Project Spotlight: North Portal Home
Teaming up with old client’s is the best. Especially when they are a joy to work with and have good taste (just like this family). They live in DC, and although I no longer live there I wanted to help design a new office space for them. The office is part of a master bedroom so I wanted to decorate it with the accompanying furniture in mind. They have an existing walnut low platform bed and a black leather chair. I wanted it to be a contemporary and neutral room with pops of color brought in through the art work. There is an empty corner where I wanted to create an alternate table top workspace with 2 accent chairs where you could sit and relax and soak in all of the morning light. I chose to keep the main office units a similar walnut finish to the bed. I also added floating cabinets above the desk and filing system for additional storage. The bench cushion and pillow was a nice touch to soften all of these hard surfaces. I liked the idea of replacing their existing honeycomb shades with these roman shades to add another light and airy texture to the office nook.
The walls is where I wanted to have a little fun and add a punch of color and pattern. For the desk wall I chose to break up the floating walnut cabinets with art work leaning against the cabinet and hanging on the wall. I love mixing mediums so this photography and abstract painting go well together and add a bit of interest.
For the wall near the table I imagined a very long extending sconce that would drape over the bistro table. These sconces are so neat and I’ve been dying to use them in a space. They make such a statement while be functional too. The large art work will fit nicely on the wall. The black and white works well with the modern vibe in the space, but the floral itself lends to a traditional look that fits the colonial architecture of the home.
For the window wall I thought this would be the perfect place for family photos. It’s a very personal space being that it is a home office and a bedroom. Either doing black and whites or color here would work. There are 2 different design scenarios I gave them; a more structured look and a gallery wall, both would look fantastic. I think matching the frames is important here and a black or silver frame would really pull the other elements in the space together.