Light & White

IF I HAD TO DESCRIBE MY OWN PERSONAL STYLE OR WHAT KIND OF DESIGNER I AM, I’M NOT SURE I WOULD USE THE WORD “MINIMALIST.”  I would, however, say that I love using modern elements in ways that one wouldn’t expect. So, if I wasn't striving to pay homage to an extremely talented architect by taking his work back to its original intent, how would I design a modern, neutral room? Well, let me tell you. I do love color, but I also LOVE playing with textures and tones and light and shadow. With these elements, you can make any neutral colors sing and dance!

Take for instance, the Parlour featured here. I was presented with a space that could not have been more different than Lescaze’s! It had huge moldings and an overwhelmingly ornate fireplace! The space itself was nice, with tall ceilings and lots of light. So, I played up its strengths and toned down the architectural elements that I wasn't in love with (like that fireplace). By covering the walls with large planes of bold tone-on-tone pattern, your eye is pulled around the room instead of focusing on the enormous fireplace. By highlighting the ceiling with a dark color, your eye is drawn up to the height of the room and that nice detail. Play up the strengths, down play the weaknesses! When complete, the room was all about light, reflections, shadows and depth. I wanted it to be a clean, airy space that makes you feel both glamorous and grounded.

For an example of my latest use of an overall neutral color palette, with pops of color, see our feature in Vol 4 of lonnymag.com