Inspired by Clements Design

Always looking for like-minded design vibes, I came across the fabulous Los Angeles firm of Clements Design.

We love this organic California eclectic look, where traditional elements meet modern.  

Design elements to notice:

• edited minimalism
• organic design
• mix of natural materials
• neutral design scheme with subtle color accents
• light and dark contrast
• lots of natural light
• collected artifact
• dramatic art                                               

Interestingly enough, this is the former home of designer Kelly Wearstler, 
and the two designers rooms are shown in a side-by-side comparison in a great article in My Domaine.

      

                   I hope you are enjoying the winter months 'nesting' in your home!

Southern Living Showcase Home- Williamsburg

While visiting my brother on the eastern shore and a dear friend in Williamsburg last weekend I explored the Southern Living Showcase Home. 

It is a 3400 square foot traditional ranch at the entrance to Ford's Colony in Williamsburg.  As I opened the 12' tall glass and wood front door, I was impressed with the

fine architectural details and masterful carpentry as I looked up to see a coffered ceiling over the open formal dining room, 6" crown molding in every room, 5 panel custom doors and pocket doors in most of the doorways. 

 The entire palette was gray and white with a minimal furnishings.  The finishes were what intrigued me the most, complimented with glass door knobs and beautiful quartzite, marble and tile selections.

I'll just let you take a look...

This is the jack and jill galley style bathroom between the two small guest rooms.

There was one all purpose living/family room in the house separated by the island into the kitchen.  There was a bonus/media room room over the garage but the three dining areas seemed to overwhelm the floor plan.

The master bathroom had a women's full bath side with separate facilities and enormous L-shaped vanity and a men's side with a separate vanity and watercloset, with this walk-thru shower separating the two sides. I would venture to guess the entire master bath was about 24' x 18' and included 2 walk in closets.  Four different tiles in the shower may be a bit much...do you think?

 This was a cute powder room.  Do you know we have an affinity for ceiling treatments?

The outdoor porch dining area off the living room, was one of my two favorite spaces.  It had a stone wall with a built-in grill, wine fridge, tv and buffet area and would serve as a lovely three season casual dining area.

My other favorite was the dog wash stand with pull-out stairs in the garage, although clearly made to accommodate small dogs.  My Gibbs would have a hard time getting up those narrow stairs, but great idea!

 The builder, Wayne Harbin, did a beautiful job on the building.

I felt that the selection of fabrics and furnishings didn't quite match the sophistication of the architectural details although there were a few nice antique pieces I liked, which added some character to the mix.   

Personally, I would have loved to see more character and warmth injected into the spaces and less of a catalog look. 

The show house is open until November 23rd.

What do you think?

Decorating Styles Series kickoff

Decorating Styles 

    by Powell Brower Home   

          

When I was in the decorating business between 1990- 2002 the prevailing 4 decorating styles were Traditional, Contemporary, Country and Eclectic. Fairly simple and clear-cut.  Now there seems to be dozens of styles.  HGTV defines 18 different styles including Art Deco, Arts and Crafts, Asian, French, English Country, Shabby Chic, Moroccan, Tropical-to name a few. 

This is a bit complex for the lay person, so we will simply the characteristics in this series.  We feel a need to define the basic design styles today as a primer for our clients to help them decide on their own style.  

Real Simple names 4 current styles: Sophisticated Classic, Modern Graphic, Cozy Casual or Vintage Eclectic.  Sounds like categories a retail store invents to sell it's products. It's just not that easy to put yourself in one category, is it?  There are some basic premises that our tastes fall into.  Once we define those tastes, we can mix in some others.

Part 1: Traditional

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This style encompasses design from all continents  based on heritage, antiques, and history.The most popular styles are British Colonial revival, 18th Century English, 19th Century Neoclassical, and French country. In a traditional room you will find these characteristics:

• formal
• symmetrical
• matched sets of furniture
• curvilinear lines,
• rich fabrics, multi layers, patterns, florals
• dark woods
• vintage antiques
• rolled arms, heavy padding
• authentic antiques, historical accents
• heavy window treatments
• embellishments, trims, fringe

Have you heard the term New Traditionall?  This is an updated version of traditional, or transitional,characterized by more attention to comfort than formality, deeper seats in the sofas and chairs, mixing periods and finishes, using reproductions, media cabinets, updated rugs in place of orientals, lighter window treatments... Something like this for example:

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Traditional Home magazine showcased ten NewTrad designers in their Spring 2012 issue.  Looking at their rooms you'd swear they were more contemporary; and that's exactly what "new traditional" is; a mix of traditional and more up to date styles. 

Is  your style  Traditional?
Stay tuned for Decorating Styles Part 2: Contemporary


Nancy

Check out the entire series here:

Traditional Style
Contemporary Style
Country Style
Eclectic Style
Updating Any Style