I have often been asked what my style is … at first I, like all budding designers, desperately found myself trying to fit into a specific style. As I grew and matured both in life (although I still maintain I’m 29 years old) and in my career, I realized all I was doing was trying to stick a square peg in a round hole. Ann Bates of Currey & Company, during a recent interview for Designer Spotlight, asked me “what advice would you have given yourself when you were first starting out?” … my answer was “be real, be genuine … be you”.
When I am designing interiors for clients I always cater to their likes and personal style no matter what. I welcome with open arms clients whose tastes are outside of my signature look as they bring forth a challenge; I’m bound to learn something new while creating these spaces. Having said that, many if not most of my clients are (even if just slightly) influenced by my personal style.
I applaud my clients, Janet & Kevin, for going way outside the box for this bar design. They allowed me some serious creative license, and I introduced them to my signature style.
This space, while small, is directly off of a very formal paneled library space and it needed to be nothing short of spectacular. So…I left no space unaddressed, mixing veneered brick and ‘crumbling plaster walls’ with an intricately hand painted floor and transitionally designed cabinetry.
The marrying of unexpected elements created a space that is intriguing and captivating…a difficult accomplishment in a space that is only 5’6″ by 6’3″! The counter top, a mica infused granite, was leathered to soften the metallic reflection that would appear in a polished finish, and the chiseled edge of the counter took the formality down another notch.
A classic antiqued brass faucet over a hammered copper sink is reminiscent of a classic bar design. The less than predictable reclaimed chestnut backsplash stands proud, juxtaposing the stunning copper leafed ceiling.
My personal design style is authentic, it is polished, it is rustic, it is …. Cashmere & Blue Jeans™. Which is exactly what Janet and Kevin gave me creative license to create!
Watch…there’s a lot more Cashmere & Blue Jeans™ to come …….