Category: Interior Design

Beverly Hills Modern

Today’s design inspiration comes from a completely renovated and reimagined 1970’s ranch house transformed into a 10,000 square-foot Beverly Hills Modern home to accommodate a fashionable young couple expanding their family. The residence is expertly redesigned into a luxury home with double-height public spaces, clerestory windows, fine finishes, and custom furnishings. Fresh, light-filled interiors are bespoke designed by acclaimed Los Angeles-based international interior designer Joan Behnke, with Harrison Design completing the home’s architecture.

Outside, to really create the Beverly Hills Modern style, the home’s facade is faced with stucco defining the main rectangular forms. Stacked, 24-inch-thick, natural-edged travertine defines the main vertical lines. The flat roof line, clad in zinc, emphasizes the horizontal planes. The front elevation includes bronze-framed windows and doors with an irregular, Mondrian-like grid design. The lawn’s design seamlessly integrates as part of the completed new look so that the structure appears to be of the site, versus just on the site. Every detail is very sculptural and defined.

“Creating architecture for our clients has never been about a particular style, it is about the best design and best building we can provide based on our clients’ wishes.” William H. Harrison

Once through the massive entry door into the home’s foyer, the stacked travertine continues on the walls, paired with limestone floors. The entrance hall opens to the living areas beyond flowing all the way through to the opposite outer side. Behnke custom designed the wood and bronze console, sconces, and the hammered brass chandelier.

The designer employed a monochromatic color palette throughout the house, keeping the look neutral with minimal use of pattern, using select colors for accent, such as the red used here in the living room. A cotton blend from Sahco through Bergamo forms the curtains. They suspend from the ceiling past the clerestory windows, designed specifically to allow light in, with bespoke designed, bronze chains by Behnke. The designer custom designed most of the furniture in the home, including the two-piece lacquer coffee table in the center here. Sina Pearson mohair covers the sofas. The pendent chandeliers are by John Pomp. A work by Calder hangs on the far wall.

A space for everything. In this little step down lounge area, the designer created little alcoves for displaying the couples growing collection of art and collectibles. She also designed built-in shelving and cabinetry throughout, executed by Silver Strand, and adorned with exquisite custom Pashupatina hardware.

The family room has a more intimate scale designed for casual situations. The space includes a large television, surrounded by plenty of shelves and cabinetry. Fabulous Loro Piana blue corduroy covers the upholstered sofa. The lighting is by Naomi Paul. The furnishings Behnke created all compliment the Beverly Hills modern style.

The home’s formal dining room is a modernist delight. Simple with un-ornamented, clean lines and shapes. Behnke bespoke designed the dining table and buffet. She also designed the bronze wall sconces. Customized Dana Johns chairs provide seating for ten. An abstraction painting by Larry Poons hangs over the buffet. The ceramic vessel on the table is by Pierre Bayle. The branching disc chandelier is by Lindsey Adelman.

The large, spacious kitchen includes a breakfast bar, and a separate dining table and chairs for informal family meals. White oak covers the floors while Antalya Crema marble forms the counter tops, backsplashes, and most of the center island.

Located right off of the foyer and living room is the glass front wine room which elevates the home’s entertaining to a new level. The temperature controlled space is of completely bespoke design and perfectly positioned for display.

The homes study/library features custom cabinetry and sophisticated design details.

The master bedroom suite continues the calm understated styling and bespoke design detailing used in the rest of the house. The Steplight bed is from the designer’s home collection. The bedroom opens to its own outdoor seating area. The master bathroom is a lesson in quiet luxury design and understated elegance. Fine finishes and very simply styled features fill the light and open space. The star design feature in here is the bronze fretwork that Behnke designed and had fabricated by a master metal-smith as a clever reference to the Beverly Hills Modern home’s 1970’s origins. The suite also includes large his and her closets and dressing areas.

The extensive renovation included much reconfiguration to provide for a greatly enhanced indoor-outdoor relationship. Raised Roofs let in light from above while still maintaining the homes modernist lines and planes. Multiple outdoor entertaining spaces lay just beyond the outer walls and doors of glass all along the homes backside, which opens wide to embrace the best of California’s indoor-outdoor living. Two-way fireplaces, patio televisions, and teak furnishings by James Perse comfortably complete these additional living spaces. Light and the laughter of a young family now fill the once dark, low-slung structure. The perfect completion for this Beverly Hills modern luxury home.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

To see another fabulous residence completed by this designer be sure to see:

Beverly Hills Deco Villa:Joan Behnke

Ambassador’s Mansion: Contemporary International

Beverly Hills Modern Luxury Home

***

Architecture: Harrison Design

Interior Design: Joan Behnke & Associates

Photography: Karyn Millet

Thanks so much for reading along with me today. I hope you enjoyed this Beverly Hills modern design renovation and transformation into a luxury home for a fashionable life. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments.

Have a wonderful day!

November 28, 2015
Modernist Inspired Lakefront Residence

For today’s design inspiration, we have a modernist inspired lakefront residence with crisp contemporary interiors. The residence, located on a wooded property on Chicago’s North Shore, features walls of floor-to-ceiling windows, a neutral and nature-based color palette, and clean contemporary furnishings.

The owners of this home were empty nesters looking to downsize and simplify their lives. They decided to sell their sprawling 1930s Colonial family home and build a smaller, smarter, and more streamlined home nearby. A scenic 90-foot-wide lot right on the waters of Lake Michigan with trees to flank the future home like sculpture proved a perfect site.

To create this new home for the next chapter of their lives, the couple enlisted Ernest A. Grunsfeld III of Evanston based Grunsfeld Shafer Architects, whose modern design inspired works they really liked and wanted for themselves. For the interiors, they enlisted Steve Kadlec of Chicago based Kadlec Architecture + Design. Kadlec specializes mainly in residential interiors and they admired his work, noted for its simple yet sophisticated design.

For their new lakefront residence, the couple did not want what had become the norm for lake homes of late, such as what they perceived to be, the grand statement-making exteriors and overly made-up interiors. On the contrary, they didn’t want a house that would attract excessive attention from the street at all and didn’t want huge rooms that they didn’t need and wouldn’t use. They wanted nothing fussy, over-sized, or too involved and that is exactly what they got.

Grunsfeld shaped the 5,000 square-foot home into a modified H configuration to give it the maximum amount of exterior wall space. The shape provides lakeside views from everywhere possible, which was the owner’s biggest request. The configuration also organizes the home into three zones: public spaces in the middle, mainly the living areas; private spaces to the north, including a study and master bedroom; utility spaces to the south, mainly the kitchen and garage. The architect topped the center of the H with a second level home gym and two guest bedrooms. This configuration allows the main living area, master suite, kitchen, gym, and a guest bedroom all to face the lake. These room’s walls of floor-to-ceiling glass, from the outside, create a fabulous two-story rear elevation.

The three photos above show the homes primary open living space which Kadlec quietly perfected while making the lake views the focal point. The room includes multiple seating zones arranged on area rugs. The dining area features a rift white oak table that seats sixteen normally and thirty when split and enlarged with leaves. White limestone floors flow here and throughout the entire ground floor and continue up to create the fireplace surrounds.

Kadlec granted the home owner’s request for sleek, contemporary interior pieces as well. Many of the items used throughout the home are his bespoke designs. The color palette inside draws from the same colors that you see in the views outside, further embracing and enhancing the homes natural surroundings.

In the master bedroom, Kadlec hid the huge walk-in closets behind cream-colored lacquered panels and had the bed custom created to float in front of the doors. There need be nothing to interrupt the peace and flow in the space. Bespoke designed custom furnishings create a calm low-profile sitting area.

Outside, Scott Byron of Lake Bluff-based Scott Byron Landscape architecture designed the lawns. In an eco-friendly move designed to conserve the bluff, Byron created wide ledges that terrace down to the lake. He employed clean, disciplined designs close to the home while maintaining the look of the natural surroundings further out.

This is, in all of its very refined simplicity, a Modernist inspired contemporary luxury lakefront residence. This is how the homeowners define luxury. Clean lines and open spaces, natural elements, beautiful views of the outdoors, sleek minimalist design fixtures, and custom-created, contemporary furnishings. It’s calm. It’s easy. I must agree. This is luxury for modern day life.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

For more residences with crisp, contemporary interiors, be sure to see:

Modern Deco Interior Design: Chicago

Modern LA Residence: Minimalist Interior Design

LAKEFRONT RESIDENCE DESIGN

Kadlec Architecture + Design is a collaborative studio bringing together inspired design and management skills with over 25 years of experience in the practice of residential architecture and interior design as well as corporate and retail design.

Founded in 2004 by Steve Kadlec, Kadlec Architecture + Design provides thoughtful problem solving and exceptional design to residential, specialty corporate, and retail projects. The firm believes that successful design synthesizes the clients’ functional and budgetary requirements within a solution that reflects their style and personality. The firm’s work is simple, classic, and sophisticated focusing on usable and functional spaces.

Architecture: Ernest A. Grunsfeld III with Grunsfeld Shafer Architects

Interior Design: Steve Kadlec with Kadlec Architecture + Design

photographer: Tony Soluri Photography

Luxe/Chicago/Smooth Moves

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed this lakefront residence’s contemporary interiors with its clean lines, open spaces, and nature-based neutral colors. It certainly looks to be an oasis of peace and calm, and really, is there much luxury greater than that? Be sure to let me hear from you in the comments.

Have a great day!

November 20, 2015
Bespoke Designed Interiors: Avenue Montaigne

Today’s design inspiration comes from a Paris apartment whose bespoke designed interiors are a contemporary interpretation of traditional French style. Located on the Avenue Montaigne, the heart of high fashion and luxury in the city, the residence has been completely redesigned to exacting standards using only the finest materials and finishes.

The 3,500 square-foot apartment serves as a second home for an international family who wanted unique, completely bespoke designed interiors. They requested glamorous interiors that live up to their location, drawing inspiration from French traditional design, but updated for a modern lifestyle with the best tech innovations. The residence was to be completely custom, with no regards for the potential cost or time required to complete. This project is every designer’s dream. The dream was realized by the London based, international interior design firm Louis Henri, who specializes in complete bespoke design.

The designer stripped the original structure down to its bones and rebuilt everything with a close eye on every detail. Everything from the furniture, to the lighting, the carpets, all the way to the door handles, was custom created to suit the space. All in French style, with a contemporary edge. The project took four years to complete and required input from all over the world. The designer made use of the very best of the local craftspeople. The results stand as a masterful rendition of Parisian elegance. The designer’s discerning approach means he only takes on complete projects where he can custom design every single element. With a Louis Henri design, you will have something completely and utterly unique.

The opening photo and the one above shows the homes entrance hall with its abundance of custom interior architecture detailing. Hand polished marble floors with inlaid designs pair with custom wall panels to ensure a stunning entrance. This space includes one of the homes more dramatic features. The peacock feather, stained glass panel serves as both a focal point and as a space divider. The designer spent over a year selecting the glass used.

“I want to create the period pieces of tomorrow” LH

The bespoke designed details continue in the drawing room from the floors to the gilded crown molding. The designer’s brother, a master cabinetmaker in South Africa, created most of the large furniture. Verre eglomise panels enhance the hand-carved walnut bookcases on either side of the fireplace.

The pattern of the silk rug repeats on other details including the wide trim along the fur throw. Louis lavished much detail on the upholstery and draperies creating couture worthy, luxury designs. The chairs have as many as five and six different fabrics on them. The caped sofas and the Linden desk are both variations from the designers made to order furniture collection. Gold leaf shellacked Pelican lamps stand at all four corners of the sofas. Double pocket doors, custom finished with designer details, close to make the space more intimate. The Louis XVI-style silk upholstered chairs by the fireplace are my favorite pieces in this room.

“In my interiors, I want you to feel you are entering a different and better world”. LH

The designer extended the color palette of blues and creams with silvers and golds here in the wood paneled formal dining room. The custom table with mirrored side panels groups with chairs upholstered with contrasting fabric on the fronts and backs. A custom lighting fixture, also with mirrored panels, reinforces the shape of the space from above, while a silk rug defines it below.

