This week we revealed the video tour to our Palisades Project on IGTV and gave you the full photo tour here on the blog. Now it's time to take you further into the home with the entry, dining, family room and the adjacent breakfast nook. Some of these spaces were particularly dark (I'm looking at you, dining room), so we had to brighten things up and keep them from feeling too formal.
This project was super fun because it was essentially, move-in ready. We weren't ripping out walls or adding architectural interest, so we were able to be really creative with custom furnishings. I have to admit, this was one of our smoothest projects to date, even in the midst of Covid-19. When we kicked this project off, we had just implemented an all new internal process in documentation and custom specs sheets and sign offs from clients and nothing went wrong. YAY!!! Having a process for these types of things have saved me so much stress and money since putting that process in place. Without making this the longest blog post in the history of LBD, let's continue the tour of our Palisades Project.
ENTRY WAY
Their entry is broken into two distinguished areas - the first space is immediately as you walk in, then there is a more formal foyer as you enter the main house. To balance the large open area at the stairs, we opted for high-contrast, larger pieces of furniture. We used a beautiful dark wood sideboard to anchor the space and topped it off with a large oversized lamp for drama. It was really important that the scale feel appropriate for the space, so everything in here was large and in charge.
As mentioned in the last tour, this house started out pretty traditional. By picking some more geometric elements, fun patterns and lots of textures, we were able to make it feel way more warm and welcoming in a California casual kinda way. Pro tip: We bought a bench from a manufacture and just had the cushion reupholstered in a fun fabric. Now it's a totally unique item without costing a fortune to make from scratch.
DINING ROOM
The dining room was the most challenging space in the house based on natural light. It really was a dark corner of the home, and we needed it to feel more inviting, more modern, and to be honest - more livable. Our clients wanted to be able to host family holidays and gatherings in a large space, without it feeling formal, which the existing millwork and lighting weren't helping with.
To achieve the more casual California style we were going for, we kept things very simple with a light gray wallpaper with light texture, woven Roman shades and a new, contemporary lantern style chandelier. We added colors from the first two rooms and pattern in the rug to make it feel special.The showstopper in here is the texture we brought in with the woven chairs. These are a real favorite, we use them in many of our Los Angeles interior design projects because they are ridiculously comfortable for long, late night dinners.
FAMILY ROOM + BREAKFAST NOOK
Aside from the office (see what I mean here), the family room and adjacent breakfast area turned out to be my favorite space. This is the real heart of the home, with two doors that open up to an amazing backyard. We wanted to encourage the California indoor/outdoor lifestyle and take full advantage of their amazing view.
The clients needed seating for a ton of people, so we had a custom 8 foot x 8 foot L-shaped sectional in performance fabric crafted. Then, we placed a handsome leather safari chair in the corner by the fireplace to create its own unique moment. Allowing for extra seating, I love that you can get cozy by the window and read in this space, too.
When designing the coffee table, I wanted it to be a more unique design than the expected square or round shape. To allow for even more seating, we decided to go with an upholstered ottoman instead of a hard material. This makes it comfy to put your feet up on, but still firm enough for a tray to put a glass down on. Our workroom did a beautiful job aligning the stripes on the hexagonal shape, which is surprisingly tricky!
In the breakfast room area just off the family room, we created a custom upholstered bench to cozy up the space. Their windows were too low for a built-in option, but I love how the freestanding bench turned out. The charming wood chairs we added on the opposite side of the table allow for a lot of flexibility as I knew this spot would be an extra WFH space, homework spot, craft area, and regular dining space. The very best part of this design is the table with its super unique, chunky design that feels like a sculpture all by itself.
I'm still just so grateful for these super sweet clients who were so flexible during Covid-19. We installed their furniture in March but left everything entirely un-styled. I can finally sleep at night knowing that they're comfortably relaxing in their haven, fully installed and styled out. We've got one more round of tours coming up from our Palisades Project - we'll be taking you inside the master bedroom suite.