HOUSE ENVY

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HOUSE ENVY Staying home never looked so enticing.

| BY ELLEN PARIS |

While 2021 was the year for sheltering in place, 2022 is about creating cozy spaces to embrace our homes.

BOX BEAMS |

Transforming style from contemporary to vintage or farmhouse to modern is only a box beam away. “You can change the overall look of a home with hand-hewn box beams,” said Eric Freed, founder and owner of Los Angeles-based E&K Vintage Wood. “Today’s design trend is to cover existing ceiling beams with three-sided box beams in a different style or install new ones direct to ceilings.”

UNIQUE TEXTILES |

“People now want to live with wonderful and delicious fabrics and furnishings. Think of warm natural tones and nurturing environmentally friendly materials,” says Adaline Fagen, a Santa Monica interior designer and principal of Espace Design. Textile designer Diana Garreau’s velvet cushions have designs on both sides.

SUPERSTAR KITCHENS |

Sunday night suppers in the kitchen reach new levels with two-toned finish and black quartzite countertops and glamorous, yet modern pendant lighting. “Our clients want to bring the experience of dining out, in,” says Jaclyn Isaac, interior designer and owner of Doni Douglas Designs in New Jersey.

HOME OFFICES |

Working from home has evolved from pretty to practical. Janet Hobbs of Hobbs’ Ink Custom Home Design of Lakeway, Texas, observes “the office by the front door is history! It has gone the way of the old-fashioned parlor.” That pretty desk is now replaced by a highly functional standing desk, dual monitors, a printer, and all the essentials for today’s remote office.

BRINGING ENTERTAINMENT HOME |

“Private, soothing, cocoon-like environments are replacing cavernous, impersonal spaces of years past,” says Mark Boone, president of Mimi London Inc. and Mark Boone, Inc., Interiors in West Hollywood. This family theater brings Hollywood movie palace glamour into a Bel Air home through the warmth and textures of walnut and linen.