Maybe it's because of quarantine and stay-at-home orders, but lately we have had an uptick of requests for in-home bars, custom wine rooms and in this case, a Secret Speakeasy Lounge!
Wetting your whistle in bars and restaurants has been impossible during quarantine. People have really seen the importance of home and being able to create entertainment experiences in their own homes with a small gathering of friends and family.
MID-CENTURY HILLSIDE HOUSE
This project is located in the San Diego suburb of La Mesa which has beautiful views and rocky plateaus. La Mesa in Spanish means "the table", or alternately "the plateau", which relates to its geography. This mid century home is a gem because of the way it's built into a rocky hillside. As soon as I saw it, my mind started spinning with ideas!
BEFORE THE MAKEOVER
This space was unused apart from a few storage items. As a designer, all I could see was hidden potential. This rock wall gives me all the underground lair feels!
THE DESIGN BRIEF
My clients are a hip young couple. Like most of my clients, they came to me to design something out of the box for them. They wanted a space with a vintage 1920's vibe. During our Discovery process, they mentioned a trip to Chicago that inspired them when they stayed at the Chicago Athletic Hotel. Once we landed on the concept of a Secret Speakeasy Lounge, we were all in!
SECRET SPEAKEASY LOUNGE TOUCHES
Most people know me for my Colorfully Coastal designs which incorporates vibrant pops of color but depending on the client and their aesthetic, I work with all colors schemes! In fact, I haven't met a color I don't love whether it be a complex cream to vibrant colors to dark moody black. My personal aesthetic is Vintage Eclectic Maximalism and in my own home, I tend to use darker more saturated colors.
I loved leaning into my dark moody side for this project. First, we had to tackle some of the construction elements - we ripped out the old carpet and installed dark wood flooring. We painted the walls black, installed art deco wallpaper and copper ceiling tiles. We even had a hidden door constructed that looks like a bookcase. To get that Boardwalk Empire vibe, I layered in masculine tufted leather chairs and touches of metallic in the metal bar cabinet and drink drop tables brought a little reflective element to the space.
I incorporated my clients gorgeous barware and a statue of a black dog that I found on the property! It was the perfect whimsical touch.
ONLINE INTERIOR DESIGN SERVICE
I think it's important to share that this was not my typical Full Service Design Project that you normally see. These clients opted to go with my Online Design Service since we started the process during the earlier days of quarantine. I met them at their home for the initial meeting. After that we communicated via email and we video conference via Zoom. The project details were all in my Online Design Studio....the Space Plan, Concept Board as well as the Product Procurement List.
My clients were able to implement my design and schedule all of the tradesmen to complete the work. They implemented it at their own pace which is not easy while working full time and having a young child home during school closures.
Our Online Interior Design Service is great whether you live outside of San Diego County or if you need a design roadmap but plan to implement the design yourself just like my clients did. Head over to the Contact Page to get started.