28Apr

Designing A: Pool House Design

I can’t think of a more fitting time than now to start this new series: Designing A, and what is more appealing than starting with a pool house…? As some States are slowly opening up for business, I would think or hope that many people are still maintaining their social distancing outside of their workplace and not going out to public places for a while. In such a case, a pool house beautifully and comfortably designed to escape to would be a real treat.

Like every other part of a house, when it comes to designing it, the process should start like this, addressing the homeowner’s needs aka function, Architecture aka adaptation and sense of belonging, and lifestyle aka style. Of course, in the end, it will all depend on the budget. For the obvious reasons which are fun and creative freedom, we’ll not consider a budget. I’ll design this pool house for a Tuscan style Architecture.

26Jun

Tour This Ideal Vacation Home In Palm Beach

Palm Beach Interior design, blue exterior shutters

We are planning a trip to the south this summer, and one of the cities we are visiting is Palm Beach, Florida along with Savanna, and Charleston. I can’t wait for those needed relaxing days to come. After what feels like one of the longest winters and a stormy Spring, I’m ready for sand and sun. This vacation home located in Palm Beach is not where we’ll be staying, unfortunately, but since I love Palm Beach architecture so much and more so homes that are layered with fine details and personality, here is a tour of this charming vacation home to inspire.

Traditional blue and white stripe fabrics mixed with warm wood tones create an elegant summer vibe to this summer retreat. An Abaca rug anchors the room together.

23Apr

A Beach Home Decorated With Blue and Rattan: Bahama Style

Tom Scheerer has designed many a beach home in the Bahamas. In fact, Tom says he prefers them because homeowners tend to be more open to trying new things in a vacation home. It makes perfect sense although a house like this one, I wouldn’t mind to call it a permanent residence. Waking up to sunny days and walking on talc-pink-powder-like beaches would be anyone’s ultimate dream. I was happy to find one of his latest Bahama style projects in the current issue of House Beautiful.

The architecture of this Bahama home is a traditional Colonial home which Scherrer designed for modern life. The color palette is composed of different shades of blues, sprinkles of purple and rattan furniture. The kitchen especially is quintessentially Scheerer’s style with graphic cement tiles as the backsplash and no upper cabinets as to avert any form of formality. A beach house should be free-spirited and airy with durable fabrics and materials.

I especially love whitewashed wood in a beach home, in this case, Tom used a wood called pickled pecky cypress in various spaces in the house to bring cohesiveness to the open rooms. All the fabrics in the house are indoor/outdoor… practicality is everything.
beach home, bahama style, rattan, blue, living room

The living room has white shiplap on walls and the tray ceiling is clad in beautiful pickled pecky cypress. Notice how the striped rug picks up the different shades of blue, brown and beige in the room…

14Jul

Daniel Romualdez’s Charming Montauk Home

About a mile away from Montauk Lighthouse is the idyllic cottage setting in a magical land overlooking the Atlantic. The home is Daniel Romualdez’s charming Montauk home and if you read the article by Vanity Fair about the home you can see why so many fashionable people love the home and praise it. The 17-acre property consists of three saltbox cottages from the 1930’s and everything in it resembles the easy living of beach lifestyle. The decor is simple, elegant and a bit rustic… with traditional features and details. Blue and white upholstering… A true charming and beautiful home…

Daniel Romualdez's Charming Montauk Home via belle vivir blog

On the profile I wrote about Daniel Romualdez as one of those Interior Designers to admire, I praise his ability to deliver consistent and multifaceted design, you can see the post here. In the Vanity Fair article he says, “If you look at my portfolio, you’d think I’m sort of schizophrenic. I go from super-minimalist to super-colorful and layered, like Tory’s. I really enjoy working both ways. And I really believe you’re only as good as your client. I’ve learned so much from working with the stylish women that I do.”

Daniel Romualdez's Charming Montauk Home-belle vivir-Vanity-Fair-3-1024x858

11Jul

Tom Scheerer Tropical Style: Classic Beach Style

I have posted about Interior Designer Tom Scheerer a few times before. His signature tropical style is ingrained in the classics with an overdose of relaxation and comfort… just how beach homes should be. No pretensions or stiffness, only elegant enough to set the right tone for casual but smart entertaining.

tom scheerer living room tropical style belle vivir

Tom Scheerer has been designing and building tropical homes in the Harbor Islands for over 20 years. Although each home I’ve seen is individually designed, most share a common hallmark of Tom’s style… antiques, modern but traditional upholstered furniture and an absence of unnecessary frou-frou that occasionally interrupt enjoyment. The result is a perfect beach home where its owners will enjoy the real pleasures in life. His homes are not the typical American beach home were the most color scheme is red, blue and white… These beach homes are carefully curated to be uniquely tailored to their owners… Below, a few images of Tom Scheerer tropical style… I posted a few times about Tom Scheerer’s spectacular beach style. When I think of a long weekend the first thing that comes to my mind is a comfy beach house where to escape. Since we can’t go anywhere this weekend I can only dream of being in this gorgeous house that has enchanted me since the first time I laid my eyes on it. I love how the beauty of this house slowly reveals itself. As I keep looking at it I can notice the different colors and textures that at first are barely discernible due to the calmness in the colors. I also love how the playful patterns on the fabrics and wallpapers and the comfortable furniture make this house perfect for a family vacation home with a great degree of sophistication. As this house proves, a beach house doesn’t have to lack elegance.

03Jul

Christopher Burch’s Hamptons Beach House: C-Wonder’s Founder style

Christopher Burch’s Hamptons beach house is the ideal American colorful style. Christopher is Tory Burch’s ex-husband and founder of C-Wonder, and his quirky colorful style is embedded in the decor of the house which was decorated by Christopher Maya.

Christopher Burch's Hamptons Beach House via belle vivir

For some, this house is considered small and modest when compared to the sumptuous mansions that are usually found in the Hamptons, funny enough the house has 6,000 sq feet, 8 bedrooms and is sitting on 2.75 acres. Burch describes his style as “a very quirky sense of classicism.” Maya was able to interpret Christopher’s taste while toning down the bright color hues that characterize the owner’s popular store, C-Wonder.

Christopher Burch's Hamptons Beach House entry way belle vivir

Tag: Beach Decor

Designing A: Pool House Design

Tour This Ideal Vacation Home In Palm Beach

A Beach Home Decorated With Blue and Rattan: Bahama Style

Daniel Romualdez’s Charming Montauk Home

Tom Scheerer Tropical Style: Classic Beach Style

Christopher Burch’s Hamptons Beach House: C-Wonder’s Founder style

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