On the large wall, I flanked two large arched mirrors around a bench seat.  The mirrors provide depth, making the room appear larger, by reflecting the distant view of the beach.  The opposite wall, which you can see in the mirror’s reflection below, occupied by a media console.  This is meant to have a flat screen t.v. mounted above it for the homeowner who wishes to have entertainment.  Otherwise, this is a great place for a large piece of original art!

I decided not to paint the cabinets in this unit, and instead, played up their warm honey hues with art, accent pieces and lighting.

In the Master Bedroom, I decided to build a headboard into the wall by mounting wood trim pieces in a rectangular panel, and installing a basketweave wallcovering inside of it.  This provided emphasis to bed wall, making it a focal point in the room.  The warm hue of the wallcovering contrasted nicely with the gray-green wall color.

I made sure all the rooms transitioned well into one another by keeping the same color scheme and design concept. 

In dressing your walls, it is important to “mix it up” and use different types of applications in order to maintain proper balance and variety.  When planning my wall art, I like to divide my options into three different categories: art, mirrors, and non-art.  Art includes paintings and drawings, and can be divided into canvas art and framed prints.  Mirrors are functional, but also help rooms by making it look larger and lighter by reflecting light.  “Non-art” includes items such as wall sculptures, tapestries, wall-hung plates, shadow boxes, and sconces.  It is important to make sure you are mixing up these three categories in your rooms, so that you do not have too much of the same thing.  Below I utilized art and “non-art” on the main bed wall shown by installing two wrapped canvas giclees on each side of the bed, and breaking that up with some rustic distressed letters that spell “BEACH”. 

One way to dress your walls, without spending a whole lot of money on a fancy wallcovering, is to paint tone-on-tone stripes.  This jazzes up plain walls, but is subtle enough to not compete with interesting wall art.  When I was giving this unit to furnish, the walls were blank, and this room had not mirror or light.  I dressed it with this arched mirror from Uttermost, and a glass droplet sconce from Currey and Company.

Thank you for touring this design with me!  If you are interested in purchasing this unit furnished, please let me know!  Also, don’t forget to view the other Grand Dunes model I furnished:  Click Here!

Cara L. McBroom

Licensed Interior Designer

cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

850-837-5563 ph

850-654-5867 fx

I wanted this unit to have a balance of contemporary elements and natural, rustic elements that make it relevant to the coast.  The clean-lined sofa/chaise sectional here in the living area is anchored by a large, yellow, flat woven wool area rug with an off-white geometric design on it.  I took pleasure in mixing mirrored surfaces and reflective chrome, with more rustic galvanized finishes, sun-bleached woods and natural linen fabrics.  I love being able to mix golds and silvers together in a room, as well. 

The sofa/chaise sectional is by Century Funiture.  The chairs are by Sam Moore.  The rustic lamp wood lamp table is by DK Living, and the mirrored square cocktail table is by Hooker Furniture.

My photography skills do not show it very well, but I painted the ceiling in this unit a pale yellow that is offset by the warm gray wall color.  The yellow on the ceiling ties together all the yellow hints in the design, and help mimic the large yellow area rug on the floor. 

The kitchen bar is dressed up with chrome vases, just waiting for some fresh flowers, and place settings that mix gold, silver and white.  The cow hyde counter stools pick up on the colors of the baltic brown granite, and provide a hip, funky touch to the room.

I also used cow hyde in the form of a large area rug under the dining table.  The darkness of the hyde helps to anchor the dining space, while also differentiating the natural-colored table and chairs from the beige travertine floors.  The kitchen cabinets, which were a generic wood color before, were made more contemporary simply by painting them the same color as the walls, and replacing the wrought iron leaf cabinet pulls with sleek, chrome pulls.  The bar pendants were replaced by some antique mirror pendants by Worlds Away. 

I never would have guessed that I would one day be decorating with dried beans and corn, but there I was, navigating the aisles at Wal-Mart, searching for something to make these apothecary jars less transparent.  The corner of this kitchen was a little too large, empty and colorless.  Once the idea for these jars formed, the off-white color was easy to find, but I struck gold (pun intended) when I thought to use corn to achieve the perfect gold color. 

In the dining room, I mixed sun-bleached woods with linen upholstery, cow hyde, and some fabulous amber ghost chairs.  The large canvas artwork was perfect in color and style, as it mixed golds and blues, had a coastal subject matter, and was painted in a contemporary fashion.  I used these chrome wall brackets to display white corals, and to create a geometric rhythm.

This Master Bedroom turned out to be my favorite room of the whole design. Because condominium walls tend to be large, empty, wide expanses of windowless walls, I needed a way to break up the planes, and dress it in the correct proportions.  I started by having some small vertical moldings installed on each side of the bed, and then ran some yellow grasscloth inside those molding pieces for vertical panels.  These were made more important by the unique hanging droplet sconces.  This gave the master bed and bed wall more importance in the room, and addressed the problem of a large, boring empty wall.  It also emphasised the height of the room.

I hung a large horizontal mirror on the side wall that was large enough to fit the proportions of the room, and that also served the puropse of reflecting the view of the water from certain stand-points in the room.

In the picture below, you can finally see the impact obtained by painting a subtle color on the ceiling of a room.  In this case, the yellow color reinforces the yellow used in sparing amounts throughout.

In the first guest bedroom, I decided to do a Drexel Heritage tall panel headboard.  I dressed it with some Romo fabrics, and some elegant, natural Pinecone Hill coverlet, bedskirt and euro shams.  In this room, you can see how silvers and grays can be mixed with golds and look more custom and elegant.  The gold bamboo chairs add a touch of glitz and glam to this otherwise strictly contemporary room. 

Below is the second Guest Bedroom.  I decided to make this room slightly more masculine and rustic.  I chose this rustic teak platform bed by Four Hands, and coordinating “circles” bedside tables by Arteriors.  The shell tapestry by Design LEgacy that is hanging over the bed was perfect, because it had all the colors I wanted to blend together in this room: coppers, golds, oranges, blues, browns, and even some red. 

Below begins the photos I (tried to) take of the elevator vestibule.  I am very proud of the change I was able to make to this room, yet was unable to capture it perfectly with my camera.  I took the plain, boring walls of this private elevator entry and installed wood trim pieces to create waincot wall panels.  I then installed a natural & pale yellow grasscloth to add color, and hung a gold shell light fixture by Currey and Company. 

This unit is currently on the market to be sold furnished, and can be toured by contacting me, or the following Real Estate Agent:

Don Williams
Agent Cell Ph   850-259-4111
Office Ph   850-837-6456
don@grand-dunes.com

Thank you so much for following my blog!  Please contact me if you need any design services!

850-837-5563 ph

cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

See more pictures of this unit in my previous post!

If you need any design help, please contact me!

Cara L. McBroom; Lovelace Interiors, Inc.; 850-837-5563; cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

Rustic jute, raffia, linen and distressed finishes; or rich wool, silk, velvet, golds and things adorned in crystals?  Why pick and choose when you can have it all? This unit was designed for two people who hold the beach near and dear to their hearts, while also enjoying the finer things in life.  I wanted their design to reflect both of these loves by contrasting natural, somewhat rustic coastal finishes and accents with rich, fine textures and sparkling finishes.  I laughingly came up with the term “crusty-chic”, which we ended up using quite a bit through the process!  A more proper description, however, would probably be “coastal-chic”.

