Dallas Blog | Material Girls | Dallas Interior Design

In honor of tonight’s Oscars, I wanted to share a very exciting and personal interview that I was fortunate to have with the designer of the Oscars Greenroom!! For this year’s 84th Academy Awards, Architectural Digest selected Waldo Fernandez, designer to the stars, to design their backstage greenroom! We were given the chance to have a private phone interview with Waldo, and Emily generously passed along the opportunity to to me (her assistant, Taylor) and I was so thrilled to do so! I could not wait to talk to Waldo about his glamorous design for the Oscars greenroom, but little did I know he would share amazing, personal stories about his relationships with some of Hollywood’s biggest names (including Elizabeth Taylor and Brad Pitt!!)

Here is a little background information on Waldo - Waldo Fernandez is one of Hollywood’s legendary interior designers. He came to the United States from Cuba to explore his passion for design and love of the arts. Waldo’s career began as a set designer for 20th century Fox, and his involvement in the entertainment industry led to his very successful career and large list of celebrity clientele. Fernandez’s impressive portfolio, spanning more than three decades, not only includes homes for an incredible roster of clients—Elizabeth Taylor, Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, and Darren Star among them—but also a number of commercial projects, such as the Beverly Hills Hilton and the West Hollywood Soho House club. So you can imagine how excited I was to talk him!!

Waldo was just as friendly and humble as he looks in the picture above!

Take a look at his fabulous design for the Architectural Digest greenroom, inspired by 1930′s and 40′s Hollywood glamour. Oscar greets you as you enter the gorgeous space! -

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

Waldo has a passion for furniture and said that for this space he wanted to start with only good quality furniture – no reproductions. To achieve the 1930′s and 1940′s Hollywood look of the greenroom he went back to his sources and selected only the highest quality furniture from the 20th century. He carefully selected Schumacher fabrics for the upholstery and told me that, “if you select beautiful fabric and good quality furniture, the whole room comes together.”

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

Architectural Digest partnered with Caesarstone, California Classics Reserve Collection Flooring, Circa Lighting, Feizy Rugs, Giati Designs, HP, Questroyal Fine Art, Samsung, and Schumacher Fabrics to furnish this beautiful space and provide it with the latest technology!

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

The color palette of the greenroom was inspired by his love of gray – specifically a cool gray wall finish from Donald Kaufman Color. From there, Waldo layered the color throughout the room in different tones and then added in the cream color with Schumacher upholstery fabrics. In all of Waldo’s designs he uses a neutral color palette because he believes that the art, furniture and fabric are what give life to the room. He believes the walls should be a soft color because it goes with anything and “walls without art are dead.” – We couldn’t agree with him more!

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

Waldo used rugs from Feizy to soften the space.

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

In a smaller sitting area, Waldo centered a Ruhlmann-style dining table beneath a simple chandelier from Circa Lighting. This is a perfect example of Waldo’s refined, glamourous style and his appreciation of quality furniture.

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

The custom bar features a CaesarStone countertop.

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

The outdoor space is furnished with Giati Designs “Castillo” metal furniture.

Here is Waldo lounging in the Oscars Greenroom with the amazing HP ENVY Spectre laptop. HP provided ENVY Spectre laptops for the greenroom so the celebs could keep track of the action online during the show!

Be sure to check out this video tour of the greenroom provided by HP!

Waldo was one of the nicest and most inspiring people I have ever had the pleasure of speaking with, so I am very excited to share this interview with you all! Here are more highlights from my amazing chat with Waldo -

Of course I had to start the interview with MG’s favorite quesiton: “What is your favorite material?”

Waldo replied that his favorite material would have to be fabric. He loves textural fabrics that are woven with beautiful materials – he does not like plain fabrics with prints. For the upholstery in the greenroom he selected an ivory Schumacher fabric that was a mix of cotton, rayon, wool, and silk – VERY luxurious! Of course Waldo could only select the best for the Oscars!

