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By Tina, July 20, 2011 2:00 pm

Here at Enliven Studios, we have been working hard for an exciting project in Walnut, CA.  We are working with architect Twen Ma to build a new construction home of 9,000 s.f. including pool house, basement wine cellar, and ten en-suite bedrooms!  Very cool project, our client desires a “Tuscan Country” look and it has been challenging and exciting designing this home and putting together finishes.

One of the challenges we faced was in the dining room, putting together our finishes and design together with furniture.  For flooring, we have this dark walnut herringbone wood flooring design, similar to this one below.

Then, we found this FABULOUS dining table from Century Furniture, whom we love because all of their products are made in U.S.A. and they practice Sustainable efforts on top of that.  What more could you want? OH, how about a gorgeous dining table that fits eight, extends to seat twelve!!?!  We love this dining table so much that it inspired our ceiling design for this formal dining room! Don’t you just love the detail of the inlay?

Also shown below are the China Cabinet & Hutch, Sideboard Server, Dining Chandelier (two, one for either side of the table), and wall sconces.

As I presented the dining room chairs, our client denied me on upholstered chairs!  I was aghast as he insisted on all-wood chairs with no upholstery for easy maintenance and long-lasting style.  Well, we searched and searched and searched for good looking dining chairs that fit the “Tuscan Country” look we were going for.  Most of the dining chairs I found that weren’t upholstered were very bistro-looking, very casual, or just plain UGLY.  Then, I put the feelers out there to some of my favorite vendors and showrooms and was lead to Artitalia Group!  DING! DING! DING!  Here is the winning dining chair that stole our hearts and fit in perfectly with our design.

What we love about this chair!
A) The challenge was to break up all the wood from the flooring to the furniture, and more wood was challenging us, but this finish with the classic dark tone on the seat is perfect!
B) The style of this chair is just perfectly comfortable with that hint of Tuscan whimsy style that gives it a more high-end look to fit into a beautiful formal dining room.
C) Artitalia Group has a PLETHORA of finish options to give it many looks whether it be rustic, formal, country chic, or clean and pressed.  You name it, they can do it!  And for a great price!

Feel free to contact us if you are interested in a design consult or if you are having a similar design dilemma and need a designer’s eye!  We are here to help, assist and make your space- whether it work or home- the most comfortable, personal and efficient!

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By Tina, August 3, 2010 9:21 pm

Los Angeles is known for high-end glamour and funky retreats.  Our client Amber wanted a little of that incorporated into her upscale townhome where she lives in the heart of Culver City.

The furniture consists of a nice combination of custom-made products and off-the floor items.  The centerpieces of the house are custom-crafted: the semi-round dining banquette and big, comfy sofa.  In the interest of budget and time, we built around these with off-the floor items from a variety of places to create a cohesive space.  We found the coffee table at a boutique furniture store in Silverlake and the guest bed right out of a modern home decor showroom.

Our client had a nice start with accessories but claimed she never knew how to arrange them or what to do with them.  We added to the collection but were still able to use many of her accessories and put them together in a way that creates a cohesive feeling.  We love the tall skinny yellow vase we found and we put it next to her Target frame and it just seems to work!

Nothing finishes a home like the unique combination of art we put on our walls.  We framed two heirloom newspaper articles from bygone eras, and found great limited edition prints by Chariklia Zarris at a nice price.  If you’re regardful, you can even mix in catalog art items like the art set above the bed – as long as you don’t one-stop-shop.

The modern and clean lines juxtaposed with whimsical and graphic interest shows off Amber’s great taste and provides her a relaxing and fun place to call home at the end of a busy day.  Creating a beautiful retreat for this L.A. hospitality professional that mirrors the elegance of her working life was our goal, and we believe it is achieved in this space!

