Category: Interior Design

16Jan

William Mclure and An Apartment that Keeps on Giving

William Mclure is an Artist and Interior Designer.  You may have seen his inspiring apartment many times since it has been surfing the web for a couple of years.  Many sites have posted about his beautiful Birmingham apartment and its constant changes.  I can’t find anything more pleasurable than seeing how artists and designers keep on changing and rearranging their homes.  And they don’t do it because they get bored, no.  After all who says that a home is ever completely finished.  Our own taste is constantly developing and once we get more confident about our own choices in Interior Design or in anything else in life for that matter, our results are more stunning.  Of course this latter gets more noticeable in someone with such taste as William Mclure.  His design aesthetic is a mixture of that ideal combination of old and modern classic pieces -elegantly casual with zero stiffness.  When it comes to his talent as an artist, he is all modern in a very classic way.  His paintings resemble a bit of Cy Twombly with a sum of cubism.
William Mclure design belle vivir interior design blog

William’s Instagram account is of great entertainment.  His ability to create all these beautiful vignettes is impressive.  And he can’t stop still, it seems.  He is constantly changing his home when he is not moving.  I honestly had to spend a good couple of hours figuring out which of his apartments was the most recent one.  I think I got it right though.  Let’s look at them… shall we?

I think that first picture has all the goodies it needs and then some more.  William got eight of the Regency style chairs for $300 bucks on Craiglist.  This time his apartment has more of a global feel with exotic accessories.  I love.

William Mclure gallery wall

I absolutely love this space.  The gallery wall is a beauty on its own but the classic black table contrasting with the white Bertoia chairs is simply stunning.

William Mclure living room

This is his new or latest living room, at least until yesterday, lol.  The space is an industrial loft which William was able to make into a cozy and elegant home.  Love the neutral tones and the touches of black.  Every home should have a dose of black.

William Mclure apartment 3

This time the selection of the furniture is a bit more on the modern side with more elegant pieces like the Regency style chairs.

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10Jan

Designing A Home Around Contemporary Art: A Habitable Drama

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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04Jan

Cameron Kimber’s Home: An English Country-House Style

Cameron Kimber‘s home is located in Australia but after you take a look at it, it will strike you as a perfect interpretation of an English country-home.  English country-house style is usually saturated with all cozy elements.  Mostly rooted in classic style, steers away from stiffness and creates the most comfortable and charming of interiors.  Sofas like the kinds of Chesterfield, English rolled arms and overstuffed armchairs provide ease sitting options while natural rugs such as sisal and jute support the laid-back side of English country-house style.  We can also find oriental rugs.  A traditional color palette inspired by the nature of the English countryside is an integral part as well, shades such as yellows, greens, blues and others are found abundantly.  And who can forget about flowers, chintz in the forms of textiles and wallpapers are the cornerstone of English countryside style.  Either in the form of upholstered furniture or wallpaper, flowers and trailing are one of the main elements of this cozy style.  Such use of floral details acts as softener to the often dark wood antiques found in the English country-house style.

English country-house style cameron living room via belle vivir blog

It’s a style of living that allows us to live with the things we love and enjoy our home without worrying about ruining our rugs or sofas.  This is only because prints, patterns and natural or oriental rugs create the most beautiful patinas out of the daily tear and wear caused by our pets and kids.  Now, I think they call that a double winner…  “Things are beautiful and comfortable, and that’s really all that matters”  Kimber.  This latter a repeating mantra of Belle Vivir Interior Design Blog for years…

7 Elements of English country-house style.

English country-house style flower print via belle vivir blog

Informality

English country homes have an informal aesthetic and ambiance. Things are not taken too seriously… it’s the mingle of different textures and patterns that creates the elegance but relaxed atmosphere.

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02Jan

Daniel Romualdez Glamorizes A Manhattan Townhouse

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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19Dec

Christmas in The City

Urban Christmas Decoration via belle vivir blog

We’ll be heading to Chicago soon to experience Christmas in the City for a few days.  Yes, this is what we do when we live in Dublin, Ohio.  We have spent Christmas eve in New York City almost every year, however this year the farthest we’ll go is Chicago.  For now I just dream of next year when our new home will be ready for a Christmas decor overload.

Urban Christmas Decoration via belle vivir blog

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18Dec

Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent’s Los Angeles Home

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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