This is the Living Room.  The natural linen fabrics of the sofa and swivel chairs were made more sophisticated by the clean lines, bench seat cushion and waterfall skirts.  The large jute area rug was topped with a hand-woven wool and silk area rug that pulled in some color.  This is a great way to anchor a large space and achieve richness without breaking the  bank. After all, layering is not just for fashion!  

The main focal piece in this room is a large heart pine sideboard and hutch that the clients brought from home. This is an antique that once resided in someone’s kitchen.  We loved the idea of making this into a t.v. piece, because it brought so much warmth and weight to the room, and helped anchor and define the space.  We removed the shelves & mounted the t.v.  Then, I had some custom doors made to match the piece, and upholstered them in a matching woven linen. This hides their components and makes it more functional. I love it when a client brings their own things like this to the table, because it helps to make a design unique, while also bringing an automatic sense of familiarity and “home” to their new place.

Before

One thing I had working for me from the start is the incredible view!

Confronting a large, open and empty space can seem daunting at first, but I see it only as a room full of possibilities.  One way to define specific areas in a large open space is to use one piece of furniture in each area that is weighty, contrasting, and acts as an “anchor”.  In this case, the living room is anchored by the entertainment unit, and the Dining Room by the black and gold Drexel Heritage china/curio cabinet.  Rugs and light fixtures are also easy ways to define a space.

Opposite the entertainment unit is this wall, which is adorned with some commissioned original art by local artist Allison Wickey, and sconces by Fine Art Lamps.  The French settee is finished in antique white, and upholstered in raffia, with a linen tufted seat cushion.  To add color, I had these two custom kidney pillows made and trimmed it with moon shell fringe from Kravet’s Barbara Barry collection.  The green velvet bolster was actually made for one of the bedrooms, but worked out perfectly here instead!

This view of the Living Room gives you a glimpse of the guest bedroom, and shows the repetition of color used throughout.

This unit provides a glorious view of the sunset in the evenings.  In the foreground above, you will see the reclaimed wood sofa table we used, topped with the oval art glass from Fusion Art Glass.  In this sculpture are 3-dimensional impressions of fish, finished in golds that sparkle when the light shines on it. 

This Luna Bella standing chandeler was a must-have!  Putting it in the room was like adding the most fabulous piece of jewelry to an outfit that everyone talks about and loves.  The success of this piece is in the dramatic contrast between the vintage-looking metal and wire, and the sparkling crystals, pearls and gold accents.  When the light shines just right, it casts rainbows on nearby surfaces! 

Here you can see how closing the sheers in the evenings helps to filter the sun, and casts a warm golden glow on the entire room.

Kitchen Before

Here is the kitchen, the heart of any home!  Before, the cabinets were a generic wood finish, the backsplash was a ho-hum matte tile, and the countertops were nice, but typical granite.  I started the transformation by, of course, painting the entire unit-walls, ceilings and all.  I also had the cabinets painted the same color as the walls, but in a semi-gloss finish.  This helped the cabinets blend into the background and let the other accents do the “talking”.  Making the loudest noise (be still, my beating heart) is this rippled glass counter top on the island!  This particular detail ended up being the keystone piece to complete the whole design.  Once everything was in, it became apparent that the island, being the center of the design, was not living up to its potential with the existing granite.  I sent my clients in search of an exotic labradorite granite that pulled in aqua accents and reflective pieces of exotic gemstone (see examples below)

They came back with the glass idea, instead, which I immediately said “YES!” to.  It is rich, colorful, and reminiscent of the ocean. Just Perfect!

On the outlying counters, we used a less conspicuous, but equally cool solid surface material that contained pieces of shell, beach glass, and tiny reflective mirror pieces. Finally, the backsplash needed some sparkle, which was achieved with this horizontal staggered glass tile. 

Here you can see how the glass island added a beautiful punch of color that picked up on the water outside.  I replaced their pendant lights with these mercury glass pendants from Arteriors that look like they are dripping from the ceiling.  The counter stools are by Lee Industries, and are covered in ice blue leather. 

Here is the Dining Room.  Helping to define this area are the Crystorama drum chandelier with amber crystal teardrops, and the hand-woven wool rug that pulls all the colors together. The French cane side chairs with linen slipcovered seats are by Aidan Gray.  The host and hostess chairs are by Henredon, and are covered in rich green velvet, with linen contrast welt and band at the bottom. 

The dining table is an old, inexpensive table I found at an antique store and had faux finished by local artist, Polly Yokum, to match the dining side chairs.  I loved this table because of the undulating curves of the top, and because of the details on the pedestal bases.  I knew this would clean up beautifully—the lines of it were wonderful!

The Currey & Company dining sideboard is heavily adorned in shells and coral, and topped with white marble.  Above it is the matching wood and shell trumeau mirror. These two pieces were the epitome of “crusty-chic” with its distressed finishes and bleached shells, arranged into a classic and timeless form. I accessorized with this fabulous lamp with draped glass by Global Views.  Opposite is a mermaid sculpture with shell and iridescent glass accents. 

Before

In the above two photos, you can see how beautiful natural light during the day is transformed into a sparkling ambience in the evening.  This is why lighting is important, and can be an art form in itself. 

The Master Bedroom shows off an upholstered king bed by Oly, antique mirrored nightstands by Currey & Company, and some fabulous bedside pendants.  This is a wonderful alternative to lamps because they look more custom, and also free up space on your nightstands. 

The art over the bed is antique prints of shells framed in handmade frames, which bring touch of contrast to the room. The bedding is all custom-made, sewn in hues of green, greige, and soft gold.  A wide-stripe Peacock Alley blanket is topped with a green silk coverlet, and then topped again with a linen duvet.  Again with the layering—the more the merrier when dressing your bed!  It gives it a rich, plush and inviting appearance. The lambskin throw adds a final touch of luxurious texture.

Master Bathroom Before

Here is the Master Bathroom.  As you can see, I am a huge fan of “mirrors on mirrors”. In another example of layering, we dressed this bathroom up by adding one unique and beautiful LaBarge mirror over the vanity, mounted in front of the existing wall-to-wall mirrors.  It is flanked by two Arteriors buffet lamps. 

Over the tub is this large Design Legacy coral tapestry.  The Drexel Heritage bed step works well in helping the client climb in and out of the tub.

The Guest Bedroom is slightly more feminine, with its crystal lamps, curvilinear bed and antique fauteuils. 

Antique Florida maps sandwiched and floating in glass add color to the other side of the room. 

Antique Fauteuils Before

I love using writing desks as nightstands.  This one is by Drexel Heritage, and is finished in the perfect green and cream paint colors.  Flanking the bed are framed seahorse prints by Vintage Print Gallery.  The fauteuils in this room are ones my clients brought from home.  I gave them relevance and style by recovering them in this fabulous green Romo linen and geometric velvet print by Kravet.

