Virtual Home Tour Part 3

We’ve already toured the basement and the main floor now it’s time to travel to the third and final floor in our virtual home tour. The upper floor features two guest suites, a tv/game room, and a home office. Here’s the first guest suite as you come of the stairs. Originally the entry to the room was on the other side of the room and the closet was on the same wall as the wet bar. Pam switched it up because the side of a bed isn’t the most welcoming view as you enter a room (and she’s not a big fan of doors as the focal point of a long hallway). The new arrangement created a dramatic focal point and provided even more storage than the original layout. The bed is flanked with closets with frosted glass doors and framed with columns that conceal shelving. In the adjoining bath, we decided to use a standard tub with tall dramatic shower curtains on a curved rod (for more space in the shower) which was concealed behind a soffit to help soften the room (and to save money by not using glass. A TV/billiard room is nestled between the guest suites. He wanted it to be a fun place to watch TV and play games. It was also important to him to have a billiard table near his office so we made room for it here rather than in the game room in the basement. Because this is a vacation home Pam felt a room with bunk beds was necessary to maximize space. Two custom built-in beds takes bunk beds to the next level. The adjoining bath is a bit more playful without being childish since several families would be using the space it was important to appeal to widest range of people. And finally we come to the office. Cherry cabinets and finish work paired with leather ceiling panels create a masculine atmosphere. A Murphy beds turns this space into a fourth guest suite if needed. The masculine feel was carried through the ensuite bath.

We have now come to the end of the tour. I hope you enjoyed it!

For questions regarding this project or to schedule a consultation please email Pam at pamelaj@atmosphere-id.com

Traditional Homes Loves Ceilings Too!

We’ve already confessed our obsession with ceiling details so you can imagine our excitement when we opened the latest issue of Traditional Home magazine and found an article dedicated to ceiling design. The article states “it’s unfortunate that ceilings are so often neglected, since their expansive surfaces provide plenty of potential for enormous impact” and we couldn’t agree more. Three spaces from recent showhouse homes were featured.

Charles Pavarini, Kips Bay Showhouse

The real star of this room is the ceiling which is done in hand cast plaster in a geometric design. Pavarini believes that the most interesting ceilings have multiple planes, so he created many levels in this ceiling. The center of the lattice is the highest point of the molding. Can’t afford hand cast plaster? A similar pattern can be created using stock molding with just as much impact.

Frank Ponterio, Lake Forest Showcase House

Frank Ponterio wanted to soften the harsh linear lines in this classic coffered ceiling so he added medallions in each recess. A similar look could be achieved with stenciled patterns or prefab. appliques. For additional lighting, he added four pendants covered in muslin along with a center chandelier.

Cathy Gigliotti, Vassar Showhouse

Cathy Gigliotti used interesting architectural molding on the ceiling to delineate this long room into two distinct spaces. Each area has a similar but different ceiling detail. The molding and the identical chandeliers serve as the thread that ties each space together. Love the Niermann Weeks chandeliers used in the above picture but the price tag makes you faint? Candace Olson designed a similar chandelier for AF Lighting for a fraction of the cost.

Niermann Weeks Danieli Chandelier $8,140.00 retail.

Candace Olson (for AF Lighting) Camerson Chandelier $381.00 retail

Which ceiling are you loving?

Vitual Home Tour Part 2

You’ve already seen the the lower floor of Pam’s virtual home design now it’s time to move into the main floor of the home.

Main Floor Plan

The main floor includes the great room, dining room, kitchen, master suite, guest suite, laundry facilities, and plenty of decks to enjoy the great view.

Great Room

The color scheme of golds and rusts with Celadon green accents that is carried throughout the home helps create the elegant mountain home we going for. A lot of texture was also used throughout the space to connect to the natural landscape surrounding the home.

Dining Room

The Celadon accent color helps to update the color scheme and helps to bring the view of the reservoir into the home.

Eat in Kitchen

A mixture of wood tones adds contrast and interest to the kitchen.

Master Bedroom

The master suite is to the left of the stairway. The large scale headboard and the settee at the foot of the bed help to bring the lofty room to a more human scale.

Master Bath

Onyx, cherry, and antique golds create a warm and relaxing master bath. The tub is tucked beneath the window and is enveloped by cherry columns and a barrel vaulted ceiling is a great place to unwind.

Guest Room

The guest suite brings out more of the celadon green accent color which is highlighted with cherry slats on the ceiling.

Guest Bath

Travertine and Seagrass limestone wraps the guest bath in luxury.

Laundry Room

The laundry room, which was kept bright and cheerful with antique white cabinets and a green island for folding, finishes off our tour of the main floor. We’ll be traveling to the third and final floor soon.

