What a year it was! 2021 was filled to the brim with willing clients, eager for change and home design. Wait times were explained to all, but I don’t think any of us were prepared for those long lead times to be extended often more than once…let’s try 2 and 3 times for delivery and supply chain issues! A big thank you to all of our loyal clients who stayed in line and anxiously awaited designs to be completed. At the end of the year, when reviewing, we realized that most of our projects are not completed (!) and so I will present our own photos from along the way, while we wait for completed projects worthy of professional photography shoots. Stay tuned for these!

Here’s the tally!

2 living rooms

5 bathrooms

8 kitchens

13 bedrooms

5 great rooms

3 home offices

5 dining rooms

1 sitting room

1 sunroom

1 bar

1 basement living space

 

Susan

A year long project (still, with more deliveries needed for completion!) was this executive home office for a posh Park Avenue apartment in NYC. I’ll have a whole blog dedicated to this when we are able to have it photographed, but feast your eyes on his office and I hope you love it as much as he does! The client is a top executive with Ralph Lauren, so what could be more perfect?! I had this vision from the beginning, and he, his stylish wife, and I worked for months to find the perfect art. Just before this part of the installation, I was able to curate these vintage trophy vases for the perfect finishing touch. The art was selected and custom framed for the perfect vibe for this busy executive who spends countless hours in this room. You’ll want to watch for more details on this project!

The primary bedroom for the same Park Avenue apartment (left). Layers of tone on tone color, metallic finishes and custom everything (!) sets the mood here. I love everything about this room! 

On the right, a quick view of the living room accent wall. I’ll give you additional information later, but to set the stage, the first step in this rennovation was to paint the entire apartment, walls, ceiling and trim, one color. The client’s vision was to keep it light and tone on tone, so my suggestion was easily agreed upon! Here, I booked three custom Vanguard Furniture Make it Yours chests together to create a dramatic wall of much needed storage. Three sets of assorted sized mirrors were hung (by my expert husband!) and alabaster based lamps placed for atmosphere and style! No worries, performance fabrics in cream make it practical for the homeowners and two #purestyle King Charles Cavalier spaniels!

I’m going to tease you just a bit with a few snapshots of this next project! It might be my personal favorite for the work I designed this year! I’m pretty much in heaven when my clients dive deep into my initial design direction and from there we add the more personal wish list details. My posh, young client requested a moody, sexy primary suite redesign. She had saved this room for one of the last rooms to renovate and we pulled out all the stops! After giving her three color pallets, we landed on the first, my favorite! *sigh* I designed a full wall of built in door/drawer storage, which ended up with about 30 ft of usable, needed storage. Think designer handbags, shoes, a compact refrigerator, hidden printer…well, the list goes on. You’ll see more of this when completed, several months away! It’s been a year in the making so far…yikes! This moody, beautiful rich color was selected for the entire room, walls, ceiling and built-ins. Wowza! Sherwin Williams Expressive Plum sets the mood. 

The bed was recently delivered, still waiting on the custom designed oval nightstands, obviously, worth the wait! I snagged the rest of several discontinued fabrics for these pillows in the nick of time! Thanks to my expert project manager, Jackie Macli!

To the right, a hint of the wall to wall built-ins and this very recently delivered sofa/chaise in a delicious performance textured velvet..yes, in the wall color! This is one dreamy room!

Another favorite project (nearing completion!) was a Bucks County update, shown above. Starting with the idea of updating with paint, we choose a stylish neutral, a personal favorite (!) and painted walls, trim and ceiling one color . My clients were a wee bit unsure, but after this first step, fell in love with the direction! We selected a dramatic pallet of black and cream and carried it throughout the kitchen and family room.

Coffee table below is a personal favorite for this room, although this is the first time I’ve used it ! I love a coffee table that allows me to design on two levels…and my cute friends did not hold me back! Note those little rolled pillows in small black/cream animal print! Weeeeeee!

I was sooooooo pleased that I finally got to use this console (reverse painted glass) and the second it was delivered, it proved to be absolutely perfect for the room! My clients caught the vision when I presented it and immediately fell in love. I’m currently searching for the perfect art to finish this area. Think current market trip! You’ll see more when completed!

This fabric is to die for!! Custom chairs in performance fabric with texture, fabulous rug, it’s a winner! We painted the kitchen and added the dramatic black oversized hardware for a perfect story. LOVE those chairs! In a longer post, I’ll show you my before and after’s….so telling!

Those of you who know me, know that the end styling of finishing touches is my passion! In this room, bookcases on both sides of the fireplace got an update, using new and old together as well as coffee table and console…Those draperies! *sigh* We partnered with Mary Poynter to find drapery workroom for these. #purestyle

Although my clients started out wanting to salvage a perfectly good chocolate leather sectional, the further we got into the project, the more their thoughts turned to this fabulous black velvet hip sectional. Nice choice, girls! We love collaborating, and this purchase was theirs after the rest of the room came together. These rooms are definitely #ohsosusan !