The queen leather bed by Schnadig provided a warm richness needed to contrast all the light fabrics and finishes.  The other bedside table is a gold and marble table by Cyan Designs. 

All I need is a mug of hot tea and a good book, and I could crawl into this bed and never get out! 

Hmmm…I wonder where we got our color inspiration?

The Guest Bathroom was dressed up with another LaBarge “mirror on mirror” (my handyman loves me!) This particular mirror was VERY heavy and the process was laborious, but the result was worth it.  This is why I employ people who believe that if there is a will, there is a way.  I am very strong-willed!  The wallpaper is a pale green with shiny gold print.  It is colorful enough to give richness to the bathroom, but faded enough to not be too busy.

I designed this shower curtain to be simple, so as not to take away from the wallcovering.  The applied coral band picks up on the gold hues of the wallpaper, and adds just the right coastal touch.

The third and final bedroom was made into a bunk room.  The client wanted this room to be fun, but also sophisticated.  The whale triptych, coral pillows and custom boxed pillows add a whimsical touch.  The tailored linen capsets, oyster shell sconces, painted venetian chest and capiz shell mirror provide the balance of sophistication. 

Let us not forget the Powder Bath!  Before, this room sported a pedestal sink and generic light fixture.  I replaced those with this contemporary wood lavatory by Kohler that provided some storage, a white faux horn mirror by Jamie Young, and capiz shell light fixture by Corbett Lighting.  The green and champagne paisley wallcovering picks up on all the colorful accents in the main living area.

Follow me out onto the balcony!

Warm teak club chairs and chaise lounge by Brown Jordan provide a relaxing place to sit and enjoy the sun.  Color was added with Sunbrella pillows and these beautiful garden stools. The side table above, by the chaise lounge, is actually made of ceramic, but designed to look like driftwood!  Garden Stools and side table are by Emissary.

Emerald Coast photographer, Mark T. Worden, is photographing the unit for an upcoming issue of Condo Owner’s Magazine!  Pictures are to come—Of course, I try my best, but his pictures promise to be much better than mine!!

Thank you for visiting my blog!  Call or email me if you need any design help:

Cara L. McBroom

850-837-5563 ph

cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

Before

After

Above are pictures of the Living Room before and after the facelift.   Before, her prized oil painting was not living up to its full potential.  I solved this by giving it the champagne floating frame it deserved, and adding touches throughout that accented its colors.  The navy was pulled from the shadows, the teal from the shutters, and the cerulean from the background of the art.  I also gave the art wall more importance by flanking the art with two lantern sconces by Currey and Company.  This sofa/chaise sectional by Drexel Heritage is a favorite of mine, as it is very comfortable, and I love the clean lines and boxed arm pillows. It provided more seating, as well as a more inviting and relaxing atmosphere.

I added this anchor, not only to create a nautical feel, but also because the Condominium is named “Anchorage”. The client got a kick out of this.

Before

After

 Here is another view of the Living Room before the change and after.  Before, the space was not being used in the most effective way.  The corner opposite my “L-shaped” furniture layout was cleaned up with a larger chair that matched the sofa and created a more comfortable vignette.  The blue storage cube you see in front of the chair is actually the same green ottoman pictured in both “before” pictures.  It was recovered in navy linen on the bottom, and the lid was covered in a navy velvet coral fabric.  I had the upholsterer add silver nailheads to the bottom for the last finishing touch of sophistication.  I designed the round cocktail ottoman to be navy on the sides, a natural fabric on the top, and the welts are a navy and white ticking stripe, sewn on the bias so that it would look like a blue and white cord.  This was done to add just a touch of nautical flair.  I anchored this new furniture arrangement with a custom-sized rug bound in blue linen. 

You may also notice in the before pictures that the window treatments did nothing to frame the view of the harbor!  I remedied this by raising the drapes to ceiling height for drama, and mounting non-functional woven wood shades just below the rod to cover the wall above the sliders, and trick the eyes into thinking we have an entire wall of windows.  The gauzy linen sheers are fully functional.  They are hung on a chrome decorative traversing rod made by Vesta.

Before

After

 In these before and afters, you will notice that we replaced the painted cabinet on the wall between the hall and Master Bedroom with a taller storage cabinet from Palecek.  The off-white finish of the cabinet pulls out the trim color of the unit, as well as my pillow fabrics and counter tops.  The “After” picture also shows the Living Room from another vantage point.  From this view you can appreciate the colors in the chair pillows, and the shape and design of the Deco-inspired wooden Palecek chairs. 

This picture gives another view of the Drexel Heritage Chair, the floor lamp by Barbara Cosgrove, and of course the beautiful fresh tulips, which give homage to the beautiful Pindler and Pindler fabric on the sofa pillows shown below. 

I sold the clients this round tray for the ottoman for serving, or for a place to set the remote controls for the television.  I found it a very beautiful touch to add this green bowl, which pulls out the green color in the painting, since we had so much navy and blue throughout.

Since this sectional provided so much more seating, it took away from the ability to access a side table, or a place to set your glass of water, snack or book.  Because of this, we came up with the idea of having a place behind the sofa to set these named items.  I designed this wall extension that essentially created a console high enough to comfortably access, and deep enough for a cup and saucer or salad plate.  The clients could then lounge back with their arm across the back of the sofa, and casually reach their glass of wine. 

I could not resist showing this incredible view of the bay at sunset.  This unit has a wonder view of the marina in San Destin.

Before

After

These are Before and After pictures of the Kitchen. My goal was to update the look and lighten the feel. I began updating by having my client purchase sparkling-new stainless steel appliances. I then urged her to paint over the faux-finished wood cabinets with an off-white that matched the counter tops and helped to lighten up the look. We then added a slight brown glaze in the cracks of the cabinet doors for an extra touch of warmth. The drama was brought in with the blue glass tile backsplash! This provided a needed punch of color to the kitchen, as well as much-needed reflectiveness and depth.

Before

After

Before

After

Above is the Dining Room transformation.  The pine farm table used before did not mesh well with the color of the floors and wall, and was a little bit too “country” for the room.  I found this wonderful antique reproduction dining table made by Sarreid and fell in love.  It has a carved wood base that has been painted and distressed in antique white.  The top was an unfinished solid pine that I had treated to protect it from spills and stains, but I wanted it to remain as natural and rustic as possible, as I had big plans for its contrast–the chandelier!  This Chandi chandelier is made of crystal balls in various sizes and hung at differnt heights, and was designed in an oval shape that complemented the elongated shape of the table.  It resembles large droplets of falling water frozen in motion!  I loved how this sparkling crystal eye candy contrasted with the large, heavy rustic table.  The bench in the original design I ended up using in the hallway, and replaced it with this Drexel Heritage bench.  I covered it in a heavy-duty blue fabric that had a white pattern on it that resembled nautical knots or netting.

Before

After

The new host and hostess chairs were ordered from Lee Industries.  I chose a thick, durable woven linen, then banded the bottom in navy, with jumbo silver nailheads.  The side chairs are by Drexel Heritage, and are covered in navy woven chenille.

The chandelier sparkles even more beautifully at night!

