Play Time

Here's to not taking design too seriously. But I am being completely serious when I say that when I grow up, get married, have kids, and my first custom home...you better believe it's going to have a slide by the stairs and a swing in the living room.

Photos starting from top: Gweneth Paltrow's home, photos via Apartments i Like. 3rd photo is via the green room. The last photo is via theInside Stoop.

www.BrittanyStiles.com

Photo Shoot 2 of 2

Here are photos from the other home that Stacey photographed for me this past month. This living/dining/entry was one of my favorite types of projects - complete design from custom furniture to accessories. This Newport Beach family moved in to this modern house from a more craftsman style home in Huntington Beach. They wanted to start from scratch, and although we didn't originally plan it, we ended up having every piece of furniture custom made, with the exception of the white cabinet, which was an antique that I found here in Newport.








Here are a couple of the before photos...





Now time for bed! I have my first ever morning "surf sesh" and then off to LA to visit the La Cienega cooridor and check out the window displays and catch a few panels.

Photo Shoot 1 of 2

Today was a good day, I got the disc of my photo shoot in the mail! Here is one of the two projects photographed by Stacey Sutherland, a kitchen remodel and family room face-lift. Enjoy!






Before photos:

Furniture Install

Friday was a fun day because we were doing a furniture delivery at a client's home in Huntington Beach. I had gone to the upholstery shop earlier in the week to check on the different pieces, so I knew everything turned out beautifully, but I was excited to see it all in my client's home and see if she loved everything as much as I did.

I posted about the preliminary design for her dining room here, but as almost all projects go, for a variety of reasons, the design has changed a bit from the initial presentation. Due to budget, time restraints, and overall function, we forewent the built-in banquet when my client fell in love with this Restoration Hardware table...


She purchased the table, and to keep things interesting and eclectic, we decided we would do a settee on one side of the table and keep her dining chairs on the other side. When finding the perfect style, size, and color of the settee proved impossible, and having full confidence in my upholstery guy, we decided to go custom and build one from scratch.

We took the arm style, height, and nailheads from this Restoration Hardware chair...


And the tufting, wood turned legs, and scalloped base from this Ballard Designs settee...

And came up with the perfect red settee to fit my client's new table and new dining room...

It's always a little nerve racking to build such a large piece of furniture from scratch, but we couldn't be more happy with how it turned out!

Next up we have a really fun before and after. My client had 2 of these antique chairs and was about to put a 'for sale' sign on them in the front yard when I told her that they would be beautiful if we refurbished them.


The wood finisher refinished the wood in a silver leaf, and then the chair was reupholstered in a cream and chocolate silk damask. I loved how this chair turned out so much that I was tempted to pay my client and keep it for myself. This chair is going to sit in a corner of the dining room that is a little separated from the rest of the space. The chocolate and silver tones of the antique chair will help tie that corner in to the rest of the room.


Last but not least, we had an ottoman custom made for the sofa in the adjacent living room. Her living room is pretty much complete, but after going back and forth with a few coffee table options, my client finally decided she wanted a dainty oval ottoman. All of the other pieces of furniture in the room are solid, so I thought it would be fun to add in some pattern. I'm hoping to have the whole room photographed soon, but for now, here's our cute custom ottoman complete with tufts and pleated skirt...

Warming Up to Earth Tones

There are so many things I love about my job, but one of my favorites is working with different clients and meshing their design style with my own. As fun as it would be to design and decorate for myself all day everyday, I don't think I would grow very much as a designer that way. My clients' own personal taste and style encourages me to try new things, and many times in the process, I end up loving something that I never gave much thought to beforehand.

I've been working with my client Lynn for a few months now and she has really fabulous taste. She loves reds and browns and rich earth tones...something I've never been naturally drawn to ( I tend to gravitate toward brighter colors and lighter color palettes). I have loved working with her because she has become such a good friend, but also because through her project I developed a love of rich, dark earth tones with punches of red. Here are some things we started with and I hope to show photos of the finished product very soon.

I'm not the best renderer, but even quick sketches with a little bit of color help clients visualize their future space.

Our fabric and wall covering palette. We covered the entire living room and entry with a textured copper/bronze paper. It added a ton of visual interest to the space and when you use wall covering, it doesn't make you feel like you need to cover every inch of empty space with artwork, especially in a room with high ceilings.

She has a vaulted ceiling in her living room, perfect to hang this metal beaded chandelier.

Newport Beach Residence

This is a living room we recently designed at a Newport Beach condo. I wanted to create an ecclectic but sophisticated beach cottage look using refurbished vintage pieces. Most all of the furnishings in the room are vintage, including the lamp, mirror, and artwork. The fabulous hanging lantern is designed by my good friend Coleen at Coleen & Co. (available in different sizes, colors, and also as wall sconces).

Speaking of hanging light sources, don't underestimate what chandeliers or pendant lights can do for a space. They add another dimension to the room and help unify the ceiling with the walls and floor.


Photography by the lovely Tanni Tronson of LoveBug Portraits.

Tate Residence

This past year we worked with a couple that quickly became some of my favorite clients, Troy and Laura Tate. We recently had their home photographed by the very talented Mike Cunningham of The Digital Orange. Troy and Laura both have a love for French Country style. I really do appreciate all design styles, but as a designer, that doesn't keep me from putting my own twist on things. With the Tates, Nathan and I had the liberty (which Troy and Laura so graciously gave us) to do a more contemporary take on French County style - complete with some ikat fabric, and a few modern lines.

Tate living room.

Tate breakfast nook.

Tate dining rom.