The Guest Bedroom for the 2017 Pasadena Showcase House
Six months in the making and we finally pulled off the Guest Bedroom for the 2017 Pasadena Showcase House of Design. You know that saying “It takes a village”? Well, the saying definitely pertains to putting together a room for a showcase house, as it is not an adventure that one embarks on solo. A huge thank you to all involved!
This Guest Bedroom was not an easy room to tackle, as it seemed as though it had more windows and doorways than wall space, but we managed and somehow pulled it off, and finished on time.
Having recently opened up a new storefront, I thought it would make sense to use products that I showcase in my store. This seemed simple enough, as I personally curate each line that I carry and make sure that whatever I put into the store is consistent with the message I would like to convey to each person that walks through our showroom doors.
The Village That Made It Possible
The moment I set foot into this year’s Pasadena Showcase House for the Designer Walk-Through and looked out the window, I knew that I would be incorporating elements from nature and the outdoors, into the design of my space. Mature trees surrounded the perimeter of the property and looking out the window all I could see was an expansive backyard, trees, and the San Gabriel Mountains in the distance. Earlier that year (April 2016 Market) I had attended High Point Market and fell in love with the Forest Chandelier, a collaboration between Currey and Co. and Aviva Stanoff and from the moment I saw it I knew I had to use it in a future project.
The organic shape gold branches with hanging quartz crystals were perfect. Whenever I see something I like, I always snap a picture for future reference. Below is the picture I took of the chandelier at High Point Market and which I later referred to in pulling together my design.
Pictured below is the view from below the chandelier right after it was installed. As large as the chandelier is, it was a perfect fit, even with a shorter than ideal ceiling (barely 8-feet tall). Because the chandelier has more of a lateral width than a vertical one, it almost floats just below the ceiling, creating a more intimate space below.
The Walls
Being a 101-year-old house, I knew that I had to respect the architecture and original style of the home, so I immediately thought of Anna French’s St. Albans Grove wallpaper and how beautifully it would echo the theme of the tree branches from the chandelier. St. Albans Grove is another item that I have been eyeing and dying to use in a project for quite some time. St. Albans Grove has a beautiful hand-painted quality to it with a metallic/pearl sheen that reflects light from every angle and I used it for an accent wall for the backdrop for the bed. Some wallpaper hangers complain about wallpaper being inconsistent and difficult to hang, but my wallpaper hanger claims that St. Albans Grove was a dream and he could hang it all day long – a happy wallpaper hanger is always a huge plus!
In an effort to keep the English Tudor home current by incorporating modern design features, I decided to pair the Anna French wallpaper with an edgier, graphic wallpaper”Avant” from Kelly Wearstler for Lee Jofa, which reads as a “no-print” print, as from a distance it almost reads as solid, but up close it comes to life. In the closet, we lined the walls and ceiling in Thibaut’s Maze Grasscloth.
For the art, I opted to go with Zoe Bios Creative, as I love that I can customize their pieces and the hand metal-leafing always adds a little added sparkle. For the four pieces for Showcase, I worked with existing pieces in the collection and tweaked the color and customized the size for the walls I had to work with.
We utilized a wall sculpture by artist Sharon Hardy through MaryLinda Moss of Source Art on the wall to the right of the bed. Originally a matte white wall sculpture (which now sits in my store) had been placed there but it was soon determined that we needed color to balance out the color on the opposite of the bed. Not having enough time to make a new sculpture, I turned to my mom, as I often do. Earlier in the year I sold her a turquoise sculpture from the same artist so I raided mom’s house and before she knew it, her sculpture was hanging in our room at the Showcase House.
While at KBIS (the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) in Orlando earlier this year, I previewed knobs from Belwith-Keeler’s new Trellis Collection in flat ultra brass (a pair was also inserted into one of the swag bags I received) Right away I knew that it would be the perfect knob to complement the custom closet as it reads neither traditional nor modern, but elevates any style space.
The Floors
The original hardwood floor had seen years of wear and tear when we took possession, so rather than spend the money to restore, I tapped into one of the many customizable resources I carry in my store, Mirth Studio, and opted to float their digitally printed hard wood floor tile on top of the existing wood floor. The Showcase House stipulates that each space is to be left in better or same condition, and in my case I decided to leave the floor in the same condition, giving it a temporary upgrade which could then be removed afterward.
For the closet floors we used a complementary graphic pattern – concentric squares, to define the boundary between the room and the closet.
The Pluto Haise rug from our friends at Woven Concepts was a slam dunk for a number of reasons. Made of weathered wool and silk, the Odyssey Collection was inspired by images from NASA, and “Pluto Haise” was inspired by none other than the galaxy of Pluto. The multi-layered and textural contrast of the wool and vibrant silk made the floor come to life.
The Furnishings
In keeping with the theme of trees, twigs and organic forms from outdoors, we finally settled with a desk of brass inlay ebonized maple from Urban Hardwoods. Urban Hardwoods is based out of the Seattle and every piece of furniture they create has a story to tell. Each piece of furniture is made from locally salvaged from trees that are removed from their neighborhood due to size, health, or hazard – all within a 20-mile radius of the Urban Hardwoods factory. We were able to work with them via pictures and phone to achieve exactly what we envisioned – it was perfect!
I knew that I had a certain wall length to work with, and the other challenge was the height of the arms on the solid acrylic-molded chair I was using. But that wasn’t a problem – Urban Hardwoods made the desk to my exact specifications using the closest slab of wood that they had on hand. I asked for an ebonized maple, which is a mid-range, warm slightly grey-tinted finish that highlights the grain.
