Design and sofa by Bella castilla

By Design
Every month design magazines are filled with page after page of stunning home interiors to help homeowners capture the look of the moment in their own space. But fortunately, there’s no longer a need to be a design lemming and adopt the décor du jour because everyone else is doing it.

"What’s great today is that there are so many choices. There’s not just one style that everyone wants," observes Sheryll Jackman, owner of Seaside Home boutiques in Coronado, La Jolla, and Encinitas.

"Things are definitely becoming more eclectic; we’re mixing Oriental and antiques with clean-lined pieces."

Whatever look is chosen, homeowners want their home to be comfortable so they can enjoy living in their surroundings. Here are some popular design trends that are showing up on the area’s design landscape:

Let There Be Light
Because of the style and scale of many houses in the Covenant and other parts of Rancho Santa Fe, Tuscan and Spanish looks will always be popular. But they’re being lightened and softened with a mix of fabrics, paint treatments, and accessories.

A traditional overstuffed Spanish-style chair might have been done in deep red, gold, or rust-colored fabric or leather a few years ago. Now that same piece is more likely to be swathed in creamy-colored chenille.

"We use the same beautiful wood pieces but with light and casual fabrics on them to soften them," says Maria Barry of Le Dimora in Rancho Santa Fe. "For example a dark wood piece with big bronze nail heads is covered in linen or cotton fabric. That’s one of the biggest trends I see is creams, linens, and beiges with these dark heavy woods."

Richly-colored traditional Oriental carpets are being replaced with Tibetan carpets made of pale-colored silk and wool. The designs are very faint, so they don’t dominate.

Kitchen design isn’t exempt from the lighter trend. Instead of cabinetry in matching dark wood, some of the panels or an island will be painted in cream paint and hand-rubbed, giving it a slightly rustic appeal.

"It’s just a new lighter look," Barry says. "Everything is just lightening up and softening and going more comfortable and casual."

Adding windows, especially transoms above existing windows, helps homeowners further add a light and airy feeling to a room.

"It allows more natural light to come in and helps blur the division between indoor and outdoor space," says James Ramirez of Patrick Design in San Diego.

Unique Details
With any design scheme, it’s the little details that really enhance and bring the whole look to life.

The right accent color can add a whole new dimension to a room, says John Lieberman, owner of Bella Castilla in Del Mar.

"One new trend is all the pretty blues in accessories and fabrics," he says. "The blues mix beautifully with the rust colors in that Tuscan-Spanish-Mediterranean look."

Lieberman says the exquisite interplay of russet, black, and ocean blue is shown in a new split-back sofa with wood finials that’s upholstered in a mix of paisley, stripes, and solids. It’s one of the many custom pieces that Lieberman designs exclusively for his store.

While functionality is key, bathrooms are being given a subtle design twist. Ramirez notes that the pattern of wood grain, leather, or leaf veins is being pressed into ceramic tile and then captured there to create a textured tile

"They add the elegance and texture you would get from a fabric but they’re durable," says Ramirez, who has sourced textured tiles from Unique Stone Imports near Linda Vista and Classic Tile & Mosaic in Little Italy.

Meanwhile, the opulence of the claw-foot bathtub has been updated with a new style of free-standing tubs. The new tubs feature simpler straight legs and are made of concrete or matte granite rather than porcelain, according to Barry. In a similar vein, vessel sinks, in which a basin is mounted atop a counter, continue to be a fresh look. But these days the counter is likely to be something more earthy than glossy polished marble.

Green Design
More natural finishes are showing up on wood furniture in order to meet demand for more environmentally-friendly everything. A sofa may feature a glossy stain that allows the beauty of the wood to show through, paired with cushions done in natural fibers such as wool, cotton, or silk.

The trend toward natural looks is extending to floor coverings as well.

"Sisal carpet is so popular now -they’re huge for the look and the style," says Barry. "They’re not as treated as others. With the whole green theme the style is changing." Reclaimed wood, which might be used for flooring or exterior treatments, is very chic right now, Ramirez says. People like the weathered look and the idea of recycling old materials into a new project.

"Companies find them from older homes or they import higher-end products from Europe," says Ramirez. "There are also people in the Northwest and Northeast and they find old barns and reclaim the wood. They’re even using railroad ties for flooring." The reclaimed wood flooring is so popular it’s available at large retailers like Kohl’s and Unique Stone Imports.

Not surprisingly, green chic has also raised the profile of shades of green inspired by nature from pale celery and sage to moss and forest.

Classics Touches
The super clean-lined, stark modern, or mid-century looks that were popular for a while are now being modified with softer details rooted in the past. Clients are seeking a fresher take on traditional interiors that mix cleaner lines and colors with artisanal touches.

"They like things that hint at the past," says Jackman, a member of the ASID. "They don’t have to be museum replicas; it’s more about the curve of the leg or the back of a chair when it has a hint of some design details."

Even draperies, which had become slightly passé, are coming back done in raw silks, linens which add depth and softness to a room.

Classic American furniture lines such as Thomasville, Baker, Henredon, and Ralph Lauren capture that balance between old and new. Jackman notes that the best American-made furniture is coveted internationally. Ralph Lauren, Henredon, and Baker all boast showrooms in areas of Paris, Dubai,

St. Petersburg, and Rome. International customers appreciate the style and the quality craftsmanship that they find in American-made furniture, says Jackman, who was on her way to shop for new pieces at High Point, which is the capital of the domestic industry.

"It’s something the American public is not even aware of," says Jackman. "They shop price all the time and they forget what a wonderful industry we have in this country." — Maria C. Hunt