Before

Initial Design Sketch

After

 I enjoyed transforming the Master Bedroom.  I wanted her new king bed to provide more drama and importance than the last.  I chose this custom-height headboard from Mario and Marielena, and flanked it with two turquoise painted chests.  I chose abstract landscapes to go over each nightstand to add color and depth, and highlighted them with two picture lights.  I found this Milling Road settee to go at the foot of the bed.  It was already covered in this beautiful wide stripe fabric that went perfectly with the design!

Before

After

Before

After

In this above Before and After, I am showing how I dressed the windows in a way that added height to the room, and stood up to the tall headboard.

Before

Desk Area Design Concept

After

This desk area in the Master Bedroom needed a little help, but we did not want to put too much money into this particular area.  I began by keeping the table desk, and having a skirt made with a slit in the front that would hide the wires underneath, but still allow easy access.  I then hung some inexpensive wall shelves and bought some frames of various sizes to create a collage of family photos.  The chair was purchased on clearance and recovered in complementary fabrics.  The bulletin board I had made is covered in fabrics, as well, with shell push pins.  This gave the client a place to tack notes and photos in a contained area, for a clean, organized look. 

I took this picture to show how the interior blues pick up on the water outside as the sun begins to set.

The wrap-around main balcony on this unit can be accessed from the Dining Room and the Living Room, and has a perfect view of the marina and bay.  I chose  Lane Venture occasional furniture in a dark synthetic wicker,  and this dining group in a honey-colored synthetic wicker that pulls out the teak accents on all the other pieces. 

For the fabrics and accents, I chose a palette of blues, greens and aquas that complement the interior palette.  Both seating arrangements are placed strategically to maximize the view when lounging.

Before

After

This is the hallway leading to the entry.  I dressed this area up by giving it a long, inviting runner to welcome people into the unit, and moved the bench from the dining room to one of the walls.  I added some nautical pillows, art and one large driftwood mirror, which served to open up the hallway and add more light.

Before

After

This is the Entry before and after the change.  The antique basin that was being used before was cute, but did not go with the whole design.  Instead, I found her this reflective antique mirror chest.  I added some light with a small lamp, and the clients were able to give some more of their original art importance by lighting it from below, as shown.

Signing off with a quick self-portrait…

If you need help creating your own transformation, please contact me at: 850-837-5563 or email me at: cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

As a Postscript, I used a crystal ball on this client’s vanity, and was fascinated by how the contents of the vanity and the room were being distorted and reflected through the crystal ball!  What can I say–I am easily amused! Here are some pictures:

click on the image below to read the article:

Click on image:

I have also always wanted to use vintage suitcases or trunks as a nightstand!  I love this example:

This is a view of the Living Room from the Entry, except for the fact that  my camera did not capture the city view.  The warm wooden floors provide the perfect balance to the cool concrete ceilings and columns.  We added more character to the visual palette be using a mixture of wood finishes and painted black finishes on our furniture and accessories.  The cocktail table and the bistro table are both black with antique mirror inserts.  The wall sconces over the bistro table and chairs help to define the area, and also provide the opportunity for a romantic candlelit dinner!  The overall color scheme was a neutral black, gold and beige, with dramatic but sparing use of red in the accessories and smaller pieces of furniture.

We dressed the windows in the Living Room simply, but dramatically.  The simplicity of the floor-to-ceiling, pinch-pleated, 2-times fullness drapes allowed us to address the issue of filtering the afternoon light, without doing anything fussy.  The 2-times fullness allowed us to stack the drapes back to a minimal dimension, for optimal view when opened.  Had we used solid fabric, I feel that the drapes would have been too simple.  This is why I chose the dramatic wide-stripe Romo fabric, with its colors that tied the room together so beautifully. The fact that the fabric was extra wide (118″) permitted us to railroad the fabric so that we would have seamless drapes, with horizontal stripes.  The panels were sewed so that when they are closed, the stripes matched and were level, even with the drop in ceiling height.  I believe that the horizontal stripes in the room broke up the length and verticality of the space.

The sofa was the client’s sofa.  She loved the comfort and the cats loved to crawl under it and hide!  For this reason, we chose to keep it and jazz it up with some new pillows.  Two of the pillows are out of a modern, geometric leopard print from Robert Allen.  The two red pillows are actually tone-on-tone fretwork from Schumacher.  Both the leopard pillows and the fretwork pillows are corded with leather braided cords, for a contrasting texture.  The center pillow is made from faux fur.  The painting was my client’s painting, and was the inspiration for our color scheme.  I felt that the lamp was perfect, for the graduating discs mimicked the stripes in the drapes. 

The black accent chair in the picture above is from Bernhardt’s Martha Stewart collection.  I covered the seats in a modern polka-dot Robert Allen fabric.  I love using crystal balls on nighstands and end tables, because they are a beautiful, harmonic shape, and also because they provide a reflective touch of glitz.  The Lillian August cocktail table from Drexel Heritage had antique mirror inset into the top and sides, with painted details on the glass and legs.  I chose to use a seagrass rug with black binding from Natural Elements, because this is a great way for a cat owner to avoid upholstery damage by cats wanting to sharpen their claws.  Instead, they will want to claw the rug, which is virtually indestructible, and far less-expensive than upholstery, if ruined.  This particular blend of seagrass had gray accents that tied in the color of the sofa and wall color.

This view of the Living Room shows the great city view, and the beautiful red leather chair I found.  Having one dramatic accent chair like this, placed opposite a heavier sofa and chair, helps to balance the visual weight of the room.  The fact that it is in the corner with a floor lamp makes it a great place to read a book, and the zebra pillow provides the perfect amount of pattern and texture to make it a focal point in the room.  The television console from Stanley Furniture was the perfect size to house all my client’s audio/visual components, and helped to break up the black. 

In the above photograph, I am trying to show how the colors in the Living Room transitions into the Master.  You will see that I used the red as a common grounds for both rooms, but added rich plum and eggplant to the Master for an extra feminine touch.

The linens on the bed are a rich, luxurious mixture of chenille, velvet, silk and natural linen.  I believe that layering textures on your bed adds to the richness tenfold.  The classic Legacy Bedding sheets have a black greek key border, which I love.

The bed is by Woodbridge, and has a crackled texture to the headboard and footboard.  I loved the Moroccan shape to the Cyan mirror above the bed, which matched the finish of the flanking taper sconces from Global Views perfectly.  The above picture shows a glimpse of how beautifully the rough concrete ceiling contrasts with the fine fabrics and finishes of the rest of the room.  

This gold filigree lamp from Arteriors had a gorgeous gold lining inside the lamp shade.

In the corner of the room, I used this armless Bernhardt chair with a neutral fretwork fabric that went well with the greek-key hurricanes next to it on the dresser.  The wide bands of plum and eggplant on the drapes allow the cream color of the chair to stand out nicely.  The black painted serpentine-front dresser with wood top is from Interlude.  This tied together the black bed with the wood bedside chest.  The shapely serpentine front of the dresser mimicked the shape of the headboard and footboard. 

The lined sheers of this bedroom are adorned with Swarovski crystals, which sparkle at night and provide an extra touch of glamour and femininity.  The oil paintings tie all the colors in the room together beautifully.   

