valentine's day Modern by Design Showhouse III: Level Two

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There always seems to be great design in the Bedrooms of a Showhouse, and the Modern by Design Showhouse was no different. From the top of the stairs, I caught some bold stripes in one of the rooms. Naturally a curious person, I had to check it out first thing. It turned out to be the “Boy’s Room” designed byMartha Angus. Fun and very cool. The huge photograph of the Rollerblader in the desert by Richard Misrach created almost another “window” on the world. Great textures, color pops and just alot of very cool stuff, like the Brillo accent table from Warhol Denied and vintage orange floor lamp from Coup D’Etat. The rug is from Pottery Barn….so put that on your list of “do-able” interior design!

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I love this French industrial iron cabinet from Epoca. The way everything works together here: the dark green wall paper stripe (Kneedler Faucher), the texture of the rug, The orange light fixtures, the graphic wall art, and one-of-a-kind finds like this cabinet takes an artistic eye, and a bold confidence. Martha Angus has these attributes in spades.

The bathroom design is by Philip Parton who worked with Martha to create a space that works perfectly with the bedroom. Note the inexpensive black chicken wire floor tile is grouted with red grout. Nice and inexpensive way to jazz it up! I love how he painted the whole space red, ceiling included, and how the mirror works so well with the bedroom art.

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Martha Angus studied at the Ecole Des Beaux Arts and Carnegie Mellon, going on to do projects for Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani and the Lauder family. She brings a fine arts approach to her work mixing modern and antique with finesse and style.

The Library was designed by Nicole Hollis. (You may remember Nicole from the last San Francisco Showhouse I posted. She had done the First and Second Floor Hallways.) How she found the time to do two spectacular Showhouse designs back to back I cannot imagine! She has boundless energy and imagination to spare.

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The Library is modern and chic, just like Nicole, and is full of “groovy” accents like the yellow 8-track tape player, and Jonathan Adler’s Luciana vase.

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Nicole sourced the “Como” goatskin area rug from The Rug Company and customized the ceiling fixture from Jason Miller Studio. The custom white shutters are a brilliant answer to treat these windows above the fireplace mantle.

This room has a sort of “James Bond” allure and a “Groovy Baby” chic factor that had me smiling . It was quite the hang out at the Showhouse Gala. People didn’t want to leave…so the party just kept getting bigger in here until it was wall to wall people.

Nice work Nicole. Very nice!

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Nicole Hollis

The Guest Room was designed by Dowling Kimm Studios. Julie Dowling and Lorissa Kimm joined forces in 2001 after both having had stints at Princeton earning degrees in Architecture and both having worked in the offices of Michael Graves.

They have put together a soothing retreat here focusing on comfort and the arts. A serene palette and organically modern furniture set the tone for rest and relaxation.

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Nice combination here: Leather chair, root table, Rosemary Hallgarten fur pillow, Merida Meridian wool and sisal area rug.

Love.

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Art: “ The Raiders” by Conrad Marca-Relli and Sculpture": Untitled by Wilfred Zogbaum through Addison Fine Arts. Bench by Chista. Pillows by Rosemary Hallgarten.

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We made it to the Master Bedroom after much “oohhing and aahhing”, and met up with designer Gary Hutton for even more. Gary was amazing. He had such interesting stories behind each and every design choice that we were glued to the room. We were literally asked to move along to the next room so the next press group could come through. I won’t be able to recount all of the stories, but here are a few of them.

We entered the space along a narrow hallway that most people would just hang art on and call it a day. But Gary has a mind that reaches beyond us mere mortals. See all the “dots” on the wall? (Well, actually Swarovski “pearls”) Kind of an interesting random placement. Very artistic and all. But then Gary told us they represent all of the seismic activity throughout North America. You can see Mexico there by his right hand.

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Gary Hutton, Designer

Gary was such a great host in his space. He created much of the furniture and sounded like he was having the best time doing everything. This chair is one of his designs. I like the contrast between the slick metal and the textured flower petal fabric.. The fabric used for the drapery panels is made from 100% recycled soda bottles and was VERY affordable! It looks just like felted wool.

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The Master Bedroom was sleek and modern, but very comfortable as well. The “wow” factor came in with the Artemide light fixture that slowly changed colors. I caught it on it’s pink cycle. When turned off, it looks like silver mylar.

Notice the nightstands: See the very well-known Frank Geary cardboard nesting tables on the right? Originally Gary had intended to use matching night tables. But another set could not be found in time.

Here is where chutzpah in a a designer really pays off. Gary decided to make his own cardboard table. And the story doesn’t stop there. He told us that he came in the room when the workmen were still touching up paint, and one of them was standing on his creation paint brush in hand(the glass top had not been added yet). The workman had understandably thought it was a pile of trash. (We were laughing so hard at Gary’s telling of the story, I think we scared off a couple of people.)

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Gary designed the desk in the study, and you can just make out the size twelve Lucite stiletto's under it. Another story there.

The art photograph is called “High Fashion Crime Scene”, one of a series by Melanie Pullen. If only she hadn’t been wearing those Prada pumps, she might have made it to the phone in time.

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Mr. Hutton also designed the Master Bath using Walker Zanger floor tile (gorgeous, no?), Kohler glass vessel sinks and WoodMode Cabinets. Sleek and sophisticated.

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Gary created a custom screen to divide the bath from the toilet area. Quite handsome I think. Go on….look a little closer….