Located on the other side of the peacock glass feature in the entry hall is a smaller, more intimate dining space. Hand-painted silk wall-covering lines the walls. Breakfast chairs from the designer’s collection composed of varying fabrics gather around a Deco-style round table whose design reflects on the round rug below. The French Art Deco period, of course, strongly influences the design throughout the apartment.

Here we have the home’s media room. Note the balance and symmetry that flows throughout all of the rooms. Repeating designs keep the spaces cohesive. Leather bound, faux books on the shelves conceal the entertainment equipment while the silk upholstered walls conceal the sound system. Tailored curtains composed of several designer fabrics and trims frame those fabulous French doors which look out onto an inner courtyard. The outer trim along the main curtain panels repeats on the design of the custom silk rug’s outer trim. Louis Henri completed many of the paintings throughout the home himself. He’s good!

Very nicely proportioned spaces including four public reception rooms and four en-suite bedrooms complete the residence. The bedrooms all feature silk wall coverings and tailored curtains and bedding. The custom silk carpets continue in these private spaces, as does the bespoke designed furniture.

The bathrooms display exceptionally exquisite, sophisticated design detailing. Some of the bathrooms took over two months to install due to the intricate detailing, book-matching, and inlaying of the marble. The master bathroom (top photo) lays out as a perfectly symmetrical space with 13 foot-high ceilings. Specially designed edges around the vanity prevent water from getting on the leather-upholstered cabinet fronts beneath them. The hand-embroidered blind across the large central window displays Louis Henri’s trademark tree design.

Every detail was carefully drawn up, planned, and executed by the finest of craftspeople. All the way down to the door handles created in New York over an eight month period. You can see the layers of detailing on the draperies with double sided silk, hand-embroidered, appliqued, and beaded. All of the exquisite designs come together to complete this luxury home as a contemporary expression of the French design we know and love.

“I want my designs to put a smile on your face every time you see them” LH

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

To see more Deco-inspired, contemporary interiors, be sure to check out:

Beverly Hills Deco Villa: Joan Behnke

Art Deco on Park Avenue: Penny Drue Baird

BESPOKE DESIGNED PARIS INTERIORS

Louis Henri Bührmann is a discerning and established interior designer who has been working in London’s interior design industry for over 15 years. Eight years ago, he broke away to found one of the most exclusive and meticulous design practices operating in London today.

Louis finds inspiration in golden age French art deco designers such as Ruhlmann, and Arbus, Edwardian styling and cutting-edge modernism. His fastidious approach to craftsmanship means he only uses the finest possible materials and the highest craftsmanship. He focuses every effort on the smallest details.

Louis Henri Interiors is an exclusive design practice based in London and operating worldwide. The studio specializes in exceptional residential projects. They custom design every element using the finest craftsmanship and finishes. They pride themselves in lavishing every thought and effort into the smallest details. The studio encompasses interior design, interior architecture, a selection of bespoke limited edition furniture pieces and unique artwork.

Interior Design: Louis Henri Ltd

Photography: Richard Waite

Thanks so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed the bespoke interior design of this fine Parisian luxury residence. Let me hear from you in the comments. I hope you learned plenty and have been inspired.

Have a great day!

November 18, 2015
Southern Classic Mansion: Historic Charleston

Today’s design inspiration comes from a superbly renovated and well-preserved ornate Italian Renaissance-style Southern Classic mansion in Charleston, South Carolina. The residence, whose main house dates to the 1850s, is one of the city’s grandest and most impressive houses in the Italianate style of the mid-19th century and is included on the Charleston Registry of Historic Homes. The 9,700 square-foot, three and one-half story, seven-bedroom home is an elegant rendition of the regional-style Charleston single house. The home’s design departs from the traditional plan with the addition of a northside wing, which balances the piazza on the opposite side. The residence is locally known as the Patrick O’Donnell House, named after the Irish immigrant who built it.

Through the years, the various owners of the Southern Classic mansion have continually restored and enhanced the structure. They added plenty of modern luxury design amenities as well. The property has benefited from the addition of a separate guesthouse, which added 1,100 square feet, a three-car, climate-controlled garage, and a heated pool. The extensive renovation, restoration, and enhancement efforts have elevated this home to one of the finest in the city.

The current owners initially purchased the Southern Classic mansion to serve as a vacation home. A few years later, they found themselves spending more and more time at the property and so decided that it needed to be a bit more personal. It needed to function more like their primary residences, and less trophy pied-a-terre. Of course, they wanted to maintain all the period classical design details for which they purchased the home. They wanted to keep everything as historically correct as possible, without feeling stuffy. The desire was to create a sense of history, personal history as though the family had lived there for generations and pieces had been gradually added along the way to the present day. It needed to be in the style that O’Donnell envisioned, only adjusted for their modern life

To fine-tune the home’s interiors, the owners called on their trusted designer with whom they already collaborated on over a dozen projects, Susanne Lichten Csongor, the principal of the Massachusetts firm SLC Interiors. The designer was to complete the house with a design that could equally exist today and years ago. They had complete confidence in her, and she has brilliantly created for them what they most wanted of their historic mansion, a charming and inviting home that can be shared with family and friends.

The interior architecture includes layers of design details that have been painstakingly restored and cared for over the years. This latest interior design makes them the prize of the palace with everything else meant to complement and emphasize them, rather than compete. The home includes a double parlor located off the entrance hall where the details really shine; lavish crown moldings, stacked cornices, ceiling friezes, marble fireplaces, and baseboards. Here and throughout, the designer used a mostly neutral color palette to temper the grandeur of the interior architecture and a mix of period art and antiques along with some more classic contemporary pieces for a perfect balance.

In the front parlor, gathered on an antique carpet, the designer placed a custom scroll-arm sofa with a Rose Tarlow coffee table and a pair of Nancy Corzine chairs. To balance the fireplace on the opposite wall, she selected a fine Empire-style chest and placed an 18th-century portrait painting above both.

This view shows through to the rear parlor. The chandeliers in both rooms came with the house and so remained. The furnishings gather on another fabulous antique rug. A daybed upholstered in a Clarence House silk anchors the back with a mid-19th century Continental Neoclassical console behind it and a coffee table from Nancy Corzine before it. A pair of custom lounge chairs complete the arrangement.

The formal dining room was allowed a bit more drama as dining rooms often are. For this room, the designer had a custom wallcovering created depicting life in Charleston at the time the home was originally built. She orchestrated the ideas and handed them over to the artist at Gracie studio along with the elevations and the scenes were hand-painted onto the wallcoverings. The custom Regency dining table pairs with chairs from Nancy Corzine. A fabulous Napoleon III gilded mirror from East & Orient Company in Dallas hangs over the marble fireplace. The crystal chandelier came with the home. The owners frequently host elegant dinners for ten when in town.

The brick chef’s kitchen includes custom cabinetry and an island topped with locally sourced marble, along with a pressed tin ceiling. The appliances are commercial grade. The framed harbor scene Passage des Detroits, is from Gracie, while the leather-covered bar stools are from Minton-Spidell.

Powder rooms should always be this way! Grand and theatrical. This is my favorite room in the home. Being from the South originally myself, and loving southern classic style, this entire home speaks to me, but this powder room is everything! The wallcovering in here is from Cowtan & Tout. The Verde marble top vanity includes a hand-painted under-mount sink complete with gold-plated swan faucets by P.E. Guerin. A 19th century English portrait reflects in the giltwood Louis XVI mirror flanked by a pair of French gilt-bronze sconces.

Here in the billiards room, the traditional design styling continues. The pair of tufted leather wing chairs are circa 1930. The room is very English. Very handsome.

The wood-paneled walls, gilded framed portrait, and that exquisite fireplace screen create an old-world sophisticated atmosphere in the Southern Classic mansion library.

The designer used a natural Merida Agave runner on the stairs to allow the magnificent architecture to shine, including the turned and fluted balusters, a coffin corner niche, and the spiraling moldings overhead, while also keeping it all grounded. In addition to the grand staircase, there is also an antique elevator that leads up to all floors.

The master bedroom suite is actually quite timeless for a Southern Classic mansion. This all feels so familiar to me, with exception of the master bathroom. I love the mirrors suspended in front of the windows with the crystal chandeliers suspended above each of them. Linens from Sferra dress the bed, a reproduction of an early 1800s sea captain’s bed. Antique fabrics form the accent pillows. The sitting area includes a Regency style mahogany Recamier- circa 1825-35, a 19th-century Continental sewing table, and an 18th-century portrait.

Today the home’s multiple bedrooms frequently fill with guests who travel down with the owners to enjoy all the city has to offer, and for a good dose of Southern charm.

The deep porches shield the interiors from the sun and are a classic design feature in Southern architecture. You can also see the home’s carriage house there.

This is a view of the piazza side of the southern classic mansion from the front. Each level has a different entablature on fluted Doric Columns. The wide verandas open all three floors to the outdoors. There is also a rooftop deck. The exterior of the residential architecture includes vermiculated quoins and an elaborate cornice with both dentils and modillions.

Designer Susanne Lichten Csongor and her team at SLC Interiors have wonderfully executed the desires of the homeowners. The completed design perfectly respects and enhances the home’s period details while also making the home warm and welcoming and adapted to modern life.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

To see another gracious Southern mansion, be sure to see:

French Chateau in Texas: Kara Childress

Contemporary Traditional Design: Southern Mansion

SOUTHERN CLASSIC MANSION DESIGN

Susanne Lichten Csongor, founder of SLC Interiors, Inc. has over twenty years of extensive experience in high-end residential design with offices in Boston and Hamilton, Massachusetts. Whether you are renovating a turn of the century equestrian estate or building new construction on Nantucket, they have the decades of experience, the studied taste, and the exclusive sources to turn your house into your dream home. The firm’s residential practice includes a private family compound in Nantucket featuring a spa, tennis, and an equestrian facility, residences at The Setai Hotel overlooking Miami Beach, and a Pied a Terre overlooking Boston’s Public Garden.

The company includes a retail store, Blue Peacock Home, in South Hamilton, MA. Susanne searched the world for designers, artisans, and manufacturers who could produce the exquisite quality and eye-catching designs she and her clients demanded, but at pleasing prices. You can shop online or visit the showroom.

Interior design: SLC Interiors-Massachusetts

photography: Durston Saylor

Traditional Home

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed today’s Southern Classic Mansion. There is no shortage of interior design lessons and inspiration here for fans of traditional design. Let me hear from you in the comments.

Have a great day!

November 9, 2015
Sao Paulo Artist’s Apartment Reinvention

Today’s design inspiration comes from an artist’s apartment reinvention in the upscale residential neighborhood of Pacaembu in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The residence is reinvented with a fresh, contemporary design by one of Brazil’s most prominent interior architecture and design talents Diego Revollo. The designer clarified the space and rendered it a functional gallery for the displaying of a growing collection of artworks alongside works by the owner.

The project called for the editing and refinement of the formal public spaces. The residence was beginning to feel a little dated for it possessed some features rendering it a bit heavy, such as excess plaster details, moldings, and columns. The renovation included the removal of much of the superficial applications and opening the spaces for a cleaner shell. Some of the apartments original features were preserved, such as the wide trim and high baseboards which maintain the apartment’s air of magnificence. The effortless combining of classic and modern design for results that are timeless and livable is a signature for the designer, and well demonstrated here.

The living room is the home’s main showplace where most of the art displays. The mahogany floors are original to the apartment and were preserved beautifully with a finish highlighting the natural grain. White lacquer finishes the walls with a gallery effect with a back feature wall finished in black to create visual contrast. The furnishings gather on a Tibetan carpet and the windows drape with silk from Emporium Beraldin.

EFFORTLESS COMBINING OF CLASSIC AND MODERN DESIGN

On either side of the fireplace, wooden shelves filled with interesting books and decorative objects display personality. A work by the artist Amilcar de Castro displays above the fireplace. The black chair is from the owner’s original collection, now ebonized and reupholstered with a damask fabric.