I opted to have the brass inlaid in a geometric, almost Mondrian-like pattern to juxtapose the organic shapes that we had in the room, while also echoing the graphic pattern on the floor. Their wood has the smoothest finish in the business, running the pads of my finger across the table and along the brass inlay, it is smooth as can be and my fingers can barely detect the point at which the brass meets the wood.
For upholstery, I needed comfortable chairs in which to lounge, but with a smaller footprint. The swivel chair has been my go-to in almost every project I work on, and Thayer Coggin is the company I always turn to, as we are their local dealer and luckily they have the best swivels on the market. For Showcase, I chose a pair of Steve Spinner chairs designed by Milo Baughman for Thayer Coggin. Even though the chair was designed in 1969 (the year I was born), it looks just as current now as it did then. To give it even more pizazz, we upholstered the chairs in a chunky woven linen with a metallic silver finish from Laura Kirar for Highland Court. to complement the brushed bronze base.
The bed hosts a myriad of patterns and textures. From Marea Qol’s hand-loomed silk velvet pillows from Uzbekistan to the work from the Los Angeles workroom of Mike Ragan, we were able to create a global and visually inviting bed, with the printed ikat upholstered headboard from Thibaut as the backdrop.
The Windows
The original leaded windows in the home were so beautiful that I didn’t want to cover them up, but I knew they had to be addressed. I opted for a cordless roman shade in a simple fabric with a slight sheen – Sweet Solid in Sweet Cream from Robert Allen. A perfect, yet relatively inexpensive choice. To bring attention to detail and add in a little oomph, I added a sequined trim from Linherr Hollingsworth’s new collection for Kravet to the bottom edge.
When I design, I think about aesthetics, but I am also known for being very practical. These cordless roman shades, crafted by Superior Roman Shades, were a huge hit with everyone who stopped by to see the room as it solves a host of problems. Long gone are the days of the awkward (and dangerous) cord dangling from the side of the shade, no more fumbling around to find the chain hidden behind the shade, and the worst – no more uneven, wonky shades. My pet peeve. The cordless roman shades have a spring mechanism hidden underneath the header, and you simply pull gently on the bottom of the shade to lower, or you raise it with the palm of your hand to open the shade to your desired height. No matter what angle you push and pull, the bottom ALWAYS sits even – no more wonky shades and the constant pulling of cords to get an even hang.
Home Technology in the Guest Bedroom
This past fall Cozy Stylish Chic embarked on a relationship with Life Space UX, Sony’s new lifestyle division that brings technology that celebrates both form and function, into the home, whether it be traditional or modern, in a way that is unobtrusive, and it allows the aesthetic of the room to take center stage. To date, our store, Cozy Stylish Chic is the sole retailer of Life Space UX on the West Coast. We exhibited with Sony Life Space UX at the WestEdge Design Fair last year and we will be doing so again this year, with more surprises up our sleeve!
Since we were designing a Guest Bedroom, I thought it to be the perfect space to incorporate technology in a way that did not detract from the aesthetic of the room, as modern technology often does, and this was the perfect platform for me to demonstrate how to incorporate modern technology into an older home without having to punch through walls and placing obtrusive wires and cords everywhere.
We placed one of the two Life Space UX Portable Ultra Short Throw Projectors on top of the desk and projected onto a pad of paper to demonstrate its versatility projecting onto a horizontal surface.
We placed a second projector into a custom built corner cabinet, where it acted as the main TV for the room. The projector is capable of projecting up to an 80″ image, but in this particular scenario, 39″ was plenty. However, to make the picture larger, one simply pulls the projector a little bit further away from the wall for a larger image. Photos can be streamed from a smart device via bluetooth and wi-fi direct, or from and device with an HDMI input, such as a computer, cable box, or satellite tv. On a full charge, the projector will stream for a good 2 hours, so you can take it anywhere with you, even outdoors!
On a tray placed on top of the bed,, we showed off the Life Space UX Glass Sound Speaker. While most were attracted to the soothing LED filament light that mimics candlelight, it was the amazing sound quality that came from within the powerful 4-channel speaker that stopped visitors in their tracks.
To round out the technology in the room, we placed a Life Space UX LED Bulb Speaker into the desk lamp. Yes, that is a speaker built into the LED light bulb which fits into any standard E26 light socket. For guests staying in the room, synching with their smart device takes less than a minute after which one can listen to music from their own library or via Spotify or Pandora. The perfect amenity for house guests.
Our “Wave Switch” from the adorne Collection by Legrand featured a touchless switch and turned the lights on and off with a simple wave of the hand. The wall plate is made of hand-forged steel and is a collaboration with Hubbardton Forge. The original bell was given a face list by stripping the layers of paint and uncovering the original finish.
The Accessories
Those who know me know that my favorite past time is to troll my local flea markets and estate sales, and boy have I amassed a treasure trove of vintage ceramics, glass, trinkets, etc. Many visitors commented on how layered our room looked, but when you have a shop filled with your favorite things, it is easy to pull things off the shelves and “style” the room. My mantra has always been that the “details make the difference” and this was definitely the case in our Guest Bedroom. Each and every found object has a story, and believe me, I love telling them (which is why I was scolded by the interior chairs for holding up traffic on more than one occasion).
I designed this year’s Guest Bedroom to be “shoppable”, as that is where I see the market going. Bringing unique itemsMost of the products can be shopped on our website. If there are any items that are not listed on our website, such as wallpaper and upholstery, you can always shoot us an email and we can get you what you need.
If you’re interested in the process behind participating as a designer, see yesterday’s post for a peek behind the process.
In case you missed touring this year’s Pasadena Showcase House, be sure to check back, as I will be featuring a post on the entire home and the designers who brought it to life, shortly.
Cheers!
