Living with Lilly: Familiar prints now in home collection

Wrenda Goodwyn • special to the Fort Myers News-Press• July 2, 2011

There is just something about Lilly.

Those Lilly Pulitzer print dresses that have been part of fashion history for 50 years have taken us to luxury resorts, on cruises, to garden parties. To Palm Beach and to summer wedding receptions. They’re a touch of the life of the affluent, if only in our imaginations.

Wall fabric: In a Twist in Seafoam; Deborah Sofa with Heritage Floral in Aqua/Orange and trim of Worth Avenue in Seafoam. Pillows from left to right: Shell We in Keen Peach with trim of Ruffle Me in Breakers; Rip Roaring in Lagoon Blue with welt of Rip Roaring in Lilly Pink; Wentworth chair featuring Rip Roaring in Seaweed with welt of Rip Roaring in Lagoon Blue. Lucille Shape Leg Table; Montefalco large lamp in Roman White and Ziggy in Kiwi carpet. Photos courtesy of Lee Jofa. And even if we did not own one, we still looked at them and thought about owning one. There is just something about those cheerful pink and green tropical, flowery, print dresses.

What other fabric/print has a cult following? Dressing from head to toe in Lilly has been a tradition for generations of Lilly lovers and now there is more — much more, as I discovered on my visit to the Kravet/Lee Jofa showroom in the Miromar Design Center in Estero.

Lilly is coming to your home!

Lilly Pulitzer for Lee Jofa has just launched a collection of home furnishings fabrics and trimmings. The collection features many of the familiar prints in signature pink and green, floral and beach motifs, embroideries and jacquards, stripes and bold solids for accents.

Redesigned for the home from the iconic prints, the fabrics are perfect for upholstery, curtains, bedding, accessories and more. For those who want a lesser infusion of Lilly, try cornices, pillows, a throw over a bed or simply taking a couple of these beautiful fabrics and framing them for a gorgeous pop of color.From top: Pillows in Rip Roaring in Orange with welt of Rip Roaring in Dandelion; Rip Roaring in Dandelion with welt of Rip Roaring in Orange; Rip Roaring in Lifeguard with welt of Rip Roaring in Hibiscus; Rip Roaring in Tide Blue with welt of Rip Roaring in Island Coral; Rip Roaring in Lilly Pink with welt of Rip Roaring in Lagoon Blue and Happy Plaid in Orange/Blue.

They’re perfect for a girl’s bedroom. A beach house. Pool house. These gorgeous designs are a nice balance between traditional and contemporary.

First of all, you cannot look at this collection without feeling happy. Think pink lemonade, orange sherbet, cupcakes with sprinkles. Watermelon. Lemon drops. They may be slightly over the top but I guarantee that you will smile. They evoke a lighthearted, sweet spirit. Who can’t use some of this?

And those names. Color Me Coral, an ode to the beach. Tail Lights, with dragons swinging Chinese lanterns from their tails ... fun! Shell We, a geometric shell print inspired by a “sailor’s Valentine” found in Palm Beach. I Dahlia, a soft floral. Racy Lacey, inspired by Queen Anne’s lace. Well Connected, a trellis design that first appeared on a chair in Lilly Pulitzer’s own home.

The collection includes some of the Lillyesque classic embroidery. In a Twist uses beautiful, rope-like tassels to create a geometric design. Sea Fan uses a coral motif embroidered on light-weight linen. There is the cheerful Happy Plaid. Stripe it Up, a complement to the prints and neutrals. Leaf Me Be and Hide and Seek.

They are just plain fun.

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Home Inspirations: There's no place like (a comfortable) home

Check out my latest Home Inspirations column in the Fort Myers News-Press for a list of quick and easy ways to love your home!

News-Press, September 25, 2010 by Wrenda Goodwyn

When it comes to interior decorating, there really are no rules. Well, I have one rule: It must be comfortable! But for the most part, anything goes as long as you love it. A few gentle guidelines will help you get to that point. Whether you have an empty nest or a house filled with family, an apartment condo or home, are upsizing or downsizing ... these suggestions work wherever you live.  

Dorothy said it best in the Wizard of Oz, “There is no place like home.”

And yours should be a place that you love.  If you are not quite feeling the love for your home, it may be time to shake things up a little.  Make a change. Redefine your style.  Correct decorating mistakes.  Decide on a design plan.

When it comes to interior decorating, there really are no rules.  Well, I have one rule:  It must be comfortable!  But for the most part, anything goes as long as you love it.  A few gentle guidelines will help you get to that point.

Whether you have an empty nest or a house filled with family, an apartment condo or home, are upsizing or downsizing…these suggestions work wherever you live: Have a plan before you leap in to a design project.   What is the end result you wish to achieve?  What is the budget?  What do you love in your home?  Not love?

The test: will you love it in five years? 

Before making a major purchase, ask yourself this question. 

Go classic.  Avoid trendy.  Furniture purchases should be like a Channel suit:  timeless.

Declutter.  Less is more. No amount of design overcomes clutter.  Find a place for everything or delete it. You will feel much better.  Show off collections.   Group by subject or by color.  With photo collections, use the same color and type of frame.  You will be amazed at how terrific the photos look.  My favorite frame:  black or silver.  Small investment. Immediate result!

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Home Inspirations begins in Fort Myers News-Press

Check out my new decorating column, Home Inspirations, that began today in the Fort Myers News-Press with this intro.

The column will focus on  fresh approaches and imaginative solutions for renewing your spaces.  Transforming your bath into a spa-like retreat, clutter-busting secrets, finding flea market treasures and much more!  Follow us and let us know what you would like to know more about in this column and blog. 

News-Press, August 28, 2010 by Wrenda Goodwyn

For as long as I can remember I have been redoing rooms.

As a child, some of best memories are of my mother and me moving all of the furniture around in every room.  This became a seasonal ritual and my father would come home from work in the evening to a different house.  We didn’t have a lot of money for decorating so we used what we had.  When we got bored, we moved everything around and just made it look completely different.  Always better.

Then there was the time that we painted the master bedroom purple.   My father was on a short business trip and we had to work fast.  To this day, I have a soft spot for Benjamin Moore Violet Mist #1437.  We loved it.  My father was not so sure.  I told them that it was the perfect dreamy color for a bedroom.  I was 10 years old.  My mother and I were convinced that we were ahead of our time as decorators! 

So after redoing my own small apartments, condos, homes, beachouses and estate homes, as well as the homes of most of my friends, I decided to put my talents to work. I did not want to be a traditional designer.  I wanted to start with what people already had and work from there.  I had done my own homes on every level budget.  Most important, I knew that I could make any home, regardless of the budget or style, look better.  I knew that I had a passion for decorating and that I had always been able to make a room look better.  What amazed me were the small changes that had a big impact.  

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