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• Home decoration trends 2010: Home balances tranquility with city living

  
  25 March 2010
  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  Home balances tranquility with city living. "Being that we are in an inner-city neighborhood (and facing a busy main thoroughfare), it's important to have the property planted up to give us privacy; we have sort of a resort for when we come home from work every day," offers Lawrence Adkins, co-creative/owner of Viridis Garden Design.

  

   

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  "We have a lot of windmill palms which will actually make it through the winter. We tend to do a lot of tropical plants in the front yard for texture and interest. We mix in annuals and perennials to give it a 'gardeny' aspect," explains Adkins. "As you head down the driveway you see ground cover which softens the driveway-scape."

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  "One thing that sold us on the house was the feel of the bookcases and fireplace with a real nice mantel," offers Dempsey. "This is the original fireplace, bookcase and windows; they were restored."

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  The kitchen is brightened by off-white subway tile (installed by Colleen Minton) and features a functional butcher block workspace as the central island.

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  "The main thing we didn't want was a lot of cabinetry [crowding headroom]. We created a storage solution outside of the kitchen area that made more sense and then a lot of low storage, and we have a great pantry," explains Adkins.

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  Most of the couple's favorite things "are things we made, like our kitchen table," says Adkins. "We couldn't find anything to fit the space so we made it."

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  "Lawrence designed and implemented the ceiling which would have been typical of this home," says Dempsey. The dining room features an antique light fixture from France, the sideboard is of the Empire era and the table is a reproduction.

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  Originally this 1922 Arts and Crafts bungalow was "1495 square feet with one bath and very limited bedroom space. We needed more master bedroom space and storage, and had to sacrifice the old kitchen to improve the flow of the house," explains Adkins of the two-part renovation steered by architect Joe Remling of AI3 Design back in 1999. A bedroom, bath and studio were among the additions.

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  The master bath features a floor made of a Carrera and black marble basket weave, according to Dempsey. Adkins created the wainscoting panels. A dreamy deep-soaking tub is the room's centerpiece.

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  "We wanted this room to be very restful and comfortable for our guests, [and] we think we achieved that," notes Dempsey.

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  "We have a lot of artwork around the house by friends and family, these black-and-white photographs (in guest room) were shot in Italy by my friend Colleen Minton," offers Dempsey.

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  "I saw someone who had a bunch of keys hanging on their wall and thought wow, the keys are neat, but the locks with the keys would be cooler. I had a few locks then found some more and figured out what I could [do] with them decoratively," shares Adkins on his installation in the guest bath.

  

  Home decoration trends 2010:  Dempsey credits iron craftsman Kevin Grisso of the Creative Artisan Group with constructing the iron and colored glass light fixture in the stairwell that leads to the workshop and backyard.

  (ajchomefinder home decor news)