The Powder Bathroom in this unit was the perfect area to be dramatic with our wall application.  I chose this glitzy champagne, black and cream Romo wallcovering for its drama and flirtiness.  The silver wall sculptures by Arteriors were the perfect way to add art, without taking away from the pattern in the wallpaper.  The circles in the sculptures work with the round “pods” in the wallpaper pattern. 

I wanted to push the drama of this room that extra mile by gluing Swarovski flat-back crystals to the center of every-other floral “pod” grouping.  This took a while, but was worth the result!

I made her hand towels by purchasing some nice, but affordable solid towels that matched the cream in the wallpaper.  Then, I ordered the fabulous black and champagne fretwork decorative tape from Robert Allen and had it sewed as the border.  Lastly, I had my client’s initials monogrammed above the decorative trim.  This was a great way to have custom towels that matched the room perfectly.

This is a view of the secondary bedroom in this unit.  The color scheme was derrived from my client’s existing television armoire, which was a natural wood tone, with navy accents.  I first found this amazing dragon print from Schumacher.  I knew I wanted this fabric to be the focal point of the room.  I did this by allowing the large pattern to show fully on one large body pillow, and giving it a solid cream and white canvas, or backdrop, with the Legacy sheeting and Homestyle Bedding Coverlet.  The dark blue coverlet helped to dress the bed up and add an extra textured layer.  The body pillow is trimmed on the ends with a hanging blue and brown beaded fringe.  Because the Drexel Heritage headboard had such an interesting shape, I did not want to detract from it by adding any art over the bed.  Instead, I added depth to the room with matching mirrors over each nightstand.  These mirrors reflect the lamp light at night for added lumination.  I had an artist custom-make the art glass sculptures hanging from the concrete column.  I love the juxtaposition of the smooth, reflective glass on the rough concrete, and the bright burst of color against the mottled gray.  I cleaned up the corners of the bed dressings by envelope-wrapping the top coverlet.  Not only does this look clean and allow us to see the blue silk-trimmed bedskirt, but it also provides a tight “snug-as-a-bug” feeling when crawling in for the night. 

The rustic wood lamps mirror the rusticity of the concrete, and are also similar to the color of the armoire.  I loved adding this white beta fish sculpture on the dark shelf of the nightstand. 

I chose a solid cream linen for the drapes, and banded it in blue for a slight pop of color. 

In this picture, you can see the trim I used for the ends of the long body pillow.  Also visible, is the custom shower curtain, sewn with large blocks of blue, cream and silver.  The towels have embroidered sliver greek key borders.

This was me trying to look composed as best I could, after a long and gruelling day of installation.  Due to much pre-planning, we were able to complete installation of this unit in two full days, altogether.  One full day on the first trip was spent placing the large pieces of furniture and art, and making a list of required art, accessories and accent pieces for the next trip.  One full day on the second trip to Atlanta allowed me to finish the design, down to the last book, towel, ironed sheet and glued crystal.  I thoroughly enjoyed working with this particular client on this out-of-town job, and not only was the client thrilled at the end of each working day to come home to a completely new space, but her cats were the first to try the new luxuries out:

Boots said, “I approve!”

If you would like any help designing your home, please contact me:

cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

and visit the rest of my blog:

http://caramcbroom.wordpress.com/

This unit was completely renovated for an open space plan, with custom built-ins in the Living Area, and custom cabinets in the kitchen and all the bathrooms. The style is transitional, with touches of contemporary.

 This is the new open space plan for the Living, Dining and Kitchen.  The color scheme is mostly neutral, with accents of orange and aqua. Plans that are so large and open often need to be divided into several functions, or multiple seating arrangements.  In this case, we have the dining area, the main seating area, a desk area and a small conversation area.

The lamps are mercury glass with raffia shades.  The sofa and loveseat belonged to my client.  We updated them by adding the floral sofa pillows made from Zoffany fabric.  The orange fretwork pillow on the sofa is from Drexel Heritage.  I added the large chair and ottoman, which is covered in a natural linen with blue contrast welts. 

The desk chair is from Palecek.  I chose a blue fabric for the seat so that it would contrast nicely with the warm honey tones of the custom built-ins and desk.

This corner of the living area provides a wonderful view of the beach.  In the picture, it is obvious where I drew my inspiration for the colors.

The kitchen was renovated by completely knocking down the wall that separated it from the living area.  An island was added with a step-up bar counter.  All-new stainless steel Wolf appliances greatly raised the value of the kitchen and helped it to look updated.  The two-tone mixture of cabinets gives the kitchen warmth and depth.  The backsplash is a mixture of polished and tumbled travertine. 

The set of 9 framed prints are actually old postcards, and the two bird sculptures are from Phillips Collection.

This is the Master Bedroom. This room, with its ice-blue walls and cream bedding, provides a soothing atmosphere for beachside living.  The large Uttermost mirror fits teh scale of the room, while giving it more depth.  The mirrored nightstands are from RD Imports, and the bed is from Lane Furniture. 

The large swivel chair provides the perfect spot to use the natural light to read a book, or to swing around and watch the beach.  The ottoman is from Drexel Heritage, and the floor lamp is from The Natural Light.

In the kids’ room, I wanted to use a menagerie of colors for a bright, playful atmosphere.  The red Barcelona chair in the corner pulls out the red in the benches and bed pillows, as well as the red bunk bed that is also in this room.  The accent boudoir pillows on the beds are trimmed with white shell fringe. 

The hand-sewed starfish pillows on the bunk beds are original Cara McBroom creations!  I thought the beds needed a touch of whimsy, so I used some scrap fabric and sketched out a starfish, then tufted the centers with red glass beads.  The empty space below the bunk is a good place for storage baskets.

Please email me for any questions or design help: cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

Please visit my entire blog: http://caramcbroom.wordpress.com/

This is the Master Bedroom of the unit I named “Coastal Chic”.  The room was designed in a way that the only wall for a bed had a large window in the center of it.  I solved this problem by making a custom bolster to sit in the window, instead of a headboard.  I did a soft grassweave roman shade in the window.  Swing-arm lamps not only clear up space on the nightstands for books or alarm clocks, but they also come in handy when reading at night.  I sewed red glass beads onto the hem of the flat sheet as an inexpensive way to “jazz-up” the bedding.  This target demographic was an avid bird-watcher, hence the choice of art and the small telescope. 

This is the guest bedroom in my “Coastal Chic” unit.  I love the juxtaposition of the soft, plush & refined damask fabric, with the textured headboard and pleated jute bedskirt.

This is the Master Bedroom of my modern unit.  Again, the large window in the middle of our bed wall posed a design delemma.  Not only was the window quite large, but it was also off-center.  I solved this issue by creating a wall of creamy white sheers.  The sheers mask the fact that the window is off-center.  They also filter the light beautifully and soften the room a great deal.  I also chose a bed that had an open slat and open posts & canopy so that the light would filter through the bed.  I did not want the bed to seem like it was blocking the view or hindering the light in any way.  This gives the bed a floating appearance, without it seeming out-of-place.

This is the Master Bedroom of the rustic, earthy model unit I designed at Red Fish. 

