Banquettes | The Built-ins

Last week I wrote about using sofas, loveseats, settees and benches as banquettes. This week I pay homage to the built-in banquettes. Enjoy!

I'll start with 2 photos from Candice Olson. This dramatic red velvet tufted banquette that goes right up to the ceiling is the banquette that started my obsession. I have a wall that would be PERFECT for such a grand statement. It's the dining room and the first wall you see when entering our home - the place to make a statement.

 

Alas, The wall has multiple light switches and an air-intake that make reconfiguring electrical and HVAC for such a built-in banquette very costly. I've repaired my broken heart and now I'm searching for the perfect sofa, loveseat or settee per last week's banquette post. Still, I enjoy and envy the built-in banquette. I hope you enjoy this collection and find inspiration for your own home!

 

Candice Olson

 

source unknown

 

via Houzz

 

via House of Turquoise

 

via Luxe & Lillies

 

via HGTV

 

via Absolutely Beautiful Things

 

via Tell Your Interior Designer

For more banquette inspiration, check out these posts:

• Banquettes
• An Ode to Banquettes

Do you love banquettes? Check out my collection of banquette inspiration on Pinterest. Do you have a banquette? I’m jealous and would love to see it! Please share photos with us on Facebook.

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Banquettes

As I've mentioned before - I love banquettes. There is something inherently glamorous about a banquette. Or perhaps it's because I imagine a dinner party of my friends piling onto a big banquette in my dining room. I can't quite put my finger on the source of this love, but it's there. Oh, it's there.

Banquettes are often thought of as built-in, such as this dramatic gem of a dining room via Toby Fairly. These built-ins can be a great solution to a tricky area.

However, the look and feel of a banquette can be easily achieved by pulling a sofa, loveseat, settee or bench up to your table, without the expense and construction mess of a custom built-in. Allow me to explain... visually.

 

A sofa fits perfectly between cabinets in a kitchen nook. via House Beautiful, February 2012 issue.

 

Another perfectly sized sofa. This one features a beautifully shaped back and another favorite: nailheads. Source unknown.

 

A very simple sofa becomes more interesting as a banquette. Source unknown.

 

This dramatic settee makes a big statement in this otherwise understated dining room. source unknown.

 

A punch of pink pattern brightens up this kitchen with the sofa turned banquette. Source unknown.

 

This clever Kitchen design features an armless sofa as banquette with a table where many others would have used bar stools. I love the originality and out of the box thinking! Source unknown.

 

An elegant sofa creates a contrast to the more rustic dining table in this interior design. The effect is stunning. via Four Walls and a Roof.

 

The Interior Designer of this hotel went big and bold. This space features a large, curvy hot pink sofa as banquette. Wow. via Ohmygosh! Design.

 

A beautiful curved sofa in a glamorous dining room, via Elle Decor

I wanted to add a built-in banquette to my dining room. However, the location of light switches and the air-intake vent make that project well beyond my budget. No problem - I now have my eye on a settee that I want to include. Stay tuned for more!

Do you love banquettes? Check out my collection of banquette inspiration on Pinterest. Do you have a banquette? I'm jealous and would love to see it! Please share photos with us on Facebook.
Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

I have always been fascinated with lighting design. As it was so astutely stated by famed Interior Decorator Ruby Ross Wood, "There is one fundamental fact about lighting: Where there is no light, there is no beauty." Lighting is an important element to a successful Interior Design. However, we've also elevated the light fixture beyond a functional necessity into pieces of artwork.

The Mother Chandelier from designer Baran Baylar at Hudson Furniture, is lighting, jewelry and art mixed into one amazing fixture. I admit that I am in love.


The frame is made of laser cut rings, with jewelry-like chain details hanging down and adding a balance of drama, elegance, and edginess.

The Mother Chandelier is available in Nickel, Black, Bronze and Polished Bronze finishes and sizes can be customized.


In addition to the Mother Chandelier, Hudson Furniture has several similar offerings with equal glamor and drama, but even larger in scale.

Dragon Chandelier in Black

Atlantis Chandelier in Nickel

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Inspiring Images - Budapest

Last week I left Denver to visit a dear friend that now lives in Budapest, Hungary.  The city contains beautiful and unique architecture that can be a great source of inspiration for your own interior design and decoration projects. I hope you’ll be as inspired by the beauty of the city as I was. Enjoy!

There are several copper and bronze statues in the castle hill area on the Buda side of the city. I love the way the metal has aged and gained patina into the beautiful turquoise shade.  It’s great inspiration for using metals in your outdoor spaces and leaving them exposed to the elements. Or perhaps you could use this particular patina turquoise as an interior paint or accessory color.

These beautiful gates and the Chain Bridge could be another great point of inspiration for your interior design plan. I find inspiration in both the combination of metal and stone and the detailed pattern of the iron work. It could be inspiration for interior or exterior railings or perhaps a fabric or wallpaper pattern loosely based on the scrolling iron work.

 

Finally, I would have to say that my favorite point of inspiration came from the cathedral roof tops in Budapest.  I have traveled a lot throughout Europe and have noticed that each culture puts their own flair on the cathedrals. The Hungarians have added a charming and unique touch with colorful glazed roof tiles. The obvious inspiration here is in using glazed tiles to create interesting patterns. Other uses could be in using glazed tiles in an unexpected application, perhaps a design on a table top. Or creating similar patterns in fabric or paint.

 

And a  look at the Buda side from the Pest side of the Danube. Look at those beautiful roof tiles. 