My next question for Waldo was whether or not he was going to attend the Oscars this year. Waldo replied that he was not attending, and that he preferred to spend the night at a friend’s house watching the show with a cocktail in the comfort of their living room. He said the bar was way too crowded at the Oscars! In past years, he spent the evening at his dear friend, Elizabeth Taylor’s home, just the two of them, watching the show. Then we talked about his history and friendship with Elizabeth Taylor – I was so star struck I could barely speak!! Here is Elizabeth Taylor in her home designed by Waldo Fernandez -

Firooz Zahedi for Architectural Digest

Waldo told me that the most memorable experience of his design career was his opportunity to work for Elizabeth Taylor and the close friendship that developed between the two of them over the years. He met her for the first time many years ago when he was “fresh out of Cuba,” he said he was shaking at their first meeting because he couldn’t believe he was talking to THE Elizabeth Taylor – I couldn’t even imagine! He recalled that, “She was sitting by the pool in a bathing suit with a reflector on her chest” – so glamorous! She told him that she was leaving for the Cannes Film Festival and needed her house finished in two weeks!! Like any designer would say, Waldo said, “That is impossible.” (Here was one of my favorite moments from the whole interview…) Elizabeth Taylor replied, “Nothing is impossible, my love.” – And amazingly Waldo finished her entire home in two weeks!

See the tour of Elizabeth Taylor’s home in Architectural Digest HERE!

My next question for Waldo was, “If you were going to the Oscars who would you be most excited to see?”

Waldo told me that he would love to see his clients Angie and Brad!! (As a huge fan of both, I could not contain my excitement!) He told me that “Brad was fantastic and a pleasure to work with.” He said that he and Brad were a perfect match because, “Brad has a passion for architecture, good furniture, and art” just like himself! He said that Brad reads about design and architecture and really gets into it. – So from what Waldo told me, Brad really is perfect!!

I asked Waldo what his favorite room to design for Brad was and he simply said “the whole house.” I can imagine it would be hard to pick just one!!

Waldo also just finished a project for the writer of the Sex and the City movies, Darren Star! This project was featured in the February issue of Architectural Digest! Here is Darren’s living room -

Roger Davies for Architectural Digest

You can see the full tour of Darren’s Bel Air home HERE.

To wrap up the interview, I asked Waldo, “What is one piece of advice you would give young, aspiring designers like myself?” He told me, “Never be scared talking to your clients, but still listen to them, and stick to what you believe is right.” Such wise words! He also told me that the most important aspect of interior design and being a designer is knowing scale – Once you understand scale you know how everything in a room works together! Thank you so much Waldo!

It really was a dream come true talking to Waldo and getting a behind the scenes look at the design of the Oscars greenroom! Thank you HP for this amazing opportunity! Be sure to watch the Oscars tonight and be on the lookout for the greenroom and Waldo’s beautiful design!

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We’ve always been charmed by the beautiful, hand-painted Chinoiserie, Japanese, and Korean wallpaper created by de Gournay but, as impressive as these designs are, don’t think of this NYC company as a one trick pony.

In addition to admiring their knobbly slub silk, hand woven silk damask, Indian tea paper, and striking metallic wallpapers, we’ve recently been intrigued by de Gournay’s extensive fabric collection.

The talent behind these romantic designs can paint any of their looks onto fabrics of different qualities and weights. Upholstery, bedspreads, curtains, blinds- whatever your need- the designers at de Gournay will help you complete your room in the best possible taste. Even porcelain can be used as a canvas to create the harmonious interior of your dreams!

Take a look at just a sample of their hand-painted work!

For those of you in NYC, look out for the re-opening of their showroom on 59^th and 2^nd avenue in the design district before the summer months!

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Every now and then two powerful and talented forces come together in collaboration and make us wonder- why didn’t this happen sooner?

Combining FABRICUT’s  dependable name in residential fabrics with the luxurious visions of Southern-born Charlotte Moss, couldn’t be more brilliant.

