beach – Loftenberg

Sunny in Manhattan

admin — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:10:16 +0000

NEW JERSEY isn’t far from Manhattan, but in lifestyle, it can feel a world apart. That’s why Barbara Littman, an interior designer who lives in Highland Park, N.J., insists on having an urban pied-à-terre.

“I was born and raised in New Jersey, and it’s a very different sensibility,” said Ms. Littman, who has always been attracted to the buzz of the city.

When I was a teenager, I’d take the train and come into New York. I was an adopted New Yorker for a very long time.

Now, Ms. Littman, a 69-year-old mother of three and grandmother of six, has a sunny new 2,400-square-foot Chelsea penthouse to call her own. “This is my escape,” she said.

Never mind that her husband, Leonard, 75, spends most of his time in New Jersey. “My husband is a Jersey boy through and through — he should be singing on Broadway,” she said. “He’s lived on the same street for 70 years.”

They also have a beach house in Deal, N.J., which often serves as his refuge, Mr. Littman said. “I’m always much more comfortable in New Jersey,” he said. “The beach is definitely more my thing, and I love the grass and trees.”

When he wants to visit his wife in the city, he makes an appointment. “It’s not that bad,” Ms. Littman said. “But he’ll usually say something like, ‘I’d like to come in and have lunch.’ It’s kind of a joke between us.”

The Littmans bought the apartment for just under $4 million in 2009, and Ms. Littman spent about two years and $190,000 transforming it into the minimalist space of her dreams, in collaboration with Robert D. Henry, a New York architect.

And while many people her age might prefer a home that’s warm and cozy, her apartment borders on the austere. “Comfort has not been my strong suit,” said Ms. Littman, who teaches interior and furniture design at Kean University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at N.Y.U. Her primary concern was creating a bright, fresh, modern space where purity of line prevailed.

But then she has never seen age as an impediment. Ms. Littman met Mr. Henry in her early 50s, after deciding to pursue a master’s degree in architecture at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he was an instructor. And now, as then, one of his primary roles has been to critique her design decisions, including her tendency to avoid color.

“With Barb, it’s generally gray, white and black: that’s her thing,” Mr. Henry said. “I love her beach house, because it’s the only dark house out there. But here, we said, ‘Let’s bring a little color into your life.’ ”

And right from the home’s entrance, it’s clear he was successful in persuading her — one long wall, running the length of the apartment, is a brilliant shade of yellow. But it did involve some trial and error. “We went through seven or eight different yellows before we found the right one,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have done it on my own,” Ms. Littman said. Nevertheless, she added, “I get great pleasure when I come in and look at it. It’s a strong statement, but calm at the same time.”

Underfoot, a strip of white crystallized glass leads the way to an open staircase that climbs to the roof. It also creates something of a catwalk for the fashionable Ms. Littman.

The kitchen and living room —sparsely furnished with items from her furniture and sculpture collection, including pieces by Ettore Sottsass, Michele De Lucchi and Ron Arad — are on one side of the catwalk. The private quarters, including two bedrooms and an office, are on the other.

Renovated to reflect Ms. Littman’s tastes, the apartment is now “really my spot,” she said. “When I look out the window, I just love being part of the city. It’s the energy here that’s always been something for me.”

Loft for a Celebrity

admin — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:42:03 +0000

This Miami Loft by Toronto’s Prototype Design Lab was designed for a celebrity client. This residence has incredible spanning views of the local beach front on two sides and has a bespoke quality to its interior design. Juxtaposition between the more traditional design features and the more modern and sleek components such as the bedroom media unit and master bathroom vanity come together elegantly in this project.

This characteristic also renders the space dreamlike as well as a perfect entertainment space. Every element has been custom designed to the smallest detail to fit the particular needs of our client and his desires and habits.

Unexpected Elegance

admin — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 10:26:33 +0000

Behind a light green copper door, in a discrete concrete wall along the Pacific Coast High-way in Malibu, hides a deluxeÂ weekend-house. In stormy weather you can enjoy the view of dolphins and the horizon from north to southÂ over the balcony, and from the bed . Created by America’s uncrowned design queen Kelly Wearstler Â this beach paradise is within easy commuting distance from her villa in Beverly Hills.

Once you get inside and up the stairs, you are on the beach with the whole horizon in front of you, long before you even set foot in the sand. Kelly grew up near the ocean, and this environment gives her power and energy.

The house is over 600 square feet and has six bedrooms – all but one with a sea view – and five magnificent marble bathrooms. Of the original house from the 1960s only the foundations remain. The facade facing the sea is covered in weather-resistant cedar with elegant copper details. Indoors the dominant type of wood is white stained walnut on walls, ceilings and floors – a discrete background to the great works of art from around the world. No furniture is higher either in the dining area or in kitchen or living room thanÂ 40 cm, to be able to better see the sea below.

