Step Inside a Contemporary Home Layered With Color and Texture
Watch and read how a designer used texture, gold tones and soft curves to bring balance to a couple’s living spaces
Mitchell Parker
June 28, 2022
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
These homeowners work in sales for a medical device company and travel a lot. “So when they’re home they want a quiet, comfortable and zen-feeling space,” says designer Trevor Fulmer, who was hired by the couple to refresh the living spaces in their recently purchased Revere, Massachusetts, home.
The couple had already chosen kitchen finishes, including white cabinets, a gray island and marble tile. But for the living room, dining area and TV room, Fulmer, who used Houzz Pro software to manage the project, was starting mostly with a blank slate. He used the kitchen’s warm grays as a jumping-off point, then set about blending each of his client’s styles. One half of the couple, who’s from India, loves layers of texture and gold tones; the other, from the Czech Republic, prefers a modern European minimalist flair.
A hemp grasscloth wallcovering in the living room has a golden sheen that’s complemented by a brass rod chandelier and other yellow and gold details. Meanwhile, curves in the furniture throughout the living spaces soften hard lines found in the home’s architecture. The result: rich and beautifully decorated interiors that still deliver a calming effect.
The couple had already chosen kitchen finishes, including white cabinets, a gray island and marble tile. But for the living room, dining area and TV room, Fulmer, who used Houzz Pro software to manage the project, was starting mostly with a blank slate. He used the kitchen’s warm grays as a jumping-off point, then set about blending each of his client’s styles. One half of the couple, who’s from India, loves layers of texture and gold tones; the other, from the Czech Republic, prefers a modern European minimalist flair.
A hemp grasscloth wallcovering in the living room has a golden sheen that’s complemented by a brass rod chandelier and other yellow and gold details. Meanwhile, curves in the furniture throughout the living spaces soften hard lines found in the home’s architecture. The result: rich and beautifully decorated interiors that still deliver a calming effect.
Photos by Jared Kuzia
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who work in sales for a medical device company
Location: Revere, Massachusetts
Size: 2,100 square feet (195 square meters); three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Designer: Trevor Fulmer Design
Builder: Mario Zepaj
Before: The homeowners and Fulmer started with bare walls and dark wood flooring that was in good shape. “That allowed us to do anything,” Fulmer says. The living room, shown here, is the first space to the left of the entrance of the home. Because of its prominence, Fulmer knew it needed to make a statement.
Watch now: See how a designer brought style and function to this home on Houzz TV
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple who work in sales for a medical device company
Location: Revere, Massachusetts
Size: 2,100 square feet (195 square meters); three bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Designer: Trevor Fulmer Design
Builder: Mario Zepaj
Before: The homeowners and Fulmer started with bare walls and dark wood flooring that was in good shape. “That allowed us to do anything,” Fulmer says. The living room, shown here, is the first space to the left of the entrance of the home. Because of its prominence, Fulmer knew it needed to make a statement.
Watch now: See how a designer brought style and function to this home on Houzz TV
After: Taken from about the same angle as the previous photo, the updated space features rich layers of texture and color.
To create an immediate wow moment, Fulmer covered one wall in hemp grasscloth. “When light hits it you get this beautiful sheen that’s reminiscent of gold and brass and all those beautiful metals,” he says.
Fulmer complemented the shimmery wallcovering tones with golden pillows and a throw, as well as warm metal tones found in the light fixtures and the coffee table.
Find an interior designer near you
To create an immediate wow moment, Fulmer covered one wall in hemp grasscloth. “When light hits it you get this beautiful sheen that’s reminiscent of gold and brass and all those beautiful metals,” he says.
Fulmer complemented the shimmery wallcovering tones with golden pillows and a throw, as well as warm metal tones found in the light fixtures and the coffee table.
Find an interior designer near you
The coffee table is a modular two-piece unit that can be pulled apart or pushed together. One side is burnished brass. “The other is a copper or maybe even a bronze,” Fulmer says. “It’s kind of like a yin and yang … it really does represent the two personalities of my clients,” he says.