***My work for Red Fish was recently mentioned in an article for the Piedmont Review!  The writer made a visit to the Emerald Coast and stayed in my “Coastal Chic” unit at Red Fish.!  You can read the entire article by clicking here: http://www.piedmontreview.com/page33.htm

Thank-you for visiting my site!  Please contact me if you need any design help: cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

Please visit the rest of my blog: http://caramcbroom.wordpress.com/

This 3-story home in Destiny by the Sea is a spec home that my clients purchased and decided to put their stamp on it by infusing their vision.  The interior finishes are very contemporary and sleek.  My clients felt as though, since this is an ocean-side home, it needed to have a more casual coastal look.  This is where I came in.  I felt that if I used matching chairs in the Living Room, the look would be more formal and “cookie-cutter”.  This is why I used all different styles of accent chairs and end tables; it helped in making the atmosphere more casual and inviting.  Although the upholstery is all different, I tied them all together by repeating blues and greens, and certain fabric patterns.  In the photo above, the leather recliner is a Drexel Heritage chair, and the green chair is a Century Furniture piece that is welted in a blue velvet.  The storage ottomans are in a blue micro-suede, and are by Palecek. 

In the above picture, this is a perfect spot to recline and watch the view, read a book, or take a snooze! 

I updated the existing sofa by recovering the bolsters in a stripe fabric that matches the swivel chair, and adding a bright botanical print pillow in the center.  The large Donna Burgess art above the sofa pulled all the colors together perfectly.  The lamp table has a white inlaid shell top and a metal base, and is by Oly.  The mermaid cocktail table is a found piece.  All one has to do is look at the view to know why I chose the interior accent colors.

The kitchen, once modern and sleek with its shaker doors, stainless steel pulls, stainless steel appliances and contemporary pendants, is transformed into a beach cottage.  I did this by simply adding the proper accessories and textural rugs. 

The Dining Room had limited space for a traditional dining table with 6-8 chairs.  I solved the space problem by designing a banquette system with these modular armless and corner chairs by Lane Venture.  The narrow pedestal base of the dining table allows for knee space, and the woven side chairs provide enough contrast to balance out all the upholstered chairs.  We added interest by framing family photos with multi-colored distressed wood frames and making a photo collage.

This is the Wet Bar area.

In the 3rd Floor Master Bedroom, we aimed for a very fresh, bohemian look, with the aged leather ottoman, the white and raffia headboard and footboard, and the blue & gray painted accent pieces. The bed is by Oly.

This chaise lounge provided the perfect spot to sit or lay and watch the ocean.

The Master Bathroom was a mirror-image floor plan.  The symmetrical tub area was flanked by two his-and-her vanity areas. 

This bedroom was our “nautical” room.  We used a metal bed from Old Biscayne that had rope accents on it.  The lamp to the right of the bed is actually an antique lantern that was wired for a bulb.  The art and the ships wheel add the perfect extra touch of nautical.

This is the children’s bunk room.  I thought that it would be very fun and different to make the cushions two different colors, but to the both top and bottom together with the pillows.  The beach ball pillows, life savers, shell pillows and funky fish accents add the right amount of whimsy.

The 1st floor bedroom needed to be a bright, fun atmosphere, as this is the area where the children of the house stay and hang out.  The room was large enough to fit a sleeping area, as well as a seating area with armoire and television.  Instead of using a traditional table lamp, we took another antique lantern and had it wired  for electricity.  The bed is Stanley, the sofa is Lee Industries, the woven cocktail ottoman is Palecek and the woven chairs are Henredon.

This is a home I designed for a family in Villa Lago of San Destin.  The couple wanted to stay true to the Tuscan Villa style of the neighborhood and architecture.  We chose earthy terra cottas and warm greens and rust reds.  We accented with worn antiques and found objects, and diversified the textures from iron, to leathers, to woods, to pottery & upholstery. 

In the Master Bedroom, I wanted the owners to have a place to sit with their laptop, or to sit and pay bills, so we used this writing desk with pull-out surface as one of the bedside tables, with a cream ladder-back chair. 

On the bed, I wanted the bedding to be plush, rich and inviting, but to also be functionally beautiful for the hot Florida weather.  Because of this, I used a lightweight cream matelasse coverlet as the main bed covering, and placed a stuffed duvet at the foot of the bed.  The duvet can be removed  at night during the summer, and used as a foot warmer, or a thicker bed covering during the winter.

My client’s mother wanted her room to be her dream room.  She loved green and blue, and loved the quilted bedding & cottage look.  I merged this room with the rest of the house by making it “Tuscan Cottage”.  I used a Tuscan style metal bed, with a painted chest of drawers, then added the quilted bedding, gingham euro shams, & custom balloon valance & shade with gingham accent. The antiqued wood lamps are from Currey and Company,  and the bed is from Drexel Heritage’s “At Home in Tuscany” line.

Ceramic wall magnolias provided a refreshing change from the typical wall art.  Hanging them in an organic pattern, leading up the wall draws the eye around the room and creates movement.

In this bathroom, we made a custom shower curtain with a beaded valance and gingham border at the bottom.  The shower rings are blue flowers that match the flowers in the bedding.

In the Master Bedroom, I specified an RDI poster bed, a Palecek tea cart and Arteriors round bedside table. 

In the second bedroom I converted a tri-fold shuttered screen into a Full-sized headboard.  The custom-designed bedding consists of blue matelasse euro shams, two bolster pillows, and a cream coverlet with blue gussets.  The bedskirt is also custom, and is made with two layers of sheer fabric: the inner layer is blue and the outer layer is cream.  Antique wood and antique mirror provide a warm and varied palette of finishes and textures. 

In the third bedroom, I chose to mix lime green with lavender and purple.  The black teak and bamboo bed provides a dark contrast to the white duvet & shams. 

In the Sitting Room, I used a silk and linen settee, flanked by two etageres.  I pulled color in with the bright Company C pillows, and original coral paintings in floating frames. The handmade bench makes a useful cocktail table in this room.  This is a great place to sit and enjoy coffee in the mornings while you read the newspaper, or to just sit and visit.

The main living area is furnished to suit a sales area in the Dining Room, and a typical seating arrangement in the Living Room.  I framed unique fabric prints in the three hand-made rustic frames to add color.

Please contact me via email: cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

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I designed the sheers in the Living Room  to be non-fussy by making them ripplefolds that have minimal stack-back and no pleats.  While doing this keeps the sheers looking simple and modern, I feel that the gauzy linen fabric and breezy feel of them keep with the oceanside cottage concept.  Modern art mixed with natural linen slip-covered furniture and recycled wood cocktail  table create a nice juxtaposition. 

In the Master Bedroom, I used a Lexington Long Cove king bed.  I accented it with a black antique table from Sarreid, Ltd. and a beautiful inlaid bedside chest from Lexington Furniture.  For the bedding, I used easy-maintenance washable mattelasse coverlet and shams, and an ice blue comforter folded at the foot.  To help dress the look up, I had a long body pillow made out of a black & cream Schumacher fabric, with wood bead trim on the sides.  The large blue horizontal stripe in the ripplefold drapes is reminiscent of the ocean’s horizon.

