by Carol Bell

• Spring High Point Furniture Show is always one of the most exciting markets every year. After a year of “the same” over and over again, the manufacturers came out with some fresh new looks for this market. After years of showing brown leathers, brown fabrics, brown finishes, everything is getting lighter.

• For those of you that remember the 80’s, light or river washes finishes are coming back. These finishes are combined with neutral fabrics, including linen. You’ll be surprised to learn that linen was being combined with leather for a fresh new look.

• In the modern world, gray remains important and in Milan it was being shown with accents of lilac. So if you are inclined to be trendy, it’s gray and lilac for you.

• Tamara and I got a little carried away with all the new and exciting looks. Many will arrive this summer and others will be arriving in the fall. I will definitely keep you updated.

Carol Bell

• The ASID Annual Gala for the Design Excellence Awards was held Jan 30th at the fabulous new Ritz Carlton of Tucson. “Putting on the Ritz” was a black tie affair so Tamara, Jerry, John and I got dressed up and joined the celebration. What a grand evening it was!

• Tamara and Sara Smith entered a fabulous Kevin Howard designed home at Stone Canyon into the competition for “Residential Space over 3500 sq. feet” and their contemporary design took home first place.

• Tamara also entered the Mesquite and iron dining table into the Product Design category and won third place award for it.

• Please enjoy the photography by Robin Stancliff of the award winning design.

Design Statement

• The interior design team focused on using design elements and furnishings that would give continuity to this contemporary two-story residence, which featured curved walls and expansive glass windows in every room. The designers used a linear arc motif repeatedly in the structural elements: steel arcs inset in interior wood doors; clear silhouettes cut into sandblasted privacy glass; and an arched-steel facade on the curved fireplace.
• The interior designers worked closely with the architect to specify hard finishes and structural designs to compliment the complex structure. Custom furniture designed specifically for the home include a free-form mesquite cocktail table, a boat-shaped mesquite and steel dining table, and several shaped wool area rugs.
• Sleek, contemporary lighting was specified to add seamless style and function, without creating straight lines. Monorail tracks follow curved halls in the house’s center to illuminate the owners’ art collection.

Living room

The selection of curved furnishings gives a sensuous conversation area that floats dramatically within the expanse of glass windows and stone walls, focusing onthe spectacular outdoor view.

Dining Room

The repetition of curved lines and ribbons of color tie the custom designed dining table and area rug together. The ribbon of inlaid metal flows through the center of the indigenous Arizona mesquite dining table.

Wet Bar

To echo curves and angles of the home, in the small  bar area, the designer gave an asymmetrical shape to the raised portion of the granite bar.

Kitchen

Handsome cabinet and island design were the result of working within the curved walls of the kitchen.  Touch of a switch controlled the extensive lighting plan throughout the house.

Master Bedroom

Layers of fabric in the curved alcove soften the harsh Arizona sun while the colors give a relaxing element to the master bedroom.

Den

The large silk light sculpture serves as a focal point as you enter the room that serves as a home office and over-flow guestroom. The chic green color palette compliments the earthy tones in the stone and wood.

Powder Room

The natural organic atmosphere of the powder room is achieved with the custom curved cabinetry, selection of quartz tile, textured glass vessel, and asymmetrical lighting. All the interior doors of the home were designed with a linear inlaid stainless steel motif, which enhanced the curved theme of the house.

Patio

The design team created distinctive seating and dining spaces in the four outdoor living areas with a selection of contemporary furnishings, bronze sculptures and the stoneware planters.

Carol Bell

• In many of today’s homes, the Dining Room is an extension of the living space forming the popular Great Room. When choosing a table for your dining area, check the available space and how you use the space. Do you entertain often, how many people do you need to seat, will you be serving in the traditional manner or in a buffet style, are all questions that you should ask in selecting your table

• In this example, an uninspiring dining room is given a new look with an ‘Earthy meets Modern’ dining table made of recycled Peroba wood and certified harvested mahogany. The big artwork doesn’t overshadow the beauty of the table, yet gives the dining area a distinctive personality of it’s own. Don’t be afraid to let your dining area become a focal point in your home.

