Skid Row, the interiors matter too

January 2009, a cold winter evening in Los Angeles (sigh… not convincing) I stepped into Downtown Women Center (DWC), a warm welcome from a group of designer, architect and industry professionals. Immediately I was drawn to be part of building a resident tower to house homeless women in Downtown Los Angeles.

June 2010, hard hat tour of breaking ground at DWC. How exciting to see the place had been completely overhauled. The residence of Women Center will soon be entering through that massive original vintage door.

I’ve been hunting bargains and finding suppliers willing to donate. Scouring though address books for connections. Thanks to all of their generosity, our goal is getting closer as installation approaches. Here is an image of the Director’s Office I’ve been working on. A well-designed home can start to break through some of the barriers and nudge people into spending time with their neighbors.

An Outdoor terrace encourages people to communicate with each other and form a community. Use your imagination to help visualize the landscape below. Soon a lively living area with many cheerful colors.

Stay tuned for more updates this fall…

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Guest Bedroom… making guest feel like home.

I often receive interesting request for guest bedrooms. “Can you design an inviting guest bedroom but not too comfortable for long stays, i.e. the in-laws?” Here’s the essential furniture for a guest bedroom: bed, night side table, table lamp, side chair, small desk, perhaps a television… don’t forget to add some fresh cut florals the day before. Thoughtful touches, slippers, carafe with drinking glass, books, magazines and snacks. Create a well appointed room.

[Image Above: Subtle palette with outspoken colors from a decorative pillow and florals]

[Image above: Mixing a traditional desk with an industrial table lamp, instantly feels more youthful.]

Fast Food Cafe Restaurant

I’ve gathered some inspiration for a fast food cafe restaurant located in Arcadia, California. The owner is mid-20 young entrepreneur. The design concept needs to reflect the menu: vibrant, fresh and crisp.  I’ll follow up with more details later.

Beach Chic Master Bedroom Makeover: Canopy poster bed

We designed this serene cloud-like bedroom by layering whites and a subtle palette of gray-blue.  A bundle of sunlight diffused through natural linen roman shades, offers quiet, tranquility and romance. The poster bed is knotted organically on four corners; kissing the floor ever so slightly. Displayed are 2 images of a bedroom in Manhattan Beach, California with design process photos representing before, and after. Whew… the entire process took 10 weeks. Nothing is more clean and crisp than a white dominated room done right.

6 Before and “During” Photos of Mediterranean House located in Los Angeles

CSimplicity Design Project:

Mediterranean House nestled in Los Angeles hillside… stay tuned for “AFTER” photos at project’s completion!

4 BEDRM | 5 BATH | .31 ACRES | LOS ANGELES

1. Construction work in progress: Exterior Facade “BEFORE” December 2009

2. Construction work in progress: Exterior Facade “DURING” February 2010

3. Construction work in progress: Exterior Rear “BEFORE” December 2009

4. Construction work in progress: Exterior Rear “DURING” February 2010

5. Construction work in progress: Kitchen “BEFORE” December 2009

6. Construction work in progress: Kitchen “DURING” February 2009

Kitchen renovations: Top 5 key point

Kitchen is the heart of most homes. As we share our daily lives, laughter and meals together. Kitchen renovations typically falls into two categories: small projects that you can refresh cosmetically or a kitchen that needs a complete overhaul.

In real life, large and small renovations are budget driven. The good news is that your choices are immense. (we can spend $200 or $2,000 on a faucet or sink! ) Select wisely and decide which features are most important, and prioritize your wish list.

1.  Faucet/Fittings: Dornbracht

http://www.dornbracht.com/en

http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product

2. Faucet Finishes

We have a wide range of selection in finishes. Chrome, satin nickel, polish nickel, copper, brass, oil-rubbed bronze, platinum, stainless steel, matte , shiny finish and low end guy’s bachelor apartment/frat house (kidding). For an inexpensive application, chrome is fairly popular. I often specified in stain nickel, polish nickel and oil-rubbed bronze. We invest more for visual satisfaction, nickel plating reveals a shine luster that standard chrome plating does not.

3. Flooring

Ann Sacks: Texere

http://www.annsacks.com/onlinecatalog/program.jsp?cat=268004&coll=1630804&prg=2082204

This is a good option for flooring. Porcelain tile offers high durability and low cost. Its fine linen like texture detail brings out depth. It’s available in array of six subtle neutral colors. Please visit http://www.annsacks.com for details.

4. Countertops

Silestone by Cosentino

There’s a wide variety of green countertops on the market today. The new counters combine natural and man-made materials in composite slabs and recycled waste. All are attractive and viable alternatives for conventional surfaces.

Butcher Block

We can utilize the butcher block as cutting board or island countertop. It’s low maintenance, just scrape off excess food and wipe clean with a damp clean sponge after use. It’s that simple!

5. Cabinet/Hardware

For a clean traditional style. We might choose cabinet with maple wood and paint grade cabinet doors. To add interest, it’s playful to select a color with strong contrast between the island and wall cabinets. Hardwares impose a crucial element to complete a kitchen. I often mix pulls and knobs for function and aesthetic. Opt for finishes that best match with your faucet fittings.

Foyer Bench

Entice your entry with an antique bench.

Resources

Custom Pillow Details: 1/4″ open flap with 100% goose down feather, corner butterfly welt.

Down Decorative Pillow Fabric (From Far Left):

1. Boslster Pillow: Kneedler Fauchere/Aberdeen White

2. Bennison/Roses Mono Grey on Oyster

3. Holly Hunt/ Great Plains Platinum

3 Designer window treatments for less

One of the most asked questions I hear when starting a project is “Can we get started on window treatments right away?” From simple shutters to glamorous draperies window treatments  provide privacy, light control and sound insulation.

no. 1 Shutters

A simple painted shutter can seamlessly integrate with your walls in a subtle, elegant fashion.

Suggested Source: Smith + Noble: Louver Wood Shutters

no. 2

A great opportunity to accentuate a vertical elevation is to extend a treatment to the ceiling. Puddling drapes 2 – 3 inches on the floor softens the liner architecture and structure of the window.

Treatment Fabric Option 1: Pindler & Pindler (Linen Basics 2273)

Treatment Fabric Option 2: West Elm (Tonl Sheer Window Panel)

no. 3  Roman Shade + Drapery

To achieve a completely dark room, use an underlayer blackout roman shade and drapery to control light. The Roman shade in linen fabric dresses the window with tailored elegance. Layers of fabric creates depth and drama.

Suggested Cutom Roman shades: http://www.theshadestore.com

Suggested Roman shades Fabric: Kravet Couture 29512 – 1616 Flax Belgium Linen

Suggested drapery Fabric: Restoration Hardware/Textured Belgian Linen Drapery

Choose color accordingly for your space, call or visit a store for actual samples. White, Sand and Lava would be my top choices.