Extra storage was provided with this beautiful serpentine front black and wood stain Interlude chest.  The global views mirror helps to emulate the line & movement of the serpentine front chest, the curved shape of the headboard and the carvings in the antique bedside table. 

The superior finishes in the Master Bathroom left little to be done in the way of decorating.  I simply added a square piece of art which followed the proportions of the wall, some prints with mirrored frames on the wall leading into the room, and some clean white towels.     

In this room, I found two antique doors at the antique store, and had them mounted as a queen headboard.  This was a fairly inexpensive, unique and unexpected replacement for the typical queen headboard.  The puddled linen sheers and bedskirt add to the relaxed, cottage-inspired design.  Simple linen duvet and shams are accented with brightly-colored Koko Bedding pillows. 

The third bedroom was multi-functional, and served as a media room, as well as sleeping quarters.  Because the room is so small, I wanted to create the appearance of windows with the tall mirrors.  This helped give the room the illusion of visual space and depth.  The daybed provided a place to lounge and watch television or play video games.  The pull-out trundle underneath the daybed gave and extra sleeping opportunity.  The blues, which are typical throughout the rest of the unit, were livened with the use of bright reds and greens.  The original art over the daybed reminded the client of her two children, as well as the “village life” pillows from Company C, which had children embroidered onto the fronts. 

Please visit the rest of my blog:

http://caramcbroom.wordpress.com/

Email me if you would like help designing your home: cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Located in the center of 30A on the Beaches of South Walton, Sanctuary by the Sea is within a bicycle ride of the quaint seaside village of Grayton Beach, less than two miles from WaterColor™ and Seaside™, and just a short drive from Rosemary Beach™. That means you can maintain your privacy and still be conveniently close to the area’s finest restaurants, shopping and other amenities.

This is a condominium I designed for a client who wanted something contemporary. I wanted the main colors to be cool and soothing, but also masculine, so I chose Sherwin Williams Oyster Bay for the main paint color.  This blue-gray allows the bright, colorful art and pillows to stand out vibrantly, as well as the warm hue of the wood cabinets. 

In the Master Bedroom, I chose to paint the walls the same blue-gray paint color as the main living area.  I was able to make this room more calm and relaxing by keeping the color scheme earthy and natural.  Rather than accent the blues with bright warm colors, I chose to repeat the blue tone in the sheets, accessories and art, while also pulling in some aqua and green hues.  The warm, earthy browns of the bedding and furniture provide enough contrast and keep the masculine, natural feel I wanted. 

In this room, I used a Hickory White headboard and end-of-bed bench.  The bedside chest is a Drexel Heritage piece; the round bedside table is Global Views; the lamps are from Arteriors; the dresser is Lexington Furniture, and the club chair is from Carter Furniture. 

The second story of my client’s unit consists of one large bedroom, with its own bathroom.  The client installed a home theater system with a screen that rolls up into the ceiling and out of the way when not in use.  We wanted this space to be more fun and funky, but also sophisticated. Because the room was such a large size, I chose to paint the walls a darker peacock blue color that would make the atmosphere more intimate.  I chose the white Century pierced headboard for the stark contrast, and so that the blue color would show through the squares.  The lamps are by Arteriors.

In the boys’ room I used reflective surfaces to help make the small room appear more spacious.  The dark chocolate brown ceilings balnace out the dark duvets, and draw the eye up.  The benches at the foot of the bed provide a place to  sit and play video games, or to tie shoes.  The twin beds are by Lee Industries, the lamp and nighstands are by Arteriors.

Please email me if you need any design help: cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

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This is a project that I am currently working on in Regency Towers in Destin, Florida.  I will add more pictures to this post as the project moves closer to its finish date.  The style is a mix of classic traditional with contemporary.  Throughout the condo, I repeated the colors blue, green, brown, and splashes of green for an organic accent.  The entire condominium was recently updated to make it more current and appealing.  Walls were knocked down and replaced with a floating kitchen island/bar.  Openings were cut into the main hallway to give more access to the Dining/Living Room, and to add an opening for a wet bar.  Custom wood paneling, trim, built-in  bookshelves and cabinets were added to the main living areas for storage, grandeur and warmth.  The kitchen cabinets are also all custom.  They mix off-white shaker-style doors with natural wood panel doors for a layering of color and texture.  Granite countertops, travertine backsplash and Viking Appliances go the extra mile in making the space top-of-the-line. 

Master Bedroom:  This room features a Lane Furniture sleigh/platform bed, and RDI mirrored nightstands.  The Arteriors swing-arm lamps free up space on the nightstands and provide versatile lighting options.  The bench at the foot of the bed provides a place to sit, and a place to fold down the pillows and covers at night.  By the window is a Lexington Furniture swivel chair-and-a-half.  This is the perfect spot to cuddle with a partner, or curl up and read a book.  The swivel allows the owner to switch their focus between the view of the beach, the television and the main part of the room.  Soothing blues and earthy greens make this room the light, coastal escape they wanted. 

Children’s Room:  This room was designed to be fun and whimsical.  Two queen beds were placed on the main wall, then accented with an orange drum table and an antique mirror round bedside table.  The red Barcelona chair pulls out the red flowers in the Euro pillows, and add a touch of modern.  The red bunk bed pulls red to the other side of the room.  I made two long striped “body bolsters” that tie in all the colors.  These are great to cuddle with at night, but they also provide a back pillow so that the kids can sit an play video games and treat the bunk bed as daybeds.  Baskets add storage for clothes and shoes, and the hand-sewn starfish pillows add a touch of whimsy.

The Elevator Vestibule/Lobby, which accesses two condominiums, was in dire need of updating.  I did this by adding trim work, wainscoting, new lighting, new furniture and window treatments.  I designed the trimwork so that all the doors had headers for height and more architectural interest.  We widened all the door moldings and added mitered wood pieces to the doors and below the chairrail for a paneled-look.  Then, I painted everything below the chairrail white to create wainscoting.  I painted the walls a dark chocolate brown to accentuate all the new woodwork.  I designed contemporary fabric roman shades that are the color of the trim.  The band of brown that matches the walls help to make the windows a focal point.  A new center chandelier and new sconces finish off the look and the atmosphere.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

Silver/bronze chainlink drum chandeliers replaced flush-mount fluorescent fixtures in the Elevator Vestibule for a more intimate, residential atmosphere.  The embossed leather hall chest stands out nicely against the white wainscoting.  The other side of the vestibule has a leather tufted bench.

BEFORE: ELEVATOR VESTIBULE

AFTER

Please contact me if you need any help with ideas for renovation, or any other design needs:

Cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

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This is a three-bedroom house in the Villa Lago neighborhood of Sandestin, Florida.  The design scheme for this home was Tuscan, with a color scheme that was inspired by the Gulf Coast.  I combined soft, earthy Tuscan camels and golds with soothing blue-greens that keep the look grounded in its coastal location.  All the windows are covered with wood blinds that complement the rich, dark furniture pieces.  The look is softened with the use of rich chenilles, topiaries, herb and flower bundles and the use of textural, distressed accents. The Living Room upholstery is by Lexington Furniture.  The armoire is by Hooker Furniture, and the cocktail table is by Lane Furniture.

