise or pink paint on an Asian-inspired cabinet or nightstand to brighten your space? Take inspiration from the fabulous Oi Soi Oi and see what you can come up with if ethnic boho modern is your thing. It's totally my thing.

For more Oi Soi Oi goodness, visit them online...

(images oi soi oi)