One of our projects was the renovation and total makeover of a small Yardley basement. Taken from a typical storage basement with little style to this! Plenty of room for snacks, drinks, much needed additional storage, home gym space, and….soon to come (yet another year in progress room!) sleeper sofa, and game area. We partnered with a closet company to do the build-out. Our client was very sure of what they needed and wanted and we basically consulted on finishes and fine tuned the design for this. This space will definitely be a well used space upon completion!

The other end of the room provides movie watching, additional storage, seating….a general hang out room for all! The addition of High Performance Vinyl flooring adds warmth, comfort and practicality to this space. Accessories, art and a sleep sofa yet to arrive!

Here you see a bar with three stools, used so often in my retail and custom designs! Think football snacks, iPad use, or laptop space…it’s a winner every time. The sofa will back up to this when it finally arrives! 

I also designed an outdoor living space for this client. I love the bold color (bringing the interior colors through the family room and into this lovely oasis. The homeowners are avid gardeners, cooks and entertainers, so this space will be often used when our world returns to large gatherings!

One last peek at a lovely project Jackie and I did on the Delaware River in New Hope. Views to die for and luxury living on the third floor overlooking the River. This precision drapery was executed by our design partner Mary Poynter Drapery Workroom. Note the perfect curve, following the line of the bay window! Sheer perfection! I love the watercolor linen, taking notes from the Delaware River view. Accessories, drapery, pillows and rugs completed this sophisticated home.

Amy

Above the in-progress work of kitchen/bath specialist Amy Lee, staff designer! I’m all over that color. You’ll see more about this renovation when competed. Such a beautiful transformation. The project was a full house Ranch renovation She changed the laundry room into a bathroom and the old bathroom became the laundry room. Changing walls, adding an ecosmart fireplace, there’s so much more to talk about! Watch for details. The client wanted a new fresh start in her life and her space to feel bright and fresh! Amy did not disappoint.

Amy designed this wall to wall casework and added the sconces (left). Window coverings are in progress! Soooooo much of our work this year remains “in progress”. It’s a story told the design world over. New flooring and rug have arrived, still waiting for the rest! Stay tuned!

Luxury vinyl plank flooring, one of our favorites, for practicality, comfort and performance (right).

Juliana

Juliana worked on a whole house new construction and designed a beautiful home design for a former client! Watch for more to come on this rewarding project as well! Let’s just start with this dramatic chandelier in the entry…perfect scale and drama. Beautiful.

Below, Juliana oversees the installation of custom draperies and a true custom designed dining table-10 ft in length! Our resident artist, Amy Lee, was instrumental in curating the live edge wood, as well as designing the base made from cold rolled steel. We partnered with Paramount Woodworking, a local wood shop very close to create this work of art! Finishing the room, a beautiful fine rug and wallcovering under Juliana’s direction.

Construction photo (right)!

We love designing the finishing touches and often work as a team for these important design elements. Here, an oversized sculptural vessel filled with local Bucks County curated sycamore cuts and the drama of a large manzanita branch create the perfect centerpiece for this rustic, yet refined home design.

In a remote office world, who wouldn’t want to work here?! The intrigue of this botanical wallpaper is punctuated with a statement mirror and a pop of color! There’s plenty of room for office files and storage with three chests booked together, a favorite design plan from the BES team of #purestyle designers. This one is credited to Julianna Ferrazzi. Note the beauty of the dark contrast drawer fronts as they play off the wallcovering, along with a light rug for the perfect design story!

A few accessories placed as the beginning for a personal touch. Working within a room of such beauty is a pleasure!

A beautiful update was designed to include the original Bucks County stone. Arched Palladian windows were dressed with fabulous custom drapery panels in a tailored graphic pattern. Rug, tables and upholstery brought this room into a new era and a statement chandelier brought in the wow factor! Designer; Juliana Ferrazzi.

It’s often difficult to add the finishing touches to these fragmented projects, just as you see here, empty vessels, but placement and color defined, sure to be the cream to our coffee when final designs can be installed!

Color, scale and placement are key to our perfectly styled designs.

Juliana worked on a whole house update and we are almost ready to share the entire project! Here’s a sneak peek of the dining room and living room….watch for the entire project soon! (Find the custom art designed and made by our own Amy Lee, artist and designer!)

Layered coffee tables, custom draperies, upholstery, rug, art, shades, ok….the works! Design by Juliana Ferrazzi.

Under Julianna’s design eye, this Primary Bedroom came to life using rich chocolate, taupe and blush tones. What’s not to like?! Follow us for more on this one! I love the moody hues and use of dramatic deep tones.

We worked on many custom stairway and area rug installations in 2021. There’s so much to covet in this animal print runner! We partner with expert installers and the drama of this staircase was the vision of Juliana Ferrazzi! Oh. Yes.

Beautiful area rug update!

Staff Designer, Juliana Ferrazzi participated in a Habitat for Humanity event, designing these lamps from donated items! A little paint and covered lampshades returned with this new design! Yay!!

It’s been a year! (Didn’t we say that last year?! Thanks for walking this walk with us through the difficulties we encountered together! We ended the year with a lot of #purestyle from my entire team and look forward to finishing these and many more in 2022! Let’s raise a cup of cheer to more fine designs than we can count to come!

xoxo,

Susan