Modern Coastal

I love this modern Pacific Palisades beach house that was featured in Coastal Living.  The family has six kids,  yes six, so the house has to be very durable. But, designer Maya Williams shows us how durable can still mean beautiful and modern.    

Hello gorgeous dining room.  Those bamboo chairs with the white x-base table are so airy and peaceful. Spills are easy to clean up in this room.  

This is the room that stopped my flipping fingers.  White high gloss polyurethane floors - the same material used on basketball courts.  It makes the whole space so light and airy. Plus, when the sun streams through you won't see all the dust bunnies.   But I love, love, love the marine blue runner on the stairs. This is the perfect balance to the white floors and won't show any dirt or juice stains.  Brilliant.  I also love the whimsy of the faux bois table against the pinstriped wallpaper. 

Very casual and relaxing living room.  Great driftwood table paired with a clean modern sofa and neutral silk rug. Not super kid friendly - but every house needs at least one room that's off limits to the kids.  Otherwise, where are you going to hide. 

The master bedroom.  The bed extends beyond the mattress to hug the bedside tables.  It extends almost 17 feet. Definitely creates impact and high drama without a lot of visual clutter. 

Another view of the master bedroom. Love the Oly chandelier and simple fireplace with the beach inspired grass cloth walls.   What a peaceful retreat away from all the kids!  

The other side of the bedroom.  I like how Maya infused the blue palette from downstairs into the room with the floral drapes.  I also like that they didn't install carpet in the upstairs - they continued the white wood floors.   

Now this is a modern, coastal retreat.  Well done Maya. 

Project Update

Just a quick project update. The rooms still aren't finished, but here's a quick look at some before and afters.....

Staircase before:
This was the first thing you saw when you walked in the house. The stairs were clad in outside siding. The post is structural so it needed to stay.

Family room before:
Again, the outside siding was used for the fireplace. The room was being used as a playroom for the kids. There was no furniture for relaxing and watching t.v. This room is the main living space on the first level as it borders the kitchen. It really needed to be an inviting a usable space.


Staircase after:
We opened up the wall. Removed the carpet and put in hardwood floors. Added columns to the structural support beam. Now the staircase is a focal point in the room. We also added hardwood floors throughout the entry and bathroom.


Family room after:
T.V. still needs to be installed and accessories and pillows added to the room. We built a new fireplace surround that ties into the look and feel of the new staircase. Also, we added wainscoting to the entire main floor which again ties into the look and feel of the fireplace. We painted out the brick. We left the curved fireplace doors as they are unique and the homeowner loves to build real fires. All the furniture is new as well. We did white slip covered swivel chairs so you can see the t.v. or turn and talk to someone in the kitchen. I love swivel chairs. The sofa is also a white slip covered piece. The coffee table is an antique bamboo piece from the 60's. That table makes me swoon.

The homeowner has already gotten paint and markers out of these slipcovers. Another testimony to how wonderful white slipcovers are.



Another angle of the family room.

I wish I had a picture of the before bathroom. It was a typical 60's bathroom. A huge vanity that was too big for the space, old linoleum, bad light fixtures and plain walls. You had to turn sideways to go into the room! This was the powder room so it desperately needed an update.

We added the same wainscoting that we did throughout the main floor. We installed a 24" vanity with an open chrome base to add lightness to the room. The open base is also a bonus as the kids step stools slide underneath.

Blue is one of the homeowners favorite colors so we did a pale blue grass cloth wallpaper. It's so gorgeous you almost want to move into this room. Then we added clean, modern sconces and had a custom silver bamboo mirror made.

As the finishing touches are done, I'll post more pictures.

Man sized

Let's face it.  Almost every man wants a big screen t.v.  The bigger the better. It doesn't matter what room it's for.  I know.  I now have a 42" plasma in my kitchen when all I really needed as a small indiscreet counter top version.  Now, it's the only thing you notice in my kitchen.  

I love this picture from Elle Decor.  It's the perfect solution to that large t.v.  It's so indiscreet in this built in.  The reason it works better than most is that the t.v. is recessed and has moulding where you would normally have the black or silver trim.  Now,  all you see is the screen just like a framed piece of art.   Your eye goes directly to the bookcases and not the t.v. 

It's the perfect solution to all those giant t.v's.  Now, run out and find a contractor to build you one of these. 

Good Finds

It's been a long time since I've seen anything at Pottery Barn that caught my eye.

However, this week I went in looking for some white bedding and saw a couple things that looked new and inspiring.

I love this 24" bird pillow. It looks like a custom made pillow with the green welting and beautiful linen fabric. It just screams spring and would be so great in a living room or even as Euros in a bedroom. A couple of these babies will be mine. At this price - why not?

Finally, someone has made a linen duvet comforter. Just the right weight and right amount of texture. You can also get the matching shams or Euro shams. I can't think of a better foundation for a timeless bed. (Not loving the grandma crochet sheets, however)

This sconce is so great. Too bad they didn't offer it in a silver finish as well. However, a little spray paint and it's any color you want.

I also like the ridged silver pendant. Something unique and fun for your kitchen.

Dear Pottery Barn,

Keep adding new products like these and I'll start shopping you again.

Mixed Materials

I love the mixed materials in this kitchen by designer Erika Powell that was featured in the new Coastal Living. Check out her blog/website for more incredible tailored designs. http://www.urbangrace.com/.



The copper range hood and sink are the standout stars. They have incredible patina and add so much warmth to the space. It's so unexpected which is why it's so fantastic. Then she mixed in polished nickel faucets and cabinet hardware with brushed stainless pendants to tie back to the appliances.

However, she didn't stop there. Most white kitchens would have white bar stools so they weren't adding too many colors. But, Erika mixed in a darker chocolate bar stool to contrast against the medium wood floors and balance the copper hood.

Glorious. The end result is a cozy, timeless kitchen were you just want to hang out. The best kind of kitchen in my opinion.

Happy Monday. Thanks for your patience while I recovered from this cold!