Top Ten: Round Accent Tables

Elle Decor does a feature each month where top designers list their top ten favorite items in a specific category. The pieces included in the list are always gorgeous but are way out of most people’s budgets. We thought it may be fun to do our own top ten lists with great pieces with a much more friendly price tags. To kick it off, here are some of our favorite round accent tables (the list started out as our favorite accent tables but quickly grew to over 10 so we narrowed it down to just round tables). Round accent tables are the perfect accent in any space and become jewelry in a room.

Stanleu Furniture Signatures Hudson Street Manhattan Martini Table $599.00 retail.

Cyan Design ceramic garden stool $164.00 retail. Available in several colors. A little trendy but at that price why not have some fun with a trend?

Bailey Street Orbis Table $158.00 retail.

Global Views Jeeves Table $70.00 retail. Available in aqua, white, orange, red, and citron.

Bailey Street Antebellum Wine Table $74.00 retail. Great for tight spaces.

Arteriors Nantucket Driftwood/Glass Side Table $598.00 retail. A great conversation piece.

Arteriors Gotham Wood Accent Table $258.00 retail. Simple and elegant

Cyan Design Circle Table $390.00 retail. So interesting and a great warm gold finish.

Bailey Street Bamboo Tray Table $132.00 retail. I love a little bamboo tray table and this once cones in 2 finishes black and cherry.

Bailey Street Thornbury Side Table $152.00 retail.

Arteriors Subin Stump Table $598.00 retail. I priced a bronze “stump” cocktail table for a client once and it was $20 grand. This little stump has a lot of bang for the buck.

Global Views Directoire Table-Brass & Black Granite $558.00 Gorgeous and you won’t have to worry about your guests not using a coaster with the granite top.

Arteriors Benson Mahogany Veneer & Solids Side Table $518.00 Retail. A classic.

Arteriors Sojourn Iron/Mirror Table $338.00 Retail. Would look fabulous in any space.

Arteriors Cinchwaist Iron/Glass Table $558.00 retail. Very similar to a Barbara Barry design but at a fraction of the price.

Bailey Street Piedmont Side Table $214.00 retail. I love the classic castors.

Arteriors Forest Park Silver Iron Table $518.00 retail. Another whismical piece that juxtaposes elegant and rustic.

Cyan Design Ivory Column Stool $258.00 retail. Clean and fresh. Also available in chrome.

Arteriors Everett Wood/Iron Clad Table $578.00 Retail. A little pricier but has an antique feel that bring a sense of history to the space.

Global Views Beverly Accent Table $298.00 retail. A bit of an art deco flair.

Cyan Design Oiled Bronze Table $498.00 retail.

Arteriors Costello Iron Accent Table $358 Retail. Adds a little glamour and shine but the hammered finish adds a rustic touch.

Global Views White Faux Bois Side Table $348 Retail. Adds a touch of whimsy to any space while staying clean and fresh.

Stanley Furniture Signatures Continuum Oval Metal Lamp Table $829 retail.

Ok so that’s way more than 10 but it’s my blog and I’ll cheat if I want to (and it’s way too hard to eliminate). Which table would work best in your space?

If you’re interested in purchasing any of these tables at a discounted price please email Pam at pamelaj@atmosphere-id.com

Virtual Home Tour

About a year ago a client approached us about a vacation home he was planning in Deer Valley, UT. He was planning to use the home like a time share with several families owning a share. Before he could move forward with construction, he needed to sell the shares. As we all know, it’s difficult to sell anything in the current real estate market. Selling a set of plans is even more difficult. Our client asked us to help him give perspective buyers an idea of what the home would look like once it’s completed. Designing a home from start to finish is a colossal task that usually takes several months, but he wanted renderings depicting the design completed in a month. Here is what we came up with. Please note that these renderings are not meant to be photographs. We were trying to give a representation of how the home would feel when completed.
Interior design and renderings are by Pamela Jensen of Atmosphere ID and the architecture is by Bill Van Sickle.

The home will be nestled into the mountains above Jordanelle Reservoir with amazing water views.
Here is the lower level floorplan. It includes an entry gallery, indoor/outdoor pool, locker room, gym, theater, and game room.
Because you enter the home in what essentially is the basement, it was important to create a grand entry so visitors didn’t feel as though it was a basement.
The goal here was to keep the pool from feeling like a rec. center pool. Beams (which continue outside to create a pergola) and light fixtures were added for a custom feel.
The pool bath is a little on the contemporary side with a nod to the rustic setting with the rustic wood vanity and the iron pendants.
The architectural plans called for lockers wrapping around the locker room. The client requested a private dressing area so the room could be used by more than one person at a time. This is what Pam came up with.
Our client wanted an elegant mountain home not a rustic cabin. Paisley and leather panels in the theater and to the elegant feel of the home.
Two options were provided for the ceiling color in the theater. Which one is your favorite? We’ll be traveling to the next level soon.

