The Reading Retreat
For years we’ve been toying with the idea of throwing our
hat into the ring for a Showcase House space. The pros and cons of designing
for Showcase House is a blog entry in and of itself. Busy schedules never made it seem like
the right time. Since, these days, busier than most, there’s no such thing as the right time, we took the leap. As we walked the house the first time, we looked for a space
that was manageable for us both in size and financial under-taking. (The designers bear most of the cost of
implementing their designs). The room we ultimately got was not among the three
rooms we targeted. The guest suite we ended up with was originally part of an
up-stair’s Maid’s Quarters that consisted of a sitting room and 2 guest suites
over the garage. The space was originally presented to us as a single space for
one designer’s under-taking. The scope of it was more than I think any single
designer wanted to tackle outside of the Master Bedroom and kitchen, so the 3
rooms were ultimately divided into 3 individual spaces. Since we had
not focused on the rooms over the garage as a possibility when we walked the
house, there was only one space I remembered well: A room with sloping eves and built-in architectural
interest. Oddly, this is the room
we were given and it suits us: A space with a little bit of quirk and lots of
personality. (If the room were a redhead, we’d just go ahead and move in.)
Here is our space:
The room presents some interesting challenges. Its ceilings are all sloped, which make
utilizing the under-eve space crucial.
Sloped ceilings can sometimes limit a homeowner’s options in
a space. We, however, found our
inspiration under these sloped ceilings. We are going to wrap two of the walls in custom cabinetry,
creating bookshelves, extensive storage and a window seat nook under the window,
perfect for snuggling up with a good book. This relaxing reading retreat will feature all the comforts
of a bedroom oasis, but will provide practical solutions to everyday storage
needs, as well. As mothers of four, we are all about finding
creative storage solutions.
One of the other challenges in the room is its North Eastern
exposure. This makes the room very
dark for much of the day. In order
to bring more light into the room, we have chosen a silver/blue grass cloth wall
covering with shimmering top layers. Reflective, iridescent fabrics will also help
bring light into the room. Perhaps
one of my favorite features of the room will be the un-expected abalone panels
we’ll be framing in sterling, silver-brushed wood frames (Courtesy of Fast Frame
La Canada). They’ll provide light and a striking focal point over the
headboard, side tables and along the wall of the entry hallway.
The last major challenge in the room is the small, cramped
bathroom.
The bathroom currently houses a shower/tub and visually
bulky cabinets all under another sloped ceiling. Our goal is to visually open
the space without compromising on storage. By removing the cabinets and the tub, we will eliminate 2 of
the bulkiest objects currently cramping the space. The storage lost by the removal of the vanity cabinets and
the linen closet by the tub will be replaced with upper cabinets over a new vanity
and a shallow, recessed cabinet built into the north wall between the toilet and the
new shower stall.
The shower stall
will feature a floating bench, a
medallion tile focal point and Kohler’s Purist line of plumbing fixtures with
their new flip-side handheld. The tile will be a cool-tone combination of Walker Zanger’s
new lines: 6th Ave.
ceramics, 21’s stone finish porcelain and Rue Pierre’s leathered, pillow-edged
Blanc-Antique marble.