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By Tina, May 31, 2010 11:37 am

I recently had the opportunity to take over on a project for a garden supply warehouse in Sacramento, CA.  They originally had a completely different scheme, signage and logo, then hired me to make it a profitable, professional and welcoming retail space.  Previously, they had the signage proposed in a lime green as well as the trim for the exterior in a different, very unattractive lime green.  We repainted the whole exterior and I sorted out the signage and interior color scheme.  The interior photos to follow, for now – the exterior.

Opening soon: The  Greenhouse Garden Supply

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By Tina, March 16, 2010 10:59 pm

During my time at Brenda Bell & Associates,  we had this on-going project fixing up these really neat condos in the South Bay.  Each year it seemed we were making improvements on the building, whether it was the four-floor lobby remodel or the shared tenant hallways, there was always a way we could continue to make Briarcliff condos a great looking place, and a wonderful home for the tenants to come home to.  Here are some option boards that I made for their exterior hardscape & concrete designs, as well as shared tenant hallway paint and carpet designs that made this such a fun and unique project.

Hardscape Options Board

Finish Board 1

Finish Board 2

Finish Board 3

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By Tina, January 29, 2010 1:35 pm

I’m proud and humbled to have designed the office and warehouse for Couch Guitar Straps a few years ago, and they actually just hired me again for a re-design! They’ve gotten pretty big, and as a proud designer, I thought I’d put up the Entrepreneur Magazine article about them, shown with the owner, his product in the hallway I designed for them!!!

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By Tina, January 20, 2010 12:29 pm

This is a design and space planning project I did for a private music rehearsal studio in Huntington Beach.

We constructed some new walls and demolished some old ones to achieve maximum use of the space,

creating six studios out of the space that used to only have four.

Then I did a color consultation in the public spaces as well as fixed it up with vintage furniture and decor on a tight budget.

I even tried out a new wide angle lens to take the interior photographs that were used to rent out each of the studio rooms in the space.

They call this “Orange Space” and it’s now fully rented and the clients and the tenants are both very happy!

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By Tina, October 28, 2009 3:51 pm

This is a project I did with Brenda Bell & Associates in Santa Monica, CA.  Artiano & Associates is a law firm in Torrance, where we did the interior design of their offices.  This project was done in two phases, the first being the custom reception desk and interior finishes, the second phase required paint and carpet as well as new custom millwork in the breakroom and office areas and custom signage in the reception area as shown below.  We also provided them with a floor finish plan with the proposed finishes.  Check out the preliminary finish board and the photographs for the finished products!

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By Tina, September 2, 2009 11:39 am

Finally!  I am finally finished with the construction documents with Twen Ma Architects for the Kang Kang Cafe in Temple City, CA.  Where the heck is Temple City?  Well, it’s somewhere between Pasadena and West Covina :)

This is an existing building remodel at the downtown city center, with an entrance from the garage parking and also from the street.  We’re finalizing finishes right now, but it’s a streamlined and modern design for a simple and quick dining solution.   Have a look!  I can’t wait – in a couple months I get to dine here!

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By Tina, August 19, 2009 2:49 pm

Hi There!  I finally got around to taking some good photographs of the interiors that I did for the Spud! Organic Grocery Delivery warehouse/office interiors.  My friend Shawn who works there also used to be a professional painter, so he painted the interior walls and I used the colors to do the mural in the entry.  The challenge was to use extremely environmentally friendly paints, so we found and used the new Freshaire paint brand that you can actually find at Home Depot.  Zero VOC and low fumes.  It actually didn’t smell paint-y at all!  I love challenges like this.  The best part is that I already love Spud! and their organic groceries make my life way easy.  Become a fan of Spud! Los Angeles on Facebook!

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By Tina, July 21, 2009 4:10 pm

Residential Finishes Board for a traditional, three-story beach house in Manhattan Beach.

This house was on the market during construction so potential home-buyers could get a feel for it once completed.

The finishes and materials board includes tile and wood flooring throughout the house and high end stone tile borders in the kitchen and bathrooms throughout the house.