Needle Creek Bedroom
I met this amazing man when he was looking at a house across the street from my own, and it was fate... if I believed in fate... for us to be the best of friends. It didn't take us long to discover that we had children the same ages, similar interests, and similarly goofy personalities with a deep-seeded joy for being completely inappropriate.
When he asked me for a color consultation for the home he ended up in (not across the street), I was more than happy to help!
While I'm still working on locating the living room before, this image gives a good idea... everything was white. Everything.
We walked through his house, discussedhow much they loved blues (it was apparent), and showed me every space so that I could consider the entire home when selecting colors. I used to wait to select colors until I got back to my office, where I'd put together a color presentation for homeowners. While I still like this method because it allows me time to spend with the colors, I'm getting better at making selections on the spot, so we don't get these pretty presentations anymore (unless requested).
I love illustrating how the colors look in other spaces. I am very careful to let my clients know that colors change in different lighting, but I am also pretty darn good (if I can toot my own horn) at picking out imagery that reflects my expectation of a color and feeling in a space.
You should have seen his face when I told him that I was planning to paint his entry ORANGE!
The homeowners wanted a warm and welcoming entry, and with blue being his favorite color, its complement seemed like the perfect choice!
The blues become more intense as we move into the space. As the formality lessens, the blue intensifies.
The wonderful thing about color undertones is that they really reflect on themselves and pick up on the colors that surround them. The orange in the entry enhanced the blue undertones (complementary colors) and the walls picked up on the blue in the adjacent spaces casting a silvery blue light around the room.
The orange hues in the fireplace stone balance the choice of the orange in the entry
This post is titled "Needle Creek BEDROOM"
I know you snuck a peek at the bedroom photos above. I know it was cheating to put them right at the top. You know those recipe sites that make you read a novel about what they were doing the day they decided to put some fantastically unusual ingredient in their pancake recipe that makes it completely unique? Yeah, I never read those... I just want the recipe. That's why I put the pictures at the top. If you want to read more, you are welcome to. If not, peek at the pics, and be on your merry way.
I could not have been more thrilled when, about 6 months later, my friend sent me a text asking me to design his bedroom. I can't tell you how many times I've heard from fellow designers "never work with friends". Living on an island means... everyone you work with is a friend. This one, I was so excited to work with! From day one, he says, "no discounts. Your time is valuable." That is a friend. He also made sure I knew he wanted the royal treatment (his words), and of course- royal treatment is the only treatment I give! He also was on a TIGHT timeline. He wanted this done YESTERDAY, and I love him for keeping a sense of humor while he and his husband slept on the office floor waiting for their gorgeous room to come to completion.
The original space had carpeted floors, and very little in the way of interesting millwork, which is part of what makes us fall in love with the house downstairs!
It started with the floors. Originally the upper level was entirely carpet. I recommended my favorite hardwood flooring company to go in and match the wood on the stairs. Sure enough, they matched it perfectly! While the floors were going in, I was coming up with a design that was cohesive with the rest of the home.
The windows to this space offer wonderful light and views. The trim is gorgeous, and I wanted to accentuate this.
I knew right away that I wanted the ceiling to be darker than the walls. I also knew that I wanted dark, dramatic colors to create warmth and intimacy. Once the decision was made to create a division between the walls and ceiling, it was time to get creative with millwork.
I initially envisioned the ceiling as having a dark blue undertone to continue the colors we started downstairs. But, one of the fun things about rules... breaking them.
It shouldn't be surprising that I got really obsessive about the layout of the battens. Here's a peek at the final drawings:
My friend and client was wonderful about keeping me in the loop as the project began. The construction happened over the course of a week and it just happened to be a week that I was in Mexico- thank goodness for a great assistant and a friend who knows how to reach me internationally!
We had ordered all the furnishings, the chandelier and the rug before I left town and they arrived in time for construction to begin! The great thing about designing for a friend is the play by play of everything as it happens.
As the homeowner so wonderfully put it, "This is your Sistine Chapel....", sweet friend, it's OUR Sistine Chapel. Every project is a culmination of the homeowners' ideas, personal style and sense of adventure combined with my guidance and expertise. We are proud to have such wonderful partners in crime!
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