Ombre Sofa

A couple of images caught my eye recently, and because one of my main gigs is designing and manufacturing custom furniture here in LA and I have fabulous craftsmen to create just about anything I can dream up.  Now I can't stop thinking about how cool it would be to execute a fabulous ombre sofa.

Am I right?  Used in the right project and the right space, what a fantastic statement piece it would be!

The color possibilities are endless...

I'm a big fan of the teal tones pictured on the first sofa above.  I think this color combo would be totally approachable and usable in a real living space. 

via

 So would some understated silvery-grey tones...

How pretty would these muted lavender/mauve hues look?

Of course coral tones ranging from pale and peachy to super saturated would look amazing too...

So here's a call to all you adventurous souls who would love living with a sofa so unique and different that it makes you smile every time you walk past...let's DO this!

INTRODUCING THE "FLEXIBLE SECTIONAL"

So a couple of years ago I realized that a lot of my custom furniture clients were apartment dwellers or decorating a home that they might not be in for ever and ever, and the idea of the"flexible sectional" was born.  Rather than having to commit to a sectional with only one possible configuration, I devised a way to install hidden clips on both ends of a sectional so that the chaise can attach to either end and you're not stuck with just one possible configuration.  Make sense?  Since then it's been an ultra-popular option whenever I tell people about it, and because I just received yet another email asking about the possibilities of this, I thought I should just put it out here on the blog:  Yes, a "flexible sectional" is a thing...yes, it's totally doable...yes, we can make you one.  There you have it.  I'm sure I'm not the first company to imagine or offer this, but I do know that the major box stores don't, so it's a huge plus for my customers who come to me wanting the general look of, say, a Crate & Barrel sofa, or a Restoration Hardware sofa, and then to be able to customize it any way they want to, or turn it into a flexible sectional if they see fit.

You can see that the sofa below is a "flexible sectional" by looking at the frame underneath the chaise cushion.  You'll see it's actually two parts instead of one continuous piece.  The "ottoman" (for lack of a better word) can be unclipped and attached with recessed hidden hooks to either end of the sofa, so that all you have to do to make a change is flip the chaise cushion over and swap it with the opposite end cushion.

The only clue that belies the flexible nature of the sofa is the division in the frame where the ottoman meets the sofa, and the extra set of legs where the two parts meet.

Sorry for the messy photos, but you know, that's how we roll at the factory.  Believe me, you want a to see a factory floor littered with piles of foam and staples and all the tools of the trade...meaning a lot of creating is going on there and due to the sheer volume, the craftsmen probably know what they're doing.  Or like the saying goes: "Never trust a skinny chef."

Thanks for stopping by....have a great day!

ODE TO NATE BERKUS

So I know he's kind of a tried and true standard by now for those in the design world (nay for the masses, since his Target home collection) but I can't help devoting one little bloggy blog post solely to my adoration of Nate Berkus.  

I love Nate for his use of color and blend of eclectic styles.  I'm totally into his "collected, world traveler" vibe, probably because I spent my 20s poking around all over the world and have my own trove of trinkets that I'm kind of hoping say more "cultured" and less "hoarder."  Nate's masterful with the neutral palettes punctuated by just the right hits of black, and always, always his inclusion of rich cognac and warm caramel-y tones and textures that infuse his spaces with life.  He has a penchant for giant, over-scale photography images, and so do I...I told you how to achieve the look affordably here.  Nate's all over mixing styles from different design periods without making a space feel confused or hectic. And he doesn't abuse mid-century modern!  I personally don't care for a space with a purely mid-century modern aesthetic, although I think "moments" of mcm are a almost always a very good addition to just about any space.
Have a look at these rooms with me, wont you?  Yummy, yummy, yum!

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

NATE BERKUS INTERIORS

It might be evident that Nate's decorating style influenced my own living room.  I don't think I've yet shared my whole house yet on my blog, so I'll have to do a proper "tour" soon!

ROSA BELTRAN DESIGN

ROSA BELTRAN DESIGN

ROSA BELTRAN DESIGN

ROSA BELTRAN DESIGN

ROSA BELTRAN DESIGN

ROSA BELTRAN DESIGN

That wool tote with leather handles is actually from Nate's collection for Target last Fall...so of course it fit right in :)

TALES FROM THE FACTORY FLOOR

Now and then I'll post photos of the custom furniture that I design and have manufactured locally for my clients and projects, and even for other designers and their projects.  Today it's a chair round up, starting with this saucy little number in hot pink velvet.  Excuse the messy pictures...the factory is where the magic happens, but factories are, you know, messy.

I think it's worth pointing out that sourcing your furniture locally is about the "greenest" and  most conscientious choice you can make in spending your design dollars.  It goes a long way as far as reducing the carbon footprint and supporting your local economy.  Worth noting!

I Heart LA & Coral Velvet Chesterfields

This pretty little coral velvet chesterfield is being delivered to a client tomorrow...

ROSA BELTRAN DESIGN

It's home will be a loft in the historic Pacific Electric building in downtown LA.  Can I just take this moment to relish the pretty fantastic resurgence of life and livelihood in our downtown core?  From a bustling and glitzy district at the turn of the last century, to a depressed and deserted wasteland during the decades when suburbia reigned supreme, to a once-again flourishing community of LA's incredibly diverse inhabitants.  What a turnaround.

PACIFIC ELECTRIC BUILDING CIRCA EARLY 1900s

PACIFIC ELECTRIC BUILDING CIRCA EARLY 1900s

PACIFIC ELECTRIC BUILDING CIRCA EARLY 1900s

PACIFIC ELECTRIC BUILDING TODAY