Space for Impact

Interior designer Isabel Ladd layers punchy patterns and textures with panache atop a neutral foundation to create a staycation-worthy pool house and outdoor entertaining area for an active young family.

Written by Bridget Williams / Photography by Rachel Lutz/Andrew Kung Group

Referring to herself as a “curated maximalist,” interior designer Isabel Ladd is no stranger to vibrant patterns and textures. On the flip side, she isn’t afraid to dial it back, as she did for a complete overhaul of a Nicholasville pool house. Ladd’s clients, Stefanie and Mark Wadams, affectionately refer to her as their “fairy housemother,” for the way she takes charge of every interior design-related decision, all the way down to the melamine plates in the outdoor kitchen. “I love it when a client trusts me completely and says ‘you do you,’” Isabel remarked.

Interior designer Isabel Ladd

Keeping in step with the main house, also designed by Ladd, the pool house incorporates colors and patterns that conjure up lazy summer luxuriating. Lending a sunny SoCal vibe, the classic banana leaf motif, made famous by the Beverly Hills Hotel, pops up on everything from pillows to artwork both inside and out. Shades of blue on accent pillows, upholstery, and artwork calls to mind both the cool waters of the nearby swimming pool as well as the unbroken expanse of blue skies afforded by the home’s agrarian setting.

Speaking to Isabel’s obsession with even the smallest detail, she placed a basket containing every conceivable amenity an overnight guest might need under the vanity in the bathroom. There’s a smileinducing Bob Ross coloring book next to a chic cup of colored pencils atop a hair-on-hide ottoman in the living room. From a design perspective, the impact of these details is negligible, but Isabel derives a great deal of personal satisfaction from seeing to every last one of them. “The best compliment is when a client tells me I’ve thought of everything,” she explained.

A covered terrace links the main home with the pool / guest house. Consistency among the layered patterns as well as the color scheme creates a harmonious transition from the indoor to the outdoor spaces.

While the color palette is subdued, Isabel introduced variation through pattern and texture. A two-sided fireplace allows for two distinct living areas. One is oriented around a television, while this one is oriented to take advantage of the view provided by large banks of windows.

Bottom: One of two guest rooms in the pool house exhibits a Maine cottage-meets- California vibe with classic metal beds surmounted by tropical banana leaf prints.

The color of the contrast trimwork is repeated in the veining of the stone countertops. Kitchen cabinets are from Barber Cabinet.