Houzz Tour: Dark and Moody Contrast With Serene and White
A design team working remotely brings dramatic contrast, style and comfort to a family’s Southern California home
This Southern California couple had been admiring the work of Urbanology Designs for years, but they knew that the firm was far away in Texas. However, when they called principal designer Ginger Curtis, their timing was perfect. “I’d made it a goal to take on out-of-state projects in 2021,” Curtis says. “And we had worked with lots of clients from Los Angeles who had relocated to Texas, so having our first remote project in that area was a great fit.”
During an initial visit to the home, the design team got to know the homeowners, performed a site survey and interviewed receivers. Then, working with contractors that the homeowners had hired, it remotely coordinated and executed the full remodel of the first floor, the bedrooms and a study, returning at the end of the process to install everything. The result is a wonderful balance between dramatic and serene, chic and comfortable.
During an initial visit to the home, the design team got to know the homeowners, performed a site survey and interviewed receivers. Then, working with contractors that the homeowners had hired, it remotely coordinated and executed the full remodel of the first floor, the bedrooms and a study, returning at the end of the process to install everything. The result is a wonderful balance between dramatic and serene, chic and comfortable.
High contrast is a key signature of the firm’s style. “The chandelier adds so much drama to the moody room,” Curtis says. The way it hovers close to the ceiling is a good fit for the ceiling height.
Another of the firm’s signature moves is designing one-of-a-kind pieces for its clients. Curtis designed the white oak casework that houses the TV, media equipment and games. “I just love asymmetry and try to incorporate it in our designs,” she says. On the right, a stepped-up tabletop provides room to tuck two stools underneath. “We always like to find a way to add extra seating,” Curtis says. “These velvet-topped stools add so much beauty to the room, and they can also use them as ottomans or to place a tray.” The spot can also serve as an extra homework station.
“A part of using asymmetry successfully is creating balance,” Curtis says. “And we love to play with scale.” Here, a large-scale sconce on the right creates balance with the floating shelves on the left.
Wall paint: Black Forest Green, Benjamin Moore
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Another of the firm’s signature moves is designing one-of-a-kind pieces for its clients. Curtis designed the white oak casework that houses the TV, media equipment and games. “I just love asymmetry and try to incorporate it in our designs,” she says. On the right, a stepped-up tabletop provides room to tuck two stools underneath. “We always like to find a way to add extra seating,” Curtis says. “These velvet-topped stools add so much beauty to the room, and they can also use them as ottomans or to place a tray.” The spot can also serve as an extra homework station.
“A part of using asymmetry successfully is creating balance,” Curtis says. “And we love to play with scale.” Here, a large-scale sconce on the right creates balance with the floating shelves on the left.
Wall paint: Black Forest Green, Benjamin Moore
Shop for a chandelier
Another reason the dark color works so well is that the room gets a lot of bright Southern California light through the windows and doors.
All the sofas in the house are custom. “One of the homeowners has back problems and so they had very specific seating requests — there are no chairs in this room,” Curtis says. “These sofas are not as deep as the average sofa and are structured, yet they are very comfortable. Designing a custom sofa is also great because you can get the size for the room exactly right.”
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All the sofas in the house are custom. “One of the homeowners has back problems and so they had very specific seating requests — there are no chairs in this room,” Curtis says. “These sofas are not as deep as the average sofa and are structured, yet they are very comfortable. Designing a custom sofa is also great because you can get the size for the room exactly right.”
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The pass-through to the kitchen was existing. Curtis used it to create an attractive seating area with a quartz waterfall counter and oak counter stools.
Should You Go Custom? Home Professionals Weigh In
Should You Go Custom? Home Professionals Weigh In
The kitchen isn’t very large, but it feels open and airy thanks to the lack of an island. A vintage rug adds a warm touch on the floor. A large pantry cabinet is on the left.
The backsplash is handmade terra-cotta tile. “With the open view of the kitchen, we knew we needed a color that would play well with the dark green,” Curtis says. It also adds a warm organic element to the kitchen. Because of the vertical orientation of the tiles, Curtis knew she needed to balance in some horizontality. The striped Roman shade over the window creates a large horizontal element, as do the white oak accents pieces on the cabinetry, vent hood and open shelves.
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The backsplash is handmade terra-cotta tile. “With the open view of the kitchen, we knew we needed a color that would play well with the dark green,” Curtis says. It also adds a warm organic element to the kitchen. Because of the vertical orientation of the tiles, Curtis knew she needed to balance in some horizontality. The striped Roman shade over the window creates a large horizontal element, as do the white oak accents pieces on the cabinetry, vent hood and open shelves.
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The open shelves give the homeowners a chance to display a few favorite things. The faucet, hardware and lights add the shine of brass to the room.
An undermount sink maintains a streamlined look. One big splurge was the stunning faucet, which serves as a focal point in the center of the room. The countertops are a pretty quartz with a marble-like veining pattern.