A signed piece by artist Luiz Paulo Baravelli hangs over the sofa. On the left, framed geometric images adorn the wall.

A white sofa from Sofa Flexform- Montenapoleone gathers with a cream sofa by Le Corbusier. The neutral colors allow the art to shine.

Diego Revollo designed the glass table in the center of the room, executed by Glass Art. It holds a sculpture by Ascanio Maria Martins Monteiro, along with multiple art books and collectibles which make the room more personal and inviting, and allows the artist to express his interest.

The white swivel chair is by Casa Firma.

All the public rooms arrange around a central open space which remains mostly unfurnished. It’s perfect for gathering a crowd when entertaining. The open area provides passage into the wide entrances of the more formal rooms around it. Diego restored the original mahogany floors in this area and finished the walls with white lacquer. A re-purposed antique wooden dresser from the owner’s original contents now serves as a bar. The designer refinished the piece with black lacquer and completed it with a black marble top. A vignette of assorted art, personal items, and barware gather on the surface. A sculpture created by the homeowner stands to the right of the bar.

DESIGNED FOR ENTERTAINING WITH STYLE

The designer created a lounge from a portion of the home’s spacious outdoor terrace. White marble on the floors pair with walls finished in white lacquer to create a sleek finish. Simple white solar shades cover the windows. Diego took great care not to interrupt the natural light that flows through the space into the apartment. Four custom created settees with an aged silver finish and linen upholstery, gather around a grouping of stainless steel tables by REIA. Missoni fabrics make up the cushions.

The original marble floors in the formal dining room remain, after a little polishing. This is my favorite room. Large pocket doors can close the space when desired. A re-purposed antique desk from the owner’s original collection with a glass top form the dining table. Refinished and reupholstered antique Jansen dining chairs gather around. A pair of candelabra stand on a simple marble sideboard the designer placed in front of the windows. A collection of Fornasetti plates adorns the wall. An antique Empire-style Baccarat chandelier, which the designer restored with minor modifications, sparkles over the room.

The designer’s apartment reinvention created a home-office/television room with this final public space of the artist’s apartment. He removed a corridor wall to open and enlarge the space. Diego finished the walls with white lacquer and covered the floors in marble. A custom sofa of bespoke design created by Micasa positions on an angle in the room, along with a black armchair by Casa Firma forming the seating area on the Tibetan carpet. A desk arranges in the angular space behind the sofa, making the room multi-purpose.

That concludes our design inspiration, my friend.

To see another great home completed by Diego Revollo be sure to see:

Brazilian Fashion Stylist Apartment: Diego Revollo

DIEGO REVOLLO’S APARTMENT REINVENTION

Diego Revollo is one of Brazil’s most prominent interior architects/designers with offices based in Sao Paulo. The award-winning designer works mainly in Brazil but also has numerous projects internationally. He is well known for his effortless combining of classic with contemporary design for interiors that are both timeless and livable.

Interior Architecture & Design: Diego Revollo

Photography provided by Diego Revollo Arquitetura

Thank you so much for reading along with me today! I hope you enjoyed today’s Sao Paulo Artist’s Apartment Reinvention. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments.

Have a great day!

October 26, 2015
Ambassador’s Mansion: Contemporary International

Today’s design inspiration comes from a diplomatic ambassador’s mansion overlooking the Potomac River in McLean, Virginia. The 20,000 square-foot wooded, hillside residence underwent a comprehensive renovation which included the altering and customization of nearly every floor, wall, and ceiling within. The personalized, art-filled contemporary home brilliantly mixes elegant internationalism with comfort.

Built into the hill and organized over four floors, the home serves for both private casual family living, as well as for public entertaining on a grand scale with separate spaces dedicated for each. Throughout, the mood is light with an open and airy flow and a warm, neutral color palette. The extraordinary level of customization and the quite sophisticated design details are where the ambassador’s mansion shines.

The renovation centered around the transformation of the interiors. The interior design primarily informed the resulting architecture. Los Angeles-based interior designer Joan Behnke came in to realize the owner’s vision with her signature level of understated elegance. David Cooper, principal of ACG Architects in McLean completed the architectural work, with BOWA, a McLean area contractor organizing and facilitating the project.

The opening photo shows the entrance foyer with its barrel ceiling and custom-finished walls. The entrance hall includes a Eurofase chandelier with cascading glass bubbles, along with an eclectic mix of art and custom furnishings.

AMBASSADORS MANSION RENOVATION

In the living room, four Ingo Maurer pendant light installations inject a contemporary feel in an otherwise traditional room. Behnke assembled a collection of furnishings, objects, and art that reflects the Ambassador’s youth, sophistication, and worldliness. The design’s mostly neutral palette of golds, creams, and coppers complement the dark, cerused oak floors. The furnishings gather on a rug by Tai Ping, here and in the adjoining room below.

Custom furnishings with clean lines are both contemporary and comfortable. Behnke designed and placed these throughout the public and private spaces. A pair of Pendant lights by Satori Light Sculptures illuminate the room. All the lighting fixtures throughout the home display a sculptural quality and function like jewelry. Each of the rooms designed for public entertaining has its own character yet flows together seamlessly.

The ambassador uses this stately dining room to host formal dinners. Behnke upholstered the walls with luxurious Alpaca wool from Peru. The cabinets feature a washi paper hand-made in Japan inserted into the face and lighted from behind.

A custom table and chairs furnish the formal breakfast room included in the renovation. In every case available, the architect created floor-to-ceiling windows as well as lift and slide doors with the ability to slide and stack to the side to take advantage of the natural views and open the interiors fully to the outdoors.

The media room includes a 108-inch television within a custom millwork surround, finished with eight coats of enamel. The designer furnished the room with a custom sofa and ottomans along with a sculptural iron table by Philip Norman. I love the trio of pendant lights of various styles.

The adjacent billiards room features a custom two-ton aquarium within a lacquered millwork surround echoed in the media room. A crane hoisted the tank over the house and lowered it in through the side. It is supported by a structural beam and maintained by equipment housed below in a separate 10-by-20-foot room. The colorful tank mirrors the habitat of a saltwater reef with lights that simulate sunrise, daylight, and sundown. The room also features a pool table custom created in Spain.

The home has a service kitchen for entertaining and catering purposes equipped with multiple stainless refrigerators, dishwashers, and cooking appliances as well as ample preparation space.

The ambassador also has a private kitchen located off the media room designed for casual meals and hanging out with personal friends. This kitchen features Caesarstone countertops and a custom eat-in dining bar.

The home office occupies the entire top level of the residence. It features a barrel ceiling and walnut built-ins polished to a furniture-grade finish. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows and doors frame a perfect view of the Potomac.

The master bedroom is a haven of calm with access to the outdoor terrace. Behnke furnished the room with contemporary furnishings with clean lines and simplicity of form, custom-created to meet the owner’s taste and needs. Custom and bespoke designed furniture require more time and effort, but it is worth it to get what you want. Don’t you agree?

The master bathroom is the contribution of the second interior designer involved with the project, Tony Chi & Associates. It features Italian glass mosaic tile floors, limestone walls, and shagreen-covered vanities imported from France. Custom Verre eglomise designs in platinum leaf enhance the glass walls along the center leading to a sculptural limestone tub from Mexico. An open shower with both rain and waterfall fixtures connects to a traditional Hinoki wood Asian sauna. The designer took his design inspiration from the many luxury hotels that the ambassador has stayed around the world.

The owner frequently entertains his friends down on the lower level in the pool cabana space which opens to the pool and outdoor entertaining areas. The cabana includes a charming and relaxed lounge and dining area as well as a cloistered wine storage and tasting room.

A new glass balustrade system from Scandinavia envelopes the expanded pool terrace. A new wet-edge pool with three successive infinity edges and eight laminar jets shooting water across the surface replaced a standard version. The outdoor entertaining areas include an alfresco kitchen with a dining area and a fire pit with a seating area. The terrace appears suspended in the air along the treetops. It is a favored gathering place for visiting friends. The ambassador accommodates his guests in a self-contained, fully functional guest house.

The ambassador’s mansion exudes a delightful mix of contemporary international flavor. Most of the transformation was able to be completed in less than a year with the work occurring in three phases. In addition to the architect, contractor, and two interior designers noted, there were also subcontractors, craftspeople from all over Europe and the United States, art consultants, lighting consultants, civil and electrical engineers, and on and on. This completed home renovation is the product of well-executed collaborative design involving a team of professionals at the very top of their fields.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

For more design inspiration from the principal interior designer involved with this project, be sure to see:

Beverly Hills Deco Villa: Joan Behnke

Beverly Hills Modern

AMBASSADOR’S MANSION ON THE POTOMAC

Architecture: ACG Architects

Contractor: BOWA

Principle Interior Design: Joan Behnke

additional Interior Design: Toni Chi & Associates

photography: James Tetro Photography

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed this mansion renovation and found it educational and inspiring. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments.

Have a great day!

October 23, 2015
Modern Classic Design: Golden Mile

Today’s design inspiration comes from a brilliantly renovated 4,000 square-foot historical apartment in Montreal reconfigured for modern luxury living. The residence is within one of the rare remaining structures erected during the cities gilded age in its glittering Golden Square Mile. The modern classic design created here perfectly recaptures the glorious past through restoration and renders it for today through innovation.

The stunning Neoclassical architectural details that defined many of the palatial homes in this once noble area live on here. The old is new again, architecturally speaking at least. The splendor of the Golden Square Mile, whose mansions were built from the mid-nineteenth century until the ending of the 1930s will never be the same. In those days, the Gentry, business titans, bankers, and both the old and newer fortunes resided here. All these holders of significantly concentrated wealth competed to outshine one another which produced grand aesthetic achievements. Some of the greatest moments in design history occurred at such times, think Versailles. The residents dazzled with their audacious ornate residences and decadent living.

In time, changing attitudes swept away the glory. New business models, the war, and the introduction of the income tax broke the hold. The biggest call for the end of the golden mile excesses was the widening social and income inequality gap which reached its natural tipping point as it always has through history, again- think Versailles. By the 1980s, less than 30% of the magnificent mansions remained, and only a small fraction was held by private owners. The neighborhood around is predominantly commercial now with only the occasional reminder. Our residence today happens to be one such reminder.

MODERN CLASSIC DESIGN INSPIRATION

Completed by Interior Designers Jay Britto and David Charette of Britto Charette, with offices in Miami and New York. The designers created a luxury home that embraces the best from the old while infusing the best of contemporary design for a home suitable for its sophisticated and worldly new owner. Careful preservation closely guided every decision. From this exacting labor of love, a beautiful Golden Mile restoration emerged. The completed re-design includes the addition of a formal master suite, a rebuilt foyer, a sweeping staircase, and a sleek new kitchen, to complement the beautiful living spaces. Britto Charette also infused practicality by adding heated walls and floors throughout to ward off the frigid Canadian winter temperatures.

The designers created a luxury home that embraces the best from the old while infusing the best of contemporary design.

In the living room, luxurious Macassar ebony with carved silver detailing forms the bar, humidor, and sleek coffee table. These special pieces were handcrafted in Paris by designer Patrick Baguech. The fabulous graphic rug is by Kyle Bunting. Great lengths were taken to select the perfect marble to go over the fireplace which serves as art itself. The handsome herringbone floors are original to the apartment, as is the molding. When the originals couldn’t be saved, the design duo enlisted a plaster specialist to carefully recast the originals ensuring authenticity.

Julian Opie’s Maria 2 presides over the chess game area located at the rear of the living room. Very elegant indeed! Many of the elegant pieces throughout display a strong Art Deco design inspiration.

The dining room features a brilliant work by Paul Beliveau. A custom dining table from Europe pairs with chairs accented with Missoni upholstery by Reagan Hayes on a custom silk rug. The elaborate plasterwork features stunningly throughout the home.

