A Classic House

As I was flipping through the pages of the newest issue of the national edition of LUXE, I stopped dead in my tracks upon seeing this classic, chic home in Northern California. Located in Palo Alto, the 1920s Dutch Colonial house had undergone multiple renovations over the years, but the current owners, along with interior designer, Kristin Rowell of Scavullo Design and architect Carl Hesse of Three Design Studios were able to make the house look better than ever. The “facelift was driven by the existing colonial style” and now the interior and exterior work together seamlessly.
I was drawn to this house for its beautiful, classic bones. Symmetry abounds and the millwork and architectural details are timeless. I wish new home builders would focus more on building classic homes like this that stand the test of time as opposed to McMansions filled with gimmicky “design features”. I digress. Back to this stunning home—you’ll notice the palette is very subdued. Each room blends beautifully into the next because the neutral palette is used throughout with the occasional pop of color from an abstract painting or French Bistro chair. As much as I love using color and pattern, this house has inspired me to go neutral on a project soon. It’s so gorgeous!

{The entryway introduces the palette of crisp white millwork and espresso hardwoods. The architecture of this home is so graceful. The simplicity of the decor actually makes a very bold statement. The French Deco Horn Sconces are a personal favorite.}

{The living room is crisp and inviting.}

{I love the welcoming simplicity of the breakfast nook. The linen curtains add warmth and texture while the French Bistro Chairs add a great pop of color.}

{The kitchen was custom-designed featuring classic white cabinets and carrara marble countertops along with Halophane Pendants from Urban Archaeology and some charming French Bistro Stools.}

{The dining room is an exercise in restraint. Everything, except or the artwork is completely neutral. The slipcovered chairs and dining table have clean, minimal lines, while the Lindsay Adelman chandelier adds a modern, unexpected touch.}

{The Butler’s Pantry features the same classic elements as the kitchen.}

 

{The master bedroom features a custom built-in and relaxed grey and white bedding.}

{I love the creany dove gray color of the cabinetry in the master bath. As much as I love white cabinets with carrera marble, sometimes, the result can be a little too cool, bordering on sterile, so I love seeing the marble paired with a warmer paint color.}

{I am obsessed with the bed in the guest cottage. The simple, clean lines and polished nickel finish are so chic. It looks perfect paired with simple white linens.}

{Classic Dutch Colonial Elevation}

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"Behind the Blog" on Style Me Pretty

Thank you all so much for the comments, emails, and tweets with your kind words of support after I launched my interior design and consulting firm, Paloma Contreras Design! I am so excited about this new chapter and look forward to sharing many more projects and happenings with you. It was so fun sharing the tour of my home with on Style Me Pretty Living yesterday.

I’m pinching myself today because they are featuring me again this afternoon! This time around, we’ve done a “Behind the Blog” story which includes an interview about my experiences as a blogger and features photos of my home office. You can check it out here.

{Photo of my Inspiration Board by Kate LeSueur}

My Favorite Room: Nicole Gibbons

_{Photo: David Land for BHG via Snapsland}

Hi everyone! It's Nicole from So Haute and Nicole Gibbons Studio here. I'm super excited to be sharing my favorite room today on LDV and thanks Paloma for inviting me to participate in this fun series! When Paloma asked me to share my favorite room in my home with you, it was a rather easy choice. I live in a one bedroom apartment in New York City (where space is a luxury!) and my living room happens to be where I spend most of my time. It's a very comfortable and serene space with the most lovely natural light pouring through the windows and it's filled with beautiful little treasures that I collected and curated over time. It's very a very personal room that reflects who I am and every piece is a treasure that has its own little story.

_{Photo: Austin Irving}

My apartment is a rental and basically was a boring white box before I moved in so I relied on color texture, layering and lots of personal touches to add dimension to the room and give it character. I should note that my living room is also a multi-functional space which encompasses living, dining and home office. There is lots of seating and my kitchen opens up into the room with a separating island so it's a wonderful space for entertaining.

_{Photo: Emily Johnston Anderson for The Glitter Guide}

My sofa shown here is from Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams and although the silhouette is more modern, I mixed it up with pieces that are more traditional like these mahogany faux bamboo end tables, a 1940s inspired vintage brass coffee table, a french Louis XV style armchair and a fabulous pair of mid-century upholstered X-benches that I picked up from the Brimfield Antiques Show. The pink lamps add a bold pop of color as do fresh flowers which I always have around to add color and life to the space.