Faucet: Atmosphyre
Faucet: Atmosphyre
This banquette area serves as an eat-in space off the kitchen. Curtis custom-designed the oval dining table. The oversize ribbing on its base is another play on scale. The curves of the table, banquette seat and sculptural chandelier play off one another.
The paneling along the back wall of the banquette brings a powerful punch of color into the room. The rich green creates a connection to the living room. And a ledge that tops the paneling provides a spot to display art.
Banquette color: Regent Green, Benjamin Moore
Banquette color: Regent Green, Benjamin Moore
“This house satisfied my stylistic split personality,” Curtis says. “I love dark and moody and I love peaceful and calm.” The second living-family room is the latter, with a bit of moodiness coming in through art and accents.
Two custom structured sofas provide the specific comfortable seating the homeowners needed. An oversize coffee table fits the center of the room just right. And layered rugs add softness, texture and color. “The top rug adds some unexpected peachy-pink tones,” Curtis says. The bottom rug is jute with a crisscross pattern.
This room has higher ceilings, so Curtis added wood beams for warm contrast and to tie into where the ceiling drops on the left side of the room. The beams also add an architectural element to the space.
Two custom structured sofas provide the specific comfortable seating the homeowners needed. An oversize coffee table fits the center of the room just right. And layered rugs add softness, texture and color. “The top rug adds some unexpected peachy-pink tones,” Curtis says. The bottom rug is jute with a crisscross pattern.
This room has higher ceilings, so Curtis added wood beams for warm contrast and to tie into where the ceiling drops on the left side of the room. The beams also add an architectural element to the space.
A stone side table adds an organic element and a sculptural shape to the room.
One of the dark and moody pieces of artwork is digital — a Frame TV that hangs over the fireplace. Curtis centered the seating area around the fireplace, which she redesigned. “It was just a sad little box insert before,” she says. Now it has a larger firebox and a plaster surround that adds subtle texture.
The bench seat in the foreground helps create an open feel when entering the room. The dark armoire in the corner houses the media equipment, provides additional storage and adds contrast to the light color palette.
The bench seat in the foreground helps create an open feel when entering the room. The dark armoire in the corner houses the media equipment, provides additional storage and adds contrast to the light color palette.
A chunky console table catches the eye. “I love this piece because it’s the first thing you see when you walk into the room and it’s a nice place for the eye to rest. It’s a fun play on scale and it’s very architectural,” Curtis says.
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Click here to learn the basics
The serene feeling continues upstairs in the primary bedroom. “Their room was small and simple, and we just wanted to make it a place that made them feel happy when they entered it,” Curtis says. “I wanted to give their bed earthy tones, then added a little pop with the forest green pillow and bench cushion.”
Simple woven shades, linen curtains and a linen headboard contribute to the calm feel. The framed piece over the bed is a vintage textile. The ceiling fixture ties together a natural woven material and brass. “It also added another shape to the room,” the designer says.
Simple woven shades, linen curtains and a linen headboard contribute to the calm feel. The framed piece over the bed is a vintage textile. The ceiling fixture ties together a natural woven material and brass. “It also added another shape to the room,” the designer says.
The vintage rug brings in soft and muted tones. The nightstands add wood grain patterns, and the sconces have playful gold discs. “The light bounces off the gold in a really pretty way,” Curtis says.
The design team added vessels for plants throughout the house. These provide beautiful shapes, organic textures and a place for greenery.
Great communication with a strong contracting team and the receivers was key to the success of working remotely for the first time. “This project was a real milestone for us and the homeowners could not have been lovelier,” Curtis says. “They reminded us that what we are able to do for clients is so meaningful. We were proud that we could do it remotely and it made us eager to do it again.”
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Great communication with a strong contracting team and the receivers was key to the success of working remotely for the first time. “This project was a real milestone for us and the homeowners could not have been lovelier,” Curtis says. “They reminded us that what we are able to do for clients is so meaningful. We were proud that we could do it remotely and it made us eager to do it again.”
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House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two elementary-school-age children
Location: Westlake Village, California
Size: 3,000 square feet (279 square meters); four bedrooms, four bathrooms
Designer: Urbanology Designs
Contractor: Focil Construction
The homeowners have two elementary-school-age kids, so rather than having a formal living room and a more casual family room, the team made both rooms a hybrid of the two. This one is the first room seen after walking through the front door. “The low ceiling in here was a big design challenge,” Curtis says. “But I Iove a challenge, because they are almost always the greatest design opportunities.”
She decided the answer was to paint all the walls and the ceilings a deep green-black. “Having any breaking point in the color would have highlighted just how low the ceilings were,” she says. In addition to tricking the eye into ignoring the ceiling height, the dark color also helps camouflage the large TV that was the husband’s big must-have.
“The dark color was risky for a main living space, but we felt confident it was the right choice, especially with all the great natural light in the room,” Curtis says.
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