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HAHAhaha! SOoo CLEAN and modern ….and it smells good too! Now do you understand why we had a hard time leaving?

valentine's day Gary Hutton and Ivory Soap

Next up: Top Level with the Jay Jeffers and his “Sophisticated Fun”, a Min Day Bathroom, and gardens by Surfacedesign and styled by Throwing Rock Studio.

valentine's day Upstairs Downstairs at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase

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Last Thursday I drove to San Francisco to see the 2009 Decorator Showcase. The day was just perfect....blue skies and a bit of an ocean breeze. It promised to be a perfect day. We arrived right around noon, so we had the whole afternoon to take our time and enjoy everything. The house, built in 1910, is located in what is referred to as "the most fashionable" part of Pacific Heights. It was built as a twin in the Georgian style by architect Nathaniel Blaisdell. The Showcase occupied the twin on the left.

I have to stay what struck me as we climbed the steps to the front door were the steps themselves. They were finished in white marble and were in perfect conditon....well...as perfect as they could be at almost 100 years old.

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We entered the front door and were greeted by this whimsical floral arrangement that extended from the entry level all the way up to the ceiling of the next floor. It was quite a statement and drew our attention to the beautiful balustrade. We discovered it was created by artist Yedda Morrison

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The Entry, Staircase and Upper Hallway were designed by Nicole Hollis. She used an abundance of Natural Curiosities in her design which she set off with a rich grey paint color on the ceiling and on the cabinet housing the items.

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I love the striking contrast between the white trim and grey paint colors as the backdrop for the natural colors of the objects in the case and the soft grey of the hide upholstered chairs.

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I am glad the hall was so interesting, or I would have passed it right by to get to the Living Room which was designed by one of my favorite designers: Myra Hoefer. She has an incredible talent for creating rooms that are both relaxed and elegant.

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I was just lucky to catch this image showing a dreamy quality with the sun's rays coming through the window. Myra had created shutters that were upholstered with what looked like white leather with nail head trim. There were beautiful ivory linen covered sofas with generously scaled silk covered pillows in soft grey and a citron-y gold.

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When I saw this John Dickinson table, I swooned a little. (I heard it is for sale by the way.....for so much more than I could afford, I am afraid I have forgotten the amount!)

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The color palette was just so beautiful....again the soft grey silk taffeta for the drapery panels and ivory linen slipper chairs.

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The sconces above the fireplace caught my eye: handmade white plaster made in France. They flank and large antique gold framed mirror. Myra is a master at scale I think.

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There were two paintings and a few original sculptures by Wade Hoefer. There was so much more in this room that my poor little camera could not adequately capture....you will just have to see for yourself!

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The Dining Room was adjacent to the Living Room, and was designed by another design great, Orlando Diaz-Azcuy. Of course, the first thing that caught our eye was the very dramatic "Big Bang' chandelier from Limn. An amazing focal point to be sure. The designer used this piece as a very "today" solution " showing confidence, rather than the aspiration shown by using a copy of a traditional chandelier, as is commonly done." I think it was quite successfully used. (I also overheard it is for sale as well!....any takers?)

The Dining Chairs are also a Diaz-Azcuy design for McGuire Furniture.

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We seemed to recognize many of the items in the beautiful collection of white running down the table. We asked the docent, and yes....many are from the personal collection of Mr. Diaz-Azcuy.

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This table was one of my favorite things in the Showcase. The flatware is a Diaz-Azcuy design, and the violet stemware is beautifully mismatched and are set off against the white vases. They are also part of the designer's own collection. I love how the dinner plates, with their traditional black and white pattern, contrast with the caviar dishes...a simple rectangle of glass with it's own glass spoon.

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The Family Room and Breakfast Room were designed by the very talented Matthew Leverone. There were so many things I loved about this room: the amazing coffee table....

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The cozy ottomans...

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The beautiful and graphic console in front of the windows....just to name a few. I great combination of really interesting furniture pieces grounded with a calm and serene color palette.

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The Breakfast Room by the same designer had a very appealing sculptural quality...again very serene in it's simplicity. I was quite taken with these two rooms!

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By this time, I was"catching" the uniting element from room to room. There was a recurrence of soft foggy greys mixed with a warm golden glow. The Kitchen presented this palette through the use of zinc for the counter tops and custom hood, and the beautiful light fixture floating like a sun kissed cloud. (The Liana S. Pendant by Aqua Creations)

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I do have a "thing" for the Heath Ceramics tile above the range I must admit.

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I thought this was such a clever way to create some drama in an otherwise ordinary small hallway. It look like there is a window right across from this door, right? Well you would be wrong. It was a custom light filter (gobo) shining a window mullion and tree leaf pattern on this foggy grey door.

This house has four levels....so we decided to head down to the lower level. Not sure what to expect, we ended up finding a perfect small jewel of a space designed by Darin Geise of the fabulous shop, Coup D'Etat. It measured all of 8 feet wide, but was packed with atmosphere.

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It was fully paneled in what appeared to be reclaimed barn wood....a wonderful backdrop to the Renaissance Portraits and tufted upholstery. My photo of the pendant light did not do it justice I am afraid.

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The perfect little hideout for reading...perhaps Jane Austin....ok....War and Peace?

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Another little space with it's fair share of personality was the Vintner's Vault designed by Michelle Wempe of Zumaooh.

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We were tempted....we really were.

With Four Floors of packed with design inspiration, this first installment has covered the "Downstairs" levels. There are quite a few rooms that my camera could not adequately capture. So, if you are in the Bay Area, I hope you have a chance to visit the Showcase! It is truly well worth your attention. This Memorial Day Weekend is the last weekend! Tickets are available at the door. For more inforamtion, please click here.

On Monday, I will take you "Upstairs" for more glamourous interiors!

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It really was a fantastic day by the Bay!