Before
This hodge-podge Westlake Village living room needed organization, style, and architectural focus. To create cozy seating for TV viewing and conversation, we created a grouping with a sofa, lounge chair, swivel chairs, and ottomans. A fun rug, in the room's green and brown palette, anchors the space. The focal design element is the redone fireplace wall, where a pair of tall built-in cabinets (which we designed with lighted display areas above audio storage cabinets) flank the glass-tile clad fireplace. The new space manages to be Contemporary, comfy, functional and fun!
Before
Our client's home in the hills of Old Calabasas needed a drastic makeover, involving interior architectural changes as well as totally new furnishings and decorative style. We designed a new feature wall with a sleek glass tiled fireplace surround and unique display cabinets. Next, we put in a cozy seating group perfect for both conversation and TV viewing. Finally, we removed the old shutters that had blocked the views, replacing them with aqua blue drapes which frame the wonderful greenery and bring the outdoors in. Soothing colors, kid friendly furniture and easy TV watching help put the "great" back into this family's great room!
Before
This existing formal French powder bath was not my client's style. She sought a Zen inspired oasis of calm. Our first task was to design an original, Asian influenced cabinet, fabricated in walnut with beautiful walnut burl panels. We echoed the black granite top and bowl sink with black granite inserts in the center of the cabinet. With this piece as our design focus, we added natural hand-made wall and window coverings and a dramatic round mirror to complete this 180 degree makeover!
Before
The bath window, part of the remodel on the previous page, needed to go from ornate French to understated Zen. Facing the front of the house, the drapery had to provide some privacy without obscuring the beautiful beveled glass or the lush greenery outside--no easy task! Our solution was to use a very fine sheer linen in multiple layers. In keeping with the Japanese theme, the design was simple, using multiple asymmetrical panels over one long panel. The result provides continuous filtered light, which lends an ethereal glow to the space, and gives our client the unique effect she desired.
Before
This room is a super example of effecting dramatic change without great expense. Our Calabasas client wanted to keep existing furniture and lighting but welcomed other changes. So we eliminated the unattractive (i.e. dark round rug, frilly painted flowers on the wall etc) and achieved big changes with color. Spring green paint on walls and ceiling was echoed in a deeper green on new chair upholstery and drapes in a subtle green and blue stripe frame and balance the whole space. The finished look is fresh and current without being costly!
Before
After
Glancing at the Before photo you see an all too typical space, lacking in style, proportion, and appeal. To avoid those pitfalls, we started by finding some lively tropical art pieces to set the tone. Taking our palette from the paintings, we selected a lovely green upholstery for our chairs, and used a palm leaf patterned lace at the windows. Graceful wood furniture, new limestone floors, and colorful flowers add a touch of tropic islands to this Camarillo home.
Before
Our Calabasas client needed to rescue her living room from its all white drab demeanor. Our modest-cost solution was to replace the railings with dry-walled "half walls" (see photo foreground), then paint all walls AND ceiling a warm cocoa color, to really show off the fabulous coffered ceiling which had disappeared into the sea of white. Dramatic change two was the addition of eighteen foot high deep red drapery panels. Too often homeowners treat only the lower portion, missing the wonderful drama of highlighting the architecture with the sweep of long curtains.
Before
This Westlake client wanted her Master Bath re-do to give her the luxury spa tub she'd always dreamed of, as well as a substantially enlarged shower. With no additional space available, we were challenged to find a way to make this happen. The "light-bulb moment" came when we realized we could reposition the tub, borrow a little space from the extremely deep step, and voila--it could all fit! (See drawings adjacent) Of course we also gave her a brown marble tub surround and countertop, non-slip tumbled light marble on steps and shower floor, and lots of other goodies to make her feel pampered!
Before
This Westlake Village Master bath not only needed new cabinets, but new "outside the box" cabinet design. Notice the overflow of bottles in "before" photo? We gave them a home with several extra deep drawers where tall bottles can stand upright. So our client ended up with a bath that was highly efficient as well as totally luxurious.
Before
Because our client was also a builder, making big changes to his Camarillo home was easy. He sought a major makeover without enlarging the house, so we had to take the one usable family room wall and convert it into a place for a big screen TV, storage, and display area. By removing the fireplace and end window, it all fit. The resulting built-in cabinetry gave him both the function he wanted as well as the focal design feature of the whole kitchen/family room space. Notice the beautifully carved columns and the colorful displays highlighted by our unusual lighting design.
Before
In "Before" you see a prime example of how bad cabinetry can ruin an otherwise great space! So we just got rid of it all, patched and painted, and installed two beautiful, hand painted armoires, whose lines accentuate and complement the arched niches. (They also house TV, electronics, and added storage.) To complete, we decluttered the mantel, added a lovely firescreen, and found a painting proportional to the space. This grand Westlake Village master suite went from boring to beautiful.
Before
Before, this entry was all white--walls, moldings, doors etc. To bring out the architecture of this lovely space we faux painted the front doors to look like dark wood, and painted the walls a deep beige, leaving moldings the contrast white. Then we commissioned a large stone sculpture for the front niche, added a whimsical sculpture to the rear niche, and installed display lighting for each. The tall fantasy chair by the front door completes this unique ensemble. Judicious use of paints and light combined with striking objects to take this entry from boring to brilliant!
Before
We started with a small, 20 year old Calabasas home which our client wished transformed into a Contemporary jewel. They gave us great creative freedom, making this one of our favorite projects. With the family room open to the kitchen, we used the same beautiful granite in both places. The mantel and entertainment furniture are both crafted out of dark wood inset with copper toned steel accents. The painting by Ivan Reyes and adjacent sculpture by Efrat create a great atmosphere to enjoy both football and fine art!
Before
Bold, brilliant blue and turquoise tones infuse this space with arresting drama. We used iridescent cobalt blue glass tiles on our newly designed fireplace surround, forming the anchor to our scheme. We then created three separate showcase boxes, each with its own blue frame and interior display lighting. The whole fireside grouping was designed as an interplay between angular and curved objects, with even one square and one round ottoman. The Ivan Reyes painting above the fireplace sums it all up--A square blue and turquoise piece, with a circle at its center, and just enough other colors and patterns to keep it interesting, artistic and original.
Before
We designed a new fine wood entertainment cabinet with hand carved columns and lighted displays, then added a complementing wood mantel. The fireplace and hearth were faux finished in a stone look to remedy the poured concrete look. Finally, we completed the re-do with two groups of comfortable sofas and chairs and interesting art and accessories.
Before
This North Ranch home did not come with a door between bedroom and bath in the master suite. With a husband who often arose at 4 am to go fishing, and a wife who wanted to sleep in, it was clear they needed a door. We designed one with a beautiful beveled glass panel so it became art as well as door. To keep light out, we installed a blackout shade on the bath side, which could be lowered when needed, or raised to enjoy the glass. Result: one happy couple!
Before
Our distraught North Ranch client cried "Help!" when she saw this master bath in the home she had just purchased. We realized that the only way to make it right was to rework the dated, slanted ceiling, which should have peaked over the tub. To rectify it we designed a slightly lower ceiling with its apex centered on the tub and window, allowing us to add columns and soffits to completely change the feeling of the space. Of course we also changed marble, added framed mirrors etc, but the most dramatic change resulted from the newly designed architecture.
Before
This older Calabasas home had an awkwardly shaped family room, further suffering from an unattractive view of the staircase. Our fix began by adding drywall, which hid most of the stairs, and gave us a usable wall in a room that had almost none. We then replaced the old furniture with comfortable, appealing pieces. Freshly painted walls, eye-catching art, and new rug and accessories complete the transformation.
