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Highlights. Trends. Insights. We’ve got the scoop on everything you need to know about interior design right here in one tidy space!

Project Highlight: Hillcrest for Woodbridge Pacific Group, Plan 4, Chino Hills, CA

A Family Retreat

This rustic modern oasis at Hillcrest for Woodbridge Pacific Group in Chino Hills is well-suited for families with young children looking to move up from their starter homes or empty nesters seeking to downsize. Chameleon Design employed neutral hues of caramel, linen, sand and smoke create to buffer from the hustle and bustle beyond the front door. The spacious staircase, warm wood design aesthetics and wood-like porcelain flooring appeal equally to modernists and vintage lovers. At the center of it all is an open kitchen displaying stainless steel appliances, light gray cabinets and slate countertops – just waiting for a cook’s loving touch and creative flourishes.

Family Room

Entry Way

Great Room

Kitchen

Loft

Bath

Master Bed

Patio

Patio

Outdoor Living

Outdoor Living

Trending: Go Nude

Neutral palettes and soft textures never fail to convey the impression of everlasting elegance, so no wonder this classic also is a perennial trend. Complementing nude tones with reed curtains, caramel accents, wood furniture and smoke-hue décor creates a serene interior that welcomes family and guests alike. A clean foundation can be developed by sweeping cream or sand hues on every wall and incorporating white linen fabrics into bedroom and furniture accessories. Nudes can be surprisingly dramatic as well, as seen when pairing a white chair with a cream throw, stacking taupe dishware on rustic wood shelves, or mixing white herringbone patterns with off-white shiplap walls. Feeling a little frisky? Contrast a pop of bold color against a backdrop of white backsplashes, tiles and countertops to stimulate a neutral canvass.

Chameleon Design

Architectural Digest

Apartment Therapy

Domino

West Elm

CB2

Incorporating Timeless Decor Into Your Home

Infusing a room with personality instills an element of perpetuity that defies fleeting design fads. After all, nothing says timeless like individualized accents, which can take the form of woven rugs, a solitary leather chair and framed, black-and-white photos. Whether your vibe is modern or vintage chic, customizable accessories will greet guests with the warmth of hospitality and whisper discerning refinement year after year.

Instant Floor Appeal

With an array of beautiful designs and soft textures, Turkish rugs create striking floor art wherever they are placed. In bedrooms and living areas, calm patterns and softer woven textures pair beautifully with a variety of color palettes and offer a visual pause from hardwoods or carpet. Rugs in entryways give the illusion of a much larger space; in the living room, they unify divergent design elements. Our rule of thumb: buy a size up to allow furniture to fit inside the rug’s perimeters without sacrificing space.

Chameleon Design

Chameleon Design

A Love Note to Leather

Furniture styles come and go, but leather never goes out of fashion. Leather chairs in particular lend warmth to any room – yet provide unexpected coolness on hot Southern California summer days. For a distinctive design statement, place a pin-tuck leather chair in the corner of a bedroom, mix a modern high-back into the living room seating area or surprise dinner guests with leather chairs bookending the dining room table.

Chameleon Design

Chameleon Design

 

Chameleon Design

An Ode to Black & White

Black-and-white framed photos deliver artistry to any room. For an easy and quick design change, update a gallery wall by switching out colored photos for black and whites and frame them all with a color that complements ¾ or even contrasts ¾ the surrounding environment. Inject a hint of whimsy in the kitchen with framed black text recipes on white backdrops. Or create an unexpected conversation starter by displaying a trio of serene black and whites in a main-floor powder room.

Chameleon Design

Chameleon Design

Chameleon Design

Project Highlight: Poppy at New Haven, Plan 3, Ontario, California

Reclaiming Vintage Modernism

Any first-time buyer or young family will agree they want a modern home with a vintage aesthetic and this four-bedroom space at Poppy at New Haven provides that and more. A clean palette of henna, stone grey, creams and white create a neutral backdrop with white shaker cabinets as the kitchen showstoppers. Grey scrubbed wood plank floors provide instant appeal paired with nature elements of feathers, driftwood and potted cacti. With a vibrant splash of poppy throughout the family-centric rooms, nursery, and downstairs guest bedroom, first-time buyers may never leave.

 

Dining

Great Room

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Yard

Exterior

How to Style a Swoon-Worthy Backyard Vignette

With summer ushering warm nights, your backyard is calling you to visit. What better time to spruce up your outdoor space with these covetable finds: the glow of twinkle lights, an intentional drink bar and a tropical touch of greenery. Goodbye vintage, and hello magical backyard vignette.

Let It Glow

Whether your outdoor space is a cozy patio or lavish retreat, nothing creates mood faster than café lights framing the perimeter of a patio table or seating area. To create an illusion of larger space, place the center strand of lights at the farthest point from the backyard entrance and work your way out in a fan shape.

Chameleon Design

Houzz

Flirty Cocktail Umbrellas Not Required

Your backyard will become the hot spot for cold cocktails when you set up a one-stop bar station. Give a bar cart a new lease on life by rolling it near chairs or stools and stocking it with a large ice bucket, cocktail mixers and plenty of eye-catching glasses. Tuck blankets and Turkish towels in a nearby basket for cool evenings.