Master Bedroom:  The Master Bedroom has a heavy, rustic look with its dark panel bed, iron wall vases and antique washboard wall art.  The rich, dark crown molding accentuates the height of the ceiling and ties in nicely with the Lane furniture.

Guest Bedroom #1: This room has a more refined look, with its silk bedding, reflective surfaces and furniture with inlaid details.  Not shown is a long, Henredon Acquisitions dresser that is flanked with a set of four art pieces. 

Guest Bedroom #2:  This room is warm with antiqued furniture and terracotta wall tiles.  The metal queen bed is by Drexel Heritage.  To the left is a distressed nightstand from Henredon, that has a classic, timeless look.  To the right is a book table on casters from Sarreid, Ltd, which is holding a collection of antique books between petrified wood bookends.  The venetian mirror lamp is from Currey and Company. 

Please send me an email if I can help you with any design needs. 

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IN THE DESIGN STAGE

This is the lobby of a real estate office in Destin, Florida.  The style is a mixture of contemporary and traditional, with an Italian flair.  The dupioni silk drapes puddle to soften the hard surfaces, and create a most-welcoming atmosphere for a lobby.  The sofa and chairs are by Baker Furniture, and the settee is Lillian August by Drexel Heritage.  The accent pillow fabric on the sofa is a brown and blue-green chenille damask by Kravet.  The topiaries and light fixtures give a touch of European elegance, while the sconces and antique mirrored cocktail table serve as the jewelry for the room. 

The formal conference room is warm and inviting, with its cream velvet chairs and dried floral centerpiece.  The distressed mahogany conference table has a scrolled metal base, and is from Henredon’s Acquisitions line.

The second floor receptionist’s desk is a mixture of cream marble countertops, contrasted with dark walnut cabinets.

Executive Office:

.

The executive office has a large stone fireplace as a centerpiece, flanked by two custom-built floor mirrors.  Again, the color palette is a plush mixture of creams, golds, and greens.  The settee is by Henredon, with chenille green and gold damask throw pillows out of a Kravet fabric.  The guest chairs are Kravet chairs covered in a rich gold woven chenille.  The drapes are gold dupioni silk, puddled and hung from an iron rod and rings. 

The Old Biscayne executive desk is a dark antique distressed walnut finish, and has tapered French legs.  The dark richness of the desk provides a grounded point of emphasis in the room full of light creams and golds.  The executive chair is a Century Furniture leather rolling chair with antique gold nailhead trim.  The office has a nice view of a golf course.

The mini-conference room is furnished with antique chairs and table pedestal.  The chairs were recently recovered in a cream chenille matelasse fabric.   

Both bathrooms have vanity sinks made from antique mirrored sideboards.  The crystal knobs help to accent the antique mirror cabinet and glass vessel bowl. 

Below is an example of one of the secondary offices.  I designed these relaxed roman shades to be informal, but refined and sophisticated. 

These are the wrought iron door pulls I designed for the mahogany doors leading into the executive office.  A local fabricator made these directly from my drawings.

MY INITIAL DRAWING

If you need any help designing the interior of your office, or furnishing your lobby, please contact me through email:

cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

Please visit my bio:

http://www.lovelaceinteriors.com/mcbroom.htm

The view served as the canvas, or backdrop, for the interior furnishings.

 I designed these fabric roman shades for all the floor-to ceiling, wall-to-wall windows.  These can be raised high enough to cut out some of the sun, while maintaining the gorgeous view.  They can also be fully lowered for privacy.

A pair of chaise lounges on casters keeps this prime spot versatile for many uses. The lounges can be turned out to face the beach, or turned in to face the television, or pushed together for romantic settings.

 

Guest Bedroom #2The full-sized iron beds are by Old Biscayne. The bedding is all custom, designed from Mario & Marielena fabrics. The drapes gave us a chance to make a bold color statement in this room. We took this 3-layer color block idea and repeated it in the bathroom, by painting 3 large horizontal bands of color on the walls. Guest Bedroom #1

This penthouse was featured in the January/February issue of Florida Travel and Life. 

Check out my design tips in the article!

 

 

If you would like any help space planning your large, open floor plan to maximize its beauty and versatility, please feel free to contact me through email:

cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

visit my bio online at:

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This is a model home that I designed at Park Place in Seagrove Beach, Florida. 

Park Place is actually an old beach-front hotel that has been renovated into a low-rise condominium community with 19 owners.  In order to maintain its historical integrity, the small windows in these narrow, tightly-spaced units had to remain the same.  Because of this, the units needed to be designed to maximize the visual space with its clean, stream-lined, contemporary style and light, refreshing colors and finishes. 

Less is more, because when someone chooses to vacation or live on the coast, they are searching for a simplified, uncomplicated escape from their clutter-filled busy lives.   The idea is to evoke a feeling of openness and relaxation that mirrors the beach-living way of life. 

The sofa and chairs are by Carter Furniture. The wood and glass cubes are painted lime green on the inside, and are by Global Views.  The Uttermost floor mirrors  give the illusion of having more windows.

Mirrors were used, not only to reflect light and open up the visual space, but also to give the illusion of windows.  When the panel sheers are open in the Living Room, the floor mirrors reflect the blue waters and add color to the interior palette.  The colors were kept simple: creams are indicative of the sand and provide a light, neutral background for the bold pops of color.  Lime was the main color accent, as it is the color of life and vitality, and adds a tropical flair, which complements the blue-green waters outside.  Ice blues were also splashed in places to soften up  the look.

The platform bed is by Drexel Heritage, and has a lime green upholstered leather headboard.  The Global Views nightstands are have a hammered metal frame, and hand-scraped wood drawers and sides. 

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The guest bedrooms are both light and airy, with the use of reflective surfaces, light backgrounds, accent lighting and cream-colored window treatments that match the trimwork.

 

The only room without a window was made into a multi-purpose media room.  There is a comfortable sleeper sofa, a flat screen t.v., and a writing desk and chair.

 

If you need any help maximizing your unit’s space and would like the aid of my professional services, please feel free to touch base with me through email!

cara@lovelaceinteriors.com

 

 

• In the living room, I designed a panel track system of draperies that filters the sun, while at the same time preserving the view of the gulf at all times.  When the panels are closed, there is a band of sheer fabric at eye level that allows you to always see the horizon.  When the panels are open, they stack back to the width of one panel so the view is unobstructed. 

 

• The main area is a large, open floor plan that needs to serve both functions of living and dining.  I strategically placed the furniture to keep the two functions separate, but kept them cohesive by repeating the pops of orange, yellow and red.

• This unit had three bedrooms, all with different personalities.  The Master Bedroom is warm and inviting, with its clean lines and plush silks and velvets:

• The second bedroom is more outgoing with its bold use of green and violet, contrasted with black:

The bed is Drexel Heritage. I designed the bedding with Mario & Marielena fabrics, and the bolster with a Designer’s Guild fabric.

      

The striped chair is also Drexel Heritage.  I hung the wall plates so that they were flowing organically up the wall, so that it made for unique wall art.

• The third bedroom is more reserved with its quiet, peaceful greens and blues:

Please send me an email if you need any help designing your home or condo!

Cara@lovelaceinteriors.com