We’ve worked on hundreds of projects over the years at Chameleon Design and we love looking back at photos. The ones that stand out as favorites are those that are still as cool and relevant today as they were when we designed them. Here are some highlights from past projects that we’d do just the same today!
A presentation board is a standard way for designers like us to show clients our vision for a space. In addition to many years of experience, there is a tremendous amount of thought and creativity that goes into creating a conceptual plan for a home. The board may look like just a collage of pretty colors and ideas, but it’s actually a science and skill to be able to learn how to appeal to the target buyer. From a young professional, to a first time buyer, to a family, to an empty nester, each buyer is going to be looking for something different and it’s our job to know what that is!
Once we know our demographic, we start by developing a color scheme. We’re able to draw inspiration from all over the place but magazines and mail order catalogs such as West Elm, Restoration Hardware and Crate & Barrel are excellent sources. They have new pieces always being introduced and they won’t hesitate to drop items that aren’t selling. This gives us a good idea of what’s “in,” and what people are responding to, as well as trends in the marketplace. Fabric manufacturers are also helpful in determining trends and getting new ideas. From color schemes to patterns, if we’re seeing something being used by a variety of manufacturers, it definitely catches our eye.
Here are some photos we snapped of four presentation boards, each for a different plan in the Roundtree housing development. You’ll see things like fabric swatches, wood and tile samples and photos that
will eventually come to life in the model!
The Z Gallerie Collection
The West Elm Style
The Pottery Barn Classic
The Williams-Sonoma Home
Rope continues to be pushed and pulled by designers in new and intriguing ways, and with good reason. It has a natural quality that adds a nice texture accent to any environment. It can also work with a variety of styles including beachy, industrial, rustic or even bohemian. Any way you tie it together, rope
decor is hot! Here are some examples that we like for using rope in your home decor:
Rope Twist Chandelier, CaronsBeachHouse.com
Place mat, Pottery Barn
Serving Spoons, JaysonHome.com
Rope Hurricane, Nate Berkus for Target
Rope Stair Railing, Pinterest
An unexpected and beautiful window backsplash can bring style and light into any kitchen. Whether you opt for a single window or a long row of glass, low-profile windows or full-height windows, it will make your kitchen feel more open and brighter. A window framing the great outdoors could be all the artwork you need in your space. Need some convincing? Take a look at some of my favorite backsplash windows below.
Photo: Eric Olsen Design
Photo: Architectural Digest
Photo: Pinterest
Photo: Houzz
Photo: Architectural Digest
Capri Plan 7 is a great room concept floor plan with 4 bedrooms, 4 and a half baths and a loft. This model has a charming “Garden Cottage” style that feels friendly and inviting. For the decor, we worked with a color palette of crisp white, charcoal and light gray, with pops of fresh lime and kelly green. A mix of elegant and casual styles were used for furniture by combining dark wood tones, like the warm wood plank flooring, with painted furniture pieces and slipcover look upholstery. Our favorite feature of Plan 7 is the “Capistrano Room,” an outdoor room with a large TV and fireplace, plus a patio and outdoor dining area with BBQ.
Exterior
Great Room
Kitchen
Living Room
Huntington Room
Master Bedroom
Master Bath
Bedroom 1
Bedroom 2
Loft
Rear Exterior
The bathroom may be the smallest room in your home, but that doesn’t mean it should get less attention than all the others. And you of course would like it to be as functional as possible for the specific needs of you and your family. Be it your master bathroom or a guest bathroom, aesthetics and functionality are essential to a space you use on a daily basis. So if you’ve been feeling like your bathroom could use a face lift, go for it knowing that it’s an excellent idea and good place to invest. It’s a small update but can add to the overall value of the home, while boosting efficiency and functionality. There are many factors to consider when it comes bathroom design, but we’d like to cover the top essentials to give you an idea of where to start:
It’s All in the Details: The bathroom should be treated the same as every other room in the home, though many people forget to decorate it! Something as simple as hanging a nice picture on the wall will make it feel more comfortable and inviting. When looking at counter top options, select a material that is durable but one that also reflects the rest of the style in the home. As always, make sure your home design is consistent from room to room- and that includes the bathrooms!
Photo: Elle Decor
Photo: Elle Decor
Form Follows Function: When designing your bathroom, it’s important to think about the intended function and purpose of the space and design with that in mind. Consider how many people will be using the bathroom regularly. Maybe you’d like his and hers sinks. Shower heads and toilets are another major element to put some
thought into. If water conservation is important to you, there are great options for both that won’t use a lot of water. If you’re more concerned with having something that looks and feels great, but maybe doesn’t skimp on the water output, you’ll find plenty of options there as well. Just make sure to do your research before you buy!
