Inspired.talk

Maison de Luxe – Barclay Butera

Last week marked the opening of Maison de Luxe, a show house at Greystone Mansion in Los Angeles sponsored by Luxe Interiors + Design, the City of Beverly Hills and Friends of Greystone. I was thrilled to be invited as a guest of Luxe, and really enjoyed the program they put together for us during our two day stay.

The two day trip culminated in the gala opening Thursday night, which I spent, despite my perilously high heels, running from room to room with my camera, snapping photos of every beautiful detail. The historic mansion featured designed spaces from 25 top interior designers from across the country, including Barclay Butera, a familiar face I always enjoy seeing when I’m in L.A.

With Barclay Butera at Maison de Luxe.

Butera designed a family room on the second floor of the estate, complete with a fireplace, three walls of windows and beautiful architectural details. His design features four leather armchairs arranged in front of the fireplace for casual conversation, coffee or cocktails, a tufted sofa and a bench spanning the length of the windows. Multiple seating areas break up the space into intimate areas, giving the large room a cozy feel. Butera’s specialty is creating a comfortable environment by layering textiles, rich wood, carpet and pillows for a sophisticated, lived-in feel.

Check back this week for more from Maison de Luxe, and enjoy these beautiful photos, courtesy of Butera, from photographer Mark Lohman.

-JP

The wallpaper is Cole & Son Malabar in Stone.

Shades are Kravet Middle Kingdom in Cinnabar. Outer pillows on window seat are Kravet Ceylon Key Imperial.

Sofa is Kravet velvet. Embroidered floral pillows are Mulberry Grandiflora in Claret/Sand. Striped pillows are Kravet Pagoda Plush in Koi. 

Maison de Luxe is open until December 22, Tuesday through Sunday, 10am - 3pm. Tickets are $35. More information is available here.

Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts

This past weekend marked the opening of the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts in La Canada Flintridge, CA. The home, built by Paul R. Williams in 1927, is a beautiful example of Old World charm and masterful detail.

Rather than tearing it down and starting over, the interior designers and landscape architects have cleaned, restored and rehabilitated this classic house and its grounds, updating and furnishing it in a style compatible with the original ideas.

 

Designer Barclay Butera transformed this guest suite into a Moroccan-inspired oasis through a bold palette of orange and gold with turquoise, blue and white accents. He chose several beautiful Kravet and Lee Jofa fabrics to help bring his vision to life.

 

The Pasadena Showcase House, founded in 1965, it is one of the oldest, largest and most successful house and garden tours in the nation. Proceeds fund music programs and award gifts and grants to nonprofit organizations that provide music therapy, music education, scholarships and the underwriting of concerts.

 

The Showcase House will be open now through May 15. For ticket pricing, hours, and general information, visit www.pasadenashowcase.org.

Photographs by Mark Lohman Photography

All the Trimmings

Design by Barclay Butera

In the aftermath of the Thanksgiving feast, the phrase “all the trimmings” conjures up memories of cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing and all the trappings of the traditional meal. In interior design, the idea of trimmings means something different, but it still evokes the same images of the perfect finishing touch. When you’ve polished off the last of the leftovers, you’ll certainly be looking for a comfortable place to relax. Stuffed? So are these luxurious, cozy settings, complete with pillows, upholstery and more to inspire quiet repose alone or with the ones you love.

Pillows feature Kravet fabric and trim

Design by Kelly Wearstler

 
Design by Thom Filicia

Design by Candice Olson

 
Pillows feature Kravet fabric and trim

High Style at LA Westweek

Last week I traveled across the country to sunny LA for Westweek. It was a fantastic show put on by the Pacific Design Center, but best of all it was a great excuse to catch up with many of our Designer Licensees at Kravet and Lee Jofa on their home turf for a glimpse into their design worlds.

Upon my arrival, Barclay Butera whisked me to his showroom on La Brea, which is so impressively merchandised, right down to the reading glasses on the nightstand of the bedroom setting. Dressed to the nines in crisp dark denim and a fitted blazer, every day I spent with him he was as perfectly manicured as his store.

Barclay Butera's showroom in La Brea

We lunched with Windsor Smith just before she was getting on a plane for a weekend in Puerto Vallarta---oh the LA lifestyle, I am jealous!!! At lunch she wore a printed linen tunic layered over a linen jacket with stacked bracelets and a chunky watch, so bohemian chic! Just like her fabric collection! She also shared some of her latest eclectic design projects. Boy does she work hard!!!!

At Kravet, Michael Berman posed for a photo with me on the new brightly colored Kravet window setting. He even art directed the shot, contrasting his sleek grey sharkskin suit with the season's bold colors, so on trend!

 

Next up the Doyenne of LA Design, Barbara Barry. As beautiful and elegant as ever in her signature cashmere twinset and pearls, she hosted me for morning tea. Her style is as classic and precise as her fabrics and furniture.

After that, I paid a visit to the newest location of Suzanne Rheinstein's store Hollyhock. She claimed it was barely ready to open but it looked pretty fantastic to me. BTW she won the LA 2010 Stars of Design award for Interior Design during Westweek with some other amazing talent like Lifetime Acheivement award winner Rose Tarlow! Here Suzanne poses among the winners, perfectly poised and utterly ageless, she looks fantastic!

From left: Jorge Pardo, Brandon Morrison, Karyn Millet, Suzanne Rheinstein, Rose Tarlow, Ron Flemming, Sean Knibb, Wallace E. Cunningham

What a busy but worthwhile trip ending with the piece de resistance....a personal appearance by Kelly Wearstler in the Lee Jofa showroom with a book signing of Hue, her latest book just going into a 2nd printing. The crowd was astounding! So gracious and humble, Kelly stayed late to make sure she personally spoke with each and every person including my favorite: a 10-year-old little girl that told her how much she loved watching her on TV.

Kelly’s signature boldness in her designs is definitely reflected in her personal style. She looked casual chic in white ruffles, bold bangles and a relaxed jean and not to mention.. not a stitch of makeup!!

I even got to pose with her. That’s me on the left!! Immediately after the event, we both left for our respective red-eye flights back to the east coast. I was going home, of course Kelly was on her way to South Beach. Sigh...sigh The Life!!!

-BG

Barclay Butera

WHAT INSPIRES BARCLAY BUTERA?

  

 

  

I have a passion for fine living, and I am inspired by wherever life takes me. Furnishings don’t make a home; life does. Lifestyle design is a way of carefully placing selected elements together so a room or a home feels warm, comfortable, and inviting.

  

 

 

When creating lifestyle design, my decisions depend on the personality of my clients—their dreams and their aspirations. I manifest the lifestyle by incorporating my elements of design with those of the client to create a unique environment down to the fine details of upholstery and accessories.

  

 

  

I love it when a house feels finished and lived in, with many layers of color and texture. Every choice I make as a designer translates design essentials, including wall furnishings, flooring, textiles, case goods, and furnishings, into elements of living, to evoke an emotional environment.

 

 

 

 

I never limit myself to one particular category or style. Design is always dependent upon location, tradition, and personal preferences. From antique clocks to clean modern hurricanes, I use collections to help give an interior the flavor of a particular period and style.

 

What is your favorite lifestyle design?