Wow Home Idea

Ngoc Minh Ngo Before he heads to Washington, D.C. to deck out the White House for its yearly holiday-season spectacle (pro bono!), A-list event designer Bryan Rafanelli was kind enough to create a Christmassy confection for us. And even though he's the powerhouse designer behind celeb-studded events — like weddings for Chelsea Clinton and Allison Williams — Rafanelli still knows how to woo and wow. So much so that even his small parties get equal star treatment: "Whether I'm planning a dinner for 300 or 20, I'm going to sit at the table and experience what guests will see and feel," he says. Here are his seven must-copy tips: 1. Be a maximalist. "Pile it on! You can always pull back. I like to use three to five design elements on the table, so that everywhere you look, you see an overwhelming amount of gorgeous things. Pairing glass and wood is surprising, but the vases add twinkle while the wooden candlesticks provide needed warmth." 2. Think in lay...

Kyle Schuneman is a set designer and the Small Space Designer for Bed Bath & Beyond and author of The First Apartment Book: Cool Design for Small Spaces . He's also the art director for the Food Network's "Giada at Home," and his work has been featured on NBC and HGTV. 1. Have your space tell your story. In set design, homes are often the viewer's first introduction to the character. "You have to pack a punch in a small space," Kyle says. "It's my job to tell a rich story about the 'character' who lives in the space." Your home should have the same effect: "It should scream who you are and what you are about. Decorate it with pieces you've collected in your travels, interesting objects, and things that mean something and tell your personal story." 2. Layer for depth. "The key to a good set is that it has depth," Kyle says. Bad and cheap sets appear flat and dull, with little visual variance to attract ...

Peter Murdock While most Atlantans recall the 1990s as the decade in which their city hosted the Summer Olympics, others fondly remember the era as the heyday of local decorator-turned-star designer Dan Carithers, whose rise to national prominence echoed that of his adopted city. Admired for his talent, his good taste, and his high-profile clientele, Carithers is often credited with bringing prestige to Southern decorating, something that earned him accolades from magazine editors and influenced a generation of Southern designers. One of those designers is Judy Bentley, who originally hired Carithers to decorate a few rooms in her Atlanta home. What started as a working relationship quickly blossomed into a deep friendship. Later, when Bentley decided to turn her passion for design into a profession, she joined Carithers's nascent firm. Although Bentley eventually established her own successful design practice, she has remained close to her former boss and his wife, Nancy. In f...

After 35 years in Rhode Island, Sara Gilbane's parents make the move to Palm Beach, entrusting their designer daughter with creating a colorfully welcoming home that blends their New England heritage with a newfound Floridian whimsy. Paul Costello Kathleen Hackett: It's brave to take on clients who are related to you — and even braver when those clients are your parents! But I suppose they couldn't — or wouldn't — think of hiring anyone else. Sara Gilbane: My parents are very laid-back people. But they have waited 30-plus years to own their dream house in Palm Beach, so there was a little pressure. I confess it was easier to say, "Too bad, I already ordered it! You'll love it" to my parents when they pushed back than it would have been to any other client. There were certainly a lot of decisions to make. When I first laid eyes on the place, I was rather shocked: It was a soulless spec house on the Intracoastal Waterway, with 6,000 square feet, five bedro...

Amy Neunsinger Sometimes, good design is a process — a long process. Designer Ohara Davies-Gaetano started working on this newly-built California home back in 2009, finding inspiration in its distinctive European-inspired architecture. By the time the project was finished in 2013, the gorgeous estate looked like it had been there for centuries. House Beautiful's Barbara King spoke with Davies-Gaetano to find out more about how she brought an authentic Old World spirit to the home. BARBARA KING: Decorating an entire house in a quiet tone-on-tone palette takes real commitment. What was the impetus? OHARA DAVIES-GAETANO: It was in keeping with the overall tranquil mood of the space. My goal was for everything to come together in a harmonious way and tell a cohesive story. This is an Andalusian-style house overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and I didn't want any single element to grab your attention or compete with the stunning architectural details and the sweeping vistas of the Sout...