Photo: Pinterest
Photo: Pinterest
Light up the Room: Lighting is very important in a bathroom for numerous reasons. The obvious one is that you don’t want it to look like a dark cave, as a bright and inviting room is always nicer to spend time in. Also, women use the bathroom to apply makeup and get ready and they need to see what they’re doing! If possible, a mix of natural and artificial lighting is best. Skylights are a great way to bring in gorgeous natural light that will brighten up the space.
Photo: Eric Olsen Design
Photo: Pinterest
Photo: Pinterest
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant, fire-resistant, sound-dampening and eco friendly bark that’s finding a new popularity in today’s modern design. This natural material first debuted in interiors in the early 1900s, when architect Frank Lloyd Wright chose cork flooring for many of his home designs. No longer limited to walls and floors, this naturally green and environmentally friendly material is seeing a re-emergence in all manner of sustainable home accessories:
Cork Table Lamp, Kenroy Home
Cork Coffee Table, Arktura.com
Jasper Morrison “Cork Family” Side Tables, Hive Modern
Surfboard Corkboard, Pottery Barn Teen
Capri Plan 6 is a great room concept floor plan with 4 bedrooms, three and a half baths and a loft (or 5th bedroom) area. This plan has a modern eclectic style that conveys a fun and young feeling. Our color palette includes a high contrast color scheme of golden maize, stone, and smoky browns with white accents. For furniture, we selected mid-century modern pieces and mixed them with organic, natural teak pieces. And like Plan 5, our favorite feature of Plan 6 is the “Capistrano room,” an outdoor room with a large TV and fireplace, plus a patio and outdoor dining area.
Exterior
Great Room, Kitchen
Great Room, Living Area
Huntington Room
Master Bedroom
Master Bath
Bedroom
Loft
Office
Nursery
Bedroom
Chameleon Design has a design philosophy which is built upon three key experiences we want people to have when they enter a home. Those first few steps are so important and we work hard to make sure those impressions are good ones! The key experiences that we believe can virtually guarantee a good first impression are:
Excite the senses
The home needs to be visually exciting of course, but there are other senses to consider as well. A nice scent is an easy way to immediately give a good impression that the home they just entered feels nice and welcoming. Hearing a calming sound such as running water is also pleasant and can easily be accomplished with a water element in front of the house near the front door.
Consistency in Design
People like to experience consistency in home design. This is especially important when designing model homes, as many people will walk through the plan and they won’t be interested in buying if they don’t get a good feeling. The flow is instrumental and considered throughout the design process. One of the first things we consider is what is happening with the style of the home before the décor. If the home is a Cape Cod style build, we want to reflect that in the décor so there’s continuity with the structure. Once we get the style direction down, we make sure that same design concept is seen from room to room. For example, we’ll materials used in the kitchen for the bathrooms. A slight variation, such a brighter colors in the kids room, will still work if you make sure to naturally tie it in to the overall style of the home. The consistency is the main thing people love about model homes and they often say they wish their own home looked that way!
The Living Room, Family Room, Kitchen and Master Bedroom all reflect the same design concept at a West Grove model in Anaheim. Source: Chameleon Design
Clever Solutions
Every home has a different layout, and we’re always thinking about clever solutions in space planning and furniture arrangement. It’s important to really get those down, as they make a huge difference in the look and feel of the home. If architecturally, there’s an oddity to a room, the way we design the furniture arrangement compensates for that and it can go unnoticed. The architecture plans for the models we work with are done and approved before we even get involved in the project. So we have no choice but to make the most of it, and we know that many problems can be solved with furniture placement.
This layout is a clever furniture solution to a very narrow room. To expand the seating we did a sectional with a bench at the dining table. Source: The Row by Chameleon Design
Over the years, we’ve been given budgets of every shape and size. And one thing we’ve learned is that that no matter how big your budget is to begin with, if you’re not savvy about your purchases, you’ll always end up going over the limit of what you want to spend. We have become expert innovators in this area and have learned where to cut corners and still get the look you want in the end. It may take a little more time and effort, but the big impact on your budget makes it time well spent.
If you want to reduce your overall budget, take it line by line and see where you can make adjustments through researching potential alternative options. Flooring is a big area where you can cut costs without compromising the look you’re trying to achieve. There’s a huge variance in prices here, as there are a ton of options. Solid wood planks, engineered wood planks and vinyl planks to name a few, and the cost difference in these materials is extraordinary. Bedding is another element that you can easily find yourself spending thousands on if you’re not careful. If you go to a store like Bloomingdale’s, you’ll spend a pretty penny. Try Target or Home Goods as an alternative for good quality sheets. You can always mix and match, buying less expensive sheets and splurging on pillows, for example. Integrating high and low price points will save you money too as long as you’re smart about it.
You do need the higher price point items sometimes to get the look you need. Just determine the must haves and then mix with high and low. Remember that you can always upgrade things over the years. Over time, you’ll end up with the nice quality pieces as you may slowly phase out the rest.
