Understated Elegance at the 2016 Pasadena Showcase House of Design
Southern California designers put their signature touches on rooms in a Mission Revival show house
A low-key elegance and unified color scheme are seen in the designs on display in the 2016 Pasadena Showcase House of Design, which opens Sunday, April 17, and runs through May 15. This year’s show house is a 16,000-square-foot Mission Revival mansion and 2,032-square-foot guesthouse on a 2-acre Southern California estate.
Twenty-nine design teams decorated rooms in the six-bedroom, five-bathroom 1918 house and guesthouse. Designer Joshua Cain of Saxony Design Build in Los Angeles, who served as an interior adviser, helped choose the designers’ palette for the event — Mediterranean Revival colors from the 1920s. “It was really interesting to see how the designers took those colors and used them in new and fresh ways,” Cain says.
Twenty-nine design teams decorated rooms in the six-bedroom, five-bathroom 1918 house and guesthouse. Designer Joshua Cain of Saxony Design Build in Los Angeles, who served as an interior adviser, helped choose the designers’ palette for the event — Mediterranean Revival colors from the 1920s. “It was really interesting to see how the designers took those colors and used them in new and fresh ways,” Cain says.
Family Room (this photo and next)
Design team: Robert Frank Design
Inspired by the home’s architectural style, designer Robert Frank added loads of detail to this formerly plain box of a room. New millwork and a coffered ceiling were built to provide texture and give the space more architectural interest. Custom cabinetry with metal mesh doors was installed on the media wall to provide hidden storage for audiovisual components, as well as display books and decorative objects. A neutral palette keeps with the showcase home’s color scheme: Crisp whites and ecru serve as the room’s backdrop, with indigo, navy blue and coral adding pop. “Our goal was to keep the space bright, casual, comfortable and cohesive with the rest of the home,” Frank says.
Design team: Robert Frank Design
Inspired by the home’s architectural style, designer Robert Frank added loads of detail to this formerly plain box of a room. New millwork and a coffered ceiling were built to provide texture and give the space more architectural interest. Custom cabinetry with metal mesh doors was installed on the media wall to provide hidden storage for audiovisual components, as well as display books and decorative objects. A neutral palette keeps with the showcase home’s color scheme: Crisp whites and ecru serve as the room’s backdrop, with indigo, navy blue and coral adding pop. “Our goal was to keep the space bright, casual, comfortable and cohesive with the rest of the home,” Frank says.
A wet bar with even more storage was added to the space. The designer offers these tips for homeowners: Utilize your home’s architectural style as the jumping-off point for your design. Incorporate visual interest by using materials such as textural wallcoverings and fabrics, metal mesh and a chunky sea grass rug. Simple projects, such as papering the interiors of an open cabinet, can have impact on an interior space.
Bar backsplash and countertop: Walker Zanger
Bar backsplash and countertop: Walker Zanger
Kitchen, Breakfast Room and Butler’s Pantry (this photo and next three)
Design team: GH Wood Design
The kitchen is a user-friendly mix of traditional tones and modern technology. First and foremost, the designers wanted it to be “comfortable and not overdone…livable, elegant and functional,” designer Amin Khademi says. What Khademi didn’t want was yet another all-white kitchen. An oversized breakfast nook anchors one end of the space, with boldly striped shades and a rose gold starburst light over the custom alder wood table and bench. Calacatta marble tile floors in a herringbone pattern extend throughout the kitchen.
Design team: GH Wood Design
The kitchen is a user-friendly mix of traditional tones and modern technology. First and foremost, the designers wanted it to be “comfortable and not overdone…livable, elegant and functional,” designer Amin Khademi says. What Khademi didn’t want was yet another all-white kitchen. An oversized breakfast nook anchors one end of the space, with boldly striped shades and a rose gold starburst light over the custom alder wood table and bench. Calacatta marble tile floors in a herringbone pattern extend throughout the kitchen.
Through a painted brick archway, the main part of the kitchen is anchored by a large island boasting a striking quartzite countertop and 60-inch sink with two faucets, along with a hidden charging station in one of the drawers.
Opposite the island, bifold cabinets have soft-touch sensors that allow the cabinets to open electronically. Textured hexagonal backsplash tiles along the main counter vary in thickness for a shingle-siding look.