Charlotte Moss’ philosophy to “live passionately, decorate luxuriously and entertain beautifully” shines through in her recent partnership, resulting in some beautiful designs. Check them out!

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I don’t know about you, but I find accessorizing one of the most challenging parts of the design process.  It’s partly because you have to get the right “mix” of accessories. There has to be a balance between textural and smooth, shiny and matte, colorful and neutral, etc.  It can also be difficult because you might find the perfect accessory, but the scale is totally off…or maybe it’s the fact that it’s the last step in the process and if you are anything like me, you are a perfectionist and won’t quit until you find those amazing last touches for the space.

But above all, I truly believe that accessories can be so frustrating because of the lack thereof.  Of course there are a lot of accessory showrooms in Dallas, but  not very many that will let you take things on approval to test out and that is KEY with accessories (buying more than you need, playing around with the arrangement at the residence to get the perfect balance and then being able to return anything that just didn’t work out).  This past year I re-discovered IBB Design Group, a 40,000 square foot showroom who lets you take on approval, has up-to-date/ stylish accessories and has a warehouse FULL of them!

And if that’s not enough to convince you, here is proof-

Shay Geyer and her mother, Beth Rafferty are the brains (and beauties) behind the thirty year old showroom.  The duo’s knack for creating inspiring commercial and residential interiors, as well as stocking their showroom full of goodies from markets around the world, has kept their clients coming back for more.

{Shay in front of one of her favorite pieces}

Not only do they have accessories galore, but they also stock furniture from tons of different manufacturers such as Baker, Henredon, Lee Industries and Vanguard.  The best part? Everything is available for purchase off the floor!

As you can see, they have tons of mirrored pieces. I recently bought two John Richards mirrored etageres from them that are to die for!

Their colorful, patterned vignettes are constantly changing as things move off the floor very quickly (and I have to say this keeps my visits really interesting!)  You never know what they will be up to next

They use really fun patterned fabrics on their pillows and accent pieces….

They sell tons of lighting too…lanterns, drum shade chandeliers, crystal lamps- you name it.

See what I mean about the art?

Did I mention the bedding yet? So luxurious! All you need is a matching silk sleeping eye mask to complete this relaxing scenario.

I’m normally not a huge fan of leather chairs, but I could totally do a pair of these-

Their chairs never lack detail.  Whether it’s a back with a contrasting fabric, a shiny set of nailheads or patterned tape trim, you can count on them to give you designer quality furnishings.

This one here is from their own line…isn’t it great? I love the gray fabric mixed with the gold nailheads. Very unexpected yet so chic.

On my last visit, I snuck back to the warehouse to look at even more inventory and came across this turquoise chest with fabulous oversized hardware-

I love these chairs because they are traditional but with a modern funky flare.  You’d expect the chairs to be all neutral right, but a patterned ikat back?  Only at IBB!

Come visit them! Monday through Saturday- 10-5pm

5798 Genesis Court, Frisco, TX

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Our Material Girl dreams are coming true… Schumacher has announced that they are collaborating with THE Mary McDonald to create a fabric collection for 2013!! It is such a shame that we have to wait so long, but we thought it would be fun to predict what her amazing line will look like!

For those who don’t know, Mary McDonald is an acclaimed interior designer based out of L.A. and was recently on Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorators. Her signature style is timeless, elegant, and modern all in one! There will definitely be some greek key, bold colors, black & white, luxurious silks and velvets, and funky animal prints in her line (at least we hope so!!)

There’s a little greek key in almost all of her designs. As you all know, we can never have enough greek key! She uses a lot of bolster pillows with greek key tape trim on the ends.

More Greek key pillows!

Gorgeous navy and pink room. Did you spot the Greek key bolster?

Her line is sure to have some bold geometric prints- possibly in black and white? She is the master of black and white color schemes with bright pops of color!

She uses black and white chevron patterns a lot too! See the rug above and the amazing floor below-

This is a room Mary designed on Million Dollar Decorators. I am so obsessed with that floor.

Another great example of Mary’s layered black and white patterns.

