Design Trends: Sitting Pretty and a Little Brassy

I was just reading through House Beautiful's top 10 trends for 2013 and was elated to see a few 'trends' I've always loved, all of which have been brewing in my current project: A Kitchen and adjacent four season Sitting Porch:

• Brass
• Pretty
• Antiques

Okay, so the husband is still resisting all the brass...but I'm not one to lay down my design sword so easily. These are two spaces in that new construction New England style farmhouse. My clients are a very young family with very traditional taste and a huge appreciation for art and antiques. Bonus: They love Blue + White! So, as you can imagine, I've basically been in Heaven. Oh, and they "love color and pattern." Heaven. (And design trend #5!)

The kitchen will look something like this. 

I love that large scale blue floral. It's Brunschwig and Fils's Kasmiri, a rich, weighty linen printed with various shades of blue. I'd specified those Charles Edwards light fixtures before the lot was even graded. I think I actually dreamt of them in the womb.

Brunschwig and Fils, Kashmiri

Dark walnut floors and woven shades will ground the all white cabinetry and countertops. And of course there's that Perrin and Rowe bridge faucet in English Bronze. I'd pushed for the Inca Brass, but at least the English Bronze is a living finish that will patina to a dark brass over the years. (FYI, if your clients don't want this to happen, Rohl makes a product that helps retain their new finishes. But a living finish is still a living finish, so some 'wear' will occur). 

My sketch of the tile and sink.

The question became, How would we segue from a totally blue and white kitchen to the adjacent green and white sitting porch my clients wanted? We all wanted a fresh, green porch, with the feel of treillage, but architecturally the spaces were so connected I couldn't turn my back on the kitchen's blue antique delft chandelier and Country Floors tiles. 

So I decided to do a blue and green porch. I still had to find a fabric that incorporated cobalt and grass green. This proved to be nearly impossible. Until my brilliant Kravet rep, Cheryl, sent me this Brunschwig Bellary print! Then she threw me this awesome Bamboo Trellis. Champagne for your efforts, love!

Below is an inspiration board for the sitting porch. Blue and Green with lots of neutral beiges, sisals and woven grass blinds. I envision them spilling into this room after Saturday pancakes. Here mom and dad can finish the papers, possibly a third cup of coffee. (Those of us with young kids know how elusive that sort of leisurely morning actually is).

Some of the fabrics have changed. We've moved that Collen and Company light fixture to another part of the house, and I'd never bore you with the actual tear sheets -- but you get the gist here. (Shameless plug: All of these fabrics and fixtures are available through our website contact.)

These gorgeous George III bergères, c. 1790, came from G. Sergeant Antiques. Can't wait to see them on the porch. And so grateful my clients had the good taste to retain their very aged green leather!

Even though they'll be far away from each other, I was so happy with how beautifully the tile went with the porch fabric. Here's that Brunschwig Bellary Cotton (Don't tell my Anglophile clients it's French):

That wool knotted rug became a Celerie Kemble sisal.


This Charles Edwards fixture will look almost exactly like this, but I've customized it to be scaled down and the pewter becomes an antique, unlacquered brass that will patina with time.

These are the Country Floors tiles, which I've been wanting for myself, house after house, for about 17 years now... Died when I spotted them floor to ceiling in this month's Veranda. It was Carolyn Roehm's old house. Gorgeous!

Veranda

In 2000, we redid a house in Encino. I got so far as an antique brass faucet, a blue enamel Morice stove (the poor man's La Cornue), and my walnut countertops. As  I said, I never did get to finish the space with my Country Floors tile. But this is why I love my job. I get to live vicariously through my clients.

Hope you like it. Hope they love it. I'll share pics when it's all done, though we're looking at an occupancy date sometime in 2014. But I'll be sharing more rooms when I have time.

Happy Weekend!

One (bargain) Blue and White Fabric--Three Ways

Thought I'd share this great look-for-less find. I found this beautiful (and crazy affordable) Blue and White Chinoiserie toile. It's rather "'inspired" by Quadrille's Lyford Pagoda Petite. But I have to say I like it almost as much as the original. I haven't seen it in person but I'm going to take a chance and order some samples. Not exactly a huge risk; it's $19/yard! I was so excited I put together three different mood boards in three different color schemes. 

The first is a scheme I've really been missing lately: red, white and blue.

I wanted to avoid the expected, so rather than using a Victorian upholstered headboard, regency fixtures and faux bamboo furniture, I went for a more masculine, clean metropolitan feel. And I kinda like it. Okay, so I threw in an orchid.