Just beyond the kitchen, the butler’s pantry is storage central, with cabinets and open shelving lining both tiled walls. The original zinc sink, under an existing window, drove the design of the space, Khademi says.
Breakfast room shades: The Shade Store; starburst pendant light and island pendant lights: Zuo; appliances: Jenn-Air; sinks: The Galley; plumbing fixtures: KWC Faucets; kitchen countertops: Walker Zanger; kitchen backsplash: Knit collection (new), Walker Zanger; butler pantry backsplash: Ovolo in Deep Sea, A.M. Stern collection, Walker Zanger
Breakfast room shades: The Shade Store; starburst pendant light and island pendant lights: Zuo; appliances: Jenn-Air; sinks: The Galley; plumbing fixtures: KWC Faucets; kitchen countertops: Walker Zanger; kitchen backsplash: Knit collection (new), Walker Zanger; butler pantry backsplash: Ovolo in Deep Sea, A.M. Stern collection, Walker Zanger
Music Room (this photo, previous and next)
Design team: Parker West Interiors
In the music room, designers Greg Parker and Paul Heintz kept things traditional but mixed in contemporary furnishings — “to create a dialogue between new and old,” Parker says.
A custom music case contains 18th- and early-19th-century instruments from a collection of premier harpsichord builder Curtis Berak.
Design team: Parker West Interiors
In the music room, designers Greg Parker and Paul Heintz kept things traditional but mixed in contemporary furnishings — “to create a dialogue between new and old,” Parker says.
A custom music case contains 18th- and early-19th-century instruments from a collection of premier harpsichord builder Curtis Berak.
A Bluthner grand piano of Macassar ebony anchors the space, with a contemporary sculpture behind it. The mix of old and new continues with the velvet sofa and the cube coffee table made of glass-topped steel with a gold-leaf finish, atop a period-appropriate Iranian rug from the 1920s.
Cecilia Miguez sculpture: Tirage Gallery; Bluthner piano: Kasimoff Piano; rug: Aga John; sofa, ottoman, swivel chairs, cube coffee table: Parker West exclusives
Cecilia Miguez sculpture: Tirage Gallery; Bluthner piano: Kasimoff Piano; rug: Aga John; sofa, ottoman, swivel chairs, cube coffee table: Parker West exclusives
Cloakroom and Lavatory
Design team: EMI Interior Design
Deep colors, a dramatic chandelier, an abstract wallcovering and fanciful fixtures give the space a modern vibe, while new wainscoting and floor tile in a chevron pattern keep with the home’s classic architecture. “I wanted to create a space that was timeless and fun,” designer Erica Islas says. “Because it is one of the first rooms you experience while in the home, I thought it should be fun and a little dramatic.”
Floor tile: Classic Tile & Flooring; light fixtures: Zia-Priven; wallpaper: Watercolor, Black Crow Studios; plumbing fixtures: Snyder Diamond; art: Casper Brindle (in cloakroom) and Source Art (in lavatory); mirror: Mirror Image Home
Design team: EMI Interior Design
Deep colors, a dramatic chandelier, an abstract wallcovering and fanciful fixtures give the space a modern vibe, while new wainscoting and floor tile in a chevron pattern keep with the home’s classic architecture. “I wanted to create a space that was timeless and fun,” designer Erica Islas says. “Because it is one of the first rooms you experience while in the home, I thought it should be fun and a little dramatic.”
Floor tile: Classic Tile & Flooring; light fixtures: Zia-Priven; wallpaper: Watercolor, Black Crow Studios; plumbing fixtures: Snyder Diamond; art: Casper Brindle (in cloakroom) and Source Art (in lavatory); mirror: Mirror Image Home
Powder Room
Design team: Robert Frank Design
Architectural details continue in the elegant powder room, where crystal lighting, marble wainscoting and geometric ceiling molding add visual interest. Polished nickel hardware and a blue grass cloth wallcovering make the space crisp and elegant.
Tile: Walker Zanger; vanity: custom; plumbing fixtures: Rohl; wallcovering: Phillip Jeffries
Design team: Robert Frank Design
Architectural details continue in the elegant powder room, where crystal lighting, marble wainscoting and geometric ceiling molding add visual interest. Polished nickel hardware and a blue grass cloth wallcovering make the space crisp and elegant.