She’s not afraid to throw in a little animal print here and there, and we hope she includes some in her line!

She really loves that zebra, and we do too!

Leopard wallpaper, so fab! Just wait until you see the whole room…

Wow, lots of leopard!

She includes stripes in a lot of her designs, so there are sure to be some in her Schumacher line. (And I do believe I see Schumacher wallpaper in the background!) I would just love for her to create a wallpaper line as well.

This room is girly in pink with chinoiserie accents. She frequently travels to Europe and the Far East, so we’re guessing that her line will contain ethnic prints and global influences.

We like to think that we’ve got her all figured out, but Mary McDonald is full of surprises.  All we know is that her line is sure to be ahhh-mazing! I guess we will just have to wait and see in 2013!

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Last night Kelly Wearstler came to Neiman’s in Dallas to promote her new fashion line.  When I heard she was coming, of course I had to go check out her creations in person! Needless to say, they did not disappoint.

Of course the first thing I noticed was that she used her Tracery rug that she designed for the Rug Company in her “store within a store”.

Remember my client Stacey who stayed at Viceroy Anguilla a few Spring Break’s ago?  Well, she is equally as smitten with Kelly as I am, so she joined me on this little fashion adventure-

Stacey almost walked out with this pink chair…too bad it wasn’t for sale!

I noticed Kelly used a lot of blues in her collection. Super cute jacket-

LOVED all the jewelry, especially the cuff bracelets!

More cute jackets for Fall…

Leslie Pritchard from Again and Again chatting with Kelly..I’ve always thought they looked like sisters so it was too weird to finally see them right next to each other!

These scarves would make great winter gifts for someone who loves bold colors and prints-

And more of her fabulous jewelry-

Even her models were gorgeous!

I wonder if anyone else caught on to the fact that this mannequin’s outfit was so careful coordinated to the colors in the rug?

And then right before she departed, we managed to squeeze in a quick photo with Mrs. Wearstler, which was a fun ending to the night. She was wearing a jacket from her new collection and looked very pulled together (as usual)…

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Now that we have entered the month of November… tasty holiday drinks are back on the menu, stores are stocking shelves with holiday decorations, and it is finally time for the once-a-year Dallas Sample Sale!! Trust us you don’t want to miss it!

This fabulous event starts with a preview night this Thursday, November 3rd, from 6-9 p.m. and lasts all weekend! The Dallas Sample Sale takes place at the Dallas Market Center (see directions here).  This is your chance to get a head start on all of your holiday shopping and get amazing gifts at wholesale prices! There is something for everyone on your list… Jewelry, toys, children’s clothing, home accessories, holiday decorations, furniture… you name it there’s a showroom for it!

Also, the Salvation Army Angel Tree program will kick-off during the preview event on Thursday! Shoppers can make selections for their angel and drop them off that night, if they’d like!

The sale takes place Thursday evening from 6-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Last year’s sale drew more than 15,000 people! Tickets are only $20 at the door so don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity! See you there!

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For the past month, we’ve been hard at work on a vignette for Dwell with Dignity’s new Thrift Studio store which just opened up in the design district here in Dallas.  Five local designers were asked to plan out a room vignette using Dwell’s vintage furniture and accessories from their warehouse, as well as other donations from the design community.  We had so much fun on this project because it was different from any other project we had done before. We really had to stretch our creativity on this one! We had a really short time to complete it in, limited resources, and virtually no budget, but we were definitely up for the challenge!

Taking this lackluster space from this-

{Before}

To this- in just a couple of weeks was a little bit of a stretch for EJ Interiors but somehow we managed to pull it off!

{After- EJ Interiors’ dining room vignette for Dwell with Dignity’s Thrift Studio opening}

Our room centered around bold orange and turquoise. The inspiration? A pair of these adorable chairs that we managed to dig up in Dwell’s warehouse…

The process was so unique that I had to take some photos along the way to document our Dwell journey!

