California Wine Country Color & Design Project

Benjamin Moore White Dove Cabinets

Another fun project with my fave California clients - a complete renovation of their new vacation home in Paso Robles Wine Country.

New everything!

Paso Robles is a unique wine region halfway between Los Angeles & San Francisco along California's Central Coast.  

Benjamin Moore Van Cortland Blue Island
Benjamin Moore White Dove Perimeter
Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Walls
Hickory Wood Floors

With it's a spicy and soulful vibe, Paso Robles has a beautiful mix of design styles.

And nature astounds with big day-to-night temperature swings, earthy landscapes with coastal influences, and a diverse mix of rich, unique soils.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Walls

Paso has a bold spirit.   A bricolage of personalities.   I remember standing at an old stone fireplace in a winery, staring at a group of cowboys sipping wine.    Hats, spur boots, leather,  mixed with denim and fine wine, overlooking green vineyards with the bluest sky.    Need I say more.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Walls

Below you can see a close up of the countertop -   Caesarstone White Attica is a quartz with a tad of edginess that looks great with a modern dark gray backsplash.

Caesarstone White Attica Countertop
Custom Designed Cherry Hood

And below is close up of the tile.   Many think it's a glass tile.  But no, it's a ceramic high gloss subway tile with a beautiful sheen.

 Ceramic Subway Tile Backsplash

The interior stair railing is designed in a modern style - black metal with wood.   It was originally a half wall, but we wanted to open up the stairway and make everything feel more connected and spacious.

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee Walls

The Powder Room was a real challenge due to a corner toilet that could not be moved.  Quite frankly, it was a dreadful space.  But no mission is impossible,  and I am proud to brag that I transformed that quirky space into a stunning powder room that everyone now loves.

Corner Toilet Bathroom 

Below is the renovated master bathroom - you can really appreciate the new hickory floors  that run throughout most of the home in below photo.   And of course the home needed a barn door!

Barn Door at Master Bath

Selected a dark, almost black floor tile.  I am a fan of dark floors in bathrooms to ground and warm up the space, and provide a contrasting pop.   And it really brings out the beauty of the adjoining wood floor.

Master Bath
Walls - Benjamin Moore Silver Marlin

Notice nature's gorgeous  Eucalyptus Trees outside the window!  Serene & magical.

Benjamin Moore Silver Marlin Walls

Below is a photo of one of the guest bedrooms that shows off the exterior views.    

Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee - Walls

Adjoining Guest Bathroom below.

Benjamin Moore Silver Satin Walls

Hallway Guest Bathroom.  Yep - live, laugh, love print.

Definitely a fun color & design project with one of my favorite clients.  And I adored visiting the vineyards!

The project is not completely finished, we are working on the last phase now.  And will be sure to update when completed.

SoNo Corporate Color & Design Consult

Conference / Training Center

Honored to be the Color & Design consultant on this spectacular project.

Program - to create a high end corporate amenity space including lounge area, game room, fitness club, and conference / training center.

Concept - to create a sophisticated industrial warm modern space, with a nod to it's historical district roots.

Lounge Area Game Room 

Lounge Area & Game Room

Lounge Area  

Game Room 

Fitness Club Locker Room  

Fitness Club

Fitness Club

Absolutely thrilled with the bold beauty of the space.    Ahh, once again the power of color & design rocks.

California Coast Color & Design

It's always a delight  to color and  design in beautiful southern California.  

Goal was to create a modern version of this water view home, while honoring the existing old world architecture.   

The entire design project was done via a virtual consultation, including space planning, design, fixed finishers, furnishings, and wall art.

My client was an absolute pleasure to work with.  And her professional contractor skillfully transformed my sketches into reality.   

The design process went smooth, communication was great, and everyone was thrilled with the result.   

Benjamin Moore Eternity AF-695 Walls
Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace OC-65 Trim
 

The existing kitchen cabinets were in excellent condition, so we kept mosts, modified the rest, added high crown molding over the permanent soffit, extended island to create eating area, and designed a quintessential window seat.

All cabinets and trim were painted Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace.   New white backsplash tile was installed to ceiling.   New honed Carrara marble countertops added authentic beauty.

A retro fit farm sink was installed, hardware replaced with polished nickel, and a new dark wood floor, all added to the transformation.   

Cabinets Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace

The second stage of the Great room was the family room renovation.    Mission to update fireplace wall, and all new furnishings and decor.  

Walls Benjamin Moore Eternity AF-695

The existing raised heath could not be removed.  And keeping it reinforced old world architecture into a m modern transition.  

Woodwork Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace OC-65

Thrilled my client liked the classic modern Gray Malin photography - a perfect nod to our sophisticated coastal theme.   

Walls Benjamin Moore Eternity AF-695

We continued the Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace woodwork throughout the home, but lightened the wall color to Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray in the rest of the home.

