La Dolce Vita: Interior Design

Showing posts with label Interior Design. Show all posts

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Style Profile: Lazaro Rosa Violan

Yesterday, I blogged about the beautiful Hotel Pulitzer in Barcelona after having fallen in love with its design. Upon doing a little research, I found out that the hotel was designed by Spanish interior designer, Lázaro Rosa Violán, who has soared to the top of my list of favorite designers. Violán is a self-described “urban archaeologist” and “style hunter”, which I can certainly appreciate. Violán has been designing restaurants and hotels in his native Spain since 1990. His interiors are perfectly layered, with various styles blending together perfectly. Violán’s palettes are typically sophisticated and restrained and he balances masculinity with a touch of glamour nearly every time. In a word, his work is sublime. According to Violán: “The interior designer is an actor. He must dress up and change roles, understand new identities and integrate them with his own.” This personal philosophy of his further concretes my opinion of Violán as a true design visionary.

Hotels:

{Hotel Pulitzer Roma}

{Hotel Market, Barcelona}

{Hotel Praktik Rambla, Barcelona}

Restaurants:

{Big Fish, Barcelona}

We HAVE to go to this restaurant when we visit Barcelona! The design is incredible! I love the rough luxe look of it all. The combination of worn, whiskey-colored chairs, floating capiz chandeliers, industrial pendants, and black and white palette are too good to miss! Let’s just hope the food is half as delicious as the décor!

2 Big Fish Contemporary restaurant Barcelona

4 Big Fish Contemporary restaurant Barcelona 2

5 Big Fish Contemporary restaurant Barcelona

{Bazaar, Madrid}

{Fishop, Barcelona}

{Miu, Barcelona}

{Flamant Café, Barcelona}

{La Polpa, Barcelona}

{La Rita, Barcelona}

Retail:

{Felix, Barcelona}

Click on the images to enlarge them and see them in their full glory! I keep going back and looking at them in order to take in every detail.

Image Credit: Lázaro Rosa Violán

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Ryan Brown’s “Flip-Out-worthy” Pad

Ryan Brown’s design sensibility has appealed to me since the first season of Flipping Out. His aesthetic mixes laidback California elegance with Los Angeles Regency and Asian influences. His chic projects usually feature a mix of styles, which I love. The home Ryan shares with his partner, Dale and daughter, Chloe was featured in the Los Angeles Times a few months ago and was recently named one of their top 10 stories of the year.

The living room is furnished in a sophisticated mix of vintage and contemporary pieces: A white-lacquered Art Deco side table sits next to a minimalist Italian sofa. A wooden-topped factory stool flanks a Danish armchair covered in a bold floral. Matching high-backed chairs sit across from an embossed leather ottoman on casters. Above it is Jonathan Adler's three-tier Ventana chandelier. On the small wall to the right of the bay window, another Brown touch: wooden paddles from European bakeries hung as art.

Ryan’s living room features Kelly Wearstler Trellis drapes, Jonathan Adler’s Ventana Chandelier, and a pair of high back chairs.

The opposite view: Daughter Chloe crosses the living room, with the elevated dining area in the background. Note how the crown molding at the ceiling juts out at the window and serves as curtain valances. "Molding adds instant warmth and character to a room," says Brown, who also connected baseboards and chair rails to vertical trim pieces, creating the appearance of paneled walls. "You can get it at a hardware store and just nail it up. It doesn't need to be real wood since it's going to be painted." Although Brown splurged on high-priced designer fabrics by Lulu DK and Kelly Wearstler elsewhere in the house, when it came to larger jobs such as curtains and Roman shades, he went to the Fashion District in downtown L.A. and shopped discount stores.

Ryan often uses rich neutral colors. I love the elegant warmth in this room. Little Chloe is certainly the cutest thing in the room!

On a vintage bar cart from <a href="http://www.lawsonfenning.com"> Lawson-Fenning</a> in Los Angeles, Brown creates a display that mixes a Buddha head, a branch of coral and two oversized lacquer candlesticks from West Elm that frame what appears to be a glass mosaic tile work. It's actually a painting by <a href="http://www.thehappylion.com/index.php?artist=wills&view=list"> artist Brian Wills</a>. The walls are painted with Sherwin Williams' Gauntlet Gray.

I love these West Elm Candlesticks! The coral adds nice texture, as well.

