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House Tour: Karla's Asian Transitional Home

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Name: Karla
Location: Gold Coast
Size: 780 sq ft.
Years lived in: 1 Year

Karla's friends can't believe how "put together" her place is. After only one year in the space, we can't believe it either. The tones, mood, and general flow of this Gold Coast apartment are thoughtful and contemporary - much more warm and inviting than an overly "put together" place could be. Between Karla's long go-to list of resources for furniture and inspiration and her love of balance (note all the pairings and symmetry), she's created a lovely "Asian Transitional" space, as she calls it, that makes her home feel far from transitional.

 
 
Photos by Evan Thomas

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my Style – ASIAN TRANSITIONAL

the Inspiration for my home – WATCHING DIVINE DESIGN W/ CANDICE OLSEN

favorite Element – COMBINATION OF CONTEMPORARY MIRRORS AND THE ANTIQUE CIRCLE OF LIFE FROM AN OLD WHEELBARROW

biggest Challenge in designing my home – WORKING WITH TRADITIONAL DETAILS LIKE ARCHES AND CROWN MOLDINGS IN A CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

what Friends Say about my home – “WE FEEL LIKE WE’RE IN A FURNITURE MAGAZINE PHOTO SHOOT. WE’VE NEVER SEEN A PLACE SO PUT TOGETHER LIKE THIS.”

biggest Embarrassment – BATHROOM

proudest DIY – HANGING BOTH TVs (SINCE THE BUILDING IS AGES OLD, THE WALLS ARE NOT YOUR REGULAR DRY WALL. IT IS CONCRETE. HANGING THE TVS IN THE RIGHT CALCULATION, WAS THE MOST CHALLENGING.

biggest Indulgence – OTHER THAN ELECTRONICS, IT WOULD BE ALL THE SEATING PIECES – THE DINING ROOM CHAIRS, DESK CHAIR, LEATHER CHAIR, 2 LIVING ROOM CHAIRS, SOFA, MIES VAN DER HOWE DAY BED WHICH SERVES AS THE COFFEE TABLE AND EXTRA SEATING, AND CHAISE LOUNGE IN THE BEDROOM. COMFORTABLE SEATING COMES WITH A BIG PRICE TAG MOST OF THE TIME.

best Advice – PURCHASE FURNITURE PIECES THAT HAVE MORE THAN ONE PURPOSE. FOR SMALL SPACES, HAVING MANY USES FOR A CERTAIN FURNITURE, WHETHER ITS EXTRA STORAGE OR EXTRA SEATING, EXPANDS THE VERSATILITY OF A HOME, THUS, MAKING IT MORE PRACTICAL THAN JUST DECORATIVE.

my Dream Source – WILLIAMS SONOMA CATALOG. BUT REALLY JUST ABOUT ANY FURNITURE CATALOG THAT COMES IN THE MAIL FROM LOWE’S QUARTERLY MAGAZINES TO THOSE THICK CRATE AND BARREL BOOKS. THE MORE RESOURCES YOU LOOK AT, THE IDEA OF WHAT YOU WANT FOR THE SPACE BECOMES MORE COHERENT.

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Resources

Appliances
ABT ELECTRONICS
BEST BUY

Hardware
HOME DEPOT

Furniture
INTAGLIA
DOMICILE
CRATE AND BARREL
Z GALLERIE
PIER 1
WORLD MARKET
THE GREAT INDOORS
WEST ELM
BOMBAY
IKEA
EURWAY.COM
OVERSTOCK.COM
SMARTBARGAINS.COM
1UNFINISHEDFURNITURE.COM
TARGET.COM

Accessories
WEST ELM
Z GALLERIE
INTAGLIA
CRATE AND BARREL
NORDSTROM RACK
TJ MAXX
MARSHALLS
WORLD MARKET
PIER 1
SMARTBARGAINS.COM
THROUGH TRAVELS – MOSTLY ASIA

Lighting
WEST ELM
CB2
BOMBAY
OVERSTOCK.COM

Paint
RALPH LAUREN

Rugs and Carpets
EBAY – BEST PLACE TO FIND OVERSIZED RUGS FOR CHEAP

Window Treatments
THE GREAT INDOORS
WORLD MARKET
BOMBAY
JC PENNY
OVERSTOCK.COM
SMARTBARGAINS.COM

Beds
AMERICAN MATTRESS – SERTA MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (FABULOUS!)
UNFINISHED FURNITURE BED FRAME FROM 1UNFINISHEDFURNITURE.COM
SUEDE HEADBOARD FROM OVERSTOCK.COM

Artwork
MY OWN – FROM LEFT OVER WALL PAINT TO TIE IN COLORS IN THE APT, CANVAS FROM MISTERART.COM AND DICKBLICK.COM

Other
ALL ELECTRONICS PURCHASED FROM ABT ELECTRONICS.


