A Chat with Nancy Van Natta: A Wonderful Teenage Girl's Bathroom for the 2009 San Francisco Decorator's Showhouse

On Monday, I showcased the teenage bedroom's room by Palmer Weiss.
Today, I'm following up with the en-suite bathroom for the same show-
house that was designed by Nancy Van Natta and her time designed to
match the bedroom. I must say that the bathroom is every bit the smashing
success the bedroom was. This bathroom is chic, sophisticated, functional
and you cannot mistake that it's for a girl. Girl Power! One look at those hot
pink lacquered cabinets with a marble counter top and I was drooling.
Everything in the bathroom down to smallest detail was thought out. Beautiful
shades, high end materials and fixtures, and a seriously cool photo illuminated
illustration of the silhouette of a woman.

I posed the same questions to Nancy as I did to Palmer and she was
also gracious enough to share with us details about the bathroom.

Are there any particular styles or designers that you would say has
influenced your design sense?

I like working in many different styles. When I have an Art Deco project
I’m in love with all things art deco. And the same for Arts and Crafts,
Modernist, Mediterranean . What I look for consistently in all styles is a
sense of symmetry, a beautiful line and elegant proportion. I love interiors
that reflect the Japanese definition of beauty – Wabi – tranquil simplicity,
Sabi – patina of age, and Suki – elegance.

In the spring, you completed a project for the 2009 San Francisco Design
Showcase. The project was a teenage girl's bathroom. There's been a lot of
excitement about the bathroom and I had some follow up questions for you.

What was the initial inspiration for the room?

I was inspired by Coco Chanel who as a teen had virtually nothing –
no money, no family support, no prospects – and who went on to create
a style empire based on her own talent and hard work. I wanted my
room to celebrate Chanel and her amazing style.

Do you have a process that you go through when putting a room like this together?

My ‘process’ is just an uncomfortable muddle for a time with many random
ideas all stepping all over each other as I gradually refine and refine. I always
try to put a lot of creativity into a showcase room – details that people have
never seen before – and this provides a lot of added pressure.

The bathroom was attached to a room that Palmer Weiss did. Did you
collaborate with her to make sure there was a uniform look between the
adjoining spaces?

It was very important that my room coordinated well with Palmer’s. I
looked at her board and got a sample of her fabric to use for color check.

I think many readers would be interested to know about the sourcing for
the items in the bathroom. Can you give us information about where you
procured the items in the room?

- The paint color used for the cabinets (absolutely gorgeous.)
The paint is Benjamin Moore Pink Ladies in a gloss. I thought it was fun.

- How you achieved the lacquered look on the cabinets.
I had no time to spray. I hired a good painter and he brushed the cabinet.

- Where you got the light fixtures attached to the mirror?

The light fixtures are from Emanuel Morez through
Wroolie & Co. I think his lighting is fabulous.

- Where you got that fun painting with the luminescent girl's face on the wall
(a stroke of genius I think as I love lighting and silhouettes.)

I created the wall panel. The face was carved glass based on a photo of my
granddaughter, Bailey. The panel was something of a technical feat with
portions backlit and others done with glass inlay. The finish was a hand
rubbed white lacquer.

- How you put the Chanel images on the shower doors? (tons of fun)

We created a stencil of the Chanel perfume bottle and used a Rus-Oleum
spray for the ‘etching’. Then we applied vinyl labels for the wax seal and the
name.

- Did you create the frame for the large mirror?
We had the mirror made with a traditional frame that we sprayed white lacquer.

- Anything else you would like to add about he bathroom?

I really liked the room when it was done. I loved working with the stark white
walls and intense pops of fuchsia and lilac. I also felt good that my backlit panel
looked good – and it has opened up a new area of portraits in glass and light.

I’m proud of the work my team and I are doing right now. Everything is
very tuned to the clients – their color palette, their furniture preferences.
But wabi, sabi, suki prevails!

I just can't get over the fact how perfectly lacquered these cabinets
are when they were brush painted! It looks like a spray finish.

I don't know about you but I'd venture to say that Nancy Van Natta
definitely has the philosophies of Wabi, Sabi and Suki down! She and
her team obviously pay attention to details as she crafted this bathroom
to match the teenage bedroom based on a sample board and fabrics only.
They truly look like they belong together.

Hope you enjoyed the interview and especially feasting your eyes on
this wonderful bathroom filled with fantastic ideas and creativity.

Kenneth Brown : A lofty LA Masterpiece

You may have seen some of these photos floating around

lately. Kenneth Brown designed a brilliant showhouse

Loft for the LA Mart. The sheer height of the loft alone

is daunting. I've never seen such a loft with high ceilings

separated by a huge panel of fabric in the middle. It's

a clever way to separate the space. Most people probably

wouldn't think to do it with the sheer amount yardage

required but I must say the end result of the loft is stunning.

I really fell for the dark rich wallpaper he used.

The upholstery on the chairs compliment

and contrast with the wallpaper in the room

so well.

The chandelier is gorgeous and is

the right scale for such a tall loft.

The greens offset the browns nicely and I do

like all of the patterns and texture he used

in his rugs. Love the dining table chairs he used!