I love the bright white, the articulated architecture, the beautiful floors, and the french doors which I envision as inspiration – I can’t get enough. In addition to that, there is a story that we can learn that is so relevant today. Plus, I am thrilled that the designers preserved the stunning Neoclassical architectural details. The modern classic renovation didn’t sacrifice any of the home’s grand proportions and maintained the hierarchy of the rooms.

The sleek new eat-in kitchen features glossy black and white cabinets and a lacquered Poggenpohl system. The stainless steel and marble countertops have stone slab backsplash. Stainless steel designer appliances including a glass front wine refrigerator add sophistication. Carrara select marble floors and a mirrored ceiling complete the kitchen with ultimate style.

Christopher Hyland fabric upholsters the bespoke designed curved banquette that defines the breakfast area. The designers raised the banquette so that the radiant heat could flow with ease. As with most homes, this area receives the most activity.

The comfortable enclosed family room also serves as a library with silk upholstered walls, built-in shelves, and bespoke designed furnishings.

No modern classic designed luxury home would be complete without a room for watching television.

Versace’s New York showroom inspired the brilliant chevron marble design surrounded by the mosaic spray on the flooring in the foyer and upper landing. The landing features a glimmering sculpture of a Hermes Bag by Jonathan Seliger, along with Russell Young’s Marilyn Crying, which gives the space a very luxe contemporary vibe.

In the master bedroom suite, Macassar and ebony millwork form the bespoke designed bed structure, giving the room a refined air. At the foot of the bed, a chest holds the pop-up television. A visit to the Tom Ford boutique in Las Vegas served as inspiration for this bedroom.

The master bathroom features Calacatta gold marble on the walls and countertop and includes a free-standing soaking tub. The designers included lots of hidden luxuries throughout the property such as the television hidden within the mirror here. It’s so perfect to have classic-inspired formal rooms and sleek contemporary kitchen and bathrooms. Britto Charette is on point!

One of the bedrooms features silver-leafed walls by de Gournay, painted over in gouache.

The home now has room for noise and play, for watching television and for entertaining, for conversation and for contemplation. A Modern Classic designed home lived in with love in the heart of the Golden Mile.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

For more fabulous homes by these designers, be sure to see:

Firethorn: Contemporary Mountain Retreat

Marquand: Refined Contemporary Design

Seaside Contemporary Residence: Regalia

BRITTO CHARETTE’S MODERN CLASSIC DESIGN

Britto Charette Interior Design reflects the modern tastes and design demands of today’s discerning global clients. Their bilingual and well-traveled team brings the best in global design innovations to their discerning clients. These include luxurious finishes, cutting-edge trends in color and patterns, and trusted building materials. Offices in Miami and New York City allow them to help clients around the world plan and develop luxurious interiors.

Interior Design: Britto Charette

Photography by David Giral

Thank you so much for reading along with me today. I hope you enjoyed this wonderful home restoration by these talented designers! Let me hear your thoughts in the comments!

Have a wonderful day!

***UPDATE***

Britto Charette is expanding! The design firm unveiled a new room at Casa Cor in Lima, Peru! Great festivities accompanied the reveal after months of planning, designing, and building the incredible dining room for Casa Cor. From October 1st through November 8th, BRITTO CHARETTE celebrated the unveiling of their spectacular dining room. The new room features an all-Peruvian cast of artists and manufacturers. For more info: Britto Charette Casa Cor Lima

October 11, 2015
Modern LA Residence: Minimalist Interior Design

For our design inspiration today, we have a modern Los Angeles residence perched in the Hollywood Hills with sweeping canyon views and minimalist interior design. All white and bathed in natural light, the home features open spaces and floor to ceiling windows and doors that create a strong connection with the outdoors. A strip of stainless-steel wraps around the house, crowning the walls of glass that allow views into nearly every room.

What started out as a renovation, ultimately became a complete reconfiguration and expansion designed to meet the needs of a sophisticated young couple with a child and a growing art collection. Architect Hagy Belzberg, in collaboration with interior designer Ryan Jackson, created for the couple a home that elegantly mixes work with play. The minimalist interior design acts as a deferential backdrop to the life and surroundings of the home. The sublimely edited interiors provide constant visual and physical access to the outdoors.

One enters the property through a gate into the front garden. The visually impressive garden, though designed to be relatively low maintenance, provides the perfect prelude to what’s inside the house. The expertly planned lawn consists of walkways surrounded by rocks, palm trees and narrow pools of water leading up to the glass front door.

The architect added a glass two-story wing on either end of the original single-story structure. The central space now holds the home’s common living rooms. The front facade’s floor-to-ceiling windows look through to the 55-foot expanse of glass doors across the back. A wall in the front foyer, used to display the owner’s art collection, provides the only exception. This isn’t a house for everyone, but it is the perfect home for the owners who stated that they wanted to create a mini-museum. An outer wall at ground level surrounds the property, so privacy isn’t altogether abandoned.

The open kitchen, dining, and living areas seamlessly integrate on a single plane. White-and-gray terrazzo flooring and white walls with just a touch of gray added to soften the effect on the eyes, define the entire expanse. To create a brighter effect in areas, gleaming slabs of Nano glass cover the walls, which gives the clearest, clean form of white.

Jackson continued the gray tones in the contemporary furnishings, including clean-lined upholstered pieces, many of his design, and silk rugs. He incorporated wood pieces with raw edges to add a bit of warmth and texture. There are no inessential items, and the home is purposely void of interior decorating. The only thing “displayed” is the owner’s collection of modern art.

The kitchen and breakfast area include lacquered cabinetry, white Caesarstone counter-tops, and stainless designer appliances. Black oak counter stools with upholstered leather seats offer visual contrast. Note the skylight above and throughout the rooms.

Belzberg designed the house very much for indoor-outdoor living. Across the back, multi-track, bronze-framed glass doors slide away, removing any barrier between the interior spaces and the back courtyard and pool area.

In the east wing, the master bedroom looks out onto the pool area and the lush hillside, while an adjacent room size closet looks out onto the enclosed garden. The west wing holds the guest bedrooms and bathrooms to ensure privacy. The upper floor of each wing holds private workspaces. His office in one wing, and her art studio in the other, both feature floor-to-ceiling windows for unframed views of the hillside. A small home theater is the only enclosed, cocooned place in the home.

The master bedroom suite includes a sitting area and a large master bath. Jackson designed the platform bed and upholstered it with leather and waxed linen and placed a pop-up television at the end. Halila stone forms the bathroom’s interior walls, flooring, and sunken tub. A rift-cut walnut vanity provides warmth. The entire space opens to connect with the outdoors.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

To see another modern home by this architect, be sure to see:

California Modern Design: Sunset Strip

MINIMALIST INTERIOR DESIGN

Belzberg Architects is an architecture and interior design firm located in the City of Santa Monica, California founded by Hagy Belzberg in 1997.

Belzberg Architects has fostered a reputation for creating beautiful and functional architecture and interiors by exploring unconventional methodologies. Their design approach is holistic; while they nurture a collective curiosity and dissect critical issues, their solutions consider the realities of construction. This ethos has resulted in a diverse portfolio of award-winning, built work. The firm’s portfolio is not defined by typologies, scale, or geography, but rather they are driven by a desire to explore the design potential of a given project. Their clients include large institutions, commercial businesses, consortia, and private individuals, and the diversity of their collaborators continues to grow.

Studio Jackson Inc, a Los Angeles based full-service interior design consultancy provides their client’s design related services from concepting their custom designed project to placing the perfect accent piece. Studio Jackson is led by principal designer Ryan Gordon Jackson, who brings to his projects a passion for the designed environment.

Architect: Hagy Belzberg – Belzberg Architecture

Interior Design: Ryan Gordan Jackson – Studio Jackson

photography: Taiyo Watanabe

Luxe Interiors

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed this LA home and its minimalist interior design.

Have a great day!

October 5, 2015
Contemporary Desert Retreat

For our design inspiration today, we have a contemporary desert retreat. This Southwestern home, located in Scottsdale Arizona, beautifully merges the indoors with the outdoors creating a perfect get-away. The residence’s design fully embraces the concept of indoor-outdoor living. It not only brings elements from the outside in, but also extends the indoors out with an extensive series of outdoor living areas.

The owners, a couple from the Midwest, visited the area frequently and loved the beauty of the Sonoran Desert and the peace it provides. They decided to create a permanent place here. The couple wanted to build a vacation home for themselves and their four grown children so they could come and enjoy anytime they wished. More than just a vacation home, they desired a place where they could escape the hectic pace of their lives. This luxury contemporary desert retreat, showcasing natural materials, allows them to connect with and enjoy the beauty and peace of the surroundings.

Noted local architect Bing Hu designed the 7,500 square-foot residence. The home sits high on a hill over-looking the 18^th hole of a golf course with stunning views of the nearby mountains. Stacked stone forms the exterior, a nod to the region’s Indigenous heritage who built their dwellings with it, complete with a copper roof. To perfect the interiors and give the home a sophisticated, contemporary finish incorporating the area’s natural elements, the couple enlisted local interior designer Janet Brooks.

The opening photo shows the homes dramatic foyer. The rounded space echoes the overall circularity of the home and features a unique floor design consisting of a black granite surround and textured glass center under-lit with LED lighting. Special radiused niches in the dark stained, rift-cut oak-paneled walls, here and throughout, display pieces of the owner’s collection of art glass.

Beyond the foyer, the space opens wide to the vast open living area. The glass doors all along the outer walls stack to the side fully opening the space and connecting it with the outdoors. The custom curved sofa anchors the living room, backed with a granite-topped console which mirrors its shape. A custom display, lit from below to show the glass collection, punctuates the end of the console. The owners collect colorful art glass, so the designer used various well-lit pieces to function as visual focal points. African mahogany and Macassar ebony with a frosted glass top form the cocktail table. The side table is also mahogany. The designer created bespoke furnishings in muted, earthy shades, designed just for their place here, to fill the home. The polished granite fireplace surround conceals a pop-up television that lifts when in use. The limestone flooring continues from the foyer extending all the way outside onto the patios. The stacked-stone walls of the exterior facade continue inside here and throughout.

For the dining area, custom granite and fossil-topped dining tables stand on casters. They pull apart for intimate meals or push together for larger gatherings. The tables gather with plump, leather upholstered chairs by Dakota Jackson.

The sleek, contemporary kitchen features custom dark-stained oak cabinets with glass panel inserts, paired with charcoal granite counter-tops. The backsplash provides visual interest with its colors reflecting those around it while its glass components add a little sparkle. The ceilings have been given a special treatment here as well. The stainless cooking appliances are Wolf with refrigeration by Sub-zero. The bar stools are by Berman Rosetti.

The master bedroom is a dreamy sanctuary. The bed tucks into a private cove. Dark oak cabinetry surrounds the leather headboard which continues over the bed creating a solid canopy. The chest at the foot of the bed holds the pop-up television. The room’s warm tones and rich woods make it solid and reassuring. The addition of silk, velvet, and fur make it inviting and luxurious. That shade of blue makes it perfect for me. The area rug reflects all the colors in the room with its smart geometric pattern. The chairs deep seats add to the cocooning effect.

It is perfectly cozy right? Stacked stone continues in here for the fireplace wall with that huge fire blazing in it. Do not worry though, its gas logs. The corner of the room opens fully in both directions with pocket doors. The bedroom merges with the pool and patio area flooding the space with natural light. This is my favorite room in this Contemporary desert retreat.

The master bath really boasts a spa like feel. The oak cabinetry framing the bed continues in here around the granite topped vanities. Separate vanities and dressing rooms on either side of the central bath area give both partners their own space. This, in my opinion, plays a big role in a happy marriage. A stone soaking tub stands in front of the large, glass enclosed, walk-through shower. Edge-set River rock lines the back wall and creates the heated design feature on the floor reflecting the skylight above. The room opens to an outdoor shower area, also accessible from the pool.

The second floor holds the office which includes a private deck overlooking the 18th hole. The desk and credenza are by Dakota Jackson. Black Venetian plaster finishes the walls. Leather tiles cover the ceiling. Paintings by Max Hammond provide color.