Walls Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170
Woodwork Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace OC-65

 

Another successful project was accomplished thru great teamwork, and the power of color and design to complete transform a space into a meaningful and beautiful home.  

Modern Rustic Mountain Home with Benjamin Moore Paint Gray Horizon 2141-50

Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray 2141-50 Wall Paint

Loved working on this major Color & Design renovation project for a mountain vacation home with one of my favorite clients in Mammoth Mountains California.

Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray 2141-50 Wall Paint

Mission was to create a warm mountain feel with a modern sensibility.

So, we blended rustic finishes with modern elements and achieved an updated ambiance honoring the natural environment.  

Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray 2141-50 Wall Paint

The kitchen design combines shaker cabinets with a modern quartz countertop.

The white quartz slab backsplash not only brightens the kitchen area but adds a serene calmness to the walls and visually breaks up the wood surfaces.  

Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray 2141-50 Wall Paint

The paint color throughout most of the home is Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray 2141-50.  

Horizon gray is a nod to nature and has enough oomph to hold its own with the heavy finishes and mountain views.   Yet the color is light enough to keep the walls fresh and cheerful.

And Horizon Gray works well as a backdrop for art and wall decor.

Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray 2141-50 Wall Paint

As usual, texture is essential to create interest and warmth in natural environments.    Even the modern light adds texture with its linear rhythm.  

Benjamin Moore Horizon Gray 2141-50 Wall Paint

And I love to add pops of white to emphasize a fresh modern vibe.  Shouldn't every vacation home bathroom have a spa personality!

Wow.   Wish this was my mountain home.  But I'm blessed to add this Color and Design project to my repertoire.

My passion to help create beautiful and meaningful spaces is boundless.  If you need a color and design consultation, do not hesitate to contact me.

Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist & Cloud Cover Beach House

White Kitchen Cabinets, White Marble Counter, Gray Glass Backsplash

This spec project was a major renovation to update a rather large and charming old home by the beach.   The owners called me to consult on the fixed finishes, materials, and colors in the home.

White kitchens are always fabulous - clean, crisp and airy.   The dark floors ground the old home into the earth, while the light colors provide a spacious and modern atmosphere.

White marble countertops are as modern as they are historical.  And there is something about polished marble that makes the light bounce throughout the room.

I'm a big fan of stainless steel appliances as they provide even more bling and reflection.

And the glass tile backsplash shines as well, as the medium gray color provides a balance between the white cabinets and dark floors.

Walls Benjamin Moore Paint Color Balboa Mist OC-27 and 1549

The adjacent dining room is painted a soft, warm, light gray - Benjamin Moore Balboa Mist.

Walls Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover  OC-25

The first floor office is a wonderful example of the power of contrast between the dark floors, light walls and white trim.

All the wood floors throughout the home is stained a rich and deep ebony.

Walls - Benjamin Moore Cloud Cover OC-25

The photo above is the seating area of the master bedroom suite.  Once again painted a modern and sultry off white called Cloud Cover by Benjamin Moore. 

And below is the lovely quaint porch area off the master bedroom.   I love how the ceiling slopes and gently meets the windows, as the view of the water is shortly beyond.

Now if this was my home you would find me every morning on this porch, with the windows wide open!

A beach house.  Sigh.  What a beautiful way to start the day breathing in that fresh salty air.   And I imagine this porch would be a special sanctuary for creative and dreamy thoughts.

Modern Kitchen with Cherry Cabinets, Marble Backsplash & Quartz Countertop

Modern Kitchens are so much fun to select color and materials for.    This is the third Kitchen Showroom Display I worked on for the owner.  Had to select the countertop, backsplash and hardware.

Truffle Cherry Cabinets with Warm Gray Tile Backsplash
Caesarstone Black Noir Quartz & Reeded Glass Door

The modern cherry cabinets are stained a rich deep brown - so I wanted a dark countertop with a medium color range backsplash to bring it all together.    The countertop is Caesarstone Black Noir which is similar to black absolute but to me, feels more modern.

Warm Gray Marble Backsplash

I fell in love with this marble the moment I saw it at a local stone showroom.   Wow, stunning work of art by nature.  It's a warm gray 2x4 marble tiles.  Notice how the grout is dark enough but doesn't cause too much of a pattern, allowing the natural variation in the tile to take center stage.

Stunning Gray Marble Tile

Crazy about this kitchen combination.   And the kitchen was craving white, so I added a white tea pot and white items on the shelf.   Once the second shelf gets installed, more white items will be displayed.

Truffle Cherry Cabinets with Warm Gray Tile Backsplash
Caesarstone Black Noir Quartz & Reeded Glass Door

Love the cool notched cabinet pulls, adding a sophisticated but fun touch.  I combined them with tab pulls for the drawers and samller cabinets, to anchor the linear pattern.

