Living Room, San Jose, CA

After my clients bought a sweet 1920s classic California Spanish bungalow in the Rose Garden area of San Jose, they came to me for some design guidance. We toured the empty house and I asked them what their style direction was and what they were thinking of doing. The heavily ornate, dark wood moulding and trim is original to the house and I naturally assumed that they would want to keep them. But I was thrilled when they identified themselves as modernists, liking clean lines and a lighter color palette. So we chose a strong white for all the dark trim and a warm neutral for the walls. With that canvas, we began layering on contemporary furnishings but with a sense of luxury that still feels traditional enough to sit in such an historic house. Custom drapes in a plum-colored Kasmir fabric set the tone for the color palette in the living room. Sumptuous ripplefold panels hang from a ceiling mounted Architrac allowing the full height of the arched window to be enjoyed from inside. The fireplace received a coat of a slate blue color from Kelly Moore. A comfortable sofa with mid-century lines plays nicely with a custom ottoman and a custom rug from Dalyn. And finally, discreetly presiding over it all, the Re ceiling light from Visual Comfort offers a bit of elegance without being fussy. Photo by Bernardo Grijalva