Things that come out: Gramercy Place kitchen schematic design

I got the opportunity to do the schematic design for the interior remodel of this historic, classical revival mansion in LA's West Adams district.

The house has some amazing details, but had fallen into disrepair...

Especially the kitchen!

Gramercy Place Spark Diagram

I assembled this collection of inspiration images to communicate my intent to the client.  From this jumping-off point I created the following drawings.

Kitchen_West Elevation

Kitchen_North Elevation

Kitchen_East Elevation

Kitchen_East Elevation (colorized)

Kitchen_South Elevation

Kitchen_Plan

Things that come out: Marcasel island and entertainment center

The faceted kitchen island is going to get a little sibling.  I have designed a matching entertainment center for an adjacent family/TV room (see sketches at the bottom of this post).  

The desk/entertainment center/shelving unit is entirely wall-mounted, leaving plenty of floor space in the small, 8'x12' room.  The face plane of the unit is pulled out and pushed in as needed for function - the desk surface is 24" at its deepest - limiting its physical encroachment on the room, while offering a visual impact.

Things that come out: Progress pics of Miller Drive paint job

After many samples...

And even more samples...

We finally got just the right combination of vibrant colors!  Here is a sneak peak at the Frida Kahlo inspired paint job for this Hollywood bungalow.  Thanks to the guys at Detail Painting for doing such a great job!

The wood gate used to be painted white and the magicians at C&H Finishing restored it to all its redwood glory. The new door handle is the "Bernina" by Valli & Valli.

The exterior is a combination of Dunn Edwards Beautiful Blue, Martian, and Midnight Brown (on the eaves). 

The kitchen is a combination of blackboard paint and Dunn Edwards Energy Orange.  The orange is fabulous, but DIY painter beware, because it took TEN coats to cover - even with a dark gray primer underneath!

The bedroom is Dunn Edwards Cornflower on the walls and Martian on the doors and trim.  Stepping into this bedroom feels like stepping into a vacation.

The bougainvillea plant at the front of the house was the inspiration for the office.  This is Behr Tutti Frutti with Dunn Edwards Martian on the doors and (eventually) trim.  The chocolate brown wood floors and cabinetry not seen in this pic help to bring this room back down to earth.

Good to know: What to look for in a contractor's contract

This is a must-read for anybody thinking about hiring a contractor.  

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/4393199/list/What-to-Look-for-in-a-Contractor-s-Contract