Phase 1- All of the designers meet at Dwell’s warehouse to grab the pieces they want to use for their vignette.  I put everything in my little pile that could be a possibility for the space.  Now the question is- what in the world am I going to do with it all?

Phase 2- There was a lot to do in a little amount of time.  Since most of the things in the warehouse were older items, I knew that re-upholstering and re-painting furniture had to happen..and quick!

I couldn’t believe my luck in finding these four matching chairs in the warehouse…

And  then I was even more shocked to find the perfect turquoise fabrics hidden in a corner…

It was meant to be!

M&M Upholstery donated the upholstery labor and Nicole Horne of Modern Relics donated the painting labor for the chairs…what a fantastic team they made!

Phase 3- Time to get the room painted!  Twenty five Neiman Marcus volunteers came out to help us get our rooms ready and I must say that I couldn’t have done it without them!  They quickly helped my vision come to life and did such a great job painting the walls and trim.

I loved our little team! If any of you are reading this, thank you again so much!

The Thrift Studio starts coming together…

Loved the entrance!

Ok we are making some progress..drapes are almost up!

Phase Four- Completion! Everything is in place for the sneak preview party and so now we just wait for people to shop, shop, shop!

For those of you that weren’t able to make it for the great deals at the preview party last Friday, not to worry because the Thrift Studio pop up shop is open from now until October 29th- Monday through Saturday 10-5:30 pm at 1616 Hi Line Drive in Dallas.

So many great deals to be had and such an amazing way to help out a good cause!

So many volunteers helped make the Dwell with Dignity event such a success.  Thank you again!  Some of the sources below..

{Royal Old Fashioned Tumblers- Wisteria Outlet}

{Mirror- taken off from an old dresser and re purposed for the buffet.  Christian at Think Twice kindly helped us hang the mirror by decorative gold chain}

{Bust- Pettigrew Associates}

{Pedestal- Dwell with Dignity}

{Custom white drapes with turquoise band on leading edge- Stitches by Carmen; wood drapery rods- Williamson Supply}

{Crystal Sconce- Dwell with Dignity}

{Vintage Gucci bag- Dwell with Dignity}

{Painted brackets from Hobby Lobby, vintage New Orleans prints, wall sunbursts, antler horns- EJ Interiors}

{Chandelier- Visual Comfort, Taylors on Ten}

{Wall Color- Benjamin Moore paint}

{Flatware, dishes, wine glasses, decorative bowls- Dwell with Dignity}

{Dining table- Dwell with Dignity- base painted orange}

{Mercury glass vase- EJ Interiors}

{Sticks in vase- found in a pile of bulk trash-no kidding EJ Interiors}

{Chaise lounge- Dwell with Dignity- repainted creamy white}

{Custom 18″ pillow- Trina Turk fabric; chaise upholstery- Childress leopard print fabric- EJ Interiors}

{6×9 Sisal rug- Dwell with Dignity}

Photos by: Fort Worth Real Estate Photography

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I’m so excited to share an invite with all of you to the sneak preview of the Thrift Studio pop up shop!

This Friday, September 30th, Lisa Robison and Kim Turner of Dwell with Dignity (as seen on Nate Berkus!) are hosting an event here in Dallas to unveil the vignettes that five Dallas designers (including EJ Interiors) have created! The other designers participating include Abbe Fenimore, Beth Dotolo & Carolina V. Gentry, Sam Reitmayer Sano, and William Baker. I am so honored to be included in such an talented group of designers.  The vignettes seriously look amazing, and the best part is EVERYTHING is for sale and all proceeds go to benefit Dwell with Dignity – an organization dedicated to helping families escape poverty and homelessness through design.

Additionally, there will be donated items from Jan Showers, Peacock Alley, David Cadwallader, David Sutherland, and more, at discounted prices! This is your chance to get some gorgeous furniture and accessories at amazing prices AND help out a great cause!

The Thrift Studio sneak peek event is open to the public Friday, September 30th, from 6-9 p.m. at 1616 Hi Line in the Dallas Design District. Admission is $25 – all proceeds go to benefit Dwell with Dignity.  If you miss the grand opening, not to worry because the pop up shop is open throughout the month of October!