In the dining room, Brown covered the ceiling in bead board, which makes the space feel intimate yet casual, he says. The horizontal lines also echo the wall of cabinetry, which Brown created from three matching Chinese pieces, an eye-catching alternative to a built-in unit. He designed the table, which can seat 12. It's built on a base of reclaimed Douglas fir with a distressed walnut top by Ian Ferguson of [<a href="http://www.digitfurniture.com">Dig It Furniture</a> in Venice. "I always tell him to beat up table tops so I don't have to worry about them," Brown says. Though they look like antiques, the dining chairs are a cheat, Brown admits. "I was running out of budget so I got them from <a href="http://www.anthropologie.com"> Anthropologie</a> and recovered the seats."

The dining room features an amazing Sputnik chandelier and beautiful, rich cabinetry.

The Sputnik lamp hanging over the dining table was purchased at <a href="http://www.downtown20.net"> Downtown</a> in Los Angeles. "There's a bulb missing and people always notice," the designer says. "But I think that's part of its charm."

The family's chocolate Lab, Jordan, cruises through the kitchen. Brown designed a fretwork pattern for cupboard doors, giving the room the Chinese Chippendale look associated with Hollywood Regency style. The work also was done by <a href="http://www.digitfurniture.com">Dig It Furniture</a> in Venice. Note the top portion of the walls, which are covered in bead board running horizontally, coordinating with the marble subway tiles above the countertop.

I must say that my favorite rooms that Ryan designs are always his kitchens! I love the open shelving and beautiful finishes. Notice the fretwork on the cabinets.

A banquette style sofa from <a href="http://www.mgandbw.com/">Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams</a> in a kid-friendly floral print anchors the space adjoining the kitchen. Monchamp says the home nicely balances formal spaces with family areas. "We couldn't do anything too precious," he says. "We are not 'No, don't touch that' people."

Brown's improvements included new hardwood floor, doors and windows, which brighten the master bedroom upstairs. And the mix of décor? "The world is an art gallery," Brown says. "You can learn something new at every turn."

The Zen-Like Master Bedroom

The master bath gets the glam spa treatment with a <a href="http://www.sunrisespecialty.com/sunskirted.html">Piedmont skirted tub</a> purchased at <a href="http://www.livingsquare.com">Living Square</a> in Los Angeles. Hexagonal Mist limestone floor tiles are from <a href="http://www.annsacks.com/home.html">Ann Sacks</a>. The chandelier, which Brown repainted white, was 60 bucks. "A lot of the lamps in the house cost under a hundred dollars at flea markets and garage sales," Brown says.

This is such a great spot for a tub!

In the stairwell, he hung the 30-bulb Meurice chandelier, a Jonathan Adler design that can be found <a href="http://www.jonathanadler.com/shop/product.php?productid=17077&cat=387&page=1&initial="> online</a> for $750.

A Fabulous Jonathan Adler Chandelier Hangs in the Stairwell

Chloe plays chef in her bright and cheery room, furnished from catalog resources such as <a href="http://www.potterybarnkids.com/">Pottery Barn Kids</a>. Brown and Monchamp wanted a beautiful house that was still kid-friendly. The living room sofa may be B&B Italia, but that doesn’t mean Chloe and her playmates are impressed. "They'll take every cushion and pillow off and throw them on the floor, then they'll jump on them," Brown says, nonplussed.

Miss Chloe’s room is cute and sassy.

The yard was relandscaped to include a mosaic tile pool, an organic vegetable garden and a lawn with a concrete paver path from <a href="http://www.artobrick.com/index.aspx"> Arto Brick</a> in Gardena. With extensive changes inside and out, the tab for renovations came to about $700,000. "I did it as inexpensively as possible to use the materials I wanted," Brown says, adding that without his industry sources the cost would have run $1 million.

So relaxing! I wish I were hanging out in this beautiful backyard today instead of taking harbor from this cold, rainy day.

Under a wood-framed arbor, Brown created an outdoor dining area with a 13.5-foot-long table and four teak benches for seating. A zinc planter and an aged metal votive holder add a touch of French country charm.

I adore the items Ryan chose for the outdoor dining area. The long, farmhouse style table, zinc planter, and candleholder look fantastic and add a bit of French charm.

Image Credit: The Los Angeles Times

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

10 Things I Can’t Live Without: Caitlin Creer

Caitlin Creer is a doll. Her personal blog was one of the first I read before becoming a blogger myself. She was a friend of a friend and I was always drawn to the fabulous do-it-yourself projects she completed in the apartment that she and her husband shared.
Fast forward a couple of years and Caitlin has left New York, has a beautiful son named Winston, and an interior design business that is accompanied by her wonderful design blog. Caitlin’s preppy design sensibility is sort of Kate Spade-meets-J.Crew at the most incredible vintage furnishings store you can imagine. The girl has quite an eye! She is always finding the most amazing thrift store pieces and turning them into something beautiful with a fresh coat of paint and a fun fabric. Aside from her fab taste, the thing that I find most appealing to Caitlin is how genuine she is. Unpretentious, sweet, and super talented, she is the type of girl you’d want to be friends with. Thanks for sharing your “10 Things” list with us, Caitlin!

