I have been literally slaying away on my newest project in Malibu. Its all I have been thinking about 24/7 so I figured what better to share than EXACTLY WHAT I’M WORKING ON. I only met Seth & Rachael about a month ago but we have hit the ground running. They just purchased the most lovely 4 bedroom house in Malibu that is 1000% move-in ready, and they are also move-in ready. Cue the timeline of “get me in here with furniture asap”. So, although we have discussed the fact that some things do take time, we are working hard to get this done as quickly as possible and have already nailed down a lot of important pieces but are still finalizing fabrics, rugs, pillows, etc etc. Although this house is technically in Malibu with a view of the Pacific, it is bordering on the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, so it has more of a coastal contemporary vibe than a straight-up beach house. This is exactly where I wanted to live when I first moved to LA, but soon after learned it is WAY out of our price range. I guess I’ll continue to live vicariously through my clients 🙂
Here are photos of what the house looked like staged when they bought it:
The house itself is gorgeous with lots of great architectural details. The kitchen is not being touched, nor is the wainscoting or vertical (!) shiplap in the den and master bedroom. My clients want to keep the furnishings in line with the style of the house which is the right thing to do. However, we have been able to create some looks that go beyond the typical nautical décor that the house was staged with and what one would probably expect to see in the house. Call it the AE spin, which they were both so gratefully on board with right away! Here are a few inspiration images we all agreed were spot on:
Design by Studio McGee
Design by Chango and Co
Design by Blackband Design
I have been scouring the earth for awesome, coastal but not beachy, furniture & fabrics for this house. I have found so many awesome things, we are running out of rooms to put them. The first thing we purchased for the den, is the one and only cloud sectional from Restoration Hardware (in navy). We even splurged for the luxe 45″ depth. I don’t know how they will ever manage to get off this couch!
Here is the fabric scheme we are working with: navy for the couch, color blocked grey/white sheer drapes and lots of fun mix & match patterned pillows:
So far that’s all we have in the room (what else do you need) but will be accenting it with a coffee table, end tables, lamps, art & pillows:
In order to take advantage of RH unlimited delivery, we also purchased this reclaimed oak dining table:
I love how this table has a simple, modern silhouette but is constructed of reclaimed wood with lots of character. We haven’t decided what direction we are going in for the chairs yet, although we have narrowed it down to a few options:
Option 1: Mix of black farmhouse side chairs w/ grey nailhead upholstered end chairs.
Option 2: White slipcovered chairs. Safe, but beautiful!
We will be adding a dramatic chandelier over the table (I can’t function without dramatic lighting), a rug, and a buffet/mirror combination:
This chandelier couldn’t be more perfect for this room.
How AMAZING is this new leather upholstered buffet from Madegoods?? I am so in love with it.
The living room and dining room are part of one open space, so we need to make sure they work off each other. More grays, blues, whites, and woods in here:
How awesome is that single block wood coffee table? Love how these pieces are all so different and could work in all different kinds of spaces, but work so well together for this coastal-contemporary vibe.
The master bedroom is really small and has that shiplap detailed wall, so we are going to keep things light and airy.
This gray plaid linen fabric is going to be the upholstered BED (what!!) and lots of fun colorful pillows on top. To play off the white shiplap wall, we are wallpapering the rest of the room in a clean white grasscloth paper.
I will keep you guys posted on this project as it progresses. Excited for the final product! xo, AE