Such a glam invitation, I had to include pictures-

Next week, we’ll unveil the designers’ vignettes on MG and how a little paint, DIY, upholstery and creativity can go a long way with vintage furniture!  These are truly our favorite types of makeovers!

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I have to apologize- I’ve been a little MIA on MG Dallas lately because we’ve been out of town on our honeymoon.  We spent a week catching up on some much needed rest and relaxation.  The past few months have been beyond crazy, so I welcomed a quiet, desolate island that had cold weather (AKA weather that was thirty degrees cooler than Dallas).

After two plane rides, three cab rides, one rocky boat ride, and three trips through customs, we finally made it to the Viceroy Anguilla.  It was just the place that we needed to unwind.  Since I’m a workaholic, I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you that we stayed in a hotel designed by Kelly Wearstler (hey, a girl has to incorporate design into her travels!) and it’s probably not shocking that we also asked if we could get a tour of the hotel the morning after we arrived.  We had a day to unpack and settle in and then our tour of hotel de Kelly began….

We met said tour guide in the hotel lobby at 10 am.  She started off by telling us the background of the hotel-

The British West Indies property consists of thirty five acres divided between a resort and residences.

Construction at the Viceroy was supposed to be done in three years but just like every project, there was some unanticipated drama. They were having trouble getting a bunch of the materials there.  Things were coming in broken from being shipped long distances, among other mishaps.  Fast forward five years, and the Viceroy is finally done with construction.  Everything has been going great since then and during the year and a half span that it has been open, they’ve had travelers (and celebs) come from far and wide to visit this unique establishment.

The guide also told us why the colors of the hotel were so muted and neutral.  The purpose was to have the hotel’s natural elements pop out (sand, sky and water) and to “bring the outdoors in”.

The entrance to the hotel had an intricate stone pattern that was apparently a collaboration between KWID and Walker Zanger.

The lobby looked so different from day to night-

They used a ton of natural materials in the Viceroy.  The stones that they used in this hotel were nothing short of AMAZING and were brought in from Italy, Turkey and China.

Kelly had prototypes made of everything before she ordered, so there were no design surprises!

An abundance of silver travertine from Italy filled the outdoor walkways and hotel room interiors…I’d never seen so much in one place!

These petrified logs are from South America.  They bought eight hundred of them!

Not only was their bar, dubbed Sunset Lounge, a great place to fall asleep while reading The Help, it also made for some amazing photographs.  This Black Rainbow Granite was brought in from China and covered the entire back wall of the bar.

This mirrored bar was right up my alley…

These vinyl upholstered bar stools were a far cry from the typical “icky” vinyl and had such great style…

The bar countertop was made of “new silver travertine” (I’ll explain more about this later when we arrive at Kelly’s personal villa!)

Our guide also told us that they are still figuring out how some of the materials they specified work in Anguilla’s environment/weather.  She said that since there is so much more sodium in the air and the sun is so strong, things tend to corrode quicker.

In Sunset Lounge, they installed Iroko Wood on the floor underneath textured jute rugs. They originally specified a lot of teak, but it was too expensive. Our guide explained to us that Iroko wood is the “poor man’s teak”.

White slipcovers covered a lot of the furniture at the Viceroy. I asked our guide if they were nervous about wear and tear (because who wouldn’t be with that much traffic) and she said they were a little bit worried since they only bought one more set of off white slipcovers for the Sunset Lounge!! I have been known to spill a time or two (at each meal), so Ben and I were extra careful when eating on the lounge “beds”.

{The infinity pool..}

Glass railings were used throughout the property in order to avoid obstructing the gorgeous views…great decision on their part I must say!

Also, the teak chairs surrounding the property have since weathered to a gray tone.  Don’t worry, this was all planned out from the beginning.  If you can believe it, the designers wanted it to have this look, so it was all part of their master plan. Gorgeous!

