Blue for serenity

Creating a warm and inviting interior for a large house demands careful thought and planning, otherwise a home can feel more like a museum or gallery.

This new 7600sq ft four-story urban home was an opportunity to work within a large space, but that didn't make the project straightforward, says interior designer Ingrid Baltasi.

"Homes of this size can become cold and museum-like because of their scale. I wanted the home to maintain a sense of livability, and to be a comfortable, inviting space that the owner could relax in, and use for his business entertaining."

To create a comfortable ambiance, Baltasi introduced an eclectic selection of soft furnishings and artworks, layered the lighting, and used accent colors to warm the cool palette of blues and grays.

"The scale of the rooms helps too no space is too large or overwhelming, and many rooms are open plan," she says.

Glass pocket doors have been installed throughout the home, and positioned to maintain sight lines, for visual interest.This also encourages an easy flow of traffic through the home. From the front entrance, there is an open view to the circular staircase and mosaic tiling on the floor.

In keeping with the underlying interior design theme, the furniture and artwork purchased for the project are refined, says the designer.

"There are pieces from Asia and Europe, as well as influences from the Art Deco and Classic periods. Although the overall feel is clean and pure, the fusion of the antique and modern pieces creates a comfortable feel," she says.

"The homeowner was ready to embrace new ideas, so we went for a dressy look, incorporating different textures and finishes and expanding the palette of furnishings and artwork."

Fabrics for the soft furnishings are generally plain, in keeping with the dominant neoclassical look.

"There isn't an extreme use of pattern anywhere in this home. It's part of the aesthetic you don't need pattern, as the lack of decoration allows you to focus on the form," she says. "I've also focused on texture as well as tone, to emphasize the tactile quality of the fabric."

Small touches of unexpected whimsy have been added, such as a zebra rug in the study. These brighten the spaces and balance the home's masculine feel, says Baltasi.

Deep rich colors have been used sparingly, to offset the cool blue color palette of the first floor. The three walls of the dining room, for example, are covered with a burgundy-red hand-painted wallpaper.

"It was a challenge to choose the right red, as the room is part of the main open-plan living area. The red couldn't be too pink, or too brown, and it needed to work with the palette of the home," she says.

The home's Art Deco feel is most pronounced here, a mood that is heightened by pieces such as the pendant light, the table base and the silvery white dining chairs.

"This is a mood room by controlling the lighting, you could create almost any atmosphere you want," says Baltasi.

Historic influences are also evident in the master suite on the second story, where the marble tiles, mosaic panels and Doric columns are reminiscent of a Roman bath. Above the tub, the ceiling has been covered with a deep indigo blue wallpaper, to suggest a night sky.

"Of all the rooms in the house, this is the one with the most drama, although nothing is jarring it is a very calming space," says Baltasi. "That's helped by the neutral color palette that flows right through from the rest of the home."

Story by: Trendsideas

Photography by: John Umberger Blue for serenity This neoclassical interior is softened by