Tag: Interior Design

Kevin Isbel house beautiful via belle vivir blog
 A beautiful and cozy room designed by Kevin Isbell in the December/January issue

 

I’m happy to have been contacted by House Beautiful to write a post on Grass Cloth a week ago and very honored for the mention that will appear in the December/January issue.  If you have an iPhone you’ll be able to link to Belle Vivir through the HB Connect app.  It’s amazing how dynamic and personal magazines have become.  House Beautiful was kind enough to send me the article so I can see it and new watermarked images that will appear in the December/January issue.  Kevin Isbell knew how to make this1930’s center-hall colonial home current by injecting warm and intrinsic details such as geometric trims to floral curtains, gross-grain ribbon tape to a plain white sofa and visually connecting two separate rooms by custom painting grass cloth walls the same color as the ceiling.  “Grass cloth has a warmth that paint does not, and darker colors are more cocoon-like” Kevin Isbell.

Kevin Isbel house beautiful via belle vivir blog

I love the contrast between the modern looking cocktail table and the wicker basket in the family room.  Notice the detail of the tape on the sofa.  It’s all in the small details that slowly reveal themselves to you.  In this room the grass cloth used is a bit more textured than the one used in the bedroom above.  A very applicable difference, I think.

Kevin Isbel house beautiful via belle vivir blog

You know how I feel about any klismos and klismos influenced chairs.  It’s forever my favorite chair.  And the contrast here between the lilac slipcovered chair and the leather brown on the klismos chair is the perfect union of masculine and feminine.  I didn’t want to spoil the article so I’m only posting the three images above, the two below are from Isbell’s website.

Kevin Isbel house beautiful via belle vivir blog
Kevin Isbel house beautiful via belle vivir blog
 Top three watermarked images exclusive from House Beautiful, last two from Kevin Isbell website.

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I said it before and I’ll say it again, the versatility of grasscloth wallpaper is indisputable. It adds coziness and texture to a bare wall almost instantly while the natural fibers provide a home with that perfectly imperfect patina. I have used grasscloth wallpaper a few times in different projects, including my home and its easiness to either glam up or glam down a room never fails to surprise me. In the second image below, the use of white washed wood, lush fur throw and seagrass wallpaper make the entire ambience glamorous and velvety. Long gone are the days when this type of wallpaper would only be available in solid colors. Now you can find them with all types of hand printed patterns. Ideal to take it all up a notch!

 

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Lauren Santo Domingo paris apartment designed by Francois Catroux living room via belle vivir blog
This Parisian apartment and home belongs to Lauren Santo Domingo, socialite, business woman and co-founder of the online fashion retailer Moda Operandi.  The duplex was designed by the legendary Interior Designer Francois Catroux.  The rooms seem elegant but comfortable and airy.  I love the contrast of the parquet floor with the ornate walls.  “The architecture was beautiful; I didn’t want to change that,” Catroux told Vogue Magazine where the apartment was featured.  Catroux used different tones of grey and a mixture of sophisticated patterned fabric as the geometric Kubus fabric used for the windows made by Pierre Frey.  A mixture of modern art, classic furniture and sculptural lighting can be found throughout the impeccable designed apartment.

Lauren Santo Domingo paris apartment designed by Francois Catroux via belle vivir blog

A beautiful view of the enfilade of rooms.  Love how the Platner chair seems so in sink with the Louis XVI settee behind.  The selection of fabric for the furniture is as exquisite as it can be.  Nothing is plain yet everything seems harmoniously cohesive and balanced.  Not an easy task to achieve when designing spaces with such high ceiling like this apartment.
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our home after- julie paulino design

Our home after is a result of all I believe in and stand for.  Uniqueness, individuality and comfort.  A mind of ones own.  It’s a home that reflects our lifestyle as much as possible.  It’s rooted in the classics but in a relaxed and young sophisticated way with modern and transitional elements.  I strive to be creative and unique so this home does not look like any other home because then it wouldn’t be our own.  I like to incorporate modern pieces and/or modernized classic ones because that’s what I consider chic.  A home with some modern and/or relaxed mood.  I actualized the classic fauteuil arm chairs by upholstering them in red leather and embellished with brass nail heads.  I did the same with the black stool.  I fell in love with the coffee table thanks to its sculptural lines, another design element I constantly praise about in this blog.  It weights like a forced marriage because its legs are solid steel. Every time I look at it, good memories come up to my mind remembering how my father-in-law and I carried it inside the house.  I’m just glad no one called the police on us suspecting we were carrying a dead body.  I bought the lamps at Gilt Home, excellent delivery time by the way, I added a trim of velvet to the shades to enhance them further.  The abstract painting is a bartered piece, really! The sofa is Paul McCobb with a slip cover and the oushak rug is from ABC.  The painting above the sofa is an Agam, bought at The Antique Garage.  I hope you enjoy a tour of our home after…

our home after- julie paulino design living room

The fireplace behind the watercolor painting is the TV enclosed in the wall.  The bookcase is from ABC, the drop shaped stools are form Brookstone.  The brass swing arm sconces are from Shades of Light.

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While thinking about what to post today, my kitchen renovation before and after came to my mind.  Since we’re soon moving to another country (Sao Paulo) I feel it would be great to show how I renovated our kitchen. The second picture below shows how our kitchen was before.  Very unattractive!  We teared down everything, from the cabinets to the walls, got rid of that double tray ceiling and redid the floor.  My vision was to create something charming instead of modern because this house was built around the 80’s when there was absolutely no reference whatsoever to any period architecture.  So I decided it would look like something between old and au courant.  I hope you enjoy my kitchen before and after Julie Paulino Design.

kitchen renovation before and after, julie paulino design, kitchen before and after

I love the subtle shimmery of the mosaic.  I added mirror on the back of the upper cabinets to create light reflection.

kitchen renovation before and after, julie paulino design, kitchen before and after

 

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Wendy Schwartz by belle vivir interior design blog

 

Do you know when you’re eating something and you feel you’re satisfied but your tongue is telling you that’s too good and you have to have a few more bites?  That’s how I feel about  Wendy Schwatz‘s work.  It’s sooo, sooo gorgeous that I can’t stop looking at it and then continue looking at it some more!  Her work has that harmonious balance between edgy and livable.  Altogether, what makes me eat those extra bites!

Wendy Schwartz via belle vivir interior design blog
remember this?

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