Ivy Designers Presenting at the 2017 San Francisco Decorator Showcase

 

The 2017 Decorator Showcase takes over a Classical Revival mansion at 2698 Pacific Avenue, an architectural masterpiece desperate for design. The general look and feel this year feels much darker than last year, featuring majestic shades of blue. The talented Ivy Designers Benni Amadi, Dina Bandman and Ian Stallings stun us with their wonderfully creative and functional spaces. Ivy Team Member, Reisa Elden, scoped out the scene and shares with us the vision behind the designs.

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Ivy Designer: Benni Amadi of Benni Amadi Interiors‘s presenting “Moody Blues”

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Benni – what was your inspiration behind the design?

Traditional meets modern. We added all of the paneling and heavy trims in the space to give it that traditional architectural interest that we saw in other areas of the house, but then we layered modern elements to create interest and tension. We also took this opportunity to create something a little more dramatic and colorful than our typical work.

Which colors and materials did you move forward with and why?

The colors that we picked are black and blue. One of the first elements we were inspired to do was the black paneled walls. We knew we wanted to add pattern to the ceiling to draw your eye up and take advantage of how high it is. 11 foot ceilings are almost unheard of in a small powder room. We turned to Eskayel for the wallpapers and really felt inspired by their mix of black with inky blues. And then we added a pop of color with the chevron 2″x8″ Adriatic Blue Fireclay tiles on the floor.

What was the most exciting part of this project?

Powder rooms are often one space you can go a little wild with. Since they are small rooms, you can make it dramatic without being overwhelming, which was one of the reasons we were attracted to doing one for Showcase. Courtney and I both felt like the first floor powder deserved some love. It was just a sad, white drywall box when we first saw it, and it just didn’t stand up to the architectural drama of the rest of the home. We felt inspired to give it some of the architectural interest that we see in the larger rooms of the house, but put our own, modern spin on it. It was exciting to see this “disaster of a room” turn into what it is now!

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Ivy Designer: Dina Bandman of Dina Bandman Interiors‘s presenting “Laundering in the Lap of Luxury”

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Dina – what was your inspiration behind the design?

I have a little dog #ashmorkienamedGypsy (she is part Shitzu, part Yorkie, and part Maltese) and she hates baths, so I’m forced to essentially get in the bathtub with her. So, I wanted to design a space that I would want myself, hence the laundry room/doggy wash was born. I used de Gournay last year for SF Showcase 2016, specifically the “Monkey” Wallpaper, and it was so well received so I had no doubts about partnering with de Gournay again. While perusing the web, I found “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains” and was instantly enamored. I knew this wallpaper had to be incorporated and the room started to take shape from there.

Which colors and materials did you move forward with and why?

Blue and white! Ask Mark Sikes about this color combo, I feel like he has basically trademarked it. But in all seriousness, the blue and white combination is timeless and classic and everyone loves it. You simply can’t go wrong. It is fresh, clean, and happy! Since I have to be in the room for 30 days straight, essentially, it was important to create something I loved and I really love blue and white. Rather than fabrics (as this is a utility space) I had lots of stone and tile options. I wanted a fun floor and had fallen in love with this Country Floors “Rubicon” pattern a while ago. Artistic Tile recently released “Sinuous” which I used on the backsplash. It has an undulating pattern that mimics water as well as the mountain peaks of the wallpaper; it was perfect for the space! Finally, I wanted the doggy wash to be blue and Country Floors once again had the perfect subway tile which I selected in an atypical size 2 x 8.

What was the most exciting part of this project?

The most exciting part was finishing in time…but barely in time! This project was going smoothly and on schedule until one week before Press Day when I had to find an alternative tile vendor. As every project goes slightly awry, I knew I was going to have to hurdle some unforeseen situation. I certainly never expected it to be so close to the finish line. Honestly speaking, everything was exciting, especially being a part of such a historic year for SF Showcase!

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Ivy Designer: Ian Stallings of Ian Stallings Design‘s presenting “The Age of Innocence”

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Ian – what was your inspiration behind the design?

I created a design draped in nostalgia with a 13 year-old boy in mind. The room is somewhat biographical, but not completely. I also had a specific client in mind that happens to have the ideal family, including a young boy who is about to enter his middle school years. Another family friend of roughly the same age while at my Holiday party last year quoted “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. I remember thinking how cool it was that a movie from my childhood was “old” now. The movie posters from the late 1980’s adorning the walls, a large wardrobe befitting a fairytale, games, books, magazines, and all of the other fun things in the room were used to illustrate the transition between the playfulness of childhood and the coolness of becoming a teenager. How did we feel at this age? What was important to us? What design would I have been attracted to at 13? I hope this room brings one back to their childhood; a time full of wonder and innocence.

Which colors and patterns did you move forward with and why?

The feeling of childhood nostalgia in this room is further characterized by the bedroom walls, which were inspired by the birth of the digital age. The walls are painted in stripes, alternating in color and thickness, mimicking the static marks left on the television screen by old VHS tracking. The walls serving as a tribute to a now outdated medium is the first thing to catch the viewer’s eye, enveloping them in the nostalgic theme of the Age of Innocence. The title is also a reference to the age of this picturesque home and the classic book by Edith Wharton with the same title.

What was the most exciting part of this project?

The wardrobe, a family heirloom, was in my room when I was 13 years old.  The piece itself is both classic and majestic, making one feel as though they were approaching a relic from a fairytale. When choosing a wardrobe for this room, I thought it was a “wardrobe befitting Narnia”, inspired by the literature series I loved in my youth. It also helps fill the volume of the room and justifies the nearly twelve foot ceiling height. Small touches in the room such as Uno cards which are splayed out on the side table, and a magic 8 ball awaiting one’s questions are just a few of the little features that tie the nostalgic Age of Innocence theme together.

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