1. My family and friends: I have been so lucky in my life to have wonderful people by my side. In every new stage of life I seem to be fortunate enough to collect amazing friends that enrich my life so much, and my blog friends are no exception. I'm also lucky enough to have a big family who is so wonderful and supportive and gives me so many reasons to be thankful.

Kelly Wearstler

domino

2. Children, specifically my son Winston: There is nothing quite like the imagination and discovery of a child. I think having children around keeps you young at heart and creative. My son is constantly inspiring me to look at things in new ways and experience the joy in each moment. He inspires my creativity as much as any design magazine or beautiful room.

3. The Internet and my trusty Mac: My business pretty much revolves around my computer and the Internet. Whether it's researching ideas for a client, do invoices, or reading some of my favorite blogs like La Dolce Vita, I spend a lot of time with my lap top. I also do a lot of e-decorating so I'm always working on design plans and sourcing pieces on the Internet.

Erinn Valencich

Carla Lane

Anne Coyle

4. Designers/magazines/blogs: I love being part of this amazing online community of bloggers, designers, and of course wonderful readers. I am so inspired by what so many out there are doing in their every day lives. It helps keep me going when I feel overwhelmed. I just got a handful of new design books for Christmas that I have literally spent hours just pouring through. The more inspiration I have around, the better my work is and the more creatively I'm able to approach projects. Some of my favorite designers right now include Anne Coyle, Carla Lane, and Erinn Valencich.

David Jimenez

Ruthie Sommers

5. Vintage accessories/furniture: I think every room should have a little bit of vintage, just to keep it grounded. I love shopping for one of a kind pieces and accessories. Believe it or not, Salt Lake City where I live has quite a few wonderful vintage/consignment stores where I often find wonderful pieces and it is a mecca for thrift store finds. Luckily my husband shares this hobby so we often make it a family affair on weekends. There is nothing like bringing new life to an old cast off piece of furniture and I love the sense of history that vintage pieces can add to a space. David Jimenez and Ruthie Sommers are masters of achieving just the right mix in this area. I literally study their rooms to absorb all the little details.

all images above by CC Interiors

6. Fun Fabrics: I don't think I've been doing this long enough to have a signature look, but I will say that in almost every project I look to incorporate fabulous fabrics. Keep in mind that fabulous doesn't have to mean expensive. I love using vibrant and colorful patterns to inject personality in to my rooms. When I'm working on a budget I always use premier prints as a go to. You can often find really great fabric options or throw pillows on etsy as well.

7. New York City: I lived in New York for four years (twice, two year stints with a break in between) and I just moved back to Utah a year ago. I miss the city every day, and I have to say that when it comes to learning and defining style, New York City is the best classroom. I've been working on a shopping guide to NYC for budget decorating sources and it should be done and debut on my blog some time this year. Every time I go to New York it feels like home. There is nothing quite like the wealth of interesting shops and showrooms that New York has to offer. Especially when you are seeking inspiration. I kind of grew up in New York since I moved there the first time as a college freshman at NYU. It will always be a big part of my identity.

8. My Collections: I've moved 7 times in the past 5 years. This has made me really good at 2 things, packing and learning how to efficiently set up a home and help my life and furniture translate from one space to another. One thing that really helps me feel at home wherever I am are my collections, which I have way too many of. I collect among other things, vintage children's books, milk glass, ginger jars. I love the impact a collection can have when it is artfully displayed.

9. Storage Boxes and Bins: I think I learned the importance of being organized from living in small New York City apartments. I have to confess that I have a lot of clutter but if you set up your house properly, no one ever has to know. I have little bowls, baskets, and boxes in and on almost every piece of furniture in my home. Among all the storage boxes I have, my vintage locker baskets, storage ottomans, and ikea metal bins have to be among my favorites.

Thomas Smythe from House & Home

10. A good down pillow: I am a busy girl so by the end of the day I am totally spent. I could sleep 12 hours a night if my schedule permitted, which it definitely doesn't and I'm usually lucky to get 7 hours. I sleep with 3 fluffy pillows every night and it makes all the difference to me. I often bring a pillow with me when I travel just so I know I'll be covered. It is so worth it to splurge on down bedding, it's like sleeping in a cloud.