Indoor/outdoor fabric for interior upholstery; kid-friendly, pet-friendly, style friendly!

When presented with the challenge of creating a space that can stand up to the demands of an active family with five children or a bachelor with a love for labrador retreivers, we don't sweat. At Deb Reinhart Interior Design Group we want the spaces we design to be both stylish and livable. Over the past few years the availability of designer indoor/outdoor fabrics has exploded and the quality has become so great, they're comparable to luxury  interior fabrics. Those old stiff coated cottons of the past have been replaced with acrylic fabrics with the look and feel of plush boucle, elegant linen plus tons of on-trend patterns.

Feel free snuggling up to your pups on this striking sofa...

 

And don't fret if pasta sauce drips on these dining chairs.

 

In these living spaces our clients asked for functionality without sacrificing style. We know that thanks to new jacquard weaving techniques, innovative yarns, and advanced finishes durable no longer has to mean utilitarian and chose to upholster these pieces, which are used everyday, with indoor/outdoor velvet.  The quality of these new fabrics is so excellent, no one needs know our little secret.

Earlier this summer our team attended the launch of Holly Hunts new collaboration with Sunbrella, one of the oldest and most trusted names in outdoor fabric. We were wowed by the new collection, especially the loopy boucle Breathe Easy and the plush, almost shaggy Lionheart.

The line also features classic nautical stripes and geometric patterns in shades of on-trend teals, blues and grays...on fabrics of course, and for this special launch printed on cookies!

Designing Indoor/Outdoor Living Space

This humble unfinished basement is about to undergo a massive transformation. What is now storage, utility access and empty space will soon become a contemporary, comfortable basement for a family of four to include:

• home office
• art studio
• theater
• wine cellar
• poker and ping-pong area
• full kitchen and bar all with easy flow to a landscaped backyard and patio.

It's a major project that will dramatically change how they live in their home! Where do we start with such a large undertaking?

Our team is developing a space plan and supplying CAD drawings that will carve out rooms in this vast open space, as well as designing all bathrooms, the kitchen, and built-in cabinetry, and selecting materials, furniture and accessories.

The clients mandate was for the design of a comfortable and welcoming space for family and friends that appeals to both adults and teenagers, is easy to maintain and has a unique and stylish look. In order that we create a space that's not only beautiful but functional, there were some space planning challenges we need to solve.

•  The art studio needs natural light, which means it has to be placed on an outside wall.

• The homeowner was concerned about noise from the television drifting up to the first floor master bedroom so we'll be creating a state of the art home theater that's placed on an inner wall far from the bedroom. Since it doesn't need light, this was a natural choice.

• A big focus on this project is creating a unified indoor/outdoor living space. The double doors above will be eliminated and a new entrance will be created where the bay window is now. That new entrance will lead from the bar to the outside dining space, creating the perfect flow for entertaining.

In addition to overseeing all aspects of the decor and installation of the finished basement, we're thrilled to be working with the client, their builder and the designers at Chicago landscaper company Christy Webber to plan the ultimate in family-friendly indoor/outdoor living space. The client property features and large yard and they've asked for an easy to maintain landscape plan as well as a screened-in porch, hot tub, and patio with an outdoor kitchen, dining and lounge space.

This past week we took a trip to Christy Webber's headquarters on Chicago's west side to review the landscape designers master plan with the client. Since we want to create a unified space, communication and collaboration with landscape designer is vital. It's a pleasure to be working with their renowned team of designers. Not only are they behind some of the cities most beautiful residential and civic spaces but their own headquarters is an award winning, LEED-platinum certified marvel that  has yielded numerous awards for it's design and commitment to sustainable design, recycling and reuse of materials.

We're thrilled to be working with Christy Webber to create a cohesive indoor/outdoor design and help our client achieve their landscaping dreams.

Be sure to check in as well be keeping you updated as this massive project develops. The next step...designing a full kitchen that works on its own and as an extension of the outdoor living space.

Contemporary wood wallpaper

We love when clients present us with unique challenges. In this case, it's a young Chicago professional who wants a media room that reflects his love of hunting, nature and the outdoors while fitting with his modern urban home. No overt hunting lodges or folksy cabins here. The look is to be upscale, contemporary and comfortable with subtle winks towards that more rustic aesthetic.

Wood wall coverings are a perfect material for this challenge. Not panels!  This is not your 1970's basement wood panelling! Modern wood-look wall coverings and wallpapers are made of phthalate-free vinyl with the grain of real wood. They're amazingly realistic and versatile, ranging from sleek finishes that work beautifully to emphasize architecture to more rustic styles full of grooves and knots and color variation. The samples above are from Innovations USA Hudson line but we also love....

the Renaissance line from Concertex which comes in a variety of stains and grains...

 

and Maya Romanoff's Ajira collection which comes in grain patterns like the Ajira Chevron above.

Stay tuned as this project develops! It's such a fun concept, the final product is going to be amazing!

Patterned roman shades, bringing your windows to life!

A good dose of pattern is vital to any space. It adds detail and texture and energy to a room, so when choosing fabrics for custom window treatments, we love to pick patterned shades over something solid. Even a subtle tone-on-tone or small scale pattern on a shade or drapery panel just adds an extra bit of life.  (But you can see, we're not afraid of putting big bright pattern on window treatments!) When installation day finally arrived at the home of these Evanston interior design clients were so pleased with the difference these shades made in the space. In the living room, the large scale trellis pattern from Candice Olsen's Kravet line is bold and fresh, while the limited palette of ivory, tan and taupe with a subtle metallic sheen keep it in line with this comfortable yet elegant home.

A row of burgundy silk pom-poms is an fun, unexpected addition that ties it into the rich reddish accents through out the space.

Let's zoom in for a close-up!

Since the dining room is across the hall and the home has an open plan, we used a similar style roman shade and color palette but this time chose a smaller scale pattern, a woven honeycomb in metallic taupe and two rows of wood teardrop beads...a more sophisticated, but no less unique, look for this formal space.

Accenting the ceiling with unique materials: Part 2

Let's peek into the kitchen of our luxury Chicago bachelor pad. And like last time, we're focusing on the ceiling. (Clearly, we love ceilings around here!)

We chose to replace the hood with an updraft (which can do the job just as well and, in this home of a bachelor with little interest in cooking, the 'gourmet kitchen' didn't fit with his lifestyle) surrounded by a soffit and inset lighting that shows off this beautiful antique carved panel.

Just like a chandelier over a dining table, this panel grounds the space...plus the slight drop of the soffit and the warm detail of the panel creates a more intimate feeling space, a special nook rather than just kitchen overflow.

 It's architectural detail, visual art and functionality all in one! Ceilings can be wonderful things!