I have a super fun client that I have been working on projects with for a few years.
She and her husband built a huge estate home and it has been a lot of fun coming up with unique designs for her home. She wants what no one else has, so there has been a lot of custom work I have implemented.
The rooms in this home are massive, both in the widths and the ceiling heights. As I design I have to come up with beautiful ideas that also help to add warmth and a sense of intimacy in each space.
Everything I design must be of a large scale.
Last week I installed some items in the master bedroom. It has taken us a few months to agree upon a design. I was so thrilled when she pulled the trigger, for I knew that our plan was going to make a big difference.
The master bedroom was large in and of itself, but it also had an open sitting room. This sitting room is larger than most peoples bedrooms!
My client likes opulent designs that also have a “bling” feature. She likes shiny things. Our main focus was the bedding and a design element that would help separate the sitting room from the bedroom and give the sitting room a sense of privacy.
I began by taking luxurious fabrics and trims to the home for my client to look at. I took velvets, silks, tassel fringes, sequined tapes and a variety of other rich textiles. My client wanted to keep things neutral, which made it even harder for me.
I had to create a BIG pop in a cavernous space that was all about textures. Game on!
Because the upholstered bed (that I sold to my client) was a light neutral fabric with darker wood trim, I began with a dark chocolate velvet fabric with a braided cord for three euro pillows that would pop from the upholstery and give a nice sold backdrop for other pillows to be placed in front.
Then I found a fabric that had a variety of neutral tones, along with some metallic threads that I had some Kim shams made from. The front decorative pillow I designed had a velvet face that was cut into a pattern, revealing an interesting “skin” pattern underneath.
These fabric combinations gave us a lovely layered look and looked very sophisticated. I then designed a hand tufted neutral comforter and had a really cool sequined tape applied in a horizontal pattern on both the left and right on the top.
I had to twist my clients arm, because she couldn’t understand the concept, even with a sketch I had drawn, for me to install a fabric treatment at the opening between the bedroom and the sitting room.
She felt this was a window treatment and didn’t feel right at a doorway. She finally agreed, so I began showing more fabric swatches! We finally decided on a chocolate velvet fabric and added that really cool sequined tape on the leading edge on both sides.
Notice the absence of drapery on the windows, this clean look allows the bed to remain a focal point, but doesn’t distract from the elegant sitting room.
As the opening was over ten feet tall, and I had double width panels made for each side, it took 15 yards of fabric!
The velvet was finished on both sides, therefore, we didn’t have to line it. It was a blackout fabric so that also helped in making the panels appear stronger. I don’t normally like to pull back a drapery, but in this case the soft curvature of the drape made for an elegant look that gave the sitting room a lovely presentation. It framed the room nicely and allowed the chandelier in the sitting room to pop even more than it did before.
The drapery adds a layer of dimension that draws your eye into the room. I added some custom pillows to the sofa in the sitting room that pulled it all together. There is more to come in this bedroom and I will certainly share the updates with you!
