I'm excited to begin showing you this home because it is a little outside of our comfort zone -- it's much more neutral than most of our work. Our clients bought this home and enlisted our help to put some of their own personality into some of the spaces. They have two young boys, the husband works from home, and they are a very active family. We wanted to make make the spaces very elevated, but still create a livable, comfortable home for them to grow into.
Photography by Public 311 Design
Entry
Our client really knew the look and feel she wanted for the home and the book Patina Farm by Brooke and Steve Giannetti served as our main inspiration. The home already had pretty traditional Spanish-style style, and she wanted to lean into that neutral, textural European influence. The flooring what staying in place and is a combo of medium-dark brown hardwood and a warm beige stone, so that palette led a lot of the design decisions.
The entry has the lighter stone flooring, so we chose a long, dark wood console that draws the eye out toward the formal living space, and ties in with the wood tones there. The legs of the console have a soft arch that mimics the archways between the rooms -- subtle details like that are important for adding interest into really neutral spaces. On top, I went with my favorite entry-styling formula and added a big gorgeous lamp, a cool mirror to bounce the light, and a few pottery pieces that can hold greenery. There is a wood bowl and several baskets for a drop zone, plus the console has three drawers for hiding other entry-way essentials. All of the walls are a creamy white so that the wood windows and doors really stand out and give that old-world vibe that our clients love.
The Living Room
The front living room is the home's first impression. This isn't the main family space and while it isn't formal per se, the fireplace has a really traditional silhouette so we chose elements that felt in line with that. We used warm and creamy fabrics and rich wood tones and then brought in color with greenery. The space is pretty large, so we flanked the fireplace with seating and then added two coffee tables in the center to fill in. The pair of teak coffee table definitely brings the wow factor, and adds a lot of movement and interest to the room -- it's one of our favorite products! We love the texture and different color tones running through it, no two are ever exactly the same but it's always a conversation piece. We hung pinch-pleated drapery for a little formal element and the black hardware draws the eye up to create a the feeling of slightly higher ceilings.
Accessorizing this home is all about the texture!
Dining Room
The dining room is two steps up from the living room, and it's wasn't originally in the scope of the project. In the end, we decided to make a few changes so that it would feel cohesive with the surroundings spaces, so we kept our client's wood table and slipcovered end chairs but added new side chairs with cane backs. We changed the light fixture to one that is really sophisticated but sleek, with pair of sconces that coordinate. The warm brass finish really pops against the neutral palette. The sideboard introduces a lighter wood tone to the room, and the new drapery recalls the panels in the living room, but is in a natural linen that frames the view to an outdoor entertaining space.
We'll be back later this month to show off the really stunning kitchen and family room, and I hope that we'll eventually be able to shoot the other spaces in the home that were put off because of supply chain issues.
I think we really nailed the California-meets-Old-World vibe, and it was fun to stretch our creativity to meet the desires of our clients. If you would like our assistance with an upcoming project of your own, please get in touch!