design highlight....take 5

the miller's home

i was lucky enough to help out one of my good friends, carissa with c.c. miller photography, with her new home.  this was a great project...and a fast project!  if i remeber correctly, they broke ground in march and the house was in the tulsa parade of homes in june!  crazy fast!

for this project i was able to help out from the very beginning.  i designed most of the millwork {cabinets}, selected all the finishes {flooring, counters, backsplash, color palette, wallcovering, carpet}, selected lighting fixtures, helped select the hearth room dining table, and was on site quite a bit as the project was under construction.  i love being apart of projects like this because you get to start from the ground and work your way up.

as you will see, the color palette for this home is simple, yet very inviting.  we chose 3 colors total to use throughout the entire house.  the main color is a light grey/blue, the main accent color is a darker blue/grey, and the third accent color is a soft brown {not shown in any photos}.  these paint colors are paired with dark pine wood floors, tile floors that resemble slate, and also white & espresso cabinetry.  by selecting colors, materials, and finishes that flow throughout the house, you create a home that is cohesive and makes sense from one room to another.

on to the photos...i will explain more as we go through the house.

this is the entry.  wonderful, tall ceilings with beautiful white moldings.  the entry is in the main accent color, the darker grey/blue.  on either side of the entry i designed display areas.  the lighted arches accent the vinly wallcovering and high wainscoting.  the high wainscoting is the perfect place for the family to display photos.

an upclose of the vinyl wall covering.  that's right people, it's wall paper and it's gorgeous!  it's actually not wall paper.  it is vinyl and super durable.  this particular wallcovering is a light silver color with and organic leaf pattern.  it has a slight shimmer to it, which is accentuated even more by the recessed lighting in the arches.  this photo also shows the photo ledge at the top of the tall wainscoting.  you don't need much room at all for simple frames and canvases to rest.

this is a view from the entry into the main living room.  this  room is the main overall paint color, light grey /blue.  here you can see the combination of the rustic wood floors and beams, with the ornate white moldings.  i love the combination...not too fancy and not too rustic.

as i mentioned before, for this project i was able to help with the designing of the client's millwork.  carissa had done lots of research on different things that she liked for the kitchen.  she loves to cook, so having the perfect kitchen was high on her list.  i asked her to find inspiration photos so that i could get an idea of her likes.  this is the elevation, that i drew, of the back kitchen wall.

as you can see it turned out pretty darn close to the drawings!

another area that was important to carissa was their "hearth room".  they didn't want a typical formal dining room.  instead she wanted a space where the family could join together and feel relaxed and comfortable.  she had always wanted a window seat with a big table.  i designed the main focal wall of the hearth room to include storage space with open shelving and closed cabinets and in the center, under the picture window, a built in window seat.  this window seat serves as seating for one whole side of their, huge, beautiful table.  on the left you will see the elevation and on the right you will see the section drawing, showing how to construct the window seat.

carissa and i got a little bit of resistence from some of the guys on this idea.  not necessarilly b/c they didn't think it would look good, but because it wasn't "typical".  the millwork guy had noever done anything like this before.  i distictly remember her calling me saying that i needed to come down and talk to the millwork guy b/c he didn't think it was going to work.  she was like, "i can't give up on this now!"  so, after talking with the sub, measuring out the lines and drawing them on the concrete with my finger in the saw dust, he finally agreed to it and set to work.  i absolutely love how it turned out.  he was an awesome sub.  

this photo also shows the great lantern light fixtures, another photo inspiration from carissa.  also, this hearth room goes back to the darker accent color. 

a closer look at the built in window seat...

for the kitchen backsplash we chose a beautiful glass tile.  LOVE it!  i'm telling you...glass tile is where it is at!  it adds so much dimension and character to a space.

many of the inspiration photos that carissa found showed marble counter tops in the kitchen.  yes, they are beautiful, NO they are not practical.  they will stain...ketchup...red wine....not good.  i would hate for anyone to spend money on beautiful marble, only for it to get stained down the road.  i was able to find a granite that was light and had grey...this was a great substitute for the original idea of marble.  it turned out beautiful, and it even has a few small specs of red.

love the lights over the kitchen island.  so simple, yet they make such a great statement!

this photo shows the combination of the main paint color and the main accent color, beautiful wood stairs, and a darker colored carpet. 

on to the bathrooms.  you will notice that the millwork in the bathrooms changes to the dark espresso color.  the flooring is a porcelain tile that looks like slate.  i love this tile b/c it is so natural looking and great warm colors.  no two tiles are alike, so you get great variety in each room.  we carried the same granite throughout all the bathrooms, which looks great with the bright white vessel sinks.  the backsplash in the bathrooms is another glass mosaic tile. 

below is the master bath.  same dark espresso millwork.  you will notice that we did the whole length of the wall with a mirror and mounted tall, linear fixtures ontop of the mirror.  this provides great reflection within the bathroom.

color pop!



wow!  this was a super long post!  thanks for hanging in there.  i had a blast working on this home project and love the way it turned out.  i joked about mymichael and i living in a small portion of it.  i really don't think they would mind! =)

i hope you all enjoyed all the design highlights this week.  i am getting oh so close to having all the details worked out on my new firm, ruby jewel studio.  i will be offering residential and contract commercial interior design services.  they will range from something as simple as paint color selection to a project like the miller's, so there will be something for everyone!  keep me in mind for any of your design needs.

happy friday!!!