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Calm, Cool, and Collected at Gardens Plan 1 at Lantana @Beach

The team masterfully maximized every inch of this two-bedroom, 1,345 square-foot townhome at Gardens Plan 1 at Lantana @Beach by Brookfield SoCal. A subtle contrast of light and dark accentuate Plan 1’s best features, with hues of soft blue, sand, black, and white. An accent wall and charcoal hexagonal floor tile present a striking greeting at the entry, and the addition of a slim metal console and basket transforms the small space into a functional drop zone. Upstairs, open lines and geometric prints blend with nature-inspired shapes and warm woods for a soothing, tranquil balance. A black impact wall in the dining area immediately draws you into the main living spaces, with its larger-than-life botanicals playfully complementing the organic feel. Layering coffee tables of different shapes and materials is a great way to create depth in a room (see our latest post on this trend here), and we particularly love the organic root wood table paired with the glossy round metal piece for contrast. On the third level, bedrooms receive similar treatment with a combination of cool and warm features by extending the color palette and adding textured bedding, a macramé stool, wood and metal furnishings, and contemporary art. Gardens Plan 1 creates a stylish canvas where homebuyers can easily experience the incredible lifestyle at Lantana @Beach!

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

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Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

Say It With Art

What is it about the allure of contemporary art? Everyone on the Chameleon team agrees art is essential to every installation because there’s nothing like the authentic and intimate feel of a thoughtfully selected piece that speaks to the soul of a space. Loosely translated, contemporary art refers to the ‘art of today,’ or art created from roughly the latter half of the 20th century to the present. With no unifying style or ideology, contemporary art is true freedom of expression, with a mix and blend of various styles, movements, methods, and materials. This type of free-range approach and lack of cohesion is part of what makes this style so appealing. There’s no right or wrong way when it comes to contemporary art, only what speaks to YOU.

Art beautifully distinguishes a home and expresses the character and personality of its inhabitants in a way nothing else can. Install a large-scale piece as a powerful departure from a gallery wall, or group several mid-size pieces in similar styles or colors. A collection of abstract art is a great option for our model homes because it brings welcome color, interest, and beauty to a room that’s subject-matter neutral and appealing to most buyers. Research also indicates mental health benefits associated with experiencing art, and we’ve written about the associations between good design, beauty, and happiness (check out our blog post here). Art is as essential to our projects as a sofa or dining table, and our happy clients agree!

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

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Sophisticated Bohemian and Modern Flair

White, bright, and full of light, our interpretation of Woodbridge Pacific Group’s Plan 3 at Flair is all about enjoying quintessential Palm Springs vibes. Set in the incredible planned community of Miralon, this mid-century inspired home is desert bohemian paired with modern elements and eclectic embellishments. Bursts of mustard, gold, cranberry, and purple pop against white walls and light tile flooring, with matte black accents offering contrast and sophistication. A geometric lattice screen defines and separates the entryway from the kitchen while keeping sight lines open. In the great room, honey-colored wood veneer wallpaper and camel-toned chairs add warmth, and a low-slung sofa with textured throws maintains the views through double sliding glass doors to the comfortable outdoor living space. Bedrooms are earthy bohemian infused with modern features with retro wallpaper, abstract art, macramé decor, and a balanced composition of texture and pattern in the bedding. Bold geometric prints, contemporary art, texture on texture on texture — this home has it all. Perfect for a vacation or permanent staycation, Plan 3 at Flair is designed for those who plan to live well in contemporary Palm Springs style!

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

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Commissioned by and licensed solely to Woodbridge Pacific Group.

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

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Texture and Sensory Design

We’ve all heard the advice, “Add texture to a space,” but what does it really mean? Texture in design can mean different things to different people, but generally it refers to how a surface feels or is dimensionally perceived in a space. Layering materials, textiles, colors, or prints create texture and add dimension and visual interest. Texture in residential design immediately adds character – a touch of the unexpected is a pleasant disruptive element and speaks to the soul of a space. When it comes to adding texture, let diversity be your guide: think outside furniture sets and matchy-matchy and instead opt for different colors that are complementary, mixing materials, or layering prints. A simple swap of accessories, blankets or bedding, and pillows can create a cohesive look that’s interesting, eye catching and balanced. But don’t limit yourself to simple accessories, because creating texture can come from a variety of sources, like wall treatments, drapery, lighting, and rugs. It’s also not exclusive to bold or bright color. Adding texture to a neutral palette, like varying shades of white, ivory, or cream, is a beautifully understated way to create richness and sophistication. Texture adds an element of play to design, and we love using it to help bring even more personality to our clients’ unique spaces.

