Velvet & Linen

grass cloth - my idea of green design

If you have been following this blog for a while, you might have noticed my love of grasscloth.

My interest in grasscloth started when I visited the Ralph Lauren store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. The stairway walls are covered in a honey colored grass cloth that gave the space color, warmth and texture. So I went on a search to find it.

 I found the perfect grass cloth at Hinson. Their Madagascar grasscloth comes in a variety of colors and textures.

Since my own home is my laboratory, I tried it out in my entry first.

My home has a beachy feel, so I chose the Madagascar paper in a fine whitewash texture.

Steve liked it so much that he used it in this more traditional home.

I was amazed at the versatility of this wallpaper. I found that it could be used with Swedish pieces as well!

We used the original Madagascar paper in my client's library. 

My amazing wallpaper guru, Jeff Evans and his son Spencer are transforming my client's entrance using Madagascar grass cloth.

Before....

During the transformation (not quite ready for the big reveal!).

I have been researching different grass cloth options for some recent projects and

have discovered the beautiful world of Phillip Jeffries...

Suzanne Kassler used a gorgeous teal colored grass cloth by Phillip Jeffries in this dining room.

Elizabeth Dinkel used Phillip Jeffries Key West grasscloth in this Greystone 

Show House bedroom.

and Mary McDonald used Juicy Jute grasscloth from Phillip Jeffries in the same show house.

John Wiley warmed up the walls in this bedroom with Phillip Jeffries Japanese Paper Weave grasscloth.

Some of my new favorite grasscloths are from Crezana in New York,  and combine the texture of grass cloth and hand embroidery. 

Crezana Arabesque comes in some fantastic colors...

Crezana's Anemone pattern embroidered in teal is so lovely.  I could see using this in a girl's bedroom or even a powder room.

I never thought of using grasscloth in a child's room until I saw this on the Crezana website:

Their Castlebar medium Madagascar is gorgeous.

Lee Jofa also makes some stunning grasscloth wall coverings.  Strand in Oyster caught my eye.  

I just used this Stroheim grasscloth in my client's powder room. I can't wait to show it to you!

So, what do you think of grasscloth? Have you used it in your home or recent project? If so, where did you use it? What kind did you use?

xo

Brooke

hooked on enjoying the weekend...

After a week of completing a beautiful project there is nothing more wonderful than enjoying a weekend with my family. 

Steve took this picture of our clients' bedroom. I was worried that the Oly chandelier would be too big, but it really looks fantastic in the space. 

These lights from Holly Hunt hang over the farmhouse table in the breakfast room. 

The entry light in the finished home.

The kitchen with the beautiful Ann Sacks tile. The library ladder helps my client get to those hard to reach upper cabinets. We painted the back of the cabinets leaf green. Eventually white pitchers will pop against that green background. The polished nickel Yoke pendants from Circa lighting add a little more sparkle.

Images by Giannetti Architecture and Interiors, Inc.

So, after all of this work, I will be enjoying the Strawberry Festival in Oxnard!

There is nothing more lovely than being hooked on my family after a wonderful week.

This is a special week for me to be partying with Julia at Hooked on Houses, because this week Julia is hooked on my home! I have been a huge fan of Julia's since I started blogging last year. To be the subject of her Hooked on Fridays party is a dream come true! Thank you Julia!

xo

Brooke

beach meets elle decor

As I was telling my friend, Angela today, this project is in the process of being installed, but I couldn't resist sharing some of the progress with you.

My clients really wanted their home to feel relaxed and coastal, but they also wanted it to feel young and fresh. 

In the master bedroom, we used Farrow and Ball Skimming Stone on the walls with All White trim. All of the draperies are white linen from Fabricut.

The custom bed from Plantation was made with the same fabric. We added Galbraith and Paul pillows.  The bed side tables are from Aiden Gray. The fantastic turquoise bedside lamps are from Grace Home (thank you Michael!)

The Shabby Chic white linen chairs are complemented by the Raoul Textile pillows, and the Grace Home tufted turquoise velvet ottoman added some sophistication to the room. We selected the colors for the Rug Co. silk overleaf carpet to match all of the fabrics in my clients' bedroom.

I did a post about this room here. It's always interesting to see how much of my inspiration ends up in the final room. I love the yellow and gray color scheme. 

The art from the Sears Peyton Gallery makes the room complete.

We custom colored the Raoul Textile fabric for these Palecek chairs. The painting above the mantle actually rolls away to display the television.

The Furniture by Lee slipper chair in green velvet added a little color to this corner of the room. 

This image doesn't do this Woven Accents silk ruby slipper red carpet justice.

The Serena Drum chandelier from Oly was the perfect combination of beach and sophistication for my clients' dining room. The custom dining chairs are covered in another gorgeous Raoul Textile. We used Madagascar wallpaper from Hinson above the wainscot. The MK drapery rods are from one of my favorite showrooms,  Thomas Lavin.

all images Giannetti Architecture and Interiors, Inc.

We are still busy accessorizing and putting on the finishing touches, but I'm thrilled with the progress so far!

xo

Brooke

BTW: If you would like to see more posts about this home click here, here, and here .

mom

When I started this blog in September, I wanted to use it mainly as an online diary about my design journey. Not only has it helped me discover where I'm headed design-wise, it has also allowed me to be clearer about how my design style has been developing my entire life.

As I thought about Mother's day and how it relates to my blog, I realized that I started my interior design journey with one of the most important people in my life, my Mom. As you can tell from this picture of me and my Mom, she has be stylish her whole life and so have our homes.

Not only did my mom create a beautiful home for our family, she also nurtured my design expression. When I was a teenager, Mom helped me re-decorate my bedroom. She allowed me to create a room that was all my own. I am sure she was cringing at the lavender walls, lavender bedding, and yes matching lavender carpeting! My desk and bedside tables were white. Oh I just loved that room.

As I got older, our relationship evolved and we began to be partners in discovering our styles. Our design esthetics were different, but we learned from each other. We would go to flea markets where Mom would buy vintage embroidered asian piano scarves to throw over tables and sofas, and I would excitedly purchase old architectural pieces. Of course our taste would often overlap, and my Mom would point our a gorgeous painting or old clock face that I had to buy.

My Mom pointed out this painting to me at a textile show that we went to. It is very much her style as well as mine. I think of her every time I look at this piece. In every room of my home there are hints of my Mom, whether it is the gorgeous china she helped me pick out....

or her beautiful art nouveau vase that sits by my fireplace in my bedroom.

I am also fortunate to have pieces from my grandmother (Granny) in my home as well. She, too had an eye for beautiful things that she passed on to my Mom and then to me. 

Not only do Granny's chairs look fantastic in my sun room, they also fill my home with so many happy memories.

Granny's depression glass shines in the sun in my kitchen cabinets.

As I thought about my Mom and Granny, my thoughts lead me to think about my relationship with my own daughter, Leila. What would she remember of her life with me? Would she too have the design bug? There are a several signs that she has inherited the love of display, and she often creates beautiful table scapes in her bedroom. She also loves to paint and draw, and has filled her walls with all of her charming creations. 

Like my Mom, I hope that I am always here to nurture Leila's talents even if they differ from my own, and to tell her how proud I am of her. 

Happy Mother's Day to my Mom and to all of you!

xo

Brooke