Fit for the Best Guests

November 2, 2012

Caroline Eberly,

Interior designer Connie LeFevre tells us about the unexpected mix of fabrics and furnishings that brings this guest room to life.

DESIGN DETAILS OF THIS ROOM:
ARCHITECTURE Tab Associates Inc. INTERIOR DESIGN Design House, Inc.

Mountain Living: You’ve created a space that’s engaging and quiet at the same time. What’s your secret?
Interior designer Connie LeFevre: There isn’t a lot of strong color or contrast in the room, but there is a lot of texture, from the wool carpet to the metal tile ceiling to the bamboo sheets and cotton cashmere blanket. It really plays to the senses.

ML: The materials and color palette are so soothing.
CL: We knew a lot of guests would be coming and going, so we tried to choose materials that would maintain their look and create an inviting, comfortable color palette. We were very cautious when choosing tones of gray to avoid shades that felt cold; the colors we selected really don’t read as gray when you walk into the space.

ML: Tell us how you curated the mix of styles in the room.
CL: The space does have a lot of different pieces in it; it’s not “matchy” at all. The owners wanted their home to be more traditional, even though there’s a trend toward more contemporary Colorado spaces. So we wanted to juxtapose traditional with minimal.

ML: Where can we see that contrast in play?
CL: The custom metal bed has a sleek look, but the hammered texture gives it a rustic feel. The settee is really traditional in form, but we treated it in a more contemporary fashion with the finishes and fabrics. We tried to use unexpected treatments in as many places as we could. If that settee had “granny fabric” on it, it wouldn’t have worked.

ML: Your mix of fabrics is another pleasant surprise.
CL: When you’re choosing fabrics, you want to find complementary designs with different scales—like the ikat and the stripe—and also think about texture. The window shade fabric is patterned, but the texture is what makes it interesting. Texture appears again on the bureau and bamboo sheets, which are really soft and comfortable. The space is enveloped in texture and soft color. It’s a real cocoon for the guest.

ML: What do you think makes this space so appealing?
CL: There’s wonderful lighting to accent all of the details, warmth of color and a contrast of styles. That juxtaposition makes it appealing for all people—men as well as women—and not just those who favor contemporary or traditional styles.

ROYAL TREATMENT

Want to treat your family and friends like guests of honor this holiday season? Turn your home into a retreat by filling spare bedrooms with these designer-recommended essentials:

Reading lamps beside the bed
The Tagine Table Lamp by Currey & Company takes style cues from this space; curreyco.com

Tray for holding small items
Ralph Lauren Home’s Bedworth Leather Buckle Tray is especially handsome; ralphlaurenhome.com

Carafe and glasses for water
Perfect for guest suites, the Isabella Carafe Set by Juliska comes with pieces that stack together; juliska.com