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

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Wallpaper’s Rightful Moment

If you’re familiar with our work, you know we can’t resist great wallpaper as a show-stopping element. Its statement-making impact has the power to completely transform a space, even more so than a coat of paint. From bold to soft or somewhere in between, wallpaper is almost always the star of the show, a true design A-lister that sets the tone of a room. With that, it’s easy to get stuck in planning paralysis when selecting the right color or print. When adding wallpaper to an established space, begin by considering how your choice will look with current furnishings, decor, and artwork. If you’re starting fresh, let the wallpaper choice anchor the space and design around it! Wallpaper is having more than a moment and we couldn’t be happier. Its rebirth is due in large part to the fantastic new producers that are reimagining it for more modern and contemporary spaces. Wallpaper has come a long way the last several years and is an adventurous introduction to color or pattern. New substrates like wood veneer, grasscloth, cork, and velvet create even more opportunities for texture and depth. And when compared to more expensive wall treatments like paneling and stone work, wallpaper is a lower cost and lower commitment alternative. With all of wallpaper’s choices and benefits, let’s make boring walls a thing of the past!

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

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Bathed in Blue

When Pantone released its color of the year for 2020 back in December, we couldn’t say we were surprised. Classic blue is a perennial people pleaser and is a harbinger of serenity, security, and stability. 

“Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era.”

Little did the team at Pantone know what lay ahead of our global community in 2020 and just how much we all could benefit from a world that’s more peaceful and predictable during these challenging months. Our team is seeing more blue hues crop up in interior design this year. With connotations of calmness and creativity, blue tones are universally well-liked and oscillate from light to dark and warm to cool. In color psychology, common associations around blue are reliability, trust, and security (that’s why so many banking and financial institutions incorporate blue in their branding!). Noted for its versatility, blue can be bright and bold or soft and understated, traversing the design spectrum from statement making to accent, depending on the tone and how it’s used. And because it has evolved into a neutral, it pairs well with many color palettes and can be seamlessly incorporated throughout a space. With all of these benefits, who wouldn’t want more blue in their home!

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

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Designing Happiness

Can design make us happier? That’s one of the central questions in the field of neuroaesthetics, a relatively new experimental science that studies how beauty stimulates aesthetic experiences in the brain, may help answer. 

In architectural and interior design, pattern recognition and symmetry are both visually appealing and can trigger similar brain activity that occurs during meditation or other forms of deep relaxation. On the other side, a disruption of symmetry can create an unexpected imbalance that’s also pleasing to the eye.

Personality-based residential design aims to create a home’s look, feel, and flow to complement temperament and lifestyle preferences. Introverts and extroverts want different things in a floorplan, especially the use of shared and private spaces, and accommodating them in design can create a home that’s balanced and harmonious. While introverts may tend to favor distinct spaces with doors for quiet and privacy, it’s an extrovert’s world in contemporary home design, with open-concept floorplans that encourage interaction.

It has also been well documented that art can trigger the brain’s release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that evokes feelings of pleasure and motivation. Being mindful of color theory and common color associations may also contribute to feelings of contentment and happiness, depending on the desired mood and purpose of a space. A good design team will seamlessly balance a client’s personality or brand with timeless design forms and emerging research to create beautifully functional spaces.

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

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Chameleon Design Takes Home Three Gold Nugget Merit Awards

We couldn’t be more proud of team Chameleon for taking home three Gold Nugget Merit Awards during the virtual awards presentation on Friday, July 24! Judged by a panel of top industry experts and professionals, the Gold Nugget Awards represents some of the best in residential architecture, design, planning, development, and building in projects across the United States and internationally. 