Colors evoke feelings. They’re powerful, sensual, pleasure only, and dramatic. Color is everything

says Kelly. It’s about creating a hierarchy of tones, where a tint is allowed to dominate and put the character in the room. The rest secondary, whether in terms of shape, pattern or material. Unique color compositions create either visual tension or harmony. Both can be equally magnificent. One can have many colors in a room, but for this to work, proportions, value and structure of the colors to be right.

When you choose paint, follow your heart and trust your feelings. Balance and refinement of these colors can be achieved later with the help of textiles, art and rugs.

An interior in neutral tones, which need not be monotonous and boring. The solution is to create an interesting contrast with a cool metal object, a sculpture or painting, fancy carpets and textiles. Everything goes in the same tones, but is still very different in material, texture, shape and pattern. You have to decorate in harmony with the architecture and surroundings. The inspiration was Malibu : the sand and the sea, no bright colors belong in this environment. Instead Kelly had chosenÂ muted, soothing colors and unpolished, organic surfaces in interaction with the surrounding nature.

The color palette and materials were inspired by what you can find on the beach, seaweed, driftwood and shells.

Fashion inspires me in many ways, a decorative button that I found in London can provide the theme for the decoration of an entire room. An old piece of jewelry can be a fantastic source of inspiration for an accessory that I create. I may be affected by a pendant in the art deco style, or a cigarette case when I make a cabinet or furniture. An antique metal buckle can inspire me to dress a room with a metal panel, which I did with the kitchen in Beverly Hills.

It’s all about paying attention and have an open attitude to new and unexpected opportunities.

Kelly has collected art and stuff since she was a teenager. She moves around things occasionally, a room can be full of art, while another has only one painting over the fireplace.

Kelly collects fabrics, trim, decorative boxes, sculptures and art from all eras. Fabrics are a great inspiration, both in terms of color, texture and pattern. Her favorite period is from mid-1920’s, when modern design began to be felt, until the 1980s. She is studying carefully the shape of the object of ensuring that the different items complement each other. It should never have too many sophisticated furniture in the room, because then it just plain out. Mix instead new and old, simple and stylish with gilt, she says. Then highlight the different style, the beauty instead of disappearing into the crowd.

She falls for things related to her feelings and then playing with different solutions for every environment, without having any definite rules, either in terms of style or end result. With Kelly choosing marble for their building she visits various quarries and to be inspired by color and shape before she decides what will become the next kitchen, bathroom or floor.

I bring my camera, a tape measure and a sketchbook wherever I go. I’m constantly on the lookout for the next cool gadget, patterns, or detail for inspiration for new projects. In the office, I have drawers full of visual appeal divided into different categories, which I use in my design, if not right now, so probably sometime in the future.

Kelly has decorated homes for Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale , and the loft buildings for the Hollywood elite.

She has also done interiors of the luxurious resort hotels, as Viceroy in Santa Monica and Anguilla , and the Tides in Miami Beach with her â€‹â€‹husband Brad Korzen , starting in 1999. She has her own home fashion boutique on lyxvaruhuset Bergdorf Goodman in New York . Even penthouse restaurant BG overlooking Central Park is Kelly’s works. She has their own collections of handmade rugs for The Rug Company and textiles for Sferra , and gold-trimmed china for Pickard . She has already managed to write design trilogy Modern Glamour , Domicilium Decoraus and now Hue .

This picturesque, former ” Playboy Playmate of the Month “(September issue 1994) from Myrtle Beach in South Carolina born in 1967. Henens mother was also a decorator and even antique dealer. His father was an architect and engineer, so Kelly grew up surrounded by design and good taste. Then there was the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston where she studied graphic design and interior design. After a period in New York, she came eventually to Hollywood to try his luck in films.

Very soon she realized that it was not for her, and instead started its prospective design empire Kelly Wearstler Interior Design , ( KWID ) in 1995. She now has two sons, Elliott 8, Oliver 7, along with her â€‹â€‹husband, hotelier Brad Korzen

Kelly gets up half past five every morning to have time to train before she takes the boys to school. The family comes together for the daily dinner at six thirty in the evening. Children and family traditions are more important than anything else for Kelly, who would arrange large, well-planned dinners during the holidays.

She describes her style as “The Elegance Of The Unexpected”, or the art to mixing unexpected items, materials, colors and textures successfully.

Everyone should rely on their ability and capacity to take risks. Only when you develop as a person. Whether you succeed or fail. It does not cost a fortune to decorate, I still go to second-hand stores and find the pieces I really like for a cheap price.