Jason Oliver Nixon: Green with Envy!

John Loecke and I love using color as a neutral: Why limit your color palette to the beige and boring? And white is just so overrated, n’est-ce pas? One of our favorite go-to palettes is green, a cool and soothing shade that will transform any space into a verdant oasis. It’s all about hue: kick care to the wind this summer, and scamper through the forest bedecked in emeralds.

John and I designed this living room for a show house in Greenwich, Connecticut, a few years back, and green certainly took center stage. We painted the walls a pale celadon and then employed various hues of the Big G to bring the space to life. In this room, green served as the neutral tone and yellow added further pop and pizzazz. The overall effect was cool, calm and collected.

Here are some suggestions on how to bring some green into your life, whether you decide to embrace Kermit full-force or only seek to add a few forest-kissed accessories:

Why walk when you can run? That’s how we feel about our lighting, too. This libidinous, glass orb-bedecked Goddess chandelier from Currey & Company really turns us on and inspires us to festoon ourselves in branches and head for the hills like nymphs a go-go.

Paint the trim in your bedroom or bathroom in Cooking Apple Green paint from Farrow & Ball, then sip a cool martini. Or three. White moldings are just so dull, don’t you think?

John and I are crazy for the Coastal Living Cottage Collection Piecrust mirror in Sea Grass, a true stunner. It’s a lot of look that won’t overpower your walls.

Shake up that dull den at your shore-side retreat with the gorgeous Gloria chair in Bruge-Everglade leather by Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. This is one warm leatherette!

Add visual impact to a console with the stunning Fyn faux shagreen box from Hickory Chair. We use this cool catchall to store our keys and other assorted sundries.

Why not paper a wall in the hand-printed St. Hubert: Patron Saint of Hunters paper from the Divine Collection by Given Campbell? It’s like a trip to the wilds of Maine without having to leave your living room.

Show us your drawers: Store your summer sweaters in the stunning Greek Key drawer chest with marble top by Oscar de la Renta for Century Furniture.

Whip up some crème-de-menthe-infused libations and serve them in style on the jaunty Jacqui coffee table in green from Bungalow 5. Then kick off your shoes and dance the rumba.

–Jason Oliver Nixon
Jason Oliver Nixon is one half of the Brooklyn-based interior design firm John Loecke, Inc. Nixon also edits the Demystifying Design blog, a go-to source that breaks down great design and brings it home.