Category: Interior Architecture

When designing a home around contemporary art, especially if the art is an impressive one, the house should rise to the occasion in more ways than one.  In this case the owner of this Victorian house in London owned a dramatic collection of contemporary art so instead of creating a home that recedes to the background, Architect and designer Shalini Misra created a home with drama just enough to not shy away from the art and with character enough to serve as blending element.  The result is a balanced combination of drama and glamour.

designing a home around contemporary art by Shalini Misra via belle vivir blog

A mixture of black and white play a protagonist role in the Interior Architecture.  The contrasting colors are beautifully used.  We can see them on ornate stair railing and on the Rhombus pattern tiles on the raised ground floor.  The transformation of the Interior Architecture was pretty impressive and left only to professionals.  Since the house needed to be enlarged to accommodate the owner’s art collection, doorways were widened to facilitate the view of the art.   The basement was dug deep to create an extra 418 square meters for a swimming pool, gym and spare rooms.  As well as the staircase was relocated to move clockwise between all floors.  This last move was inspired by Vastu Shatra principles- a traditional Hindu system of architecture meant to bring harmony into the home.

designing a home around contemporary art via belle vivir blog

How amazing is this impressive view of the staircase.  Beautiful white marble, velvety stair runner and ornate railing combined with an edgy but still traditional rhombus floor.  It’s a somewhat over the top interior design.  Though a kind you can live with thanks to the classic references and neutral tones.  I say, I’ll take it.

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The entry hall of the Manhattan townhouse that Architect and Interior Designer Daniel Romualdez reconfigured and decorated for a couple is what sets the tone for the overall elegance and glamor found in the rest of the house.  The mirror paneled walls, framed inside moldings disguise the beautiful Jib door on the left.  The entire townhouse carries a perfectly balanced color scheme of caramels- as the golden brown found in the dining room, different shades of browns, taupe, beige and gold.  All that degradation of color finds its balance counterpart in the white on the walls.  Romualdez used three different shades of white in the living room, technique I’m sure creates the effect of subtle depth in the space.  Usually Architects are heavy on drama when decorating an interior, Daniel Romualdez however, besides his unique talent of executing diverse styles, is consistent in the final outcome of them all, which is for most, polished and edited.  Stunning curated spaces.  Daniel has designed many project for Tory Burch.

Interior Designer Daniel Romualdez, mirrored entry hall via belle vivir blog

This beautiful townhouse was featured in the January issue of Veranda Magazine, which very well deserves a big shout out.  The issue is entirely dedicated to exquisite New York design and every one of the homes featured deserves an independent post.  Everyone should buy a copy and keep it for their collection.  It’s that good.

Interior Designer Daniel Romualdez, caramel brown dining room via belle vivir blog

Lovely contrast between the caramel walls and the white dining table and the custom ceiling light.

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Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent's Los Angeles home

Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent are behaving a lot like Ellen and Portia lately.  When they are not selling their homes, they are buying and renovating others.  There must be something in the California water.  By all means this isn’t a complain.  We all benefit from these beautiful creations, including us, mere virtual consumers.  Designers Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s Los Angeles home is what dreams are made of… it’s what uplift spirits and.., you get the point.   Nate Berkus’s refined eclecticism is on display in every room of the 9,000 square feet 1928 Spanish Colonial home.  The landscaping is like something out of a fairy tail, encircled with stunning vegetation and a colonial courtyard.  The couple told Architectural Digest that the house was in great shape when they bought it and as a result they didn’t have to do more than just decorate it.  The decorating process required stripping, bleaching, and waxing mahogany paneling in the dining room, replacing fireplace mantels, replacing the kitchen fixtures and surfaces.  The overall aesthetic of the design is a bit on the masculine side as Jeremiah prefers “We go for a very clean, masculine look. We don’t like to live with a lot of color,” Brent.  If you haven’t watched the couple’s home renovations Amazon show Nate & Jeremiah by Design, make sure you do.  It’s full of inspirations and design ideas.  At the end of this post, you can watch the video where Nate and Jeremiah show their beautiful new home.  But first, see below the beatutiful images of Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s Los Angeles home.

Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent's Los Angeles home

The living room is furnished in European mid century pieces and objects.

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We’ve all heard the saying, your Foyer should give the best impression of your home which is true, but so should your powder room.  Give your guest a token to escape to the land of endless possibilities by taking them out of their complacency and showing them what can be done when only space is the limit.   Yes, the limitation of space can actually work as a motivation and even an excuse to be as daring as you can in this case.  If the rest of our home is the dress the powder room is the piece of jewelry.  Some prefer their jewelry understated others opt for bling bling.  Since jewelry usually doesn’t have to match your outfit, instead it stands out by itself, the same goes for powder rooms.  Regardless of the direction your home design is heading, the powder room is perhaps the only room in the house which can own a style of its own.   These 12 daring and exotic powder rooms show us how to best do it…

12 Daring And Exotic Powder Rooms, mirror mosaic via belle vivir

Nothing says more glamor and exotic than mirror mosaic tiles on your powder room.

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A combination of All American Modern and Scandinavian design is found in this Estate located in The Hamptons, designed by Tamara Magel.  The estate that has 11 bedrooms and 13 baths sits on a 23-acre lot along the Hedges Lane.  The design has the best modern living has to offer, for those who appreciate modern design… Natural materials, cozy furniture, lots of light and an excellent selection of contemporary art… The final result in this state is a laid-back atmosphere with modern amenities…
Modern Hamptons Living by Tamara Magel, belle vivir

Love the simple lines of the marble fireplace

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Reed and Delphine Krakoff’s Connecticut home is a great interpretation of what chic is all about.  The Krakoff’s design aesthetic is usually represented via exceptional art, collectable decorative items, comfortable furniture and great craftsmanship.  The very stylish couple also have a penchant for houses with pedigree.  One of their homes is the Long Island home once owned by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s Bouvier grandparents.  Their latest purchase is a estate in New Canaan, Connecticut that used to belong to heiress Huguette Clark.  Huguette purchased the house as a place to escape in case of a Nuclear War.  She never lived in the house and it was kept empty until the Krakoff purchased it after she passed away.  The French-style house, known as Le Beau Chateau, was in great shape but the Krakoff made a few changes to put their own chic stamp.  The 52-acre estate has nine bedrooms and eleven fireplaces and even when the Krakoff didn’t go overboard decorating it, the interiors look spare but elegant, traditional but chic and very Frenchy…  The honed chevron floors throughout the house are just my cup of tea…  and the massive library is an absolute dream.

Reed and Delphine Krakoff's Connecticut Home, AD-bellevivirblog

The beautiful estate was originally in red brick before the couple painted it in white

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