Whether you’re interested in home improvements, in the market for a new home or just love touring designer houses, the Village Park Eco Home is THE place to be this weekend!
The contemporary hill country style home was built to answer the question, “What’s next in high-performance home construction?” And the answers are cutting edge! [Read more…]
For most people, the master bedroom is one of the most important rooms in the house. It’s where we retreat at the end of the day: to relax and rejuvenate from all the day’s stressors and responsibilities. And that’s exactly why it’s essential that the room’s decor reflects the needs and personalities of those who reside in it.
We recently featured a grand living room we designed for clients desiring an elegant and family-friendly home. We were also fortunate enough to design their master retreat and, once again, luxury and practicality were the ultimate goals.
Read on for all the exciting changes we made! [Read more…]
Can luxury and practicality coexist in the same house? Absolutely!
Just because you’re at a stage in life when kids and pets rule the roost, doesn’t mean you have to live without style. Advances in technology have made many of today’s luxurious fabrics also washable and durable. And glamorous accents have always had the power to transform an ordinary space.
We recently worked with a wonderful family to create an elegant living room and master bedroom where cuddling with the kids and family dogs was paramount, but style was also important.
The Grand Living Room
Our goal was to create an elegant living room where family and friends could gather and be comfortable, while keeping the look transitional and fresh. Our clients’ existing sofa was in excellent condition, so naturally, they wished to use it in the room’s new design. They also owned a gorgeous grand piano that would be included in the room. Both pieces set the stage for the design plan and we selected a color palette to work beautifully with both.
This view of the grand piano shows the beautiful tones of the wood and the dramatic impact it gives to the space. We carefully blended the wood tones of the furniture we added to the room to create continuity, and added custom drapery and a hand-tufted wool rug in shades of cream and gold.
Custom, wood-trimmed armchairs were crafted with an elegant grey and beige pattern on the sides and backs only. And we created a photo gallery of their children that would be seen by all upon entering the house, telling visitors that this is a stylish, but never stuffy home. Our clients tell us this is their favorite room in their house!
We chose a beautiful console table in cream with a rich walnut burl inlay and graphic arc-motif to add interest and an unexpected element to the space. Stacked artwork by artist Blakely Bering were custom made to bring the perfect shades of color into the room.
Finally, just the right amount of accessories were added to make the decor fresh and inviting. A leather tray with bowling pin vases adorns the cocktail table, while a cream-colored textured lamp and multi-hued vase add interest to the side table. Fresh flowers add life to the room.
What about you? What would you like in your dream living room? Post your reply below – we’d love to hear from you!
Check back soon for Part 2 of A Luxurious Family Home – The Master Retreat!
Sometimes it’s impossible to leave work behind. And honestly, who wants to when work involves inspiring design?!
Julie, our Project Manager at BGI, recently vacationed in Vail, Colorado with her family and couldn’t resist taking pictures of the town’s picturesque architecture and design. It was her first time skiing in almost 20 years and she said it was the perfect setting for tumbling down a mountain! She and her family had a great time, and we’re just glad she didn’t break anything!
Here are some interesting moments from Julie’s trip to Vail.
The Vail Marriot Mountain Resort, where opulent textures and rich colors mixed effortlessly with wrought iron and stone to create a rustic elegant interior. I loved the grand scale artwork and chandeliers.
Clock towers were everywhere! But instead of keeping you on schedule, they seemed to transport you back to another time.
The ice rink at the center of Vail Village was nothing short of magical. And outdoor fireplaces and fire pits were around every corner.
Art sculpture? Arguably yes, but it’s actually a playground modeled after birds’ nests! Artist and architect Mike Moore, of Tres Birds Workshop in Denver, created a jungle gym of three pods perched on boulders and connected by slides, rope bridges and nets.
But nothing could compare to the landscape itself! As always, God is the ultimate creator.
And for those of us with no time for vacations, there are always other ways to relax!
How about you? Where would you like to go on your next vacation? Comment below with your ideas – we’d love to hear them!
Images via: 1) Vail.com, 2) - 5) Julie Whitworth.
