Wild splashes of color can brighten my mood in an instant. There’s something joyful and liberating about color used with abandon. I hope that these photos will bring you a little pleasure too.
When it comes to color, I have a split personality. I tend to be conservative about dressing and decorating with color. Simple color combinations feel calming and classic. But part of me is drawn to bright colors. They are so much more expressive and happy than basic black, white, or beige. My wardrobe has a handful of brilliantly colorful items. My kitchen is painted a deep terra cotta that spills out from the window in the evening, an inviting and welcoming warm rectangle in the darkness.
I’m sharing photos of Villa Brasil, the motel where we stayed in Los Angeles. The motel’s amenities are very simple. One doesn’t stay there for the plush towels. You go for the character of the place. The outside is painted in deep bright swaths of color. There is no adherence to color coordination rules or neutral tones. It is all about bursts of vibrant shades of orange, pink, yellow, green, blue, and red. A pale blue chair sits in front of lime green and pink walls. Fuchsia bougainvillea drapes across parakeet yellow and blue. Orange daisies are planted with purple gomphrena and red zinnia.
Colorful tables and chairs are placed outside each room.
During the day, the courtyard is a place to sit and enjoy the plants and the sun bouncing off all the saturated color. In the evening, the space is warmed by flickering candles.
Each door is painted with a bird from Brasil. Photos of trees and the birds that inhabit them adorn walls of the rooms.
The courtyard walls sport cherubs, painted wood carvings, metal sculptures, draping flowers, and cheerful messages.
Vines climb toward the sun.
Fruit trees, and pots of herbs and vegetables are particularly welcome to a New Englander who has put her garden to bed for the season.
What a place to escape the chill of fall and start a vacation!
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