 

_{Photo: Emily Johnston Anderson for The Glitter Guide}

My draperies are a DIY Ikea hack. I wanted a simple white linen with no lining to really filter the light through so I bought inexpensive white linen curtains from Ikea and added on a greek key tape trim which gives them a luxe look for less! The Louis XV style armchair was an eBay find that I revamped. (See the before & after here)

 

_{Photo: Emily Johnston Anderson for The Glitter Guide}

I defined the living space within the room with the use of area rugs and layered a natural colored cowhide on top of a sisal rug which adds dimension and texture. This photo really shows how all of the different periods and styles of furniture work together. I think mixing things up is so much more interesting and fun that filling a room with matching pieces.

 

_{Photo: Emily Johnston Anderson for The Glitter Guide}

 

_{Photo: Annie Werbler for Apartment Therapy}

These two photos above offer a glimpse at my TV and office areas. My TV console is actually a simple and inexpensive bookcase from Ikea that I had a custom slipcover made to fit which transformed it into a chic little skirted console that hides all of my TV components and other junk that I don't want anyone to see! To prevent the big black TV from feeling too jarring, I created a little vignette around and now the TV really feels more like part of the decor.

_{Photo: Emily Johnston Anderson for The Glitter Guide}

Here's a shot of my office area that features a white Parsons style desk which is a timeless classic. The Louis Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck is another classic piece. The invisible Sapien bookcase provides great vertical storage which is perfect since space is at a premium in my apartment!

 

_{Photo: Emily Johnston Anderson for The Glitter Guide}

Here is my dining area. I'm in the process of selecting a new dining table but I've had this one for a while and it's another inexpensive find from Ikea! The chairs were a Craigslist find that I painted a grayish blue color and had the cushions reupholstered in a Suzanne Rheinstein for Lee Jofa linen. (There's a before & after here) The buffet is also a Craigslist find which has the most amazing brass lionhead drawer pulls. I use it to store all of my serveware, wine glasses, liquor and table linens. My chandelier is Thomas O'Brien's Bryant chandelier from his Visual Comfort lighting collection. The brass has a hand rubbed antique finish that has developed the most beautiful patina over time. I think it's important when you're decorating your space that you take your time and fill it with pieces that have meaning and that you not only aim to make your home beautiful, but it should also be comfortable, functional and adaptable. Creating a warm, inviting space that you love coming home to each day will elevate your mood and make you happy in ways beyond measure. I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my living room and thanks again to Paloma for having me here!

My Home Tour + A New Venture

 

{View of the Faux Bamboo Credenza in My Entryway}

I’m thrilled to share some very exciting news with you today! First off, Style Me Pretty Living, the lifestyle arm of the hugely popular Style Me Pretty is featuring a tour of my home today. Over the past six years, I have shared a few small glimpses of my home with you, but this is the first time that I am really putting it all out there. For the past several months, I have been hard at work tackling several design projects around the house to get everything in tip top shape and I finally feel like I’ve gotten things to a place worth sharing. You can check out the feature and full tour here. I hope you like it!

{My Family Room featuring Curtains by The Curtain Exchange, Custom Sofas, Hicks Pendant and Metal Banded Table Lamp from Circa Lighting, and Coral Linen Pillows with Greek Key Trim that I Commissioned from Arianna Belle}

Last month, I shared the news with you that I had decided to leave my post as Director of Marketing at Visual Comfort & Co. in order to focus on my blog and my newest venture. Well, the time has come to finally divulge the secret I’ve been keeping for the past few months! In addition to focusing on my blog, I made the leap to working for myself again in order to launch my eponymous interior design and consulting firm. On some level, I’ve always known that this was exactly where my career path would eventually lead me, but I had an epiphany at the beginning of the year and asked myself ‘what are you waiting for?’. I knew that it was time to focus on the two things that I love and know the most— blogging and interior design! I have quietly worked on design projects over the past couple of years, but never advertised my services since I still had my full-time job and was barely able to keep my head above water with such a full plate.

{PalomaContreras.com is Live!}

I am so excited to be able to dedicate all of my time to what I know is my true calling and look forward to sharing my adventures with you! I have a few really cool projects that I am currently working on and will definitely share some sneak peeks with you soon. In the meantime, I hope you’ll check out my home tour on Style Me Pretty and take a look at my website where you can view my portfolio and learn more about my services which include Full-Service Interior Design, my Design Concierge Service, and Consulting for anyone looking to grow and leverage their brand. Thank you for your support and encouragement along my journey in the six years since starting La Dolce Vita. I would have never had the courage to take the risks that I have without you.
P.S. A special thanks to Kate LeSueur who captured the beautiful images of my home and another big thank you to Kelly of Fabulous K who I have worked with for the past couple of months on my branding and website! You girls are the best!

This Week’s Quote

  

Stay tuned for a very exciting announcement and feature this afternoon!

{Illustration by Inslee Haynes}