And finally, we have the outdoor area. The relaxed ambiance continues outside. An intimate alfresco kitchen sports a two-way fireplace and cozy seating area. Multiple sitting areas arrange out here, some covered and some not. The large serpentine-shape pool features both zero and negative edges, plus a beach entry and a spa. In the center of the pool stands a raised island accessible from the patio by a series of elevated stepping-stones rising above the water. It holds a miniature cactus garden on one side and an agave-shape fire feature on the other.

The effect created is exactly what was hoped for. The transition from inside to outside is a very easy one making it all feel like a great open space. The completed contemporary desert retreat now serves as a dream destination for the whole family to enjoy. Warm and welcoming and truly as one with the spectacular natural vistas that surround it.

“Passionate, detail-oriented design. We’re about luxury living.” JB

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

For more vacation homes that merge the indoors with outdoors, be sure to see:

Firethorn: Contemporary Mountain Retreat

Contemporary Mountain Retreat

ARIZONA CONTEMPORARY DESERT RETREAT

The Janet Brooks Design team is passionate, organized, and diligent about the interior design process, specializing in the creation of very personal luxury homes in exclusive locations. The interior design team knows that your time and your budget are of utmost importance, and their process is geared to enhance the successful execution of your project within your parameters.

Janet Brooks Design appeals to a clientele that is sophisticated, discerning and has high expectations. They draw inspiration from you, the way you live your life, and the architectural detailing of your home to create spaces that are never duplicated.

Architecture: Bing Hu @ handsinternational.com

Interior Design: Janet Brooks Design

Photography: Mark Boisclair

Phoenix Home & Garden

Thank you so much for reading along with me today. I hope you enjoyed today’s Contemporary desert retreat. The clean lines, nature-based design elements, and bespoke design details of this luxury home serve as wonderful inspiration. Let me hear from you in the comments!

Have a wonderful day!

October 2, 2015
Jamie Drake’s Apartment: West Chelsea

Jamie Drake is one of the brightest lights in the world of interior design today. The New York-based superstar designer believes that the best décor expresses personality and place. He has created some of the country’s most glamorous interiors and has garnered the industry’s highest accolades. With his fresh, inventive style and his attention to detail, the designer creates luxurious interiors that are inviting and livable. For our design inspiration today, we look to Jamie Drake’s apartment in West Chelsea of New York.

Since launching his firm, Drake Design Associates in 1978, he has completed interiors for an impressive roster of high-profile individuals. Notable clients include the iconic Queen of Pop- Madonna, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Drake designs a range of products for some of the world’s most renowned manufacturers including home furniture, fabrics, rugs, faucets, and fixtures. His latest move saw him forming Drake/Anderson, a successful partnership with Caleb Anderson.

Today we tour his personal 3,000-square-foot Manhattan apartment. The two-bedroom corner unit, with a large open living space, perfectly suits the designer. Located within an unprecedented, stainless steel residential tower, it represents the best in downtown chic. Designed by Selldorf Architects in the heart of the gallery district, the apartment enjoys unobstructed views of the Hudson River. The tower was first to offer an En-Suite-Sky-Garage allowing each owner to park on their floor. An elevator, programmed to recognize your car, takes you up to your private garage.

The sophisticated interiors of Jamie Drake’s apartment include 16-foot ceilings, and full height Wausau windows that completely mute all street noise. The spacious open living area arranges around a central six-and-a-half-foot-square custom cabinet bespoke designed by Drake. The cube divides the space creating two seating zones.

One side of the cabinet holds a television. On this side, a 13-foot-long Jamie Drake sofa upholstered in Schumacher silk pairs with a Milo Baughman lounge chair upholstered in Christopher Hyland Mohair. Thomas Ruff’s Substrat 24 I hangs above the sofa. A pair of club chairs, and a Madame X ottoman, both covered in Rubelli velvet all gather around a marble and granite coffee table by the designer on the Haldis I rug from the Alpha Workshops Collection by Edward Fields.

On the opposite side, the cabinet houses floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. This side is for cocktails and conversation. Drake designed the L-shaped sectional sofa and cocktail table which gather with a 1960’s Hand Chair by Pedro Friedeberg. For fun, the designer mounted a faux antelope head with a bondage-style black leather mask by Michael Combs. Gold leafed floor lamps by the Alpha Workshops illuminate the space. Stacked vibrant photo art by Alexandra Penny bridge the two seating spaces.

Jamie Drake loves to have guests over for cocktails and often entertains large crowds. Generous space to the side of this seating area remains intentionally open. One needs a place for dancing when entertaining a crowd. The area opens out to the loggia, which holds even more guests. Venetian-plaster in a sidewalk gray completes the walls of the living room, with ebonized teak on the floors. Window drapery panels of lamb’s wool satin by Clarence House frame the floor to ceiling views.

A custom two-tiered island, comprising a 22k gold-leafed cabinet that runs parallel to a dark-gray-lacquer appliance wall, and a 17-foot-long white Corian counter with inlaid-gold-leaf-designs, that overlaps it at an angle defines the open kitchen. A pair of pendant lights in hand-blown amber glass and steel frames suspends from above. The second pic shows the view one sees upon entering the apartment. The large, framed portrait is by Chuck Close.

Alpha Workshops, a non-profit organization, completed many of the design details throughout Jamie Drake’s apartment such as the gold-leafing, the plaster finish on the walls, and even various items of furniture. The organization provides training and employment in the decorative arts to people with HIV/AIDS. Drake serves as chairman of the organization’s board.

Leather bar stools from the Bright Group gather around the end of the Corian counter creating an eat-in area. The home does not include a formal dining area or dining table. Drake does not cook and doesn’t entertain that way. The idea behind the kitchen design has it serve more like a glamorous wet bar versus an ordinary utilitarian kitchen. Drake designed the home to reflect himself and his urbane lifestyle. The open living space functions a bit like a chic cocktail lounge.

I must say, concerning the kitchen- this is exactly how I feel as well. I never cook and only use the refrigerator and microwave in my kitchen. Before marriage and my now shared home, I always placed a silver tea set on my range to mask it. My husband does cook and uses the kitchen though (a lot). I still rarely go in there except to get something to drink. Anytime he is gone for any length of time, I edit the counters and put everything away. My ideal kitchen is an unused kitchen with nothing at all on the counters except an occasional decorative item. We compromise on this detail. I totally understand and appreciate Jamie Drake’s apartment kitchen design here.

The master bedroom is the designer’s sexy interpretation of the gentrified neighborhood’s once-gritty streets made glamorous. He lacquered the walls a high gloss gray. Drake had the custom bed upholstered in vibrant coral color, crocodile patterned, hair-on-hide, with coordinating coral color, lacquered nightstands. High above the bed, recessed into a coffer, the ceiling is mirrored. The room includes a custom-colored abstract rug from the Archive Collection by Edward Fields, and plum Linen Cellophane Boucle drapes.

The designer finished the bathroom walls in Perky Peach Venetian plaster. He ebonized the drawer fronts of the vanity. The fixtures are by Boffi. A granite soaking tub completes the bathroom.

And here we have the signature en-suite garage. In Manhattan, a designated parking space is a super luxury. Having one right outside your high floor apartment was unheard of and the news of it created in this building had the city buzzing. Drake decorated the double-height space, installing an aluminum slatted ceiling at an angle. He suspended from it a sculptural chandelier designed by Ted Abramczyk for Ralph Pucci. One can’t park their Rolls Royce just anywhere. When the designer hosts big parties, he parks his car elsewhere and the space serves as a lounge for more guests. Drake entertains 30 to 50 guests several times each month and as many as 250-300 and more on several occasions. Jamie Drake’s apartment suits his entertaining style perfectly.

And last for our tour, the furnished loggia-terrace. The apartment also has another bedroom with an en-suite bath and a guest powder room. A Crestron system fully automates the residence with everything at the touch of a button. The place is brilliant and so personal. The residence fully embraces all that modern design offers and is perfectly gracious and inviting with a style that is witty and engaging.

“There is little that doesn’t inspire me.” JD

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

To see some more vibrant, very personalized interiors, be sure to see:

Eclectic Luxury Design: Lori Morris

Theatrical Design: Manhattan Loft Residence

JAMIE DRAKE’S APARTMENT DESIGN

Jamie Drake is the man behind some of the country’s most distinctive, glamorous, and livable interiors. He is widely regarded as one of the first designers to popularize Modernism in interior design, beginning in the 1980s. The award-winning, famed designer is known for his fearless approach to color as well as his fashion-conscious sensibility. He is a legend in American Interior Design.

Drake/Anderson, led by award-winning designers Jamie Drake and Caleb Anderson, creates sophisticated interiors that are luxurious, refined, and always have a touch of the unexpected. Dynamic eclecticism is the hallmark of the New York-based firm, whose work forges a perfect balance between timelessness and today. At the heart of every project is the belief that the best décor expresses personality and place. The resulting environments are inviting, delightful, and above all resolutely livable.

Interior Design: Drake Design Associates, now Drake/Anderson

Photography by Marco Ricca

Architectural Digest

Photos and info courtesy of Jamie Drake (and Whitney)

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed today’s inspiring interior design! What do you think of Jamie Drake’s apartment? Let me hear from you in the comments.

Have a great day!

September 25, 2015
Sexy Bachelor Pad Luxury Design

For our design inspiration today, we are taking a look at a dark and sensual penthouse apartment located in the International shipping center of South Holland. This urban residence, with its cosmopolitan style and luxurious interiors, was designed by the Netherlands-based, internationally acclaimed, interior design star Eric Kuster. The designer has created this sexy bachelor pad for a young single guy who wanted a sleek and contemporary design that was classic, yet sophisticated and edgy.

The owner requested a luxuriously appointed residence that would be a personal reflection of himself and his lifestyle. The home was to be inviting, relaxing, and indulgent. A place for entertaining with style, and maybe a little partying. Kuster responded with a design that seduces the senses with a mixture of fabrics and finishes, sights, and scents.

SEXY BACHELOR PAD DESIGN INSPIRATION

All the furniture used, along with the floors, doors, carpets, drapes, leathers, and textiles are from Eric Kuster’s collection- Metropolitan Luxury, and all are classic design hallmarks of the designer’s style. The combination of materials and textures give this sexy bachelor pad it’s luxurious and opulent ambiance.

Crocodile embossed and printed textiles combine with the softest velvet, satin, and fur, along with the thickest of carpet, for a luxurious feel that demands to be touched. Intriguing shadows and the moody combination of deep rich colors; black, gray, brown, and purple, give the space a dramatic effect.

The inspiring interior design plays with contrast for effect; light and dark, earthy, and glossy, dangerous, and fun. This contemporary design is indeed personal and intimate. Kuster has included plenty of statement-making pieces that reflect the personality of the owner. Indeed, this entire sexy bachelor pad is a reflection of an exciting life lived with style.

A high-gloss life requires a high-gloss setting! The designer created a sophisticated design with an edgy-but-playful mood. Metropolitan Luxury is all about taking advantage of what life has to offer, being yourself, taking a step into the unknown, and making it all your own.

“Luxury is about comfort and feeling content. Your possessions should be personal to you, creating a source of serenity in your surroundings! “ EK

Dark colors = Warm moods. This sexy bachelor pad feels like it is just on this side of dangerous. There’s an energy here that suggests – step through these doors, and you may never be allowed to leave. Although, with poetically glamorous interiors such as these, why would you want to?

“I believe everything made in love is beautiful!” EK

“I ABHOR VIOLENCE, BUT I ADORE THE SHAPE OF A GUN!” EK

“Beautiful people deserve beautiful spaces with beautiful things.” EK

INTERIOR DESIGN IS AN APHRODISIAC!

Interior design is about a lifestyle choice, and life is about enjoyment!

The unique atmosphere created here makes this an around-the-clock apartment.

“Embrace the day, but bring on the night.” EK

Eric Kuster designed the state-of-the-art kitchen by Barletti. The wood floors used throughout are from StudioDL. The doors are from Bodor, and the glass fronted fireplace is from Modus, all designed by Eric Kuster, who has exclusive lines with all of them.

