#THEESTATE INSPO: THE SPEAKEASY

This ended up being the coolest afterthought ever. Our dining room had this space that we thought would end up being a wine display. But 1. we don’t hold onto our wine long enough to store it and 2. certainly didn’t want to feel obligated to fill a cellar. Yet this area in our dining room really needed something.

Walking the site with our architect, builder and designer, they all agreed and envisioned a walk-in bar area, we call it THE SPEAKEASY.

Surfing through my Pinterest boards I found this image and it delivered all the right inspiration needed to create our very own speakeasy.

Cheers,

Nadia

#THEESTATE INSPO: THE COURTYARD

"I'm curious, what was the idea behind this design? It's so unique." I'll never forget when a neighbor casually stopped to ask me. She was referring to the outdoor fireplace we were standing in front of, in the middle of the driveway.

Source

When I first laid eyes on this property I immediately envisioned a Mediterranean U-shaped home, that wrapped around a beautiful, landscaped courtyard. So our first drawing looked like this:

And thank goodness our amazing builder, Adam (Highlands Builders Group), was involved in the design process. He took one look at that design, counted corners and said, nope, way out of budget. Back to the drawing board.

We entertain. We like to throw dinner parties. We love hosting gatherings. Our brilliant architect, Phil McCullough, Max and I shared ideas, visions of how we planned to entertain. Our guests would be greeted at the door, welcomed in to the entry, gather in the dining room for dinner and then after dinner we would open the double doors out to the courtyard for whiskey + cigars. We envisioned the courtyard to be a more formal, intimate space. Room for a small group to escape, gather around the outdoor fireplace surrounded by manicured gardens, completely hidden from the street by a hedge lining the perimeter. I loved the idea of offering two different outdoor vibes.

And there she is.

A couple things left to finish but it’s almost there.

T - 2 months

Nadia

#THEESTATE INSPO: THE ATRIUM

Nate Berkus + Jeremiah Brent said it best in Athena Calderone’s Live Beautiful book, we

“build our home based on moments we imagined.“

And when I came across this photo a sudden vision hit me. Welcoming guests with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in a room full of light + warmth; walls of windows, large skylights, a fireplace, conversations that flowed through doors that opened to the pool and patio. That romantic blend of indoor/outdoor space with stucco walls, Italian pavers.

And of course, the stunning, floating blackened steel, glass + wood staircase. All the examples we were finding online were too industrial, too modern. We wanted our staircase to be minimal in detail -- hidden fasteners, continuous glass with no posts with a wood-cap.

There is so much thoughtful design in this room. Easily one of my favorite spaces.