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Comments (40)

Umm, Karla? Can I commission you to paint a couple large scale art pieces for my condo? :)

Absolutely gorgeous.

posted by Parallelfirst on October 18th 2007 at 9:12am
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i love the colors of your home. it is so nice to see so many photos of you in the home. great place.

posted by Signe on October 18th 2007 at 9:35am
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Are you an interior designer? Your space is fabulous, polished, design-magazine worthy, yet personal at the same time. Your living room couch is subtle as to allow its surroundings to be spotlight. Love your use of color, although not "bold," per se, the colors are strong and complement the furniture perfectly! Love all the personal touches and photos that are artfully arranged. I really like the dining area with the "Fun" lamp as well as placement of the mirrors; speaking of mirrors, they really expand your relatively small 780sqft space.

Mind working on my home? :) I live in Wicker Park! :)

posted by clanalois on October 18th 2007 at 10:08am
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I cannot believe that this is under 800sq ft of living space! Just goes to show you what having a plan and a color scheme can do!

Your furniture and paint choices work very well under those heavy (and beautiful) crown moldings. I like the mix. It makes the place seem established but not stuffy.

posted by lfw1031 on October 18th 2007 at 10:23am
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Karla: you are my new best friend.
PLEASE: tell me the exact paint colors used in your dining and living room.
LOVE!
(Divine Design rocks!)

posted by NYS on October 18th 2007 at 10:38am
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I am so jealous of your space... all the wonderful personal touches, choice of furniture... I can go on like this...

and the paintings... OMGGG, that makes me wanna go home and create something...

posted by New York Muhtari on October 18th 2007 at 10:55am
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I always wanted to be an interior designer, but didn't quite work out. I am actually a Restaurant Manager. But my dad is an architect and my mom is an interior designer. Unfortunately, I did not inherit their drawing skills. Putting my design on paper was a major frustration for me as I was growing up. So I just gave up on it, and ended up in the hospitality industry.

As for paint colors, I did not paint a room with just one color. The living room consists of 4 paint colors. The accent wall, where the TV is, is Mercer, the other walls are Cairo Brown. The fireplace wall is Toast. And the ceiling is Riesling. For the hallway, it was Library Mahogany. The bedroom is Cobblestone and the accent wall is Duke Red. The Dining Room is Cathedral Gray, it has a touch of green. The bathroom is Palais Royal and so is the kitchen. All paint colors from Ralph Lauren.

posted by karla zarate on October 18th 2007 at 11:22am
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Love this! It's personal, swanky and sophisticated! Beautiful color choices throughout and l love the various light fixtures you selected.

Well done!

posted by Kathryn on October 18th 2007 at 11:24am
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i love the elegant symmetry of this place! it is grown-up and refined but not stuffy. i also absolutely love the liberal use of personal photos (such a cute couple). thanks for showing that you actually have stuff! (the books closed behind cabinets and office knick knacks hidden on the keyboard tray). so inspiring....

posted by urbanconjure on October 18th 2007 at 11:26am
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Well put together is an understatement. Wow! Talk about a catalog.

Where did you get the cool table lamp with the shell pieces? We have been searching for those. Do you remember if you paid a lot for them?

posted by crewtag.com on October 18th 2007 at 2:03pm
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Crewtag, it is the Panton Fun Lamp, very mo co.

http://www.dwr.com/productdetail.cfm?id=8753

It is relatively expensive at $750 but worth every penny; you have to see it in person. Pictures do not do it justice.

posted by clanalois on October 18th 2007 at 4:19pm
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crewtag:

if you are looking for a less expensive option for the shell lamp, west elm has a version for $99. here's the link:

http://www.westelm.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?partNumber=WE-PRODw014&storeId=17001&langId=-1&catalogId=17002&viewSetCode=E&parentId=WE-SH1WALLAM&retainNav=true&cmsrc=WE-SH1WALLAM

posted by urbanconjure on October 18th 2007 at 5:37pm
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The whole place looks way too much like a furniture catalog/hotel for my taste, but there's no denying it's impressively polished, and hey, not everybody thinks upscale hotel is a bad look.

I definitely love the serene, warm colors! Just looking at the pictures is soothing.

posted by elvedon on October 18th 2007 at 6:10pm
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Capiz lamp in the dining room was bought from West Elm.

posted by karla zarate on October 18th 2007 at 6:53pm
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GORGEOUS!! Please tell where the 2 chairs in the living room came from - I have been looking for exactly that arm design. I cannot believe that I am looking at them right now!!!

