The Lamberts are back from France, and we’ll tell you all about in our next blog! We ate bread and did all the tourist things and walked our legs off and enjoyed every minute! One of my favorite experiences was standing on the beaches of Normandy knowing thousands of Americans had died in that very spot so that I could be safe and free. Talk about Thanksgiving! We looked out at the water as our guide told us about the scale of the invasion 75 years ago, the sounds, and the threat of the tide coming in too soon. It was moving and chilling and sad but a little hopeful, too. Once we got to a cafe for lunch, we saw that the town still remembers the soldiers coming in on the waves (or in the air) as avenging angels bringing hope and freedom—what a legacy! It made me feel small in a very big world but also inspired!
Haven’t we all had a similar experience standing on the shore, looking out over the vast ocean? We stand in awe of the waves, the tide, the scale of what we’re seeing. We feel the stress and worry and day-to-day concerns float away. Our client wanted to bring that coastal feel here to Texas but they were not starting with a quaint cottage or even a blank slate! The previous owner loved dark woods, saturated, warm color, and gold—we had a lot of ground to cover to get it headed in a new direction. The client had painted the walls and eliminated many faux finishes but then had no concept of how to get the room headed toward “Coastal” without feeling too out-of-place here in Southlake. When you think of coastal design, you don’t really conjure up ideas of formal entertaining, but this home has formal dining, formal entry, a formal bar area…the list goes on! With the sea as our inspiration, we pulled fabrics in different shades of blue-green and added mother-of-pearl, sea grass, and sea glass or blown glass to our palette.
In the formal living room we started with the rondells from Vetro glassblowing studio in Grapevine. Knowing that we wanted those to be the focus, we kept the furniture and decor simple. The sofa, chairs, and coffee table all have very traditional lines and are kept in neutral colors for longevity. Even the woven side chair is inspired by the Ralph Lauren wicker-wrapping technique so that it stays elegant and doesn’t go too “Grandma’s sun room” like wicker can! My favorite part of this room, though, is the marshland abstracts on the long wall behind the sofa. They’re beautiful, yes, but Dad kept trying to hang them upside down and I still laugh about it when I remember! That is the kind of association I love to have with a project and I love for a client to have with their home. For another example, this client inherited their childhood piano and we gave it prominent placement near the entryway. If my own piano lessons are any example he spent many hours with the metronome click-click-clicking away sitting on that very bench!
That leads me to my final tip for the day—while we do want every space to look intentional, sometimes we can put too much emphasis on EVERY area. Make sure you’ve thought through what your objectives are. Do you have a great view? Do you have a favorite piece of art? Don’t throw all of your best ideas at one area—spread them out or save them for the future!
Here you can see the formal dining and bar area I alluded to earlier or click here to see the rest of the project in our portfolio!