That concludes our design inspiration for today my friend.

To see other fabulous homes created by Eric Kuster, be sure to see my post:

Contemporary Design: Eric Kuster

Contemporary Lakeside Villa: Eric Kuster

Sexy Bachelor Pad with Metropolitan Luxury

Since launching his business in the Netherlands in 1999, Dutch-born Eric Kuster has built up a reputation as a pre-eminent provider of luxury, glamor, and quality in high-end homes worldwide. Moreover, his interest in all elements of design has seen him apply his talents to developing multiple lines of luxury home furnishings, fashion, footwear, home fragrances, etc., as well as publishing large coffee table books featuring his work and a twice-yearly magazine. The designer’s label lives under the marque of Metropolitan Luxury. There could not be two words better suited to sit side-by-side and describe his inimitable style, which relies on the perfect balance of classic and contemporary, European, and international.

Today’s Sexy Bachelor Pad is featured in his Metropolitan Luxury Book XIV. This beautiful book shows the designer’s recent international projects and provides the reader with a fascinating look behind the scenes of the lives of the exclusive few; various trend-setting places and people, always state of the art. Kuster’s interiors are a combination of refined designs, stylish glamour, and a meticulous attention to the smallest detail. This book takes the reader on a voyage to the unique world of Eric Kuster.

Interior design: Eric Kuster

Photography: Paul Barbera

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I look forward to hearing from you in the comments. I hope you enjoyed this sexy bachelor pad with its luxurious interiors.

Have a great day!

September 8, 2015
Contemporary Beaux-Arts Penthouse: Jessica Lagrange

Today’s residence is a full-floor penthouse apartment on Chicago’s Gold Coast with Contemporary Beaux-Arts interiors created by Jessica Lagrange. The designer created a contemporary interpretation of the classic, opulent French style for modern-day luxury living. The interiors of this home are the source of our design inspiration for today. Come along and see!

The home sits at the top of a premier residential tower with 19th-century French detailing. The 26-story building features a limestone façade with a zinc-clad mansard roof and a corner turret topped with an illuminated lantern. Architect Lucien Lagrange designed the tower in the fashionable Streeterville neighborhood on Lake Shore Drive overlooking Lake Michigan.

Initially, the apartment consisted of just under 5,000-square-feet, from which Lagrange created a two-bedroom unit with plenty of formal space. It would serve as a second home for the owners to entertain. The main design idea was to capture the feel of the Beaux-Arts apartments in Paris. The owners prefer elegant formal rooms and traditional style. The designer commissioned custom millwork and architectural detailing complete with custom finishes. Intricate herringbone wood floors give each room a distinctive presence. Great care went into finishing the apartment with a high level of bespoke details and exacting luxurious finish.

The owners loved their new Contemporary Beaux-Arts pied-a-terre. They loved it so much, when the second half of the floor became available, they purchased it. This doubled their space, now 9,000-square-feet, and allowed them to transform it into a full-time residence.

The designer and her team returned to connect the units seamlessly and to continue the Contemporary Beaux-Arts style created in the first into the new, on an even grander scale. This lead to the creation of a 3rd bedroom suite, a billiards room, media room, exercise room, a wine storage hall, and a gift-wrapping room.

CONTEMPORARY BEAUX-ARTS DESIGN

In the formal living room, the designer combines classic French design with Modern. The glazed paneled walls show a patina that typically comes with age. Views of the lake and parks throughout inspired the use of watery blues and greens. The furnishings gather on a Tabriz rug from Hokanson, centered with a Louis XIV oak console and Kathleen Blackshear’s Dancing Along the Bridge. A pair of Rose Tarlow Melrose covered wing chairs from Dennis and Leen flank the marble fireplace, topped by Julio de Diego’s Vamba.

The open yet formal plan lends itself especially to elegant entertaining with style, providing plenty of places to mingle. The entire home radiates from a central hallway, punctuated at each end with a rotunda. Extensive millwork and custom detailing on the walls and ceilings feature throughout all the public rooms. Every detail received careful consideration.

The formal dining room occupies the round space created within the turret of the building. Tailored draperies frame the floor-to-ceiling windows that line the outer walls and provide unobstructed panoramic views. A Randolph & Hein table with the ability to sit as many as 26 gathers with Gretchen Bellinger upholstered dining chairs backed with Hermes leather suede. A magnificent Gilbert Poillerat inspired chandelier suspends in the center of the room.

For the kitchen, the designer collaborated with de Giulio Kitchen Design to create a traditional “old estate” look. Limestone set in a large basket-weave design covers the floors. The countertop is also limestone. Cream-colored subway tile lines the wall behind the La Cornue ranges and cabinets. The barstools are custom from Paul Ferrante.

The home’s cozy wood-paneled library layers warm chocolate and caramel tones to create a warm, inviting haven of comfort.

The designer assembled this brilliant vignette along the central hallway where the private elevator foyer intersects. The herringbone floors and paneled walls continue the full length of the hall. Those chairs are perfection!

Lagrange commissioned LA-based artist Scott Waterman to create murals in each of the home’s rotundas. She custom-designed the table and chandelier for this space. Note the intricate design of the handset inlaid floors.

The opposite end of the hall holds a custom wine storage area. Bespoke designed 24-karat gold leaf-backed temperature-controlled cabinets line the walls. An antique Persian (circa 1890) rug runs through the center. You can see the other rotunda just beyond, and the end of the passageway marked with the owners Bertoia resting on a custom stand by Soane.

Here we have one of the most exquisite powder rooms in the city. It sparkles like a jewel with its silver and gold leafing, glazing, and mirror effects, made perfect with those crystal sconces.

The billiards room’s handsome finishes include hand-glazed wall paneling, coffered ceilings, and hand-waxed oak floors. A full bar by Parenti & Raffaelli pairs with Nancy Corzine’s Waldorf bar stools. The chairs are by John Boone, and the ottoman is custom from ACM Furniture.

Here we have the home’s theater room complete with plush velvet sofas and ottomans. The video and acoustics equipment remain carefully concealed.

The master bedroom and sitting area form a serene haven of luxury design. Colors and features soften in the private rooms. The St. George bed is from Lewis Mittman, dressed in hand-embroidered French linens. J. Robert Scott’s Super Kidskin leather covers the Niermann Weeks Elysee chaise. Jeffrey Grant’s Michigan Avenue hangs above the marble fireplace mantle. An antique rug from Oscar Isberlan defines the sitting area which includes a vintage French table and a Regency Sabre-leg armchair by Rose Tarlow Melrose House.

The master bedroom suite features a separate bath and dressing area on either side of the room so both can have their own. This one has antiqued mirror vanities with marble tops and marble floors. The glamorous bathroom also includes a soaking tub and a private balcony.

The other bathroom features rich dark woods and a dome ceiling. The dome’s design repeats in the mosaic design of the marble floor below.

The guest bedroom suite is equally comfortable and tranquil in soft shades of green and lilac, with a cozy bed dressed in French linens. The guest suite’s bathroom includes a soaking tub and a separate shower. Embroidered silk drapery panels frame the large bathroom windows. The dressing vanity sits deep in the window to take full advantage of the natural light.

Of course, the owners enjoy all the amenities provided by the building including 24-hour service, a doorman, and all the perks afforded by its great location. Jessica Lagrange’s Contemporary Beaux-Arts design marries the classic style of the Parisian apartments with modern elements and adds all the amenities for today’s luxury lifestyle. She tailored old-world grandeur into timeless elegance perfected for contemporary living.

“We create timeless, relevant designs with a collaborative and curated approach.” JL

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

For more Classic inspired interiors designed for contemporary luxury living, be sure to see:

Classic Mayfair Penthouse

Fifth Avenue Cl assical Design

CONTEMPORARY BEAUX-ARTS DESIGN IN CHICAGO

Chicago-based Jessica Lagrange Interiors’ designers create homes that are thoughtful, meaningful, and highly focused to meet their owners’ personalities, lifestyles, and aesthetics. More significantly, JLI’s projects are also beautiful, strategic and honor the architecture of each residence, regardless of its period, provenance, or owners’ decorative style.

Jessica Lagrange Interiors has been synonymous with luxury interior design and architecture since its inception in 1998. Today, the firm is recognized for its portfolio of projects that embrace a wide range of periods and styles, but always reflect the wants, needs, and lifestyles of its diverse clientele.

Interior design: Jessica Lagrange Interiors

Photography: Tony Soluri

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed the luxe interiors of this fabulous Chicago penthouse. Let me hear from you in the comments.

Have a great day!

August 28, 2015
Beverly Hills Deco Villa: Joan Behnke

Our design inspiration for today comes from a grand Deco Villa in Beverly Hills, an Italian-style villa with Art Deco-inspired interiors. This award-winning, 22,000 square-foot luxury home, designed by renowned architect Richard Landry, with interiors by legendary interior designer Joan Behnke, certainly deserves our attention.

The facade forms with carved limestone sourced in Dijon, France. The design includes classic Italian features such as Doric columns, hand-carved outriggers under the eaves, and a roof covered in reclaimed clay tiles sourced in Italy. There are numerous recessed balconies, highlighted with stone tracery, and large open windows framed in Bronze. The homeowners desired a home with a formal Italian style exterior, for the neighborhood’s style guidelines dictated an approved Italianate look. Inside, they wanted interiors with more of an Art Deco inspiration.

A Seamless Fusion of Classic Italian Inspired Architecture with Art Deco Inspired Interior Design.

The New York Times describes Richard Landry as “one of the most sought-after high-end architects” and dubbed him “King of the Mega-Mansions.” He is indeed a clear favorite of the wealthy and famous seeking statement homes.

Joan Behnke’s work adorns the homes of some of the world’s wealthiest people. Forbes Magazine dubbed her “The Billionaire Whisperer,” due to her client roster that reads like a Forbes list. Her pure pursuit of the finest, the rarest, and the most fitting goes unquestioned. Her worldwide network of sources is every designer’s dream.

The moment you enter the home, the Art Deco notes shine clear. There was no strict style adherence inside or out, but the design inspiration is very evident. For the double-height entry foyer, Behnke envisioned custom hand-scalloped plaster wall treatments, actualized by Foster Reeve. The design details of the iron entry doors repeat on the balustrade and windows. They model on a beautiful Deco design discovered in Paris on one of the many research and buying trips the designer and the couple took while the house came together. Dale Chihuly’s Green Glass Reeds rise high next to the sweeping staircase. A 7-foot-tall, 400-pound bronze chandelier by Herve van der Straeten suspends from a large wrought iron skylight that crowns the entry.

DECO VILLA DESIGN INSPIRATION

For the living room, Behnke bespoke designed contemporary furnishings in delicious colors and wonderful fabrics and arranged them on a Tai Ping silk rug. An oil painting by Hans Hoffman hangs above the marble Art Deco fireplace surround, flanked by two pendant lamps by Herve van der Straeten. Along the room’s back wall, accordion doors open wide to the loggia. Here, and throughout, Behnke custom designed all window draperies.

Lacewood paneling and shelves line the walls of the home’s spacious library, filled with the owner’s extensive and cherished collections. Hanging above the marble fireplace is a 1960’s oil on Canvas by Mordecai Ardon while hanging in the nearby recess is Marc Chagall’s circa-1980 Moise et le Veau d’Or. Hand-painted canvas murals adorn the ceiling between the beams.

The family room is rich with Art Deco details and fine finishes. To relax the mood and make the space more inviting, Behnke used comfortable, casual furniture pieces of her design, and included a bar in the corner. The room features a 1,000-gallon saltwater aquarium filled with colorful coral set within the dark oak panels.

The glamorous formal dining room gives itself to entertaining with great style. A bronze and lacquered wood chandelier by Herve van der Straeten suspends from the stepped Deco inspired ceiling. Moise Kisling’s 1942 Grand Bouquet de Mimosas hangs between a pair of large antique wall sconces from Craig Van Den Brulle on the fabric upholstered walls with lacewood paneled corners. Behnke bespoke designed the racetrack table and two host’s chairs surrounded by Therien chairs upholstered in Jerry Pair leather.