Have these images inspired you? What can Budapest bring to your interior design project?

Want more Inspiring Images? Check out these Inspiring Images posts.

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Favorite Things - Rivets Wall Coverings

To my regular readers, it’s no secret that I absolutely love both polka dots and nail head trim in Interior Design. As if answering my call, Phillip Jeffries has a new line of wall coverings called Rivets and it appeals to the polka-dot, nail-head loving designer in me. Phillip Jeffries has long been a creator of beautiful textural wall coverings and Rivets combines the look of nail heads or industrial rivets with the texture they are known for in the interiors industry: grass cloth.

 

From the Phillip Jeffries website: “Adding another dimension to wallcoverings is the RIVETS collection. Hand crafted by artisans, a raised relief pattern made with pearlized inks is hand applied to our natural Manila Hemp, Glazed Abaca, Linen and Jute wallcoverings to create the look and feel of authentic nail heads. Strong and bold, this pattern of 11.3” squares is available in nine unique color combinations that are truly riveting!” 

  Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Trends in Tile: Large Format, Large Pattern

Continuing on with the Latest and Greatest in Surfacing Trends, today the focus is big, big, big. Both larger format (size) and large pattern tiles are gaining presence in Interior Design markets and showrooms.  It’s no wonder that larger format tiles are gaining popularity, particularly in more contemporary interiors. The larger the tile, the fewer grout lines and a more even, continuous surface. Another trend in tiles is the use of more rectangular and plank shapes in place of traditional square tiles.

For an example of these trends, the best place to look is Italy. Italian manufacturers have long been on the leading edge of stone and porcelain surfacing materials. When it comes to all things getting larger, Italian manufacturers do not disappoint. The examples featured here are from Florin Ceramiche, particularly the Casa dolce Casa porcelain products. The particular tiles featured here are from the Nera line. The Nera tiles meet all three trends of larger sizes (up to a full 4 feet!), a variety of rectangular and plank shapes, and large patterns. The tiles are available in 6″X4′, 1′X4′, 2′X4′, 4′X4′ sizes.

Larger scale patterns are also being seen across the surfacing and Interior Design world.  Pattern is nothing new to tile, but manufacturers and designers are simply blowing up the scale for a much more dramatic impact.

Large Format

 Above we see the 4ft x 4ft tiles across the floor. It creates a beautiful streamlined interior without the distraction of grout lines.


Large Scale Pattern

Above, the simple geometric and monochromatic pattern is dramatic because of the large scale.  I must admit that I just love this floor and would happily add it to my own home.


Large Format and Pattern

Above we see both applications with the floor and wall tiles. This interior is absolutely stunning, with the wall tile extending up two stories with that large and very bold pattern. The Nera images pages will give you a better glimpse.


These products are available in Colorado through Interior Designers and the Decorative Materials showroom.

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Ribbon Glass Surfaces

Continuing from last week on the latest and greatest in tile, stone and coverings, today’s post is all about Architectural Glass Surfaces (aka glass slabs), particularly a product called Ribbon Glass. It is amazing and I hope it inspires you to use innovative products in your own Design or Decorating projects!
Glass surfaces are nothing new. We’ve seen glass tiles, particularly in tile mosaics, trending for the last several years. Other decorative glass applications have been around for a while, including glass countertops. Even glass blocks have been in and out of style for interiors since the 1930′s.  However, Ribbon Glass is something new and it’s very cool. For those looking for a more modern, artistic or unique surface, or those who are tired of granite as the go to luxury countertop, Ribbon Glass may be the perfect alternative for you.
Interstyle Ceramic and Glass are behind Ribbon Architectural Glass Surfaces. Made with 33% recycled content, the Ribbon surfaces are created by fusing layers of glass in a kiln. Being 100% glass, the surfaces are non-porous and stain-resistant and therefore great for countertop applications in the kitchen or bathroom. But it’s the color and texture that really make the product innovative and eye-catching.

Ribbon glass is versatile and each piece is hand made to specification up to 48″x120″. The custom nature lends the products to unlimited interesting applications beyond kitchens and bathrooms. I can envision this product as a mantel, wall art (especially if back-lit), room partition, or in furniture applications as seen in this table. How would you use Ribbon glass?

Each piece is a hand-crafted original. The company offers the color selection below, and custom color blends are welcome. Available in Denver through Interior Designers and the Decorative Materials showroom.

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Favorite Things - Coco Tiles

I recently came across this very cool environmentally friendly product for numerous interior design and furniture applications: Coco Tiles.  These tiles are from Kirei, a company specializing in environmentally friendly and green building materials.

The Coco Tiles are made from reclaimed coconut shells, low-VOC resins, and sustainably harvested wood backer. And they are simply beautiful; creating texture and movement in a room! They can be used as decorative 12″x12″ tiles or 48″ x48″ panels and both vertically and horizontally.

Although they look very textural, they can be smooth to the touch. The tiles can be ordered as unfilled or filled in with a lacquer to make a polished surface, suitable for wet areas.

About Kirei: “Pronounced ‘Key-ray’, Kirei is the Japanese character signifying ‘beautiful’ or ‘clean’. We have chosen Kirei as the name for our company to reflect our dedication to the principals of
elegant, sustainable design”.
“Our goal is continual introduction of new materials while improving our production and business practices to be as low-impact and sustainable as possible.”

Want to see them locally? Visit Ellie’s Eco Home Store in Boulder, CO.


Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com