I really love Christmas break, essentially quite for a week or so.. no work drama. It's a time where, early in the morning, I can get a lot of "designing" done actually. There's no distractions at 5 am. Yep.. I am one of those types that get up at the crack of dawn. It's the best time for me to be creative.
2018 was a good one. My most fond memory was finishing and installing the little cabin in the woods. Tuan Lee, Lauren Kunijo and I now have a little bit of heaven in the mountains to relax. I was there with my family for Thanksgiving. Tuan and Lauren snagged Christmas. Check out the amazing article QC Magazine ran on our little place (here).
I am really looking forward to 2019. We are installing a big one in January in D.C. A new home for a long time client and excited to be able to put my hand in each and every room. Being able to create an overall look cohesive from the front door back is pretty great and I cannot wait to head up there and meet the truck, stay tuned ! It's going to be a big one and full of client requested color.... I'll write a little post over the holiday and show you all the design boards.
With two brand new projects in the works as well as a 3 home / 1 client multi project, it's bound to be a busy and exciting year.
But this particular project is right up my alley. Very much my style so designing it was such fun. It's my dream space. I'm working with the founders of Clean Juice on their new home on the lake, a pretty big overhaul. As of this moment the kitchen has been gutted and they are in major demo mode. Such a fun couple with 5 yes I said 5 kids (and a new puppy). High energy (it's the juice) and great style.
We are modernizing and cleaning up, color wise, this early 90's lake place with it's vaulted ceilings and dated kitchen to create a brighter, whiter, mid-century meet industrial meet California casual look! New lighter floors with a herring bone pattern on the foyer floors and big black metal doors coming in and out of the back onto the deck. Cannot wait for this to kick in !
My inspiration started here with this image of the exact floors we want, yet lighter with a new metal banister. We are keeping it simple with a sleek round table and chandelier at the stair base. Pondering adding a cement tile to the stair risers.
The dining room, just to the right will house nothing but a huge custom dining table and wood treated accent wall. We are making the table to incorporate two or possible three end chairs, upholstered with simple wood side chairs.
I also found the perfect image to show their contractor the style of the accent wall we want to create. We are keeping this room minimal in pieces and all about just gathering friends and family.
Opposite the dining room and across the foyer a two-story space with spiral metal stairs to a library landing. Perfect piano space and such a pretty visual from the entry.
A large tube chandelier, vintage inspired shag rug and a pair of interesting mid-century style chairs in this space with a great collection of art, books and family pics.
I love this architectural art piece I came across for the space. It's large in scale and quite dramatic.
Not adding a lot in the way of window treatments in this home. A pretty black and white embroidery in the dining room is about it.
There is an office down the hall where we are planning to add a fireplace and a great accent wall with a little hidden storage. A vertical wood panel with hidden storage doors is what I am aiming for.
This style perhaps !
One element we both love is a modern fireplace with either a concrete finish or Venetian plaster technique and reclaimed wood beam mantel. A pair of leather chairs an iron coffee table finish this space to "hide" when need be for a little down time.
When working on the fireplace wall for the office and the family room, I found this for inspiration. I love the look of this clean fireplace visual.
With TV's usually a must I am hoping to use the Samsung "Art" TV. Very cool they are. Would you even know this is a TV ?
The family room currently has that two-story vault ceiling that most late 80's-90's homes have on the lake, we are getting rid of that. Adding two bedrooms overhead and below, in the family room will be reclaimed wood beams, a new more modern fireplace and one very large, comfortable leather "U" shaped sofa.
Under the fireplace ledge I have order a few tile samples to add a little detail. All of these are some of my favorites from Cle Tile. As we get a little further into the bathrooms, we'll be using some of these !
A long photo gallery will come down the hallway with oversized pieces and a new rustic meet industrial chandelier. It will be a huge transformation.
Now the kitchen will be a gut job, saying goodbye to all the cherry cabinets. We are mixing a matte black and off white flat front cabinet with a mix of two quartz counter tops in black and white.
Clustering wood, caged pendants over the new T shaped island and wood counter stools.
The bay window will have a built in banquette, new table and rope and brass chandelier.
The first floor will no doubt be something special, cohesive and fun for this large family. Clean, bright and minimal to cut down on the visual chaos !
The master bedroom is large and often a - kids filling the bed - hang out space. We laughed about just putting two king beds in the space but no. Next to this pretty 4 post bed and drop pendants we are adding a custom window day bed which will probably be the size of a king when it's all said and done! Loaded with pillows and a pretty view to the pool the kids will have a space of their own when they hang in the master !
Drop pendants, wood mixed with a little brass and an iron canopy bed. A pair of swivel boucle chairs and this amazing new Porter Teleo wallpaper.
One of my favorite pillow vendors, Kevin O'Brien will accent the room. Love the hand stitched velvet.
Bathroom . . . we love this wall idea. It's t in the plan !
So what once was a vault in the family room will now be a bedroom, two actually, a guest and a room for their youngest daughters. This guest room will have a little black and gold check paper on the accent wall and this rattan bed that I have been dying to do ! Mixing up the side tables and an inlay bone dresser in black and white.
Excited to work on all these kid's spaces. This room is also part of the former family room vaulted ceiling. It will now house platform beds with drawer storage underneath. I had one of these made for my Kate's room and she loves being up high. My kid is tall so we made this platform with a queen size mattress on top ! With a mattress that size you don't want drawers that long so.. we created normal size drawers and with the extra space behind them we created a "crawl" space / hide out. There's a little hidden door on the side with a long space inside. Really fun for little kids. My kid now stashes some of her junk in there.
With two little girls almost the same age, they are doubling up - how fun. Their heads will meet on the ends with pendant light dropping down, no pesky lamp to knock over. But the best part of all this is the open floor space and tons of drawer storage.
Of course a fun paper will finish of this fun room.
Daughter no. 2. The girl with the grown up style. She loves all white simplicity, bravo !!!
Great lucite and brass Anthropology bed and a mis-matched little side table and lighting situation.
She has a great bay window as well. Who wouldn't want a swing and swivel chair with sheepskin throws. Clean and textured. Very cool.
The boys are together on the other side of the upstairs with a jack and jack bathroom. One of these spaces was, I am sure, an upstairs bonus room. Their eldest son wins that space, big enough for a bed area on the far end and a "lounge" on the other for all sorts of friends to hang out. Working the industrial vibe with a metal and wood bed and drop metal pendant.
I love plaid and this grey and black is killer. Will help with a little noise control.
The other side or the room has a small bay window perfect for the big black lava swing
A leather sectional will face the opposite TV "game" wall. Perfect for hanging out.
Little baby brother will soon be in a bed and these wood and metal beds with continue the boy's vibe. Drop pendants and one of my favorite wall papers. Love this room !
Having a custom sofa made extra, extra deep in a charcoal indoor / outdoor soft fabric. Perfect for lounging around ! A nubby off white rug and a live edge console.
Once the basement wet bar and all the bathroom plans are finalized we want them all to have their own distinctive feel with different materials, tiles and lighting. We are pulling our thoughts together on all of those using cement tiles and some distress woods.
I was at Bree's baby shower and noticed she had used this tile in her master bathroom redo... LOVE IT... low and behold.. it's from Home Depot. Not bad !
So working on this project has been so fun. Everything is ordered and in motion, install couldn't come soon enough ... come late May ! Stay tuned.
So working on this project has been so fun. Everything is ordered and in motion, install couldn't come soon enough ... come late May ! Stay tuned.
