When John Ross and Don Carney of Patch NYC described the making of their just-launched “Shops @ Target” collection, it sounded a bit like they were describing the process of designing a room. Albeit there are tons of considerations when collaborating on a 50-sku collection with one of the biggest retailers on earth, but even so, Don and John had to begin with inspiration. And for that, they started with a color that they loved. Ross says, “We wanted to incorporate a signature PATCH NYC color and we have always been drawn to shades of teal – it’s timeless, classic, and not specifically feminine or masculine.”

Keeping it fresh: Teal adapts easily to changing store displays.

Images courtesy of Patch NYC

Teal was even used in the “Shops @ Target” Pop Up Shop created for the launch party.

Indeed, shades of teal are flaunted all over their own retail shop located in the South End of Boston. Teal shows up on the inside of a painted black cupboard, on a built-in desk, and on a floor-to-ceiling stretch of wall. The latter teal accent, especially, is a focal point when you first walk into the store. Carney and Ross use that stretch of wall to display a changing art exhibit. “Before we hung the large canvas painting by our late friend Byrd Swift, we had a composition of Don’s smaller ink drawings and all the vintage frames looked great against the color,” says Ross.

Image found at Patch NYC’s Facebook page

Vibrant vintage glass provides inspiration for the Patch NYC at Target collection.

Image courtesy of Target

Ross says, “We were so pleased with the palette that we created a pack of mixed taper candles for the gold owl candelabra.”

With teal as a base, the dynamic duo started building a collection palette. “We had to think of colors that played well with teal and fortunately since we were focused on fall, one of our favorite seasons, we could use darker, richer colors,” says Ross. They chose shades of emerald, carnelian, peridot, and garnet – compatible jewel-tones that also had strength to make a style statement on their own. They mixed in some grounding neutral basics like brown and black, as well as glints of gold.

Image found @ Patch NYC

Highlights from the Patch NYC at Target 50-sku collection.

For pattern and imagery, Carney and Ross, both earnest collectors, relied on vintage pieces and other favorite motifs for inspiration. A dented 1920s candy tin with an art deco graphic, for example, was adapted for pillows and rugs. Woodland creatures were a point of design departure for lighting, bedding and dinnerware. Animal imagery, so prevalent in the Patch visual vocabulary, can be traced back to the early days when the duo added quirky felt appliques to handbags as well as to Carney’s fluid animal ink drawings.

Image found at Patch NYC’s Facebook page

Creative spirits: John Ross and Don Carney

Target chose Patch as a partner for their unique visual perspective. The Patch NYC aesthetic mixes mid-century with old world, dark and whimsical, Black Forest with Le Marais and a sprinkle of New England. When Carney and Ross named their company, they thought of the “abstract hodgepodge beauty of patchwork quilts.”  And that’s pretty much the way their business has grown, steadily and authentically, incorporating random beauty along the way.

Here are five teal-infused rooms inspired by the color palette of the Patch NYC at Target collection and the eclectic and unpredictable Patch NYC brand. These spaces, warmed by the colors of fall – brown, burnt orange, red, brown, and yellow-green — are seasonably on target.

Image from Cluttered Gypsy

Walls drenched fearlessly in bright teal feel very “Patch” as Carney and Ross are known to push the envelope on color. The pool-colored shade is crisp and brilliant against the orangey tan leather chairs and rustic wall décor. The overall mood is cozy and chic.

Images found on Alkemie

This teal wall dotted with an assortment of funky vintage finds is reminiscent of the art-filled wall in the Patch NYC Boston shop. Silk pillows in shades of yellow-green and sassy pink are a fun contrast to the more somber images displayed above.

Image from Apartments I Like

A mix of un-shy patterns feels very “Patch” as Carney and Ross are passionate for strong graphics. Neutral hits of brown and black provide space between a color scheme that draws from a continuum of shades of blue and green.

Image found @ Elle Decor

Exuberant turquoise leather chairs provide a wow, unpredictable “Patch” moment in a formal French-styled dining room. Orange compliments cool blues and blue-greens, brings energy into a space, and celebrates the fruits and flowers of fall.

Image found @ A Design Story

A festively painted door provides a design lift in two rooms. When closed it brightens up one space and when open, another. A clever and bold hit of color feels kind of “Patch.”

Author’s Note: Excited by Patch NYC’s embrace of the color teal, and still reeling from a teal obsession discovered earlier this year, I continue a major crush on this fabulously friendly, versatile, and cool color!

How do you feel about Teal?