Los Altos

This living room’s decor hadn’t been altered and the room barely used since the 1980’s.  In a house set upon a steep hill, this room has a spectacular view oriented towards the distant hills of Fremont.  One 20-foot-long wall of this living room is constructed entirely of window. Because the windows are north-facing, the quality of light entering the room can be intense and fairly constant throughout the day.  Though installing mostly dark colors would seem like a logical route to counteract the light, they can produce too great a contrast for the eyes, creating a bothersome effect. Choosing the mid-value color of the grass cloth provided the absorption of light we were looking for.  It has just enough sheen to uphold the elegance of the décor. The sofas were perfectly-sized for the room and clients and were of such sound quality, reupholstering them made sense. The club chair was also recovered with a unique Allegra Hicks fabric and retrofitted with a swivel device.  Installing a chandelier corralled the furniture pieces and created a much-needed overall light source, while lamps and an electrified wall sconce by Curry and Company add decorative lighting. The entire color scheme and feel of the décor revolved around the client’s beloved painting of the ocean and of course taupe for which the client has been (lovingly) called a fanatic.

This long-forgotten and abandoned bedroom needed to come out of retirement for the client, who needed safer, first floor accommodations.  She had just replaced the hunter green plush carpet with hunter green plush carpet. I cannot abide waste, plus the client quite fancied the color, therefore, I designed the space and color scheme around the carpet.  An elegant lady who would be spending most of her time in this space and receiving visitors, I wanted her to have an abundance of pretty colors, lush surfaces and mixed textures to enjoy. Furniture choices and placement deferred to her need for safety and ease of movement with a walker.  I chose a light-colored floral wallpaper to decorate an uninteresting and very long wall. Papering with a pattern precludes the need to decorate with much art, something the client wasn’t too keen on adding anyway. Window treatments are versatile: sheers provide prettiness and some privacy while still emitting mood-lifting light and the colorful, felt-lined drapes envelope the space luxuriously each night.  The new overhead light catches the tiniest sheen of the fabric to beautiful effect. A sturdy dressing chair was set directly opposite a full length mirror and within reach of the closet to aid in dressing safely and efficiently. The headboard, covered in a Texture fabric, is custom as are all bed fabrics, chosen to coordinate with the special Jim Thompson blue silk. Pricey, just enough was ordered to create a faux coverlet set at the foot of the bed.  The other pieces of fine furniture by Century and John Richard mix well with the accessories, every one of which was found at HomeGoods. And yes, the thrill really is in the hunt.