Modern Interior Design Blog – Just Seen

Brooklyn based designer Jun Aizaki’s Creme Design has designed a large number of restaurants in New York, Philadelphia and Japan. Creme’s lastest project is Chifa Restaurant in Philadelphia. The restaurant features a unique hybrid of Peruvian and Cantonese cusines found in Peru. The design reflects the merging of cultures with references to both. The rounded booth shown above is wrapped in a sepia photograph of Machu Picchu against a Chinese red wall. Privacy is provided by a metal bead curtain.

In the dining room above, the walls are lined with golden Chinese apothecary cabinetry. Their color and repetitive pattern read like bricks of gold. Repitition and cultural or historical reference have been combined in other projects by Creme Design, which we find very compelling.

In their design for Tinto, a large collection of corkscrews has been framed and graces the entrance to this wine-centric, Basque restaurant. The spice rack detail was designed for Komegashi a restaurant built on a concept of East/West harmony. The wine bar at Angelina provides a little jewel case for each bottle and displays it horizontally with the label fully visible and intregal to the design. Finally, at Disitrio, the Lucha Libre mask wall is not subtle, but neither is the restaurant. Disitrio is high-energy and features the spirited culture and cusine of Mexico City.

Creme Design effectively utilizes cultural reference, color and meticulous detail to develop thoughtful and inspired dining environments.

photos: Eric Laignel

 A diamond in the rough – some need alot more polishing than others. In the case of this Bridgehampton Beach House, alot of polishing over a three year period resulted in a real jewel. Betty Wasserman and collaborator Glenn Leitch of Highland Associates had the vision for modernist family beach house and elected to work with the less-than-perfect exisiting house.  Other than the basic form and shed roof, the entire house was reworked, the new plan: effcient and practical.

Wasserman’s interiors have a foundation in rich, natural materials such as wood paneled ceilings, screening elements, railings, doors and floors and a bluestone fireplace surround, hearth and floors. Each room is dominated by a single colorway, earthy greens in the living room, ocean blues in the master bedroom and warm pink-orange in the TV area. Complexity comes with variations in shades, textures and pattern.

The art and accessories are strong – each piece is compelling on its own. It was not surprising to learn that Wasserman spent ten years as a New York city based art dealer.  The gallery-like placement highlights each piece. There really isn’t anything you can gloss over.

See more of Betty’s work at Betty Wasserman Art & Interiors.

A Modern Fairy Tale
Contributed by William Earle

Deep in the wood, in a very tony neighborhood, there lived three designers; a conceptualist, a green designer and a minimalist. While out together at an opening, their little cottage was visited by fair Goldilocks. Her hybrid having run low of volts,  she had knocked upon their door looking for help. Finding no one at home, the precocious Goldi let herself in, and sought out a nibble while she waited for the occupants to return.

The first cupboard she came across belonged to the conceptualist, an assortment of various size and color boxes with drawers all bundled together with straps. “The drawers aren’t even level” she thought. Next she came upon the green designer’s cupboard. “This looks like it was made from an old picnic table” she thought, and when she tried to open the burly, crudely hung door she chipped a nail. Just then she noticed the minimalist cupboard, a sleek silhouette with softly faceted facade. A touch of her hand and the spring loaded solid walnut doors silently parted.

Snack in hand, fair Goldi looked for a place to dine. The conceptualist’s dining table was an odd, asymmetrical affair, the top riddled with bowl-like depressions and the legs three huge fins, leaving no room to pull up a chair. ” I don’t get it” she said. The green table looked just like an old picnic table, suitable enough, but when Goldi tried to slide in she caught and tore her leggings on the salvaged timber. It was then that she spied the minimalist table – it cut a triagular footprint with soft concave sides and a subtle taper from top to bottom, capped with a beautiful glass round. “How elegant” she gasped.

Sated by her soy nut and mineral water, Goldi looked about for a comfortable spot to sit and do some texting. As she strode off toward the green bench which looked, yes, like part of a picnic table, she didn’t even notice the sheets of glass glued together in a rudimentary chair-like configuration by the conceptualist, but she did notice the minimalist settle. The long blue wenge shell with subtly faceted wings was lined with a thin suede pad and floated upon a matrix of highly polished lucite.”Wow” she blurted.

Upon their return, the green designer immediately noticed that someone had attempted to breech his cupboard. “They had no problem getting into my cupboard” said the minimalist. “No one was in my cupboard” said the conceptualist.  Spying the scrap of legging still dangling from his dining table the green designer said ” Someone tried to sit at my table”.”Someone did use my table” said the minimalist, fingering a soy nut. “No one sat at my table” sighed the conceptualist.” I can’t tell if anyone tried to sit on my bench” said the green designer. ” I’m sure they didn’t try to sit in my chair” whispered the conceptualist, “or it would be in pieces “. “Someone sat on my settle” said the minimalist, ” and there she is”. Goldilocks had fallen asleep, her head nestled into the faceted wing, i phone in hand and mineral water dropped and dribbling upon the charcoal suede ( no worry, the suede pads are scotch-guarded ).

See More from William Earle

Designer Stephen Roberts envisioned this 3000 square foot in Chelsea, New York as a giant light box.   Elements such as doors and the kitchen island were executed in backlit white glass, the floors are white terrazzo and lighting, sprinklers and other systems were held off the ceilings. As a result, the entire space glows and provides a dramatic backdrop for the objects within.

