Spanish Colonial–Modern Union at California

Nov - 11
2018

Spanish Colonial–Modern Union at California

“Up to Spanish colonials proceed, sometimes you walk and it has been perfectly preserved. You walk and it has been goofed up. This one was a little of both,” says interior designer Charmean Neithart of the Pasadena, California, home. She started working with her customers early on and helped them create cosmetic changes, but after about three years, they were prepared for a complete remodel to make a better-flowing floor program and to bring some space.

“Your husband definitely leans toward a contemporary aesthetic, while the wife wanted to honor the standard Spanish colonial revival style of the home,” states Neithart. “This is one of those twists that makes my job enjoyable.” How did she resolve the problem? “I incorporated elements to combine the two styles together,” she states.

in a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their 2 young children
Location: Pasadena, California
Size: 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms

Charmean Neithart Interiors

The living space architecture had quite excellent bones; the ceiling is unique to the home and is a really common Spanish colonial attribute. “I was adamant about preserving the ceiling,” states Neithart. The floors were refinished, the walls were replastered, and a makeover was obtained by the fireplace.

Neithart added information found as far away as Africa and India that were in keeping with Old World design but added a unique stamp. “I love to put things that are eclectic and exotic in a Spanish home, things that make people ask, ‘Where did that come from?'” She states. The glowing green side table came out of India, and the coffee table is a classic from Morocco.

Charmean Neithart Interiors

The curved sofa is Neithart’s own layout, under her furniture line, Forse Domani. The planter is an African American wedding basket coated in cowrie shells. The side table adds a bright pop of green.

“The African American basket is a nod to my client’s legacy,” explains Neithart. “I love to put things in a space that are reflective of the men and women who reside there, if it reflects their background, hobbies or a unique place they’ve visited. All these are elements that make people feel like they are at home.”

Wall paint: Elmira White, Benjamin Moore; side table: Decor, Globally Inspired, in Pasadena

Charmean Neithart Interiors

“I enjoy Spanish homes to have white walls,” states Neithart. “There are so many architectural elements and textures in Spanish homes that should stand out, and now that I don’t like to create them compete with colour.”

“The fireplace had been messed up in a previous renovation,” she adds. She used repurposed antique Indian corbels beneath the mantel to bring an exotic touch, and redesigned the mantel to better match the scale of this space. The fireplace has been coated in smooth plaster. “The last coat of plaster is like icing on a cake,” states Neithart.

Sconces: Bobo Intriguing Objects, peacock mirror: Berbere; corbels; Decor, Globally Inspired, in Pasadena

Charmean Neithart Interiors

Here is a better look in the retrieved carved corbels.

Charmean Neithart Interiors

The Pakistani carpet is vegetable dyed. “Vegetable-dyed rugs don’t have any artificial color, which gives them a much softer look, like a watercolor,” states Neithart. “I love to use them. They’re a terrific investment, since they simply go up in value and they last forever.”

The customers already owned the armchair, which Neithart coated in a more modern cloth named Dante by Cowtan & Tout. “I retained the upholstery tight and compact to reflect the husband’s modern taste,” she states.

Charmean Neithart Interiors

This trunk in the far corner of the living room was passed down by a grandfather, along with its carved layout functions well with the other exotic elements inside the room. The art is by Angela Dickerson-Lee. “I love to put art over a trunk,” states Neithart. “It simplifies the piece, and you are able to look at the artwork directly on, instead of looking up in it.”

The art was modern to match the husband’s taste, and by an African American artist to signify the wife’s heritage.

Charmean Neithart Interiors

This dining room is a brand new addition. Even though the cathedral ceiling illuminates the ceiling in the original living space, the customers wanted to replicate the brand new areas of the home, so that they covered it into whitewashed white oak.

The stone wall adds texture, age and a natural element to the space.

Charmean Neithart Interiors

“When I started holding fabric up to the wall to pick a window treatment, I understood it’d look strange next to the stones,” states Neithart. Instead, she found some ornately carved wooden panels out of India. She had an extremely talented carpenter cut them in half and make coordinating trim to make them function like shutters.

“The windows are south facing, and they diffuse the light so well that my client hardly ever opens them,” she states. “They also offer privacy from neighbors.”

Charmean Neithart Interiors

A striking chandelier out of Bobo Intriguing Objects stands up to the scale of this cathedral ceiling and the dining table. The variations in the chandelier’s hardwood additionally supply a transition out of the darkened table up to the milder wood on the ceiling.

Charmean Neithart Interiors

The sideboard, along with many of the other reclaimed carved wood pieces, was also sourced in Decor, Globally Inspired, in Pasadena. The doorways are antique. The Spanish sconces were kept out of Neithart’s initial pass at decorating the home because the customers loved them.

Charmean Neithart Interiors

While the new room includes many traditional elements, this midcentury modern ceramic lamp is a nod to the husband’s taste in design and colour.

Charmean Neithart Interiors

Before the addition has been built, this kitchen area used to hold the dining room. “This spot is the heart of the home, therefore it was a natural match for the kitchen,” states Neithart.

Details like the wood ceiling beams, mosaic tile with a hand-painted detail within the scope and the ornate wood panels on the hood attract in Spanish colonial design. The colour and texture palette, which includes Crema Marfil mosaic tile, white walnut cabinets and cognac leather counter stools, can also be in keeping with the design. The floors are travertine. “We chose chiseled edges for the travertine flooring tiles to find the rustic look of Spanish colonial design,” states Neithart.

The sage-green granite countertops slough off from the standard Spanish colonial colour palette and were yet another nod to the husband’s love of green.

Charmean Neithart Interiors

Both intricately carved wood panels on the range hood include Spanish colonial flair. All these were recovered from a classic Indian building, and were located at Decor, Globally Inspired. One full panel goes round the front, along with a second one has been cut in half for those sides. The hood has been sculpted from drywall and mudded in plaster.

The sinks are hammered nickel and so were handmade in Mexico. The taps and cabinet hardware will also be nickel.

Range: Thermadore; corbels: Restoration Hardware; wood plank: Decor, Globally Inspired, in Pasadena; taps: Rohl; big sink: Cocino Grande, Native Trails; little sink: Cocino Chinco, Native Trails

Charmean Neithart Interiors

The glass pendant lights are repurposed wine jars. Actually, when Neithart received them still had a big wine stain on the floor. “I could not get the wine stain out, therefore I called Bobo’s. They gave me the recipe for a magical potion to soak it for 48 hours, and it worked,” states Neithart.

“To me, a Spanish home is a warm home,” states Neithart. She certainly made sure to prove it with this gorgeous family home.

Counter stools: Crate and Barrel

More:
10 Favorite Characteristics of Spanish Revival Style
An Urban Castle in Pasadena
9 Architectural Elements of Spanish Revival Style

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