Tile: Walker Zanger; vanity: custom; plumbing fixtures: Rohl; wallcovering: Phillip Jeffries
Grand Salon (this photo and next)
Design team: Designs of the Interior
Inspired by the grandeur of the space, with its floor-to-ceiling wainscoting and original fireplace, designer Karen Shoener and her team brightened up the wood-heavy room with luxe textures, a bronze and hand-blown-glass chandelier from Portugal and recessed can lights. A six-tiered screen upholstered in linen with metallic embroidery softens the wall of wainscoting behind it. The furniture is grouped to create space for both small and large gatherings.
Design team: Designs of the Interior
Inspired by the grandeur of the space, with its floor-to-ceiling wainscoting and original fireplace, designer Karen Shoener and her team brightened up the wood-heavy room with luxe textures, a bronze and hand-blown-glass chandelier from Portugal and recessed can lights. A six-tiered screen upholstered in linen with metallic embroidery softens the wall of wainscoting behind it. The furniture is grouped to create space for both small and large gatherings.
Ample seating is provided by the custom 12-foot chaise-like sofa, which is flanked by a wine cabinet and a sculpture on a pedestal. Tête-à-tête chairs with a faux-leather ottoman between them provide intimate seating and are reflected in the fireplace’s six-panel antique-mirrored screen, “to bring glamour, sparkle and depth to the room,” Shoener says.
Rug: Stanton (custom cut, new collection); chandelier: custom-made, Michael Taylor Collections, Serip; window treatment hardware: Kravet
Rug: Stanton (custom cut, new collection); chandelier: custom-made, Michael Taylor Collections, Serip; window treatment hardware: Kravet
Master Suite (this photo and next four)
Design team: Ederra Design Studio
In one of the home’s most luxurious spaces, a major renovation combined two bedrooms into one expansive, nearly 1,500-foot suite consisting of a bedroom, a sitting room, a dressing room and his-and-her bathrooms. Designer Samantha Williams says her team took their cues from the home’s architecture to create a space that felt in context with the house. Soft blue and white with touches of gold dominate the palette.
Design team: Ederra Design Studio
In one of the home’s most luxurious spaces, a major renovation combined two bedrooms into one expansive, nearly 1,500-foot suite consisting of a bedroom, a sitting room, a dressing room and his-and-her bathrooms. Designer Samantha Williams says her team took their cues from the home’s architecture to create a space that felt in context with the house. Soft blue and white with touches of gold dominate the palette.
In the suite’s sitting room, a mod chandelier hangs from a hand-painted decoration on the ceiling over comfortable seating in front of an updated fireplace.
In the adjacent bedroom is a four-poster bed with embroidered linens.
With light gray tiles, blue hues throughout and classic cabinetry and finishes, “her” bathroom exudes elegance and serenity.
Fashioned from what used to be a bedroom, the dressing room adjacent to the bathroom is a sumptuous space with expansive storage, including lighted closets and a massive island. Lounging in the space is easy to come by, with a chaise next to the retiled fireplace, and window seats with some of the house’s best views of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Furniture: Susanne Hollis; fabric: Scalamandré; bedding: Barbacci, through Irene Rodriguez Linen Lady of LA; lighting: Visual Comfort; rugs: Norbert Rug Gallery; decorative painting: MaryLinda Moss of Decorative Elements Fine Art; cabinetry: custom, Closet Factory; chaise: Susanne Hollis
Furniture: Susanne Hollis; fabric: Scalamandré; bedding: Barbacci, through Irene Rodriguez Linen Lady of LA; lighting: Visual Comfort; rugs: Norbert Rug Gallery; decorative painting: MaryLinda Moss of Decorative Elements Fine Art; cabinetry: custom, Closet Factory; chaise: Susanne Hollis
Young Adult’s Bedroom and Bath (this photo and next)
Design team: L2 Interiors
Contemporary furnishings and comfortable textures highlight this sophisticated space. Designer Jason Lai says the team’s inspiration for the room was first the wallpaper and then the rug. “I wanted both rooms to feel masculine with a touch of femininity,” he says of the bedroom and his-and-her bath.
