Fiorito Interior Design Sneak Peek: The Half Moon Bay Luxury Suite

I am very excited for this year to unfold as I have a lot of wonderful, fascinating projects brewing. And one of the most interesting ones is a complete home remodel for a house in a seaside town here on the Northern California coast. My clients intend on turning their sizable home into an Airbnb by utilizing two bedroom suites. The private areas of the house will still include a living-dining-kitchen space, a guest room/office and their own master suite.

The inspiration for the Airbnb suites came from neighboring seaside destinations and towns, so it seemed only fitting to keep that motif when it came time to design the master suite. I wanted the owner's suite to be luxurious and steps above the rental rooms, and the most luxurious nearby destination is certainly the exquisite Ritz Carlton Hotel in the lovely coastal town of Half Moon Bay.

Blending the colors of nature from the surroundings with the well-appointed luxury of a renowned five-star hotel, I came up with a palette of cream, champagne silver, sand, bleached driftwood, and foggy blue/grey. The organic elements within a refined setting makes for an intriguing and engaging contrast (see Design mantra #1 to the right, "Contrast brings interest!")

My clients have approved the style direction and work begins on the entire house soon. Stay tuned!

Happy designing!

Cabin Style

Autumn is here... time to hibernate! If you are lucky enough to have a cabin in the woods to retreat to, most likely you are familiar with the classic cabin style which uses a lot of wood and stone. Exposed log beams, river rock fireplaces, and rustic lanterns give an authentic vibe.

But a cabin doesn't have to mean "roughing it." Here are some luxury cabins that bring style to the great outdoors. The wood and stone may remain, but the addition of select antiques, sumptuous draperies, or contemporary and comfortable furnishings elevates the humble cabin into a different experience!

And a cabin can even incorporate modern elements as evidenced by this sleek bathroom. The minimalist lighting and smooth ceramic vessel sink are marvelous contrasts to the wood floor and walls.

If you'd like to bring the cabin feel to your space, give me a call! A little wood and a little stone...

Happy designing!

Master Bedroom: From Blah to Aaaah by Fiorito Interior Design

An uninspiring bedroom bored my clients. They longed for a special place to retire at the end of a long, stressful day but were completely stymied and did not know how to accomplish that. The bedroom needed to function as a retreat from a hectic life with two young boys, and busy careers but what they had was a bland room without any soothing qualities whatsoever. And no time to invest in making it the oasis they craved.

They were happy with the pieces of furniture they had, so I decided to build on what was already there. Now, I am not usually a fan of matching pieces of furniture, but in this case, I got a second night table from the same line. While the bedroom was of average size, creating a sense of symmetry makes a larger cohesive unit for the eye to see. The result is a more generous expanse. This was helped with a set of sky blue porcelain lamps, creating a more grand sense of "place."

Hesitant to have anything over the bed since we live in earthquake country (there's nothing worse than being woken up at 3AM by an earthquake only to have a piece of framed art over the bed jump off the wall and conk one on the head!), we hung sumptuous chocolate Dupioni silk panels with a slight sheen behind the bed. This accomplishes two goals: 1) to visually extend the headboard and draw the eye upward (another way to make the space seem more "grand") and 2) to introduce more fabric into the space as a way to soften the room and create more of a cushioned, comforting feeling.  Custom made bedding in soothing aquas and rich chocolates, along with a vintage oil painting and a modern etching of Pacific seascapes completes this now tranquil and luxurious room.

Have a space that is troubling you? A spot you just can't tackle? Give me a call!

Happy designing!

The Luxury Bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

A while back, I had the good fortune to work on a complete home renovation. My clients bought a property that was in the right neighborhood with the right school and right distance from work and culture, and while the house was nice, it was not the dream home my clients had hoped for. Since turnover in this particular, highly desirable neighborhood is rare, they decided to turn this house into their dream home. And thus a nearly two-year rebuild project was born. Both the front and back of the house got extended and rebuilt, making way not only for a much more spacious formal living room, but also for a glorious master suite: the bedroom square footage grew and so did the area for the master bath.

The old master bathroom was quite unfortunate, looking like something from a motel with a single, lonely sink and vanity open to the bedroom, outside of a much smaller room that held an unremarkable single-person shower and toilet. Needless to say, this uninspiring arrangement did not look anything at all like a master bath, as you can see below.

My plan was to create an entire master suite that would give my clients the feeling of staying in a luxury hotel. And the most effective way to achieve that goal was to fit the larger, new bath space with clean-lined yet stately elegant fixtures and materials that seemed to come from a sumptuous, Old World London hotel such as The Savoy. Below you can see the new floor plan and my rendering for the new bath.

A color palette of soft greys, whites, chrome, and rich woods grew naturally from the design concept. The floor and tub are clad in grey and white Turkish Letoon marble. A matching basketweave marble border was placed as an accent in the shower and in a “rug” on the floor. A concentric circular patterned wallpaper brings an Art Deco touch as it plays behind chrome picture-framed cabinets. Classic sconces with fabric shades by Hudson Valley bring softness while the petite chandelier over the whirlpool tub adds sparkle and glamour. And the rich wood of the custom vanity grounds the sophisticated grey and white palette.

You needn't rebuild a bathroom in order to introduce some Old World luxury into your life. If you are considering a bathroom remodel, it is possible to introduce into your plans many of the elements you see here. Give me a call and let's work on creating a little slice of The Savoy for you.

Happy designing!