{"id":1554,"date":"2021-04-27T16:00:07","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T16:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pagodared.com\/blog\/?p=1554"},"modified":"2021-05-25T16:25:26","modified_gmt":"2021-05-25T16:25:26","slug":"mark-d-sikes-mastering-blue-and-white","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pagodared.com\/blog\/2021\/04\/27\/mark-d-sikes-mastering-blue-and-white\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark D. Sikes: Mastering Blue and White"},"content":{"rendered":"

We’ve long admired the work of interior designer Mark D. Sikes<\/a>. Besides producing beautiful, timeless interiors, the prolific creative is an esteemed author and furniture designer, who recently launched his own fashion line of preppy, women’s sportswear. Mark is widely known for his masterful use of blue and white, and his love of the pairing is evident in all he designs\u2014be it a dress or dining room. We spoke with Mark and asked him to share his secrets for making the combination feel so fresh, time and time again.<\/p>\n

“A piece of blue and white<\/a> instantly adds color, pattern and style to a room,” says Mark.\u00a0“When people think \u2018blue and white\u2019 they think of stark white and cobalt. But I like to play with my blues by adding in tones of robin’s egg, mint, turquoise, lilac, etc. That\u2019s what gives the palette dimension and the rooms their excitement.”<\/p>\n

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Beverly Hills kitchen designed by Mark D. Sikes<\/p><\/div>\n

“It\u2019s all about the mix,” explains Mark. “It\u2019s hard to define, but when I\u2019m scheming, I usually start with one hero fabric. It\u2019s usually a large scale print, and then I start the layering in solids, small prints (I call them \u2018ditzy prints\u2019), geometrics, etc. I like mixing textures too\u2014cotton, linen, embroidering, silk. I always try to add in something vintage or worldly. Truly, this is my favorite part of the design process. I\u2019m in love with fabric<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

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Park Avenue home designed by Mark D. Sikes<\/p><\/div>\n

Along with blue and white, the California designer frequently works fine chinoiserie wallpaper into his designs\u2014 sometimes bringing in a framed panel, sometimes papering an entire room. Mark explains:<\/p>\n

At a very young age I remember going with my mother to her friend\u2019s house. Her large entryway was in hand-painted chinoiserie wallpaper. I had never seen anything quite so beautiful. I would never forget it, and from that moment on, I started looking for it in books and magazine. I was studying at a very young age, but didn\u2019t know it. As soon as I got the opportunity to decorate my own home, I used it, and now I use it for my clients. It\u2019s the best way to create a color palette for a home.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the Park Avenue apartment above, Mark layered shades of red in with blue and white. The result is a chic, stylish room that manages to sidestep the common pitfalls of red, white and blue.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m inspired by the reds of Valentino, Diana Vreeland and Marella Agnelli,” says Mark. “I like to use robin’s egg with red. The combination feels elegant and sophisticated, ensuring you’ll stay clear of the kitschy ‘red, white and blue’ theme.”<\/p>\n

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Marin County home designed by Mark D. Sikes<\/p><\/div>\n

“I love the juxtaposition of blue and white with modern elements,” says Mark. “The colors play nicely with the restraint and cleanliness of modern things. I think sprinkling blue and white throughout a house creates a flow and tells a story.”<\/p>\n

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Mark D. Sikes’ Hollywood home<\/p><\/div>\n

In his own walled Hollywood garden (above, and hero shot) the designer’s favorite hues add glamour and refinement while blending beautifully with plantings.<\/p>\n

“When I think of the colors of nature I think about the blue sky and the green trees. Blue and green is my favorite color combination,” says Mark. “Every garden deserves a blue and white garden stool<\/a> or a blue and white urn. It somehow always works.”<\/p>\n

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Marin County bedroom designed by Mark D. Sikes<\/p><\/div>\n

“I\u2019m always inspired by beauty and informed by function,” says Mark. “I think bedrooms and bathrooms have to be both. The beauty comes from the fabrics, colors and furnishings, and function is dictated by comfort, adjacencies and necessities.”<\/p>\n

As in many of Mark’s interiors, the blend of fabrics and finishes lends this bedroom (above) a storied, well-traveled quality. As Mark explains, he often turns to the past when searching for design inspiration.<\/p>\n

“Right now it\u2019s Pauline de Rothschild\u2019s Paris bedroom, Michael Taylor\u2019s white spaces infused with wicker<\/a>, the stripes of Charlottenhof, the chocolate brown spaces of Billy Baldwin, and the chintz\u2019s of Sister Parish… Mind you, this is inspiring several different projects. I didn\u2019t want you to think I\u2019d mix them into one, but now that I think about it maybe I should.”<\/p>\n

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Mark D. Sikes<\/p><\/div>\n

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Blue & White Collection<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t