Julie Lopez

• Mesquite trees that grow randomly in the southwest create unique pieces of furniture with reddened hues and black epoxy filled crevasses. Here at Contents Interiors, we have been creating mesquite furniture for over 25 years. As one of the Tucson pioneers in the mesquite furniture business, we take pride in every piece we have designed. With time and age, mesquite wood becomes a treasure whether it is in a southwestern, Spanish Colonial and even contemporary home. As a designer for almost 20 years at Contents, I have helped to create many custom pieces from beds, dressers, dining tables, chairs, lamps and what ever meets the needs of my clients desires. Please stop by and see our dining table, chairs and lamps that are locally handcrafted right here in Tucson.

Carol Bell

• In the current trend of lounging and cocooning at home, the fusion table has exactly what it takes to create unique memorable moments to share with friends and family. Whether it’s dinner for 10, pool for 4, or poker for 5, the fusion table allows your space to become multi-functional.
• Made by Aramith, a 75 year old Belgium company specializing in the production and distribution of billiard equipment, this table will add a new dimension to the dining room and make entertaining at home a unique and memorable experienc
• www.FUSIONTABLES.com

Cindi Schaefer

• Wall treatments are a great idea to use in your home to make it more creative. This bold and beautiful statement of walnut wood doesn’t fade into the background, but gives the room a touch of elegance and warmth. Use your creativity to make a work of art in your room.

Carol Bell

• Contemporary bedding with cutting edge design has been difficult to find in the past. Now Contents Interiors is proud to introduce Wildcat Territory, a bedding line that is characterized by luxurious fabrics, gorgeous color and couture dressmaker details. Unique design details are the hallmark of Wildcat Territory’s style. Almost all of the collections use some form of couture styling such as pin tucking, folding, top stitching, banding, hand quilting or knotting. These details set this collection apart from other bedding collections.

Tamara Scott-Anderson, ASID and Sara Smith, Allied Member ASID

Photograph by Robin Stancliff
Categories: Problem Area solutions

• For this newly-constructed bungalow style home, the builder used bead board, large-scale door trim and a reclaimed decorative lambrequin over the transom window to create architectural interest for the front door and entry hall. To enhance architectural details, the walls were painted a bright, cheerful yellow in contrast to the white, painted bead board and trim.
• To create privacy from the front street while still allowing for daylight, a translucent roller shade was used on the front door. The decorative style hem of the shade was chosen to emulate the design of the door lambrequin. In addition, custom stained glass panels were designed for the side lights. The colors were taken from the color scheme of the home’s furniture palette, and the design motif was repetitive of custom wall stenciling used in the living area.

• The hall light fixture was chosen for its colors and to further enhance the Arts & Crafts bungalow style of the home.

Design tips from Tamara Scott-Anderson, ASID

Photography courtesy of Incanto
Categories: Color Palettes, Coordinating a Room, Accessorizing

• White is a timeless option for Contemporary furnishings and is seeing resurgence in popularity in everything from leather and fabrics to accessories. Here, white is the basic palette for a minimalist color scheme of black and gold.
• The use of floor-to-ceiling, soft, white sheer drapery panels provides several design solutions. Foremost, it softens and diffuses the light, while repeating the vertical lines of the architectural structure. In addition, it provides acoustical benefits for absorbing echoes and it softens the textures in a large, mostly hard-surface room.
• The unique, tortoiseshell floor lamp is part of a growing trend to use light as art. In addition, the gold leaf floor lamp is a single-jeweled accent providing reading and ambient lighting.
• Cocktail ottomans are as popular as ever. Here, a large, oversized piece is the appropriate scale to balance the large sectional in this spacious room. When less is more, sometimes bigger is better.
• New trends in accessories for a contemporary, minimalist home is to leave large areas of wall space untouched by stacking and layering art work and objects on shelves.
• Along with large floor pillows, the large, rectangle area rug was placed at an angle to furnishings, allowing for more comfortable, settable floor space.
• Use of low-VOC paints, 100% cotton sheer fabric and the 100% wool carpet gives this room a good rating for moving the home towards a “green”, healthy and earth-friendly environment.