Every home tells a story , and designer Claire Thomas crafts a layered narration , one couch , tripping fix , and tile option at a prison term .
Claire Thomashas had an active imagination for as long as she can think of . " If you seat me in a niche when I was a little girl , I would just daydream and get lost in my imagination , " she say . " My mom would always say ' Claire is off with the fairies . ' " That power to drift off and conjure up story in her mind go the ego - described " hyper - singular nerd " on a path as a Los Angeles filmmaker and director .
In recent year , midland design has become her muse and a natural segue for more creative expressions . " I see design as a storytelling chance , " Claire says . " When you have a story line for a quad , it ’s so much wanton to stay on course and not muddy up the tale . It keeps you focused . It ’s like a gut deterrent : This is what we ’re doing ; this is the authorization . "
Credit: David Tsay
With that in mind for one of her late projection — a new menage for the young family of a customs duty constructor — she developed this scenario to drive the design : " onetime - world Europe bring down in Westside Los Angeles . " When Claire sign on , there was still metre to add architectural details before choosing colors and surfaces . arch doorways andbuilt - ins , expose ceiling beam , andcolorful tilesexpressed the old - world part of the narrative . Those features also rescue the warmth the duo wanted . Limestone flooring , big black - flesh windows , and a clean aesthetic reflect the L.A. angle . " All the ingredient of the write up layer in to pull the figure together , " she says .
In an open layout , Claire limits the drama to a single statement - making field . Her " it " spot in the master life space is the kitchen ’s scope wall with its colourful hand - paint tile backsplash and inky blue cabinets . " jive big — once , " Claire says . " We let the kitchen be the wow moment then made certain the neighboring dining and bread and butter rooms had more simplicity . "
Claire ’s goal with every room , especially in an open - concept place , is to define it . An orbit carpeting is an easy root because it course unites furniture slice . Another is unhorse , like the declamatory pendent Claire says creates a sense of geography . The mantlepiece mirror is a dumpster find ; she smarten up up the frame with paint .
Credit: David Tsay
For Claire , there ’s a difference between contrive with a story versus but having a theme . For model , " midcentury modern " ( report ) implies a specific era and style , compared to " the Eameses go on vacation in Acapulco " ( story ) , which ease up a wink to midcentury but add whimsy and a world traveler slant . " Themes are more confining , " Claire says . " Stories have depth ; they have themes , but it ’s a layering of theme . "
The mod West L.A. tale come through in furnishings like the midcentury - manner dining president — with sharpen gold branch for a bit of glam . Dramatic veining in the marble countertop brings form into the dining room .
Claire scopes out field to create " islands of interest . " With a workbench , accent tabular array , and artwork , the front unveiling hall has a defined smear for skid changes . Black and white marble floors nod to the home ’s European influences .
Credit: David Tsay
Claire balanced old - world European and California - cool elements in the home . A self-aggrandising sectional might have been the obvious choice for the open support elbow room , but Claire prefers a uneven approach for fictitious character . " A ingathering of couches and seating room is more curated and fun , " she says . A dark-green velvet sofa anchors the elbow room , while a cream lounge with tweedy fabric and cane detailing acts as a neutral counterpoint .
Claire Thomas
Every patch of piece of furniture you put into a space is an opportunity for self - expression .
A consistent neutral palette(white walls , creamy linen paper curtains , dark floors ) make an open space cohesive ; designed strike of colour , like the green velvet sofa , work in personality without consuming .
Claire articulate everything in a base — include colour choices and contingent like record — is telling . " It ’s a really well-situated stenography for understand someone , " she say .
mordant paint plays up the built - in bookcase as an architectural feature . " Black is a wonderful backdrop for make - ins . It make displayed object appear curated and purposeful or else of cluttered , " Claire say . She add that it ’s " like putting a bull’s - eye on them . It forces people to take posting . "
With her experience in film and commercial message , Claire is driven by what face secure through a genus Lens — and what does n’t , such as stark livid roof in room that have colour on the walls . " They truncate a way , " she says . She ’s a fan ofcarrying the wall color onto the roof , as she did with the deep salvia in this chamber . " The continuous colouration makes a elbow room seem gravid and the space complete . It allows your eyes to swim upward . "
hint of Sir Henry Joseph Wood , such as the ceiling shaft ( a point of reference to old - domain style ) and on the bed and nightstands , are an authoritative element in many of Claire ’s rooms . " instinctive wood is the aristocratic jeans of design — it goes with anything , " she tell . Pendants sub for distance - hog board lamp and establish interest above the nightstands .
Green and black are two " hoagie colour , " as Claire calls them , that screw thread throughout the house . In the toilet , she tiled wall and the cascade ceiling in green , confident that the calming , timeless coloration was a safe choice . Because the way gets loads of natural light , she flipped the distinctive white-hot tub and surfaces to black . " black-market creates crispness , " she says . " It ’s like when you ’re drawing with pencil and affair are flaccid and muddy , but then you come in with a penitentiary and the effigy comes into stark relief . " A deluxe black deluge tub anchors the bathroom and flows into the deep people of color of the floors .
A ready trick Claire learned from being behind the lens : overstretch out your phone and take photos of the way you ’re dress . " you may look at a photo and tell apart if something is wrong more easy than if you ’re just standing in a space , " she says .
In the girls ' bedroom , Claire played off the spindle on the twin bed withpainted stripesclimbing the paries and sweeping across the ceiling . The paint shameful stripes bring enough vim to a room so that no other art is needed . The lifelike design desegregate the seam and roof fixture into the room . " I love spaces that have a dialogue and seeing an mind Ping River - pong around a room , " Claire says . The design and the black " make the pink bold and smart , not princessy , " she say . The color combo and a chinoiserie chest used as a nightstand remind Claire of 1920s Paris and whimsically nod to the European story .
Credit: David Tsay
And for those who do n’t have quite as active an vision ? " Simplify , " Claire says . " The easiest matter is to start with the emotion . What do you want to feel when you walk into a space ? " If you want a assuasive and organized home , chance photos of rooms with calming colouration and lifelike igniter , then start narrowing down whether your deary veer Scandinavian , Japanese , or something else .
Another selection : Build a story line around a individual item you love , such as a picture , which can help oneself you set a color pallet and a fashion counseling . " If an aim becomes your pattern security blanket , there ’s nothing wrong with that , " Claire says . " Whatever it is — an aim , an emotion — consider it your North Star to guide your decisions . "
Credit: David Tsay
Credit: David Tsay
Credit: David Tsay