To offset the blocky, hard-lined nature of the home’s architecture, Fulmer added curves and softness with the furniture and decor. “Rounded corners on a sofa arm, curved backs to dining chairs and soft shapes in rugs — I think that’s really important to juxtaposition hard and soft,” he says.
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To offset the blocky, hard-lined nature of the home’s architecture, Fulmer added curves and softness with the furniture and decor. “Rounded corners on a sofa arm, curved backs to dining chairs and soft shapes in rugs — I think that’s really important to juxtaposition hard and soft,” he says.
Browse a curated collection of home decor products
Fulmer chose the elongated brass rod chandelier to add to the juxtaposition. “It creates beautiful balance between the curved, soft shapes you see on the rug,” he says.
Nearby, a walnut bookshelf offers some separation between the living room and kitchen without completely closing off the spaces. “My client from India is used to having a little bit more privacy between the kitchen and living, so he had requested just a little bit of privacy and delineation between those two spaces,” Fulmer says.
“We looked at some screen options, we looked at ceiling-to-floor built-ins and we landed on this really great bookshelf. It’s backed in some areas, it has open spots. So it creates a little bit of a peekaboo moment from one space into the other. And I think it really creates enough division between the spaces but still helps them feel connected.”
Watch now: Walk through these refreshed living spaces
Nearby, a walnut bookshelf offers some separation between the living room and kitchen without completely closing off the spaces. “My client from India is used to having a little bit more privacy between the kitchen and living, so he had requested just a little bit of privacy and delineation between those two spaces,” Fulmer says.
“We looked at some screen options, we looked at ceiling-to-floor built-ins and we landed on this really great bookshelf. It’s backed in some areas, it has open spots. So it creates a little bit of a peekaboo moment from one space into the other. And I think it really creates enough division between the spaces but still helps them feel connected.”
Watch now: Walk through these refreshed living spaces
Fulmer designed the living areas around the kitchen finishes the homeowners had chosen before he joined the project. “When I came in, I said, ‘You know what, this is a beautiful kitchen, we can work with this,’ ” he says. “Since the downstairs of the home is so open, it was really important to take into consideration the colors, the tones, the warm grays that were found in that kitchen and carry them through into the dining, into the living, into that TV space. So it really was a great starting place.”
Where to Splurge and Where to Save When Decorating
Where to Splurge and Where to Save When Decorating
In the dining area off the kitchen, curved chairs surround a circular table with a herringbone wood inlay top.
Failing to find a single light fixture to complement the space, Fulmer installed nine individual pendants in three different shapes at various heights. “This combination light fixture is very oversized but still balances perfectly with the size of that table,” he says. “I love the really soft light that emanates from these pendants and the curves that they have. I feel like that balances beautifully with the sharp legs of those dining chairs. It just creates this awesome contrast of hard and soft.”
Watch now: See more of this home on Houzz TV
Failing to find a single light fixture to complement the space, Fulmer installed nine individual pendants in three different shapes at various heights. “This combination light fixture is very oversized but still balances perfectly with the size of that table,” he says. “I love the really soft light that emanates from these pendants and the curves that they have. I feel like that balances beautifully with the sharp legs of those dining chairs. It just creates this awesome contrast of hard and soft.”
Watch now: See more of this home on Houzz TV
Before: A room to the right of the front entrance features a fireplace and bay window. The homeowners envisioned this room as a cozy TV and lounge space just for them.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
After: A deep-seated sofa faces two armchairs. A leather ottoman in between features a wood top that can slide back and forth as needed. “It was all about comfort and necessity,” Fulmer says.
A wingback chair creates an intimate nook near the bay window. “This is a perfect little spot, maybe in a winter snowstorm, you’re sitting there reading a book, having a glass of wine, warming up with hot chocolate,” Fulmer says.
Watch now: Tour this stylishly layered home on Houzz TV
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Watch now: Tour this stylishly layered home on Houzz TV
Shop now: Browse a curated collection of home decor products
More on Houzz
Tour more homes
Hire a local design pro
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Love the color palette!
love the pillows
Beautiful combination of rugs and furniture