Design team: L2 Interiors
Contemporary furnishings and comfortable textures highlight this sophisticated space. Designer Jason Lai says the team’s inspiration for the room was first the wallpaper and then the rug. “I wanted both rooms to feel masculine with a touch of femininity,” he says of the bedroom and his-and-her bath.
A major bathroom renovation has resulted in a chic space with a free-standing tub and contemporary fixtures.
Wallcovering: Candice Olson collection, York Wallcoverings; rugs: Tufenkian Artisan Carpets; bed, nightstands, antique medicine cabinet, media console and wooden sculpture: Susanne Hollis; armchair, side table and floor lamp: Design Within Reach; faucets: California Faucets; tub: Garnet, STON collection, Hydro Systems; toilet: Richmond, St. Thomas Creations
Wallcovering: Candice Olson collection, York Wallcoverings; rugs: Tufenkian Artisan Carpets; bed, nightstands, antique medicine cabinet, media console and wooden sculpture: Susanne Hollis; armchair, side table and floor lamp: Design Within Reach; faucets: California Faucets; tub: Garnet, STON collection, Hydro Systems; toilet: Richmond, St. Thomas Creations
Little Girl’s Bedroom
Design team: Salutations Home
Designed for a girl 6 to 8 years old, this pink confection of a room got its inspiration from the MacKenzie-Childs handcrafted ceramic tea set at the foot of the twin bed, with its cozy French bedding and tufted headboard and footboard.
Design team: Salutations Home
Designed for a girl 6 to 8 years old, this pink confection of a room got its inspiration from the MacKenzie-Childs handcrafted ceramic tea set at the foot of the twin bed, with its cozy French bedding and tufted headboard and footboard.
Grandparents’ Bedroom and Sitting Room (this photo and next)
Design team: Lemmon Hill
Designer Cathy Arkley says her inspiration for this space was her love of canopy beds, so she was happy to get a room with high-enough ceilings to accommodate one. The canopy in this space is adorned in blush-colored Schumacher fabric inspired by an antique Chinese painted silk panel, with birds, peonies and cherry blossoms. A matching wallcovering and lush curtains, pillows and a quartz chandelier pick up the blush tones. The space is made even more serene by the sound of fountains in the pool just outside the windows.
Design team: Lemmon Hill
Designer Cathy Arkley says her inspiration for this space was her love of canopy beds, so she was happy to get a room with high-enough ceilings to accommodate one. The canopy in this space is adorned in blush-colored Schumacher fabric inspired by an antique Chinese painted silk panel, with birds, peonies and cherry blossoms. A matching wallcovering and lush curtains, pillows and a quartz chandelier pick up the blush tones. The space is made even more serene by the sound of fountains in the pool just outside the windows.
While the bedroom is all about blush tones and tranquility, the sitting room is punched up with bold colors of citron and fuchsia.
Fabrics: Schumacher; furniture: Schumacher and Lemmon Hill
Fabrics: Schumacher; furniture: Schumacher and Lemmon Hill
Grandparents’ Bathroom (this photo and next)
Design team: Foothill Tile & Stone
All is stately elegance and convenience in this bathroom lined with gray mosaic tile.
Design team: Foothill Tile & Stone
All is stately elegance and convenience in this bathroom lined with gray mosaic tile.
A walk-in or wheel-in shower with a linear drain has a dramatic plumbing fixture, curved walls and benches for easy accessibility.
Tile: Foothill Tile & Stone; cabinets: Wood-Mode Fine Custom Cabinetry; lighting: Pasadena Lighting; towels: Abyss, Irene Rodriguez Linen Lady of LA.
Tile: Foothill Tile & Stone; cabinets: Wood-Mode Fine Custom Cabinetry; lighting: Pasadena Lighting; towels: Abyss, Irene Rodriguez Linen Lady of LA.
Guesthouse
Living Room and Dining Room (this photo and next two)
Design team: The Art of Room Design
A sunny, contemporary feeling permeates the living spaces of the 2,032-square-foot guesthouse. The colors of the abstract painting, by Chase Langford, were the inspiration for the five colors from the showcase palette that were used throughout the guesthouse, designer Cheryl Hardy says. Grays and blues predominate, but gold is sprinkled through every room. Faux-wood porcelain flooring runs throughout the house for cohesiveness.
