Laura Kaehler

Our client bought an older contemporary that needed much updating. The client wanted an open and fun home that was always ready for a party!

The bones were good but the house needed some “wow”.
We decided to use color, shapes and pattern for that “wow” in both the architecture and the decorating. Lighting was also used extensively to sculpt and highlight.

In the foyer the mahogany striped wall and Schonbek chandelier of Swarovski crystals with continuously rotating color of LED lights set the party mood for the rest of the house. The main stair was treated as a piece of sculptural art, with a Mondrian-like pattern of clear and frosted glass and metal mesh panels set within mahogany framing, that also offers privacy to the second floor.

The dining room, being on axis with the front door, needed something eye-catching, so we chose Phillip Starck’s Mademoiselle upholstered chairs with Lucite legs juxtaposed against a walnut table, a striated kelly green buffet from Mytto (Spain), and lacquered wallcovering by Phillip Jeffries. Above the table and chairs we installed a series of Bocci glass spheres set within a recessed cove lighted by color changing rope lighting that reflects the glass beaded surface.

To set apart the two-story living room from the rest of the house, we used a polished white resin floor that reflects natural and artificial light throughout the rooms. The back of the large free form shaped deSede sofa moves on a track allowing guests to sit in almost any direction they would like. Guests can watch a movie or listen to music and enjoy the see-through gas fireplace, or turn their attention to the pianist, or just look out to the manicured gardens and pool beyond. All of these views can be enjoyed from a balcony above, which is off of the master suite, with its own built in shelving and comfortable seating.

The master bedroom suite with its custom designed bed and nightstands, plush custom Tibetan rugs, is warm and cozy.
The result is a colorful, festive yet warm home.