Our Showcase House space - The Reading Retreat

 

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:  6^th Ave. ceramics, 21’s stone finish porcelain and Rue Pierre’s leathered, pillow-edged Blanc-Antique marble.

These challenges so far have invigorated and inspired us and we can’t wait to dig in!