Living Room and Dining Room (this photo and next two)
Design team: The Art of Room Design
A sunny, contemporary feeling permeates the living spaces of the 2,032-square-foot guesthouse. The colors of the abstract painting, by Chase Langford, were the inspiration for the five colors from the showcase palette that were used throughout the guesthouse, designer Cheryl Hardy says. Grays and blues predominate, but gold is sprinkled through every room. Faux-wood porcelain flooring runs throughout the house for cohesiveness.
The gold tones continue in the bedroom, where contrasting patterns in soft tones were used — something the designers say homeowners should not fear. “Don’t be afraid of using different patterns in soothing colors, as we’ve chosen here for the bedroom,” Hardy says. “The rug is one pattern, the wallpaper is another, the draperies another, but they work together.”
In small spaces such as the guesthouse bath, Hardy recommends giving the room “a big pop.” Tiles are a focal point as you walk into the room. To make the space feel bigger, glass doors with no threshold were used for a continuous floor. “It really buys you extra space and doesn’t stop the eye,” Hardy says.
Kitchen and Breakfast Room (this photo and next two)
Design team: D Christjan Fine Cabinetry Design & Manufacturing
All the cabinetry in the kitchen and breakfast room was custom-made.
Design team: D Christjan Fine Cabinetry Design & Manufacturing
All the cabinetry in the kitchen and breakfast room was custom-made.
Designer Phill Vonk’s transitional kitchen was inspired by Hollywood-film-era glam, he says, in which “midcentury meets Mission Revival.”
A table of reclaimed oak fits nicely in the nook where corner window bench seating was added, under an original garden-planter window.
Cabinetry: D Christjan Fine Cabinetry Design & Manufacturing; appliances: Sub-Zero and Wolf; backsplash tile: Walker Zanger; sinks: Mirabelle, Ferguson; faucets: Rohl; lighting: Fine Art Lamps (island); Currey & Co. (breakfast table); flooring: porcelain, Walker Zanger
Cabinetry: D Christjan Fine Cabinetry Design & Manufacturing; appliances: Sub-Zero and Wolf; backsplash tile: Walker Zanger; sinks: Mirabelle, Ferguson; faucets: Rohl; lighting: Fine Art Lamps (island); Currey & Co. (breakfast table); flooring: porcelain, Walker Zanger
Exterior Gardens and Pool (this photo and next)
Design teams: GAD Garden Architecture & Design and
Tidelli Outdoor Living
Multiple seating areas and new plantings were added to the expansive backyard. Jets were added to the pool, and other additions include a putting green, a game court, a pond and an outdoor kitchen.
Design teams: GAD Garden Architecture & Design and
Tidelli Outdoor Living
Multiple seating areas and new plantings were added to the expansive backyard. Jets were added to the pool, and other additions include a putting green, a game court, a pond and an outdoor kitchen.
Lampshades hang from a redwood tree, while colorful painted aluminum dog sculptures frolic on the surrounding lawn.
Sculptures: Barone
More
Before and After: See How Rooms Came to Life at the Pasadena Show House
See more photos from this year’s show house
See more stories about designer showcases
Sculptures: Barone
More
Before and After: See How Rooms Came to Life at the Pasadena Show House
See more photos from this year’s show house
See more stories about designer showcases
Location: La Cañada Flintridge, California
When: April 17 through May 15, 2016; 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Cost: $40 to $45. Proceeds from the home and garden tour, now in its 52nd year, benefit music enrichment programs in Southern California. Tickets and more info
Main House
Dining Room
Design team: Kelly Ferm
The colors and pattern on the Mansour rug, made in Egypt in 1950, inspired the design team to focus on the dining room space as traditional, with hints of Art Deco and Arts and Crafts, designer Kristi Smith says. The rug’s pink is picked up in the high-gloss blush walls, and its blues in the upholstered velvet banquettes, occasional chairs and draperies. The crystal chandelier is original to the house. The fireplace’s Calacatta marble face and hearth brighten up what was previously dark green tile.
Dining table, console, occasional chair, wall mirror and urn stand: Theodore Alexander; urns: Theodore Alexander and Legend of Asia; custom art pieces: Sharon Hutchinson Studio; mantel mirror: Decorative Crafts; wallpaper: Lee Jofa; draperies: Kravet