The silver travertine never ends at this hotel!

It took me a while to realize that these faces were functional! They are wood chairs that face the ocean…sigh….

We then made our way to the Italian restaurant, Coba.  It was empty at the time, so we got a really nice close up look at the space.

The limestone flooring and pink shellstone walls were nice backdrop materials for the swanky sculptures that were in recessed metallic nooks.

This photo has scared a few of my family members when I’ve shown it to them, but I actually thought this adobe-looking statue was quite interesting when I looked at it closely.  It had coconut hair and a cork breastbone-

Our guide showed us how there are a lot of color variations in the pink shellstone since it was quarried earlier than when they actually purchased it.

The sunburst is the Viceroy’s logo, so in Coba we saw them everywhere- they were in statues and ceiling light fixtures. The ceiling lights were custom-made from Triton Lighting. They got them made in brass so they would have natural patina.

This seems to be Kelly’s signature chair…

The landscaping was done by George Gerban.  The landscape is pretty much all green and white (the way Kelly likes it). Apparently she is not a huge fan of colorful landscaping.  Also, the guide said that Brad, Kelly’s husband, is very much into landscaping and had revised the design quite a few times so it would be perfect.

Reverb Co. did the signage (company out of Los Angeles). Don’t you just love the men and women’s bathroom signs?

Now let’s go to the spa!  It’s truly incredible.  There is a pool on its balcony overlooking the ocean and the furniture, upholstery and sculptures in this place are nuts (in a good way).

Now let’s enter Villa 9, where all the magic happens!

Villa 9 is the Villa that Kelly owns with her husband Brad and his father.  They stay in this one when they visit (apparently).

Upon entering, you immediately notice a really cool brass light fixture and bronze screen.

Oh look- it’s our friend Silver Travertine again!

Like we always say, don’t be afraid to mix your metallics! Kelly shows that she has no fear of mixing warm and cool tones.

I’m pretty sure I’d be happy with showering outside for the rest of my life if this was my shower-

The living room was my favorite part of the Villa.  A dash of soft pink in the pillows, linen upholstery and driftwood lamps were just a few things that caught my eye.  Our guide said that the cowhide rug in the living room was starting to curl up a bit at the edges, is getting dirty and going bald.  Yikes!

The lamps near the TV are sliced quartz with a lucite base…wowza!!

The guide told us something interesting…that Anguilla really doesn’t have commercial building codes.  Can you imagine!

The kitchen was downright dreamy…and after a few days I was really wishing our hotel room had one too.

Such amazing exotic stones gathered from around the world…this one is Black Mosaic.

It’s hard to tell in the photo, but these nightstands are made of a hammered foil…

Some people had commented how the lamps cover the artwork too much (it’s like this in every hotel room)..what do you think- yay or nay?

And as you can tell, they love ambient lighting here!

There’s a luxe dual showerhead in the bathrooms…

Not such a shabby view from the upstairs…

The upstairs houses the Junior Master Bedroom and the Master Bedroom Suites.

Now for the master suite!

The doors throughout are made of a very interesting veneer…

Notice the hanging bed on the balcony…

Look at the size of that closet! I don’t even have that many clothes split between my summer and winter wardrobes, let alone enough to fill it for a one week vacay!

It’s hard to tell in this photo, but “new silver travertine” was used on the vanity countertop and plain “silver travertine” was used on the bathroom floor.  I learned that the difference between these stones is that the “new silver” one has more brown in it and the “regular silver” has more gray. I suppose they mixed in both for contrast?

This is a little thing that most people probably didn’t notice (but something that I had to point out) was how Kelly accented the neutrals throughout the hotel with pops of soft purple.  All the towels were muted purple as well as the hot tub tile on the balconies of each room.  I thought it was a nice touch since it pulled that subtle purple color out of the travertine and inserted it throughout the hotel.

The Viceroy was a really remarkable hotel and I would recommend it to anyone- design aficionado or not.   Hope you had as much fun on the tour as we had!  Until next time!

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