Before and After: See How Rooms Came to Life at the Pasadena Show House
Read the design details behind transformations at the 2016 Southern California showcase house
Julie Sheer
April 16, 2016
Houzz Contributor; journalist with more than two decades of experience as a graphics editor and writer at the Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune; outdoor guidebook author; lover of all things outdoors, nature and wildlife. Follow me at https://westcentric.wordpress.com/
Houzz Contributor; journalist with more than two decades of experience as a graphics... More
There can be more to designing rooms in a showcase house than just changing out the decor. In the case of the 2016 Pasadena Showcase House of Design, several spaces in the 1918 Mission Revival estate in La Cañada Flintridge, California, were renovated in a big way.
Designers Samantha Williams and Cynthia Lambakis of Ederra Design Studio combined two master bedrooms into one expansive (nearly 1,500-square-foot) master suite. Bathrooms and small closets were demolished to make two big his-and-her bathrooms and a bedroom became a huge, luxurious dressing room. In the young adult bathroom, designers from L2 Interiors removed a wall in a dated bathroom that divided the shower and toilet from the vanities to make it more open-concept. In the grand salon, the team from Designs of the Interior simplified the ceiling’s busy trim, adding recessed lighting and a striking chandelier to brighten and freshen up the space, while maintaining its grandeur.
Designers Samantha Williams and Cynthia Lambakis of Ederra Design Studio combined two master bedrooms into one expansive (nearly 1,500-square-foot) master suite. Bathrooms and small closets were demolished to make two big his-and-her bathrooms and a bedroom became a huge, luxurious dressing room. In the young adult bathroom, designers from L2 Interiors removed a wall in a dated bathroom that divided the shower and toilet from the vanities to make it more open-concept. In the grand salon, the team from Designs of the Interior simplified the ceiling’s busy trim, adding recessed lighting and a striking chandelier to brighten and freshen up the space, while maintaining its grandeur.
2016 Pasadena Showcase House of Design
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, in its 52nd year, benefit music enrichment programs in Southern California. Tickets and more info
Master Suite Sitting Room
Design team: Ederra Design Studio
BEFORE: “Combining two suites into one was a unique challenge,” says Samantha Williams, who undertook the master suite makeover.
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, in its 52nd year, benefit music enrichment programs in Southern California. Tickets and more info
Master Suite Sitting Room
Design team: Ederra Design Studio
BEFORE: “Combining two suites into one was a unique challenge,” says Samantha Williams, who undertook the master suite makeover.
AFTER: The wall between what is now the sitting room and the bedroom was opened up, brightening both spaces.
BEFORE: The fireplace surround in the sitting room was originally brick that had been painted white.
AFTER: The fireplace in the sitting room also got a makeover. The mantel remained in place, but the surround and hearth were retiled. A new chandelier replaced the ceiling fan.
BEFORE: This is the view from the bedroom into the sitting room. An existing wooden cabinet in the sitting room was kept for the new design.
AFTER: Opening the wall between the sitting room and bedroom created a grand suite. “His” bathroom is just beyond the sitting room.
Master Suite Dressing Room
BEFORE: This area was formerly a bedroom with a closet.
BEFORE: This area was formerly a bedroom with a closet.
AFTER: What was once a bedroom is now a luxurious dressing room with walls of closets and a huge island with storage. The original fireplace remains, but its hearth and surround have been redone with Walker Zanger tile. “We opened up the closet and recessed cabinetry in that space when it became the master closet,” designer Samantha Williams says.
BEFORE: The “her” bath was originally half bathroom and half closet.
AFTER: Walls were opened up to make a larger, more luxurious bathroom.
Young Adult Bathroom
Design team: L2 Interiors
BEFORE: This view looks into the young adult bedroom. A wall in the center of the space divided the shower and toilet from the vanities. It “also blocked out both windows, which made no sense because the bathroom was extremely dark,” designer Jason Lai says. When the design team opened things up, it was discovered that the plumbing was not to code, so they fixed that as well.
Design team: L2 Interiors
BEFORE: This view looks into the young adult bedroom. A wall in the center of the space divided the shower and toilet from the vanities. It “also blocked out both windows, which made no sense because the bathroom was extremely dark,” designer Jason Lai says. When the design team opened things up, it was discovered that the plumbing was not to code, so they fixed that as well.
BEFORE: Another view of the toilet area before the wall was removed.
AFTER: The space is newly open, and a four-piece shower set was installed.
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
Grand Salon
Design team: Designs of the Interior
BEFORE: In the grand salon, the ceiling was bordered with a narrow trim about 10 inches wide that was original to the home, designer Karen Shoener says. At some point over the years, angled trim was added that went from the corners of the room to a rectangular box in the middle of the ceiling.
Design team: Designs of the Interior
BEFORE: In the grand salon, the ceiling was bordered with a narrow trim about 10 inches wide that was original to the home, designer Karen Shoener says. At some point over the years, angled trim was added that went from the corners of the room to a rectangular box in the middle of the ceiling.
AFTER: Shoener says, “We felt the scale of the border trim was too narrow and was inappropriately scaled for the room, and the added angle pieces were distracting.” The team removed the angled pieces and added width to the original trim around the perimeter that was half the depth of the original to create a stepped-down border that is now 24 inches wide, all around the room. “What was once an oddity was now a grand border, into which we encompassed many recessed cans to lighten the room,” she says.
The renovations made to the historic estate will remain after the showcase event ends, and all of the furnishings will be available for purchase from the individual designers.
Rug: Stanton (custom cut, new collection); chandelier: custom-made, Michael Taylor Collections, Serip; window treatment hardware: Kravet
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The renovations made to the historic estate will remain after the showcase event ends, and all of the furnishings will be available for purchase from the individual designers.
Rug: Stanton (custom cut, new collection); chandelier: custom-made, Michael Taylor Collections, Serip; window treatment hardware: Kravet
More
Read more about this year’s showcase
See more stories about designer showcases
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Why are toilet placed next to bath tubs? The bather either puts his head "in the toilet" or gazes into that fixture. Yukky placement, in my opinion.
To the commenter about the wood floors being replaced; they weren't. The photos show that all of the original oak flooring is intact from 1918- they were covered with RamBoard during construction.
Just wanted to put my two cents in that I agree with Margot Collins- I've never had the moula to have a more European bathroom where it was just a bathroom and the water closet was connected but you're not looking at a toilet when you bathe but I personally like them much better because it does feel like your heads in the toilet when you bathe to me-not my idea of relaxation...LOL