DESIGN FILES :: MODERN NEUTRALS TO FILL AN UPGRADED APARTMENT (PART I)
I thought we’d start 2017 off with one of my favorite and last homes we completed in 2016! In my opinion. In many ways, it’s my ideal home. Full of simple design choices and neutrals, lots of white walls and warm woods… you know. VERY ME.
The apartment belongs to the prominent Naoufer Ramoul (television presenter of Qabil li Niqash show" a weekly political debate) and her cat Radisson! Needless to say, she has an impeccable taste.
And what a beautiful apartment it is especially that the living room opens up to a balcony with a most wonderful view on to the Sheikh Zayed Road and the lawn of the Emirates Hills Golf Course letting it in tons of beautiful light.
The intent was to create a calm paradise, rich with textures, layers, and a soft color palette that would highlight the architecture but not overpower it. I wanted the client to feel like this was her sanctuary, a place she could escape to and feel welcome.
The Entrance
The apartment opens up straight into the now open kitchen, so to make a bit of an entrance we placed a beautiful painting of white horse that welcomes you as you step in and anchored it with a small console from Luz De Luna and styled it with warm metals from H&M home, Zara Home & two votive lights from Pottery Barn & Marina Home. This entrance set the colors of the entire home in its neutrals, and soft colors.
We opted to place a big Pottery Barn metal arched mirror by the door right as you exit the house to make sure she always looks stunning!
The Living Room
Continuing in, we knew that we wanted the furnishings to be grounded in a neutral palette so the house could feel calm and clean. My client loves minimal color, so we incorporated a lot of those tones and tempered it with some softer neutrals such as blues, beige, and creams. Color was introduced sparingly within art and accessories while the walls were treated in Jotun's lady design M4 which gave it a sleek and contemporary finish.
The living room is anchored by the 72 inch television! Naturally she is a huge tv fan! But the whole space was designed for entertaining with seats for so many guests! We kept the colors soft with a fun pop of color via the Ebarza Egg chair and the beautiful Carpet Centre piece.
The big L-shape Indigo Living Sofa was best for chillaxing especially with all the THE ONE throw pillows. We added the Noguchi like glass table from MQ Furniture which was a perfect size and shape for the area, not to mention that glass always gives a sense of lightness and space. We also added two floating grey linen foot stools that could easily be moved around when needed, both from the THE ONE. The space was finessed with various accessories from Blanc D'ivoire in their vivid blue color and the trending coppers.
We also opted to add metals in the space to give it that luxurious touch, so in came the golden multi-cubic chandelier from 2XL and the beautiful metal artwork we hung on top of the sofa which was sourced from Al Huthaifa.
All these elements were tied together by the beautiful choice of curtains fabric in its silvers and beiges nuances.
The Kitchen
The kitchen has been remodeled into an open style kitchen from Meiwe's kitchens with all appliances from top of the line Miele, it has all the features you would dream of! A hood that comes down from the ceiling, drawers that open by passing your foot under the door and a dishwasher you open by knocking its door! Ofcourse the German finishing is just impeccable. We only had to change the colors of the original backsplash and some doors from vibrant bright orange to a beautiful greyish green that complimented the overall neutrals of the apartment. By adding three super comfy grey bar chairs from ID Design the kitchen was now ready for long dinner nights with friends!
The Balcony
Since the space offered amazing views, we couldn't just not finish it off. We placed a simple wooden teak bench, table and two chairs that didn't eat up much of the space, all from Home Centre. Styled with simple decorative greens, lots of candles and colorful cushions and a throw for the chilly nights, the balcony now is like an escape into cosmopolitan city.
On the challenges:
The main challenge of this project was logistics. It was quite the feat getting the vast amount of inventory in place right as my client moved houses and before her travels to cover the US elections in a jam-packed two-day installation. It was an exhilarating experience with many 'make it work' moments. We've found that often times being forced to improvise helps to create a more effortless finished space.
Continue on the rest of the house tour here.
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