If you have any questions regarding this home please contact Pam at pamelaj@atmosphere-id.com

Are You Suffering from an Overweight Mattress?

Mattresses seem to be getting bigger and bigger and bedding sizes haven’t been following suit. If you have a pillow top mattress you know how hard it is to find store bought bedding that covers the sides of your enormous mattress and box spring. Recently I was drooling over the website of one of my favorite architects John B. Murray and came across this beautiful bedroom.

JBM Architects

The shallow bed frame left most of the box spring exposed and rather than selecting bedding that will hang over the box spring, the designers opted to use a box springs cover in a coordinating ticking stripe. The sheets and mattelasse are tucked completely in between the mattress and box spring and the bedspread is folded nicely at the foot of the bed. It creates a really clean and tailored look that I bet would be pretty easy to make each morning. This same idea could be recreated pretty easily and solve the “my bedding is too short to cover my ginormous mattress and box spring” problem.

Our Favorite Bedrooms (for now)

We are going to be compiling several top ten lists in the next couple of weeks. First up is the bedroom. When I was in college Charlotte Moss visited campus and gave several lectures. She was one of the highlights of my time in school. One thing she said really resonated with me. She said (I’m paraphrasing) that if the master bedroom isn’t the first room you decorate in your home your marriage is in trouble. If you put your marriage first in your life it should be first on your decorating list. So that is why it is our first top ten (eleven in this case because it is just too hard to narrow it down) list. (She also said that king sized beds ruin marriages) These are our current favorites because our inspiration files are always growing and evolving.

Thomas Pheasant AD July 2010

In my mind Thomas Pheasant can do no wrong which is why he tops the list. The ceiling treatment is to die for and the upholstered walls add to the cozy feeling of the space.

Suzanne Kasler

I used to dislike windows flanking the bed but this photo changed everything. The way the drapery panels flank the bed creates such a cozy and luxurious space. Again, love the ceiling detail (I’m a sucker for ceilings).

Phillip Gorrivan Elle Decor May 2010

This room is a bit more contemporary but still feels cozy and restful. The homeowner said that purple is his neutral. I would never have thought of purple in that way but this room is a great example. Notice the upholstered headboard theme we have going throughout the list. I’m a bit obsessed with them.
I’m completely in love with the oval window flanking the bed and the way the upholstered headboard follows the curve.

Donna Livingston Architectural Digest Sept 2010

This bed makes you want to just jump right in. I also love the low slung tie backs on the curtains. So luxurious without being too stuffy.
Another room which contributed to my new found love of windows flanking the bed. I find the cool color scheme so restful and relaxing.
This one is much more masculine but still a great design. I’m loving the cameos.

John Willey Veranda July-Aug. 2010

This one is a bit more contemporary without feeling cold. The grasscloth wallcovering is fabulous and I’m loving the graphic floral print on the roman shade.
Most people think putting a bed in front of a window is a big no no, but I think photo is a great example of how great it can be. Again, the drapery flanking the bed is so luxurious and I love that they paired the floral print with sheer romans. I’m also loving the pops of yellow throughout the room. They add interest while keeping the overall color scheme muted and restful.

Nancy Serafini Traditional Home May 2010

This room is quite a bit different from the others but there is something about it that grabs me. It reminds me of a cozy cottage in the country. It’s bright and busy but still feels cozy.

Marc Jacobs Apartment in Paris

I love how the bed is tucked into the upholstered niche. It creates a little cocoon to cuddle up in.

There you have it. Eleven of our favorite bedrooms (at least until next months magazines come out and we have to add to the list). Which one is your favorite?

Tudor Cottage

Typically I’m drawn to more traditional homes with white cabinets and a lot of white moulding (aka The Hamptons) and very rarely do I like stucco exteriors, but as I was looking through my magazine archive, I came across this house (featured in the May 2010 Traditional Home) by architect Jim Sneed of Bokal & Sneed Architects.

This is the right way to do stucco. I love the smooth cream color paired with dark windows and trim and a thick bronze fascia.

The iron railing was kept simple.

I was surprised to see that no interior designer was credited in the article. The sources list the furnishings as from the owner’s collection. These homeowner’s have great taste.



The floorplan on this house is a great. Local building codes limited the amount of square footage above ground. Mr. Sneed created a floorplan with great flow and nice use of space. This article had me thinking that perhaps I could live in a Tudor home. What is your favorite style of home?

MIA

A death in the family made an unscheduled hiatus from the blog necessary. New posts will definitely be coming this week. Check back soon!

Winners!

Our first winner is comment #1 Jessica Dustin who needs some help with her living room. Jessica will receive the $95 package. The winner of the $195 package is comment #6 Cassie who can’t figure out how to use an awkward basement family room space. (The winners were chosen by random.org) We will be contacting the winners today with instructions. Check back soon to the progress made on their spaces!