The commercial style, chef’s kitchen is any cooks dream. This room includes a Landry designed stainless-steel, barrel-vaulted ceiling. Mahogany cabinetry with kosher granite counter-tops sourced in Italy make up the room. The spacious layout provides for multiple preparation areas, and the abundant stainless designer appliances make this kitchen perfectly able to serve a feast for a crowd and ideal for entertaining.

The breakfast room positions on the garden side of the kitchen and looks out on the back lawn, pool, and water features. A chandelier from Jean de Merry hangs above another Behnke-designed dining table surrounded by Michael Berman dining chairs. The draperies are Pierre Frey, with motorized shades from Conrad.

Upstairs in the Deco villa, Landry designed the second-floor hall with an Italian style groin-vaulted ceiling and wrapped it around an inner courtyard that brings in natural light. The detailing of the steel doors and windows echo the groin vault. Behnke placed wool-and-silk runners in gray and silver by Martin Patrick Evan on the floors to balance the space with a bit of modern design.

The second-floor courtyard provides an inner open-air sanctuary. A water feature adds to the relaxing ambiance.

The master bedroom and its adjoining sitting room both have barrel-vaulted ceilings with the same scallop finish found on the walls of the foyer. Mirrored panels front the fireplace surround. Behnke custom designed the iron fire screen. She filled the sitting room with pieces obtained from the Paris trips including; the rosewood desk, the antique burled-walnut side tables, and the amber glass vases on the mantle.

Large pocket doors join or separate the master bedroom and sitting room as desired. Both rooms include two sets of French doors that open onto a trellised terrace overlooking the back lawn. Formal full-height drapery panels made with Schumacher fabric and Bergamo wide trim frame the terrace doors. Behnke custom designed the Rose Tarlow leather upholstered headboard, as well as the lounge chairs, bedside chest, and pop-up television cabinet at the end of the bed.

Her bathroom is a harmony of luminous tones and mirrors. The Art Deco style continues in this room with the scallop finish around the tub and vanity. The stone-and-Italian-glass mosaic designs on the floor and in the shower also reflect the style.

Mahogany with inlaid lacewood diamond accents envelops his bathroom. Gray marble sourced in Italy forms the counter-tops and covers the floor. The room includes custom bronze fixtures from Compas and an antique Lalique chandelier.

Down on the basement level of the Deco villa, the home includes a theater with a 170-inch-wide, curved Stewart screen, and a custom shallow speaker system. Donghia fabric-paneled walls conceal the technical equipment, speakers, and acoustic panels. The round designs on the fabric echo those in the ceiling’s mahogany design. Behnke bespoke designed the cabinets behind the leather seats with Macassar ebony and mahogany, fronted with ultra-suede panels with nailhead trim.

Biometrically controlled glass doors open to the home’s spa, which includes an Endless exercise pool and a hot tub with a waterfall. Ann Sacks blue tiles line the barrel-vaulted ceiling above the pool. Travertine marble covers the floor and frames the room’s architectural details. Beyond the doors adorned with the convex mirrors, there is a salon, a massage room, and a steam room.

The stone-paved loggia, located off the living room, is a perfect example of the homes indoor/outdoor living design. The limestone mantelpiece is from Paris, and the furniture, here and all outdoors, is from Janus et Cie.

In this rear view of the home, you see the exceptional architectural highlights. You see the crescent curve of the breakfast room on the right, and the loggia on the left with all the articulated details. A pergola on the path between the house and pool includes a partial kitchen and grill for outdoor entertaining.

The guest pavilion has an intentional different character from the main house to create a visual story. Rough, rustic stone with an aged appearance forms the façade to imply that it was there long before the Deco villa. The design takes inspiration from the Italian countryside.

The guest pavilion’s open fire-pit completes our tour of the Deco villa. Two years of planning, construction, and European buying trips went into the creation of this luxury home with classic Italian façade and Deco-influenced interiors. Was it worth it? Of course, the owner views it as a masterpiece, and we agree!

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

If you would like to see more fabulous residences created by Joan Behnke, be sure to see:

Villa del Lago: Tuscan Inspired Luxury Estate

Beverly Park Chateau

Beverly Hills Modern

Ambassador’s Potomac Mansion Renovation

Joan Behnke’s Deco Villa

Founded in 1999, Joan Behnke & Associates, Inc. is rooted in the deep belief of interior design as both a fine art and a profound opportunity for self-expression. The firm, now grown to an internationally acclaimed design practice, thrives on working intimately with their clients to transform the spaces they inhabit and infuse them with a deeper kind of beauty that transcends the imagination and continues to flourish and inspire for a lifetime. This intimate, meticulous and dedicated process is one that Joan personally carries through each project as well as in the selection and training of every member of her team.

Interior Design: Joan Behnke & Associates

Architecture: Landry Design Group

Photography: Erhard Pfeiffer

This residence was named Robb Report’s Ultimate Home.

Thank you so much for reading along with me today. I hope you enjoyed this beautiful home with its rich layers of exquisite custom detailing. Let me hear from you all in the comments.

Have a great day!

August 20, 2015
Modern Deco Interior Design: Chicago

Our design inspiration today comes from a chic city apartment located within Chicago’s prestigious historic landmark Palmolive building. Inspired by the building’s Art Deco design, Kadlec Architecture + Design completed the interiors with a sophisticated Modern Deco style. This highly customized 4,000 square-foot, two-bedroom residence serves as a pied-a-terre for the owners. The polished bespoke interiors include soaring twelve-foot ceilings and stunning panoramic views of Lake Michigan.

The owners, a couple with a primary home in the suburbs, were initially looking for a convenient rental apartment in the city. They got word that one of Chicago’s most esteemed landmarks, the Palmolive Building, was being converted into residences, and their plans became a lot more ambitious. The renovation was just starting on the architectural gem and the spaces were still raw. The couple recognized the perfect opportunity to custom create what they wanted in the most ideal of locations.

Completed in 1929 to house the Colgate-Palmolive Company, the 37-story structure is world-renowned for its dynamic stepped design. The building lists among the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the world. Its location along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile establishes it at the heart of the city’s greatest residential, entertainment, and business district. Today it reigns as one of the city’s most exclusive luxury residential addresses.

Though not a penthouse, the apartment sits high enough to clear the neighboring buildings and provides a spectacular view over everything. The couple desired a customized space completely different from the other units and called on Steve Kadlec and his firm to handle the interior architecture and décor.

MODERN DECO DESIGN INSPIRATION

Guided by the building’s design and the couple’s desire to keep the space open, Kadlec created a Modern Deco interior style. The architect-designed an updated French 1920s style and a floor plan arranged with rooms en suite. Each room opens onto the other in a constant progression eliminating hallways. Pairs of custom eleven-foot high, bronze and glass, French doors connect the formal rooms. The perfectly aligned passages create a long, light-filled vista of enfiladed rooms through the apartment.

The sleek Walnut burl paneled foyer opens to the living room where the formal procession begins. The high ceilings and smooth, flush-mounted walnut wall panels direct the eye to the gorgeous lake views. The windows could not alter for obvious reasons. The designer placed silver-leafed eglomise mirror panels above them to create faux transoms. This design trick gives the illusion that the windows continue up to accentuate the verticality of the rooms. A Chai Ming Studios sofa covered in Cowtan & Tout silk velvet pairs with a coffee table from Dessin Fournir. The couple worked with an art consultant to choose smart contemporary works to highlight the rooms. The horse is by Deborah Butterfield.

Slender rift white oak flooring, much more narrow than the building’s standard 2.5 inches, covers the floors. Bespoke designed furniture with profiles that echo the period, but edited to their contemporary essence complete the rooms. In the dining room, a cabinet for tableware along one wall features wood-framed doors encasing creamy quilted leather panels. Such luxury design details continue throughout to conceal functional items and utilize available space. Matching Paris chandeliers from Holly Hunt suspend above an RB Gorman quarter-sawn ebony wood table, surrounded by Christian Liaigre Barbuda chairs. The painting is by Bob Nugent.

The contemporary kitchen features white oak cabinetry from Poliform, with stainless-steel counters and back-splashes, along with commercial-grade appliances. Calacatta gold marble forms the center island which took two years to find. The couple was tenacious in their pursuit of quality. Promemoria’s Caffe stools provide seating for the bar. Custom shades accentuate the window height in this room. Lacquer cabinets along the outer walls provide extra storage. A Christian Liaigre table with Promemoria’s Caffe chairs gathers in front of the window for taking in the view with breakfast.

Rich, dark wall-covering from Knoll Textiles covers the walls here in the handsome media/family room. A plush linen rug from Bartholomeus covers the floor. Rift oak pocket doors conceal the television and audiovisual equipment. Dark shades on the windows lower as needed. A custom sofa from Estudio Furnishings upholstered in Holly Hunt suede gathers with a lounge chair and black sculptural tables by Christian Liaigre.

For the master bedroom, Kadlec bespoke designed a wood-and-bronze-mesh screen which you see placed behind the Anees bed upholstered in J. Robert Scott suede leather. A Promemoria bench stands at the end. The art above the bed is by Janis Pozzi-Johnson.

The sitting area includes a Christian Liaigre Opium daybed, and a pair of Snooze chairs from Ochre gathered around the Xilos Simplice coffee table from Maxalto. The rug is from Fort Street Studio. The master bedroom and guest bedroom are positioned on opposite ends of the apartment for optimal privacy.

Even the master bedroom closet has a fabulous view. The private quarters edit the design creating a crisp, contemporary mood for modern living. The master bathroom features a clean and simple, minimalist design with loads of natural light.

The guest bathroom has the same no-nonsense minimalist design with clean contemporary shapes and sleek designer fixtures. Gotta love that soaking tub! The building includes a state-of-the-art fitness room, spa, sauna, and steam room.

The spacious guest bedroom is a dream with warm colors and soft fabrics, including imported designer linens on the bed. The copper silk draperies draw closed when desired.

A wall of bespoke walnut cabinetry created on one wall of the guest bedroom allows it to double as a study. This last detail completes the apartment giving it everything the couple wants for their pied-a-terre. In addition to the beautiful, sophisticated interiors, the couple enjoys all the gracious conveniences and amenities provided by the building. Kadlec Architecture + Design completed this Modern Deco-inspired residence with signature elegant simplicity.

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

“We believe design should elevate everyday life and be grounded firmly in place. It should speak softly and resonate deeply.”

For more residences with Deco-inspired contemporary interiors be sure to see:

Art Deco on Park Avenue: Penny Drue Baird

Beverly Hills Deco Villa: Joan Behnke

MODERN DECO DESIGN

The collaborative studio of Kadlec Architecture + Design brings together inspiring interior design and management skills with over 25 years of experience in the practice of residential architecture and design, as well as corporate and retail design. Their simple, classic, and sophisticated work focuses on usable and functional spaces. The Studio is disciplined in pursuit of the personal. Their design philosophy is reflected in who they are. Quietly confident, enduringly accessible, casual, yet thoughtfully considered.

Interior Architecture and design: Steve Kadlec, Kadlec Architecture + Design

Photography: Tony Soluri

Luxe Magazine

Thanks so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed these Modern Deco-inspired contemporary interiors within the historic Palmolive building. What do you think of this Chicago residence? Let me hear from you in the comments!

Have a wonderful day!

August 19, 2015
Understated Glamour: Jan Showers

Jan Showers is one of the most elegant figures in the world of interior design today. The celebrated taste-maker’s innate elegance and sense of style are reflected in everything she does. Her design work is imbued with a signature understated glamour that is smart, highly visual, and tastefully restrained. For our design inspiration today, we examine some seriously sophisticated interiors created by the Dallas, Texas based designer.