Remember, cabinet hardware creates patterns and should be chosen accordingly; keeping in mind size, shape, directon and as always, function.   Cabinet hardware must feel good to grab to open and close.

A good design is about juggling aethetics with function.

Although this kitchen design leans modern, it's transitional enough with the warm marble backsplash to fit into many homes styles.

If you need help with choosing colors and materials for your kitchen project, do not hesitate to contact me for a consultaion.

Kitchens are the heart and soul of a home, and your choices out there are endless.  The secret to a successful kitchen is finding the right combination of color and materials that have meaning and inspiration to you.

White Kitchen Cabinets - Stained Glass Tile Backsplash - BlueStar Range

Got to love the BlueStar ranges - they come in over 750 colors.  Yes I said 750.  Amazing.

This project involved selecting a backsplash for a Kitchen Showroom display that would bring together the white painted cabinets, the BlueStar range, and the Black Absolute polished granite.

White Painted Cabinets
Stained Glass  Mosaic Tiles
Black Absolute Granite
BlueStar Range

The tile chosen is Vihara Glass 1x4 Mosaic, a stained glass multi colored tile.   Its stunning in person.

Just love the bold blue color of the range -  which was my inspiration for the backsplash.  But it is such a bold color, that I needed to find a calmer tile, with a tinge of the bold blue in it.  

Below is a close up of the beautiful tile.

Vihara Glass 1x4 Mosaic Blue & Green Stained Glass Backsplash

And this Vihara glass tile was the perfect solution, with just a hint of that bold blue, but enough to relate, and bring it all together as a composition.

Color & Design Consultation Mammoth Mountain Vacation Home

NEW LIVING ROOM

The entire project was a virtual consultation from New York to California.  Utilizing emails and photos to communicate back and forth with my client, the entire home was transformed into a dynamic vacation rental property for mountain enthusiast.

Vacation projects are fun, especially mountain homes.   This newly purchased home needed a total makeover.  And that it got.

The mission -  to create a warm rustic mountain experience with all the frills of modern comfort.

Here is a before photo of living room.  The existing brick and stove were removed and replaced with a  stone wall and streamlined wood burning stove.

BEFORE PHOTO  

We replaced all the trim in the house with pine to echo the wood ceilings, and add rustic warmth to the space.

A large chesterfield leather sofa (about 12' x 8')  provides much needed seating for the open plan and social gatherings.

Wall Color Benjamin Moore Muslin 1037

The kitchen was also expanded and renovated with rustic dark cabinets, stainless steel tile back-splash, black granite, and stainless steel appliances - all materials with heavy substance to hold its own to the architecture and mountain scape.

One of my favorite finds - the Fireside Lodge Hickory Rocking Chair.   Cannot have a mountain house without a rocking chair.  Absolute necessity.  And this one is fabulous.

Fireside Lodge Hickory Rocking Chair

My other favorite find is the Pendleton Woolen Mills Blankets.   Needed a statement on that large wall to define the dining area.  This blanket worked beautifully as a wall hanging.  Pendleton blankets belong in the mountains.  Just do.

Pendleton Blanket as Wall Hanging

The bedrooms were fun to decorate.   Below is the Master Bedroom and renovated Master Bath.   Notice the fun red lantern lamps - got to love decorating a mountain house.  The wall color is Benjamin Moore Silver Chain 1472.

Walls Benjamin Moore Silver Chain 1472

Quartzite Tiles and Black Granite Master Bath
Wall Color Benjamin Moore Muslin 1037

Renovated spa-like bathrooms are a must after a day on the mountainous terrain.

The tile is quartzite and the granite is absolute black.

And what is a mountain house without red plaid and antler lamps?

Yep, that's a real log bed.   The wall color is Benjamin Moore Camouflage.   And I just love my clients oars above the bed.

Walls Benjamin Moore Camouflage 2143-40

Now I saved my favorite for last.  It's the children bunk bedroom, however I have been told that even  adults like it.   Its a nod to the skiers on the mountain.

My client bought the home furnished - all the furniture and decor was replaced, except for the bunk beds.   My eye was craving a navy blue color, so we decided to keep the existing bunks and paint them Benjamin Moore Hale Navy HC-154.   Great decision for the budget and look.  And Hale Navy is always a winner.

Bunk Beds Benjamin Moore Hale Navy HC-154
Walls - Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170

Once again, Pendleton Blankets steal the show.   In front of the bunk beds are two large white faux fur bean bags.  In the corner is a red dresser.  The wall color is Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray HC-170.

Bravo to technology and the ease of virtual consultations.  And kudos to my client - she is a pleasure to work with and we make a great team.

Makeover accomplished - and the vacation rental home is a success.  

Well ...  that mountain project was way too much fun.  Seriously.  :))