The client had a small vintage Scandinavian furniture collection which was the basis for the rest of the selections.  Robert’s combination of a Florence Knoll cream wool sofa and chairs and  Knoll Barcelona ottomans in creme suede and white Carrera Saarinen tables and a glossy white cantilevered sideboard (designed by Roberts) provide subtle variations on the theme and give a soft structure to the space.   The Jacobsen Swan Sofa in brown wool  and vintage Jacobsen Egg chairs in tan leather then become the exclaimation point and subject of the light box. The inclusion of the vintage pieces throughout the space provide warmth.

Roberts’ selections in the dining area are an absolute home run. The 12′ rosewood dining table was  purchased in Copenhagen and paired with Niels O. Moller dining chairs in rosewood and black leather. The strength of these pieces are further enhanced by the light box concept. The 1950’s Murano glass light fixture, though delicate, holds its own. What almost appears as a piece of art is actually a window. The orignal windows were 70’s aluminum double hung windows which Roberts elected to remove and replace with a very fine white powder coated steel center pivot window from the 30s. This particular window frames the concrete facade of a building across the street.

A strong simple concept with solid execution make the Chelsea Loft read loud and clear. 

See more on this project and others at Stephen Roberts

Photo: Reid Rolls

Bradley Blair’s client had built his home in Seal Beach nearly 15 years ago. Several years and a break up later, the house was showing signs of wear and tear. Brad saw an opportunity to “help him heal and exorcise the house of its emotional baggage”.  Brad has a strong sense of color and created his palate early on.  He was inspired by the desert, sea and sunset and chose both warm and cools shades from those environments. His intention was to highlight the architure through the use of the palate.

Photo: Reid Rolls

The client had a collection of contemporary art  – bold colors and large scale pieces. Blair’s color scheme and art placement masterfully enhance the works without competing with them. “I was careful not to match too closely or upstage the artwork, with what I chose, so that the art would continue to stand out. Additionally, I sourced new original art and organic accessories, pieces literally from nature, to flesh out and update his collection.”

Photo: Reid Rolls

If the success of a design project is measured by the client’s pride in his space, then this was a home run. “He preens now, like a peacock with his plumage on display. Its a gift to complete a project with a client as appreciative as him, and to forge what I feel confident will be a lifelong collaboration. Glossy, glamorous, high profile jobs come and go, but clients with loyalty like this are forever, and they are whom I live for.”  Visit Bradley Blair Design to see the entire project, including the before images, its quite an impressive transformation.

 
Velvet Hammerschmidt Design  is a Santa Monica, California based interior design firm.  Their work incorporates many styles but  is characterized by clean lines, warmth and sophistication.

Creating a warm inviting home in a space that feels architectural, yet cold was the challenge for V-H Design. The homeowners, a producer and fine art collection manager were interested in incorporating artistic, unique, interesting and comfortable furnishings and finishes. The homeowners were looking for authentic original design with an eye towards detail and quality.

Hammerschmidt elected to use a neutral palate to highlight the owner’s photography collection.  Particular attention was paid to properly lighting the photographs.  The furniture selections included fabulous classics such as the Platner Chair and Side Table, Saarienen’s Womb Chair and Ottoman, the Eames Lounge and Saarienen Side Table and Wegner Wing Chair along with the Hella Jongerius Polder Sofa designed in 2005.

 
The rich wood floor, neutral rug with a subtle pattern and the Platner Chair with a punch of color combine to support the art collection in a very accessible manner. The result is a warm, personal connection with the art. For more on this project, please visit Velvet Hammerschmidt Design.

Part of California’s Joie de Virve boutique hotel group, Shorebreak is located just off the beach near the Huntington Beach Pier. The design is definitely inspired by surf culture: laid back, casual and board-centric.  

We were pleased to see that they selected William Earle’s Hal for the guestrooms. The table/stool is avaiable in stock and comes in walnut, white oak, grey walnut or dark walnut. Each piece is handmade and signed. Hal is about 21″ square and is pretty well priced at $500, including shipping.

Designer Dennis Duffy of Duffy Design Group and  D Scale Modern has infused 45 Province, a new luxury condominium in downtown Boston, with his own brand of warm modernism. The model suite shown here features D Scale’s Polaris Sofa. The public spaces feature Dirk B Chairs, Bone Cubo Cocktail Table, Linova Cocktail Table and Wolk Custom Oval Stools, all from the Emporio Beraldin Collection. Duffy’s design is articulated through rich textures and varied materials.

Turning a house into a home is one of life’s true labors of love. In working with us, you will discover that we never lose sight of bringing the client’s vision to life. We will ensure that your house feels like a home you designed, not one that was just designed. Our residential experience spans from decorating to small bathroom or kitchen renovations, to complete interior remodels of some of Los Angeles’ most architecturally significant homes.

Velvet Hammerschmidt Design
1601 Cloverfield Blvd
Santa Monica, CA   90404
310.828.7900
www.V-HDesign.com

Loft spaces are generally expansive – open floor plans with very high ceilings. Working that into a human scale can be challenging. Susan Diana Harris, a San Francisco based designer did it by “…introducing sculptural details that invite us to touch and play.” She took a loft space in a Yerba Buena loft South of Market in SF and infused it with color, curves, pattern and organic materials. I found this vignette she created on a zebrano wood sideboard to be a nice composition of color and balance. She selected the pieces in contrast to the modern industrial space. She felt these handmade, “imperfect” pieces were the perfect complement to the clean modern lines of the architecture. The ceramic bowls and stands she selected are by Marilyn MacKenzine Ceramics, the wood vases from Cost Plus and the console from West Elm. Photography by Frankie Norstad Photography.