At the heart of Jan’s designs is the mixing and combining of various periods and styles, striking a perfect timeless balance. Her studied eclecticism often includes a mix of glossy mid-century modern, classic-to-modern French, and Hollywood Regency. The designer artfully blends antiques with her own bespoke creations. The interiors that she creates are visually attractive and quite luxurious while remaining relaxed and supremely comfortable. The collection of rooms shown here come from multiple homes completed by Jan. These rooms demonstrate her design’s signature understated glamour, which is, as the designer notes “the most glamorous statement of all.”

“Glamour is at the intersection of timelessness, simplicity, originality, and unqualified confidence in good taste.”

Jan believes the living room should be both formal and comfortable. “Every room in your house should be a reflection of your life as you live it.” In larger rooms, one should create smaller, more intimate and inviting seating zones. The opening photo exemplifies just that. The large, antiqued mirror gives the room instant glamour. The New York sofa from the designer’s home collection with silk pillows added for color, anchors the setting. The center gold-leaf Sabine coffee table, also from the designer’s collection, with antique mirror top and shelf, holds stacks of books to make the gathering more welcoming. The line drawings are by Don Bodine. Jan included colored Murano glass lamps and accessories in the way one adds jewelry. To me, this space feels like a modern version of Coco Chanel’s private salon in Paris.

UNDERSTATED GLAMOUR: DESIGN INSPIRATION

In this grand formal living room, a Swedish Empire-style chandelier suspends from the coffered ceilings. A generously scaled sofa gathers with a pair of Jean Rothschild chairs. Jan always includes a table next to every sofa and chair for placing one’s glass or book. “A well-considered room represents a way of life.” She believes in keeping curtains simple in their design while using fine fabrics that look and feel luxurious. Make the style grand but livable.

Make the style grand but livable.

Here we have another intimate gathering within a larger room. This demonstrates a perfect way to dress up a corner with understated glamour. An antique Chinese coromandel screen establishes the space while giving it a worldly sophistication. A Clarence House zebra tapestry covers the Palm Beach banquette from the designer’s collection. An ivory hairy hide covers the pair of 1940’s ebonized fauteuils. A Maison Jensen coffee table and a pair of Hinson floor lamps complete the scene.

Jan created this smart conversation area using her Palm Beach banquet upholstered with buttery leather paired with a sophisticated Biedermeier-style chair. A pair of vermeil floor lamps from Maison Jansen imparts pure glamour. The bar cart rounds out the scene and is one of the designer’s trademark design features. Would you care for a drink dear?

“Every room in your house should be a reflection of your life as you live it.”

In the dining room, Jan always uses two lighting elements: chandeliers with dimmers and lamps. Here the designer placed a pair of 1940s glass rod lamps on the Louis XVI-style painted console with marble top. A pair of frosted Venini chandeliers suspends above a custom mahogany table with bronze details. The designer upholstered the Antibes chairs and host chairs from her collection with Bittersweet chocolate leather.

Since guests will likely remain in the same place for a period, it is important to mind the view from all perspectives. In this dining room, the designer used a gold-leaf Japanese screen painted in the Chinese manner, which must surely glow beautifully in the light from the Venini fume chandelier and candles. The Louis XVI-style dining table gathers with French Ruhlmann-style chairs from the 1930s.

This dining room is all about classic design glamour. The Barovier chandelier designed by Andre Arbus reflects in the Venetian mirror from the 1940s, flanked by plaster torchieres which add style and drama. A French dining table from the 1940s gathers with Louis XVI-style dining chairs upholstered in leather.

I love and completely agree with Jan’s design ideas for bedrooms. This really should be the most luxurious room in the house. It is our sanctuary where we both begin and end the day. You should tailor it to your comfort. The color selection is essential, for you want calm here. In this bedroom, Jan used custom drapery to give the bed a grand presence when looking at it, and a more secluded feel while in it. Matching tables on either side create balance and symmetry, in addition to providing surface space and storage. A Louis XVI-style bench at the foot of the bed completes the composition in understated glamour.

Naturally, the bedroom should reflect the spirit of its owner. Jan designed this bedroom for a debutante, and the application of traditional and feminine identified qualities reflects that. Custom bed treatments crown the upholstered headboard and ennoble the bed. The button tufted Mercer Bench from Jan’s collection stands at the foot of the bed. The room includes a pair of French slipper chairs in the style of Andre Arbus from the 1940s.

Here again, the designer used custom bed drapery to ennoble the bed. Another thing to consider when selecting the colors for a room is how well you will look in it. Choose colors that will complement your skin tones in the same way the style fits your personality. In this room, the bedding includes a sumptuous mix of linen, silk, and suede textures. Jan’s Manhattan Side Tables flank the bed and maintain balance while a Louis XVI-style bench stands at the foot. The large mirror is a bonus for me personally, for any available space is a good place for a mirror, the bigger, the better.

In this private library, the designer takes the glamour up another level. Rouge lacquer envelops the room in its entirety: the walls, trim, ceilings, window frames- and the effect is stunning. Every other color used within just pops. Here a pair of 1940s fauteuils in faux leopard flank a Portoro marble topped coffee table.

Here we have another private library in which Jan used a single deep shade to encase the room. She even custom color matched the drapery, to dramatic effect. Jan’s Hadley Sofa anchors this end of the library, flanked by a pair of signature style floor lamps and a pair of 1940s Louis XV Bergeres in their original acid green leather. A gilded iron with mirrored top French coffee table centers the gathering on a zebra print hairy-hide rug.

Jan believes the entrance of a home should be statement making. The entrance should set the tone for the rest of the interiors. In this entry, we have a 1950s Vistosi Murano chandelier whose fluid shapes echo those of the space itself. A James Nares painting hangs over a tufted upholstered bronze bench, which is always perfect for such spaces. A bronze framed mirror by Maison Jansen hangs over a lacquered commode holding a sculptural lamp by Wily Daro.

For our final photo, we have this entry hall which perfectly demonstrates understated glamour. Warm silver-leaf tea paper covers the walls. A mirror framed mirror hangs above Jan’s mirrored commode, flanked by a pair of eighteenth-century Italian slipper chairs. A Murano glass lamp and other accessories on display enhance the rooms sparkle.

For interior designer Jan Showers, glamorous interiors are fundamental to all her work. Though glamour is difficult to define, the designer is certain of what it is not. “Glamour is not a fad, and it is never over the top.” I think that sums it up brilliantly! She also states that “Nothing is more luxurious than being comfortable and enjoying one’s environment.”

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

“Nothing is more luxurious than being comfortable and enjoying one’s environment.”

For more great articles featuring Glamorous Interiors be sure to see:

Eclectic Luxury Design: Lori Morris

Glamorous Luxury Design: Elicyon

Jan Shower’s Understated Glamour

Be sure to check out the designer’s three inspiring design books: Glamorous Rooms (2009) Showcases the elegant eclecticism of this renowned designer’s interiors, which will inspire readers to create their own luxurious yet relaxed homes – Glamorous Retreats (2013) Takes readers inside Jan Showers’s luxurious interiors in vacation locales – Glamorous Living (2020) A room-by-room journey through some of the most luxurious and glamorous homes in America. Her books display a cross section of the styles and decorative preferences that make Jan and her firm one of the most important in the country.

Jan’s furniture and lighting collection—first created almost 20 years ago—is available at showrooms throughout the U.S.

Jan Showers possesses a rare fusion of elegance, class, sophistication, warmth, poise and a good sense of humor. When asked why she’s so good at what she does, her reply is always that same; she truly loves her work. She is also one of the sweetest, most personable individuals in the industry.

Jan Showers & Associates

Photography: Jeff McNamara * Brian McWeeney * Steve Karlisch

Thank you so much for reading along with me. I hope you enjoyed these beautiful rooms. What do you think? I look forward to hearing from you in the comments.

Have a great day!

August 14, 2015
Contemporary Design: Eric Kuster

Cliff House is a beautiful sea-side villa located high in the lush hills of Altea, Spain. The contemporary design luxury residence is built against a cliff, situated to provide breathtaking 180-degree views over the Mediterranean Sea. The 5,300 square-foot resort-like sanctuary spreads over multiple levels. This impressive home features awe-inspiring, luxurious interiors created by the internationally acclaimed interior designer, Eric Kuster, who drew inspiration from its beach front location for the interior design.

Kuster incorporates natural elements in the home’s interior design including coral and shell, as well as vases made from mother of pearl filled with driftwood. All these details emphasize the inescapable connection with the sea. The furnishings display the designer’s signature qualities: bespoke designs, contemporary lines, generous scale, with high-end fabrics, finishes, and ample cushions. Collectively, every detail harmoniously exists for one reason: to ensure a wealth of quiet comfort and pleasure.

CONTEMPORARY DESIGN INSPIRATION

The home’s grand, open-flow living area includes multiple seating zones, a spacious kitchen with a breakfast bar, and a formal dining area. This villa’s contemporary design remains soft and inviting. The interiors, though immaculate, do not attempt to intimidate. Kuster incorporated the right balance of coastal casualness that allows for uninterrupted peace and calm. White on white dominates, with an occasional splash of warm color for depth. The surfaces are well edited, and as always with this hot designer, very luxe.

“Natural elements- including vases made with mother-of-pearl and filled with driftwood- emphasize an inescapable connection with the sea.” EK

FIFTY SHADES OF WHITE

It is the abundance of natural light and the stunning views that make this home exceptional. These became the central theme that guided the home’s contemporary design. The large floor-to-ceiling windows throughout take full advantage and make the very most of these qualities. Thanks to expert planning and the positioning of the villa high up on a series of angles, one can see everything from inside, though without being able to be seen from outside.

A SPLASH OF WARM COLOR ADDS DEPTH

There are five bedrooms with spacious en suite baths. The master bedroom is a serene dream. It includes an enormous spa-like bathroom with an open shower, a large Jacuzzi tub, and spacious dressing areas. In a nod to the home’s location and identity, artisans created a dry-stone wall of the sort you find in the local hills. The bedroom opens onto a private courtyard.

“The fabulous view is integral to this house.” EK

The villa completes with a media room and a state-of-the-art fitness room. Additional amenities include inner courtyards, abundant terraces, gardened grounds, and independent service quarters. The residence has a 3-car garage. Of course, no Mediterranean dream home would be complete without a swimming pool. This multi-level residence features a fabulous infinity edge pool creating another stunning sight line.

It is only natural that Kuster’s inspiring interior design in this home has such universal appeal. This sea-side villa with its contemporary design and its stunning views combining with the spacious open lay out and the interior’s luxury design offer all the comforts of a resort, but with the individual personality that only a home can boast. Could one ask for more?

“I know I can deliver for clients who say they want the best of the best- after all, isn’t that what we all want?” EK

That concludes our design inspiration for today, my friend.

To see more homes completed by Eric Kuster be sure to see my other post:

Sexy Bachelor Pad Luxury Design

Contemporary Lakeside Villa: Eric Kuster

Sea Side Villa Contemporary Design

Eric Kuster’s luxurious interiors combine refined design, stylish glamour, and meticulous attention to detail. He has completed more than 600 houses and countless commercial buildings. The designer is arguably one of the most influential designers of the moment. His ability to strike a perfect balance between classic and modern design has put Kuster’s name on the map for nearly two decades.

These days we not only find him creating glamorous interiors for his A-list clients but also developing multiple lines of luxury home furnishings, fashion, footwear, home fragrances, etc., as well as publishing large coffee table books featuring his work and a twice yearly magazine. The designer’s iconic lifestyle brand, “Metropolitan Luxury” encompasses a style that at once embraces glamour, comfort, and sophistication.

Today’s residence is featured in his Metropolitan Luxury book XIV. With this book, Eric Kuster takes us on a journey that covers everywhere from Curacao to Vegas, Holland to Ibiza. While we can marvel at the glamorous diversity of his work, we can agree, too, that the recipe for true luxury combines beauty with space and comfort.

Interior Design by Eric Kuster

Photography: Paul Barbera

Architecture: Equipo Digitalarq, S.L. Architect Carlos Gilardi, and Pepe Cabrera

Thank you so much for reading along with me today. I hope you enjoyed the Contemporary design of this luxury sea-side villa.

Have a great day!

July 21, 2015