Eric Piasecki CHRISTINE PITTEL: Wow. There's nothing old-fashioned about this New York apartment. You've taken traditional, pretty, colorful decorating and given it a new edge. KATIE RIDDER: It's a spectacular space — a new condo in an old warehouse building in the West Village. The front door opens into a normal entry and then you step into a huge, double-height living room. It feels like a loft, and the young couple who live here wanted something urban and modern. What does that mean to you? Well, I didn't show them anything floral. Actually, I did manage to slip in a few, but they had to be graphic. No faded English chintz. And they wanted a restricted color palette. You call this restricted? The living room is basically blues, with hits of red. And also green, yellow, orange, chocolate brown, gold… You know me, with all my color and pattern. I think this room is fairly neutral, but I realize that nobody else would probably feel that way. I love a soaring s...

This homeowner pushed designer Catherine Brown Paterson to the far reaches of the spectrum. Paul Raeside Living Room Acid green-glazed walls paired with armchairs covered in Kravet's Red Cotton and gleaming garden stools from Le Petit Zebra create a vivacious living room. Curtains in Rogers & Goffigon's Somerset, trimmed in Octavius tape by Mary McDonald, are a foil for the bright color. The Acanthus mirror, which rests on the wall, is from Bunny Williams Home. The lamps, courtesy of Meg Braff, have custom shades. The antique coffee table in the center of the seating is from Travis & Company. Paul Raeside Living Room In a corner of the living room, settees covered in Le Zebra from Brunschwig & Fils flank an ottoman in a Duralee leather. The nailhead design on the ottoman and the frame on Lumiere's inlaid mirror are a nod to Chinese Chippendale fretwork. The brown, patterned rug is by Country Carpet. Paul Raeside Home Office "The wife wanted a beachy, va...

Weston Wells Dan Fink got his big break in the unlikeliest of ways: studying human biology at Stanford University. "Post-graduation, I was hired to assist a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and ended up working on design projects for him," says the 32-year-old New Jersey native. "I understood the way he thought." Word of his self-taught talent spread throughout the tech community. "Young people who'd never owned a house suddenly had great ones they needed help with," he says. His calling cards: peaceful spaces where discussions flourish ( such as this San Francisco living room, below)  and evidence of his yin-yang backstory. "There's a duality in what I do," he notes. "East Coast order and California ease." Laura Resen This story originally appeared in the November 2015 issue of  House Beautiful.  By Hillary Brown

Miguel Flores-Vianna For as long as she can remember, Lisa Fine has had a passion for color, pattern, old-world ambience, and exotic elements that kindle the romance of faraway lands. "I love pretty, layered rooms that draw you in and make you want to stay," she says. "As a little girl in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, my favorite activity was going on house tours. I'm not a decorator, but I've always been obsessed with decorating my own homes." Professional training would have been beside the point. Fine has an innate flair for pulling off everything she does with that je ne sais quoi that can't be taught. And there doesn't seem to be much she can't do in the world of design. She was a contributing editor for House Beautiful and Elle Decor before launching three Indian-inspired collections: her namesake textiles line; Irving & Fine, a fashion label in collaboration with Carolina Irving; and Langham & Fine Rugs, a limited edition of dhurries...

Johnny Valiant EMILY EVANS EERDMANS: This is definitely not your typical decorating fare — it feels as if we've gone through the looking glass and come out in a Manhattan penthouse Wonderland. HARRY HEISSMANN: I think of it as "High Line Fantasy" — not only for its proximity to the city's elevated public park, but also because the entire project revolved around imagination. It was a dream collaboration with the clients, a couple with children and grandchildren, and the many amazing artisans who worked on the apartment. Johnny Valiant The faux-agate-painted wall and felt boulders in the entry certainly set the mood. The apartment is a two-level loft in an old factory building. The owners wanted to retain its industrial character, which meant leaving the AC ducts visible and keeping as much exposed brick as possible. The few walls that I could do something with I saw as an opportunity for a special treatment. One of the things I learned from working for Albert Hadley i...