Buried in Books... :)

Bonjour everyone! I know there's been a lot of radio-silence from Chic Provence lately but I've been completely absorbed with a great client project! I've been designing a build-out for new spaces, including colors, materials, finishes and furnishings. Right now I'm in the throes of selecting colors... for the interior and the exterior of an 8500 s.f. building dedicated to helping women and their children. 

So I've been buried in color books!

from Benjamin Moore's new Nuance site for designers

love this Benjamin Moore chalkboard paint for the children's play room designed by Tobi Fairley..
is there anyone out there who does NOT love Tobi Fairley designs?

this wallpaper pattern from Seabrook captures the feeling of lightness and airiness I'd like
to give part of these spaces.... and the color is beautiful!

this Pine Cone Hill flowered fabric may find its way onto walls
as art in the small, cozy counseling rooms

of course Martha Stewart's blues and greens are very soothing
and inspiring!

sea glass has the faded, softly worn colors of blues, greens and
soft whites that I love to use here via Pinterest

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call or text me:  650-302-6883

Guest Bedroom

Wanting to change from the somewhat inflexible queen bed format to far more nimble twin beds in a smallish guest bedroom, my client asked me to begin a search for just the right look... since these beds won't get a lot of wear and tear, we can go just a little more "special". And so off to 1stdibs for inspiration.. and look at these stunners! 18th C. French metal campaigns in the most incredible shade of green and brass. Yes, they will do just fine!

These gorgeous green twins would be stunning in softly white room including painted floorboards and glossy soft green baseboards/trim. The art.. by Glorida Vanderbilt herself, no less... would bring modern freshness to the room. And the lighting? I like the mid-century sconces, keeping it simple. And  that gorgeous Manuel Canovas fabric for bedcovers and curtains? Nice.

What do you think? Are we on the right track?

fabric: Babylone by Manuel Canovas  perfect for
window curtains and bed covers

Gathering, 2012 by Gloria Vanderbilt  perfect art for the wall

Paint Colors by Farrow & Ball

wall and glossy floor paint color

baseboard and trim paint color

Thanks for visiting.... Kit

The Wicker Room at Dominican

"The Wicker Room", as the student lounge for Meadowlands Hall at Dominican University of California is affectionately called, is one of my recently completed design projects. Dominican College was founded by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, California,  in 1890. Located 12 miles north of San Francisco, close to Napa Valley, the Marin beaches, Muir Woods & Sausalito, Dominican University of California inhabits a stunningly beautiful setting.  (And, rumor has it, was once the temporary summer home of an underemployed young Ansel Adams, whom the nuns hired to take yearbook photos and some shots of the campus in the 1930's, just before his career took off.) 

It is no surprise that universities today are challenged to provide spaces that encourage kids to actually look at each other and talk face to face, instead of staring downward into their mobile devices. Common areas have to attract their attention, draw them in, provide them with comfort and sociability, and keep them there. I was challenged with designing furnishings for five different student lounges throughout the campus that would appeal to students: fresh, modern, comfortable and inviting them to linger. 

This is the first one, in the original summer home of the Michael DeYoung family in 1890. The DeYoung family founded the San Francisco Chronicle and the DeYoung Museum in Golden Gate Park. 

the conceptual drawing of the space I presented  for client approval...

beautiful drawing by my assistant Yulia Krupnik 

the finished room comes pretty close to the original concept with some

budgetary concessions.. no cute little metal round side tables nor

Chinese coffee table in front of fireplace!

an empty room ready for new furnishings

Meadowlands, the huge grey shingled summer mansion for the

DeYoung family of San Francisco, was built in the 1880's

Michael DeYoung in 1885

original leaded glass panels in

the front door and windows

of Meadowlands Hall

the huge entry hall with its massive fireplace, coved ceiling

and period paneling... the Wicker Room is glimpsed at the far end

opposite the Wicker Room across the great entry hall 

is The Hunt Room, with gorgeous murals of hunt scenes painted on the walls; 

the entry hall itself is ponderously dark and atmospheric

the view from the very charming front porch of Meadowlands Hall 

includes Mt. Tamalpais in the distance

A whimsical starburst mirror adorns

the walls and keeps the mood light

and playful.. 

Framed panels of flowered fabric

in the grey, white and

citrus  palette,

keep it light and pretty

Another energizing starburst wall hanging in

the grey & white of the room's palette

Details of the piping on the upholstered sofa 

and pillows by the fireplace

This setting is perfect for studying and for

impromptu pizza parties for students

Several groupings keep the large room intimate and friendly to students

A cozy grouping in front of the beautiful fireplace

Cubes were used for their youthful, friendly flexibility as
either seating, side tables or footrests

These gorgeous leaded windows provided inspiration for

the fabric patterns I chose, below

Fabrics in grey, white and citrus green keep the room
fresh, modern and playful with trellis, floral and branch patterns

grey, white and citrus green palette

floorplan drawn to scale; I enjoy drawing small plans by
hand, although I also love AutoCAD! A tremendous
amount of measuring and re-measuring goes into
even a very simple plan such as this one

photo of Meadowlands Hall taken by Ansel Adams
in the l930's and used for brochure 

A grouping of cubes, beloved by students!

So what do you think of this room? The students seem to love it; every time I stop by, they are gathered on the curved sofa or around the table, gabbing and flirting with each other.  

I'll be posting some other student lounges I've recently finished at Dominican soon. The joy of this project is that each lounge is completely unique since the buildings range in age from 130 years old to the 1950's.

design by Kit Golson Design

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thanks for visiting!... Kit

Christmas Decorating: I'm Thinking Ruby Red Grapefruit

Every Christmas presents to me an irresistible new opportunity to create, decorate and design for all our family and friends' gatherings and celebrations. This year, keeping things simpler and slightly more recessionista-friendly, I looked around my home for inspiration from things I see in everyday life.

I see citrus: grapefruit (both the outside golden with a blush of coral, and the inside deep ruby red), oranges, the citron green of my draperies. I see silver, gold and stars. An orange tree outside (ok, I live in California).

That's it! I have my inspiration, now down to work. Ollie, thrilled to have me puttering around the house all day Sunday, keeps a watchful eye on me!

The (potted) tree is inside and ready for lights and decorations. I spent 4 hours polishing silver (I'm a Southern Girl after all!), I found my citrus-y accent pieces, votives in great ruby color, and the perfect shade of poinsettias (chez Home Depot!). I even practiced making some lemon petit fours for the holidays (that caterer-daughter of mine sets the bar pretty high)!

So we are getting there! We are excited we have near- and far-flung family coming to visit and stay with us over Christmas, and we will be seeing lots of friends we haven't seen much this year. I still have a lot of decorating, cooking, gift-wrapping and merrymaking to do...stay tuned and I will show you as the tree gets done, the decorations up, the parties created!

A la prochaine!

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Kit Golson Design

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