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Houzz

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Houzz

Be a Green Goddess

Enhance a backyard vignette by using nature to its fullest. Palm fronds, banana leaves and jasmine entice your senses and create a spa-like ambience. Greenery breathes life and texture when flanking doors or creating climbing shapes along a back wall.

Chameleon Design

Trending: Bring a Desert Vibe Inside

Cacti are no longer just for desert scenes but any space, and an earthly plant offers balance to a modern home. Pot a statement cacti to bring an outdoor surprise indoors.  Frame small cacti art and use as guest nametags for a summer soiree. Clump various types and heights of cacti in a traditional space as an artistic nod to modernism. Give this prickly plant room to reinvent itself among annual plants and shrubs.

Apartment Therapy

Domino Magazine

FineLifeCo

Pinterest

Apartment Therapy

Mix and Chic

Project Highlight: Mason, Plan 3, Playa Vista, California

Dreamy, Beachy and Extremely Modern

Brookfield Residential tapped Chameleon Design to help set the stage for modern families living in the west side of coastal Los Angeles. At Mason in Playa Vista, we designed a contemporary, masculine scheme by incorporating smoky wood cabinets and paneling details for the mainstage entry and living room. We also invited nature in by grounding gray walls with tiles that appear like wood and continued this theme by selecting modern wood furniture and brown leather accents. The downstairs studio is just right for mom to use as a hub for hobbies or dad to watch the big game without interruption.

 

Great Room

Dining Room

Kitchen

Patio

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Family Room

Nursery

Kid Room

Exterior

Tiny Houses and Why We Love Them

Like a grown-up version of the Barbie Dreamhouse, tiny houses are big on style and functionality. These houses – often measuring less than 400 square feet – are part of a growing movement toward minimalism, born out of consumers’ desires to simplify their lives while maximizing their sense of fulfillment. Although living smaller may not be right for everyone, the lessons about simpler living in a more efficient space translate to virtually any home. Steal these ideas from tiny living to reap the benefits of their thoughtful, innovative designs.

Pare Down Upkeep

Although it’s a popular trend to hang a flat-screen television over a built-in fireplace, electronics and heat don’t mix well. One new solution to this dilemma is to select an ethanol-alcohol fireplace, which produces less heat, and recess a TV into the wall so it’s protected better. Although a TV is a focal point in many living rooms and dens, a cupboard design like this one allows homeowners to hide the monitor when not in use.

Look Up

One of the best features about tiny houses is that these designs maximize space. Imagine drifting off to sleep in a loft suspended from high ceilings.

Choose Double-Duty Furniture

Not every home has enough space for a separate home office, but with the right selection of furniture, every space can serve multiple purposes. A hideaway desk can morph into a workstation easily, especially one with lots of cubbies and drawers for storage. Another option is to build a desk and shelving into existing nooks.

Play with Color

A paler color palette comprised of soft neutrals can open small quarters to create the visual equivalent of space. But you don’t have to stick to white, beige and gray; a pop of color can focus attention on the spectacular design of a well-appointed piece. Alternatively, a richly hued scheme incorporating dramatic, even dark, color on the walls can add drama.

Trending: Navy Is the New Black

Just right for smaller spaces or any room requiring a touch of drama, navy is surging as a top color trend for 2017. It’s as versatile as black but not as harsh. An inky blue accent wall looks modern and sensual, and a navy-and-white combo can lend some nautical whimsy to a coastal home. Look to patterned tile to lend a focal point to bathrooms. But don’t stop there: For a quick update, incorporate navy-hued accessories into a home.

 

How to Incorporate Home Technology Invisibly into Design

Although technology is ubiquitously designed into every new home, no one wants to see the telltale signs of it. Gone are the days of showcasing technology as a design focus; today’s consumer wants it to work in the background seamlessly. Fortunately, thanks to a crop of new audio, theater, energy monitoring and security gadgets, technology is more powerful than ever before yet integrated into home design for practically invisible use.

Stage a TV over a Fireplace – Or Make It Disappear

Although it’s a popular trend to hang a flat-screen television over a built-in fireplace, electronics and heat don’t mix well. One new solution to this dilemma is to select an ethanol-alcohol fireplace, which produces less heat, and recess a TV into the wall so it’s protected better. Although a TV is a focal point in many living rooms and dens, a cupboard design like this one allows homeowners to hide the monitor when not in use.

Hear It, Don’t See It

For an ambient experience, consider embedding surround-sound audio speakers into existing design. In fact, some types of speakers are made to vibrate and amplify audio signals better when hidden in walls or ceilings. Other solutions include faux rocks to hide speakers in a backyard or on a patio.

Charge Wherever You Are

Mobile phone users swipe, tap and pinch their phones on average 2,617 times a day, racking up a million touches every year, according to research firm Dscout. All that checking in drains battery life quickly, but furniture with built-in, wireless charging pads mean you can set down your smartphone and charge up in no time.

Whole-Home Integration: There’s an App for That

For the ultimate in convenience, homeowners are turning to automated systems that run lighting, heating, security and other electronics from one touchscreen system – even a single app accessible from any mobile device. An integrated system like this one lets users control practically everything in a home.