Sunset & Magnolia Style
Roxanne specializes in creating rooms with texture, depth and cohesion. How does she do it? Here are her top five tips for making a gracious space.
1. Welcoming Ambience: “I always want people to feel welcome in the spaces I design,” Roxanne says. She begins with the selection of beautiful fabrics, noting that “in your home all your fabrics should really make you happy and want to spend time there.”
2. Consistency and Harmonious Flow. “Some element of consistency throughout the home makes the style flow effortlessly from one room to another,” she says. In her home, it’s the white woodwork.
3. Dark Wood and Black Furniture: Roxanne loves dark woods because they are elegant, timeless and grounding. Her suggestion? Have one piece of black furniture in every room. Not only does it add weight to the space, but silver, ceramic lamps and crystal are gorgeous when displayed on black furnishings.
4. Texture: “To achieve warmth and a welcoming vibe, I incorporate woven pieces or rattan,” Roxanne says. “You can add texture in baskets, sisal rugs, cable-knit blankets, embroidered pillows, grasscloth wall coverings or nubby woven upholstery fabric on a chair.” She adds that texture provides depth and dimension to a room.
5. Silver and Flowers: Enchant guests with a sparkling silver tray or bowl and a crystal vase filled with flowers or greenery. Roxanne also adds that “silver frames [containing] treasured people on a dark piece of wood furniture is a fabulous way to welcome people into your space, whether it be your entryway hall, reception area or simply a welcoming hall table.”
“One of the things I love about design is the way we can incorporate things we love into the very essence of the building.”
SCALED SPACE
When Roxanne toured the living room, she noticed that the ceiling was “crying out” for a little detail. Painted faux beams were just the right thing and, while she was at it, she also painted the ’70s brick and wood-paneled fireplace white, which visually shrank it to scale with the rest of the room. “I think the huge fireplace scared and stumped the other prospective buyers,” she says. “But as soon as I saw it, I knew I would paint it white.” She also played with scale in other ways by artfully hanging the curtain rods an extra foot above the windows. “It makes the room feel taller,” she says.
When it came to styling, she followed her instincts, prioritizing her sense of art over any technical approach. “For the mix-and-match throw pillows and different patterns on the furniture, rug and ottoman, I am instinctual,” she says. “I make sure they feel good together, rather than matching colors. If I love the fabric, then I use it, which is always the same advice I give my clients.”
BREAKFAST WITH A VIEW
With the Santa Monica mountains on the horizon, Roxanne made sure her design decisions allowed for ample enjoyment of the view, whether from indoors or outside. “In our breakfast nook, we made sure the room was very open,” she says. “The doors lead to a large deck, and they are propped open most of the time.” And, when nature is a bit intense (the room can get very hot due to its position relative to the sun), lined drapes can be drawn for comfort. Roxanne also used open-back chairs to leave the mountain range unobstructed and continued the neutral color scheme seen throughout the home, saying, “with the neutral palette, the only color is from the sky outside.” For styling, she used an antique French table and chairs along with white cushions.
There’s a lot of wood in the breakfast nook—the doors, floors, table and chairs—yet Roxanne boldly combined it all together. “My secret is that I never match,” she says. “The melding of different patinas is beautiful. I always lean toward darker woods, with a brown or black tone rather than a warm tone, because that tends to yellow and not age as well.” Now, she and her husband can enjoy coffee in the presence of the mountains every morning.
Roxanne says that her goal, whether working for clients or her own family, is to create gracious spaces to gather. Whether she’s welcoming guests, spending time with her husband or having their children visiting from college, every space of the home is most gracious and the perfect place to gather.