Here's a board in my favorite new color crush, blush and navy. (And, yes there's faux bamboo and Regency gold.) It's kept fresh with lots of block-printed fabrics and tropical greenery, balancing the delicate, gilded touches. It has sort of a romantic Indo-Chinois feel. I imagine this is how I'd style the French Indochine set for Marguerite Duras' "The Lover." (If I were the type to sit around and imagine that sort of thing...)

Navy blue with burnt orange, is a classic complimentary scheme. Here's a board for a guest bedroom which incorporates very traditional furnishings with the wit of a Billy Baldwin-esque side chair and a graphic rug. Lots of brass, warm woods and leather, like the Hermès Pippa console (pear wood with brass fittings--stunning!) Feels like a perfect place for tired guests to relax after a long day of riding. Or for your mother-in-law to crash after Thanksgiving dinner.

Email me for other sources or if you're interested in our e-decorating services.

Happy Friday!

My New Second Home...A Pale Blue and White Oasis

My husband and I have created a very layered, eclectic, traditional home over the years. So, we've always said if we ever bought a vacation place, whether it be a beach house here in LA (close), a village cottage in Milwaukee (family), or a pied-à-terre in the NYC (love!), we would want it totally and completely modern. I have fantasy files filled with the rooms we'd create for this place.

But I take it all back! This is the fantasy second home of my dreams; a pale blue and white oasis. I know, it is ultra traditional. I can just see myself serving mint juleps in a little shift dress. Okay, so Atlanta was never on the list. But he loves Southern cooking and I love to play pretend.

Thank you Erin at House of Turquoise for disrupting my fantasy plans.

Walls: A custom strié finish -- Farrow & Ball in Oval Room Blue over Farrow & Ball Light Blue. Trim: Benjamin Moore Bavarian Cream. And the custom hand-painted screen is by Raymond Goins. For more, check out the house in Atlanta Home here!

Too blue, or not too blue

Ironically, this post was going to be about my break up with blue and white. I grew up in a blue and white house, ate off Blue Willow my whole childhood, even registered for everything blue and white some 16 years ago. We've all been served such a glut of this now totally cliché classic that I even steer clients away from it, imploring them to toss in some red, orange or apple green. But...

...going through old inspiration photos and cleaning out my garage this week, I'm like a girl trying to toss her wedding dress. There are just some things we will always hold dear as a part of ourselves. 

How gorgeous was this HB cover? I just remembered, I have 5 yards of an Italian blue and white outdoor stripe. Not to mention a garage full of blue and white vases. Anyone? Quick, I've been know to change my mind. 

Images: Mary MacDonald, House Beautiful

Blue and White Master Suite--Final Photos

It's been a while since I posted the inspiration boards for that master bedroom I was working on. The gorgeous House of Turquoise just published them straight from my portfolio this morning, and I realized I'd forgotten to share them with all of you. So here are some shots of the suite and the rest of the house. This was a looong project: lots of millwork, lighting, and furnishings. Hope you enjoy.

First, my inspiration board:

And here's the house:

Coming soon.... The cutest nursery I think I've ever seen.

Source: Alexandra Rae Interior Design

What I'm Working On: Blue and White Master Suite

Here's a peek at the master suite I'm working on. My client wants a soothing blue, spa-like space. Her own pair of coral silver prints served as inspiration for the motif and the color scheme. I thought we were on the same page, blues and whites with silver and crystal accents, until I mentioned layering in creams, textured natural fabric and golds to warm an otherwise dull and cold palette. While I personally don't care for mixing silver and gold on the body, I think it's a necessity in home decor. We dress every morning, but a home is supposed to feel layered and evolved over time. So far she's a bit resistant. So here's hoping my first mood board can help nudge her along. I know it's hard to see so tiny, so check out the photos below.

I'll use lots of antiqued mirror (hopefully framed in silvery gold). I love the idea of a little lucite end table in the sitting area. Any good resources?

Trims and fixtures with warm accents will give the room depth. Notice how the brass floor lamp mixes beautifully with sterling silver desk accessories.

My idea for the hallway leading to the master bath is mirrors inset in panel moulding. It will brighten the short dark hallway from the bedroom to the bath area. I especially love the warmth of the antique gold light fixtures, camel leather wing chair and the dark beige coral on the mantel.

For the bath area, I found this Thibaut paper which made me fall for coral motifs all over again. It is TDF in person. Aqua rice paper with hand blocked metallic coral in three shades of blue and silver. The silver picks up the veins of the carrera marble I'm using on the countertops.

While this photo doesn't necessarily reflect the style we're going after, it has the layered blue tones and gilded frames we'll use. I'll keep you all posted!  

See the final photos here!

Images: Elle Decor, Traditional Home, Southern Accents, Layla Grace, House Beautiful, Schumacher, Ankasa, Traditional Home, Traditional Home, Traditional Home, Thibaut, Tradtional Home, House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Thibaut, Traditional Home