The year 2014 just keeps getting better! We are thrilled to announce Barbara Gilbert Interiors has been honored with the “Best Of Houzz” award in Customer Satisfaction and Design for 2014 by Houzz, the leading online platform for home remodeling and interior design.
This is the third consecutive year our design firm has been recognized with the prestigious Houzz award, with achievements in Best Of Design and Customer Satisfaction in 2012 and Best of Design in 2013, and we couldn’t be prouder! Houzz is one of our favorite design sites and is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in interior design. Award recipients are chosen through an annual survey of more than 16 million monthly users from the Houzz community. [Read more…]
We are honored and thrilled to announce Barbara Gilbert Interiors has received a Designer of the Year Award from the national Interior Design Society!
We received the first place award for Bath Designs under $30,000 for a glamorous master bathroom remodel. The design of the room was based on our client’s desire for a fresh, updated space with a subtle and feminine palette to reflect her personal style. She was beginning a new phase in her life and wanted her home to reflect her fresh start and new outlook.
We couldn’t be happier with the final result and the fact the design has won not one, but two awards is icing on the cake! The room’s design also won first place in the 2013 American Society of Interior Designers (AISD) Legacy of Design Awards for Bathroom Design last year. Here are all the details of the design and the room’s transformation! [Read more…]
We’ve been feeling a little like Christmas elves lately – dashing around to get things done. And that’s because we’ve moved!
We have relocated our offices to a larger design space directly off the Dallas North Tollway to better serve you. Our new offices are located at 4950 Westgrove Drive, Suite 120, in Dallas and house extensive product samples for your design or renovation project. Everything we need to design fabulous rooms and furniture for you is right at our fingertips! [Read more…]
When does furniture go beyond form and function to become a piece of history? When the material used in its construction is part of history itself.
At the Armored Frog, each one-of-kind piece is steeped in history, crafted exclusively from old growth woods recovered from rivers and historical structures throughout the southeast United States. Wood for an Armored Frog original may come from a deadhead cypress log discovered in a local river, planks pulled from an old sawmill or beams salvaged from a turn-of-the-century home; and this makes their furniture the perfect fit for the Village Park Eco Home! [Read more…]
When desiring a fresh or updated look, few people can afford to purchase all new furnishings and decor. And even if you could, why would you when so many pieces can be repurposed to work with the new design?
Favorite pieces or those with sentimental value are part of what makes a house a home. Plus, repurposing is good for the environment, not to mention your wallet!
We recently worked with some amazing clients that had relocated to Texas from Colorado. Although they had settled in, the family still didn’t feel at home in their new house. The home didn’t reflect their style and taste, nor did it fully meet their needs. They wanted an updated family room and a formal living room that could serve as a library, yet be warm and family-friendly. As always, we began the design process by taking inventory of which items they wanted to reuse and developed a plan to integrate them into the new design.
Two armchairs from the family room were moved to the new library and repurposed as cozy, comfortable reading chairs. Two table lamps from the family room were also moved to the library, where we traded out the existing shades with new ones that offered a cleaner, more contemporary look. Various accessories were reused in the room as well. [Read more…]
It’s not hard to imagine how the name for Wow! PlaySpaces was decided. One look at any of their jaw-dropping projects and the word “wow” is involuntarily uttered! And we are so excited to be working with them to design the innovative Village Park Eco Home, a home being built to answer the question, “What’s next in high-performance home construction?”
Together and in partnership with Make-A-Wish North Texas, we will be designing and installing a custom play area in the home based on one very deserving child’s dreams. If you’re unfamiliar with Wow! PlaySpaces, they design, fabricate and install custom themed play attractions and outlandish décor, both indoors and out. And they are generously donating their time, talents and materials to this exciting project to make one child’s wish come true.
From pirates, castles and barnyards, to sport courts, climbing walls and life-size games, Wow! PlaySpaces does it all. And with a catch phrase like “we create ridiculously cool, fun play spaces,” we’re in for a quite a ride! We can’t wait to start brainstorming and designing with them.
We’ll keep you posted on the design progress, but in the meantime, here are a few of the amazing play spaces they’ve already created. Oh, and you’ll be able to see the home in person once it’s completed in March/April 2014 and opened for tours!
All aboard! A train station-themed room puts a smile on anyone’s face. [Read more…]