A beautifully appointed bedroom area with

paisley wall paper and faux fur bed covering.

The floor lamps are quite gorgeous.

Kenneth has a friend who has a shop and

borrowed the chopper to put in the showroom.

He said it was probably the largest accessory

he'd ever used in a show room presentation.

Hope you enjoyed the loft as much as I did.

Happy Friday!

All photos from Kenneth Brown's site.

Jamie Drake ~ Modern Moroccan Showhouse

Jamie Drake did a showhouse in 2006

that I thought was a really fun rendition

of a modern Moroccan room. It's not

the usual saturated color palette you

would have expected from Drake but

a considerably more neutral palette

considering very bold colors are used

in Moroccan decor. I really liked his

rendition of it though - very comfortable

and clean feel to it.

Very pretty painted patterns

on the Moroccan side table.

Putting a mirror on a mirrored

surface is a neat touch.

I've been really into grass wall coverings

lately but am totally in love with the

colored ones! The blue is so pretty.

AAhh lacquered surfaces - my favorite.

I love the bold yellow sunflower he used

on this blue wall - totally pops out.

Happy Friday everyone and have a

great weekend!

All photos from Jamie Drake's site.

Beale Lana ~ Kips Bay 2007 Showhouse

Randall Beale and Carl Lana have been designing

together since 1992. They have diverse backgrounds

from fashion and theater. They've done a wide array

of projects from luxury residences to commercial and

retail spaces.

Per my trademark when posting about fabulous

designers, I am not devoting just one post to this

dynamite pair of designers. I am starting with

their 2007 Kips Bay Showhouse presentation.

The black lacquered railing, completely silver

wainscoting and black and white floors totally

had Me floored!

I totally loved the shiny vinyl or patent leather

material they used for the daybed and the

blurred black and white photograph paired with it

is just electric!

The red surfboard makes for great contrast.

Love the colorful fabric used for the pillows.

In love with those shiny floors!

Ok, this Egg chair is to die for in Silver!

Very edgy - glam rock sort of feel.

I certainly wouldn't mind having

a pair of these (in the right room

of course).

So what do you think of Beale Lana's

showhouse? Too much? Or Brilliant?

All photos from Beale Lana's

site and House Beautiful.

More Color from Jamie Drake

And we have more colour from Jamie Drake!

These 3 rooms struck me as very vibrant and

a lot of fun. I love the above room in how he
uses white with pops of very bright colors. His
pairing of very classic and traditional furniture
with very modern colors is brilliant. I love the
chandelier. Jamie Drake did the above room
for the Kips Showhouse in 2004.

There aren't many shades of yellow that I can live with

but I think I may be able to live with this one. I love

how the wall is covered luxuriously in fabric. This yellow

room was done for Kips Showhouse 2002.





And of course, the beautiful and enchanting purple

bathroom. What can I say? I love purple.

Which room is your favourite?
Which colours do you fancy?

All photos from Jamie Drake's website.

Jamie Drake ~ Kips Bay 2007 Showhouse

I'm sure many of you have seen the first couple
of photos of Jamie Drake's Kips bay 2007
Showhouse. This particular room showcases
his furniture lines and fabric line he has designed
for Schumacher. I've seen a couple of photos here
and there for this showhouse but not one cohesive
post or article that has shown the entire thing.
The room he did is actually pretty huge. I leave
you with Drake's Ultra Girly and very Pink
showhouse. Very bold.


Jamie Drake is really talented with monochromatic. He
manages to draw drama a lot of drama out of them. I can
imagine this room in many other color palettes as well.
It would be neat in white and silver.




I also love his eclectic style in mixng period
pieces with more modern pieces such as the
lucite chair.





Love the polk-a-dot bench! Both the
bench and the fabric come from Jamie
Drake's collections.



Imagine having a closet with shoes and clothes that look
like an upscale boutique!





The armoire from his collection is
shockingly pink!! I think it's the only
color it comes in!



From this angle, you can see the other side of the bedroom
and the placement of the furniture. This room is pretty
huge. At first I even thought the whole collection of photos
was a flat, but it's actually one room and closet!




Love the pink tweed on the chair.




And the man himself.


Meg at Pigtown Design did an earlier post on the
Kips showhouse that referenced Jamie Drake's room
as well. Do check it out here.


What are your favorite elements?


A fully finished room carries its color with pride - Jamie Drake


All photos courtesy of Jamie Drake's website.

My New Obsession - Jamie Drake

My new obsession is with the designer Jamie Drake. I absolutely LOVE his color palettes! I'm probably going to go a bit crazy as I usually do with new obsessions and do a group of postings on Jamie Drake's designs.

Jamie Drake has a very impressive background starting at Parsons where he was able to complete an internship with Angelo Donghia. He has been inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame and has a most impressive list of clients including Michael Bloomberg and Madonna. Bloomberg's commission have included New York City Hall outside of his personal properties.

The below photos come from his Hampton's 2005 Showhouse.

Love the color palette and look at the

Lucite bed posts!

What's your favorite element?

Living well is a never ending proposition - Jamie Drake

All photos courtesy of Jamie Drake's website.