Merit Award | Architecture Category | Best Renovated or Restored Single Home

We transformed a Newport Beach, CA, Beacon Bay three-bedroom home into a five-bedroom modern seaside cottage for a mature family. Paying homage to the mid-century cottage style indigenous to the area, our team reimagined this lovely property for the 21st century to blend seamlessly in an established custom-home neighborhood. By successfully integrating three separate structures with different floor elevations and ceiling heights, we created seamless flow throughout with the addition of a great room large enough to accommodate family and friends, two additional bedrooms, a full bathroom and bonus room, and two built-in desk/work spaces, all while adding only 744 square feet. The result is a family home that’s modern, sophisticated, and full of casual luxuries ideally suited for distinctive bayside living.

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Merit Award | Interior Design Category | Best Interior Design of a Custom or One-of-a-Kind Home

Our interior design is the second accolade for this custom Beacon Bay home. We brought a refreshed modern beach house aesthetic and incorporated striking mid-century elements indigenous to the style of this enclave of Newport Beach. A tonal color palette creates balance and harmony with opportunities to surprise and delight with pops of color and character pieces for a one-of-a-kind feel. Organic elements like the natural ash feature wall in the family room and 9’ teak console are statement making and inviting, offering a warm counterpoint to crisp whites and dark bronze hues throughout. The kitchen was renovated from top to bottom to increase the footprint for multiple cooks and connect the family and dining rooms with a bar area for easy mingling. And with easy access to the outdoor living space through bifold glass doors, the home is truly an entertainer’s dream. Bottoms up!

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Beacon Bay | Chameleon Design

Merit Award | Interior Design Category | Best Interior Merchandising of a Model Home Priced 1 Million and Over

Modern farmhouse style gets a coastal contemporary update in this Plan 7 home at Loden at Olivenhain. Our team combined the most stylish elements in upscale beach and town-and-country design to complement the home’s historic Encinitas address. The neutral scheme of sand, black, taupe, and off white creates subdued sophistication. A warm wood and black metal stair rail is the focal point of the downstairs living areas and draws the eye to the volume ceiling. Kitchen is white and bright, with patterned cement-look deco tile and metal pendants and counter stools. Luxury vinyl plank flooring beautifully transitions to a porcelain wood-look tile to create a seamless connection to the outdoor living space that is elemental to the North County lifestyle.

Photo Credit: Loden at Olivenhain | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Loden at Olivenhain | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Loden at Olivenhain | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Loden at Olivenhain | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Loden at Olivenhain | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Loden at Olivenhain | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Loden at Olivenhain | Chameleon Design

Photo Credit: Loden at Olivenhain | Chameleon Design

Built-In Style

We’re singing the praises of bold, beautiful built-ins! Built-ins add character and distinction to any space and open up more ways to style and add personal touches. Best of all, built-ins are as functional as they are beautiful, and can be customized to accommodate how you want to use a space. A built-in bench at the entryway can double as storage for shoes, bags, and personal items. Create a media cabinet to keep cords, DVDs, and Xbox out of sight. Uncork a bottle of chardonnay at the perfect temperature every time with a luxe built-in wet bar (and invite us over)! An unusual or non-standard wall cut-out in a bedroom or bonus room is an ideal spot to build in a study desk for the kids or a work-from-home situation. A combination of open shelving with cupboards with drawers is a fantastic option for displaying treasured and collected pieces with the ability to stow other items when not in use. Built-in versatility, function, and style is a designer’s dream trifecta!

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

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Wild at Heart

We’re all about bringing more of the outdoors in during these lovely warmer months. If florals and botanicals aren’t your cup of tea, opting for the fauna side of nature is a great choice! An animal theme or accent is both on trend and timeless, ideally suited for grown ups and children alike. Simple yet chic pieces of animal artwork, wall decor, or accessories add a feeling of playfulness and whimsy throughout a home. Dog themed pillows, dimensional flocks of birds mid-flight, cowhide rugs, and paper mache rhino wall decor are some quick and easy ways to embellish living and dining rooms and bedrooms. Really play up the motif for the kiddos with dinosaurs, equestrian style, zoo animals, or mix-and-match themes that pair well like bears and camping. Sweet and soft animal decor is a natural fit for a nursery, and vinyl wall decals, artwork, and bedding can be easily swapped out from infancy to toddlerhood and beyond. Our best advice for incorporating the animal kingdom into your space is to embrace the wild and have fun!

Photo Credit: Chameleon Design

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