THANK YOU

posted by reincarnatedesign on October 18th 2007 at 7:52pm
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Living Room Chairs came from Intaglia. But I believe the manufacturer is Sitcom Furniture. You can find retailers from their website sitcomfurniture.com

posted by karla zarate on October 19th 2007 at 6:01am
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Beautiful place! Can you tell us where the floor mirror and table lamps in the bedroom came from?

posted by chicagores07 on October 23rd 2007 at 10:47am
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Floor mirror in the bedroom was from Ikea and the lamps were from Bombay..

posted by karla zarate on October 24th 2007 at 6:11am
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I agree with elvedon, it is very funiture catalog-ish but the colors and textures are luxurious and very inspiring. A few more personal/quirky touches would make it even better in my eyes.

posted by Monica on October 24th 2007 at 9:30am
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I wish I had the talent to put together something like this - you really outdid yourself in your home. It's got a great upscale spa / hotel thing going on that I find next to impossible to replicate. I'm totally jelous.

posted by ll on October 24th 2007 at 10:04am
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I've been looking for a living-room "table"/ottoman like that, would you mind telling me where I can buy it?

& any reasonable (ie. cheaper) alternatives?

Some great ideas & tips on this page, thanks!

posted by ldg on October 24th 2007 at 10:49am
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Insanely beautiful!
Windwolf

posted by Windwolf on October 24th 2007 at 10:50am
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the paint colors are inspiring. Wow. I've been going forth between grays and coffees in trying to decide colors. These browns are great!

posted by 212gretchen on October 24th 2007 at 11:05am
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Hello i love your apartment and I have the same mirror from ikea in my living room. however I would like to know where you bought your espresso computer desk, my husband and I are searching for one and yours is perfect and multi functional

posted by flct20 on October 29th 2007 at 1:33pm
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A beautiful space with an amazing color palette. I appreciate that your paintings coordinate, but they look like "Trading Spaces" in a "Divign Design" space. Hopefully you're keeping an eye out for some real art with which to replace them.

posted by rexrayfan on November 28th 2007 at 11:40am
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Can you provide details on the bedframe? Did you stain it? Is there a link to it from unfinished furniture?

posted by wrtau23 on January 2nd 2008 at 9:31am
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Love it! You did a great job! :) Especially LOVE those mirrors in the dining room. Where did you purchase those? I have been searching online for something like that but not sure exactly what style / type of mirrors to search for?

Thanks!

posted by Divadly08 on February 1st 2008 at 10:03pm
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You have made a spectacular home. You even made me like colors that I'm usually not enthusiastic about. I love how you treated the living room walls, crown mouldings and ceilings, and the headboard wall in the bedroom, they're spectacular. I hope your home gets profiled in a major publication, it's a real inspiration to know that normal people can create a space so fantastic.

posted by John H on February 8th 2008 at 6:01am
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This is spectacular, and done in 1 year! Can you please tell me where the computer desk is from? I saw someone else post the same question. It's perfect and functional for a small space.

posted by Anjali7 on February 9th 2008 at 6:09am
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Karla,

I love the paint color in your living room? What is the color and brand?

Thanks,

Eileen

P.S. Great job!

posted by shantih1203 on March 6th 2008 at 6:26pm
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Karla, I love how mello and soothing your home feels. Be very pround of yourself it is stunning!

posted by Tarasa on March 10th 2008 at 9:41am
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Divadly08: I got dining room mirrors from Z Gallerie..

posted by karla zarate on March 19th 2008 at 6:26pm
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wrtau23: I purchased bed from unfinishedfurniture.com, and I stained it myself. I used Ebony color stain.

posted by karla zarate on March 19th 2008 at 6:28pm
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Beautiful job! So sophisticated. Where did you get the nightstand with the mirrors on the front?

posted by kyoto on May 28th 2008 at 5:02pm
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Hi, also curious where you purchased the picture frames above the bed from. You did an amazing job. You may not have the certification, but you are an interior designer. And your paintings, I'd commission you to paint for me anytime!

posted by kyoto on May 31st 2008 at 7:11pm
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kyoto: Thank you so much! Anyways, the nightstands were purchased from Bombay, which is now closed all over the US. Very sad.. I think you can purchase items online through the bombay site in Canada. The picture frames were bought from Z Gallerie.

posted by karla zarate on June 23rd 2008 at 3:54pm
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Love the apartment!!! I would love to know the answers to a few questions below. Thanks!

Bedroom Curtains:
Where bought?
Are they purple/brown in color? U never know online.
Are they dupioni silk, cotton silk, taffetta??
Matching sheets- where from?

Livingroom Curtains:
Where from?
Are they white or cream?
Also curious if silk or other material?

Bathroom Mirror:
Absolutely love. Where's it from?

I fell in love with the picture frames above the bed, but looks like they no longer sell/discontinued from zgallerie : (

Looking forward to your answers. Truly great work!!

Debbie

posted by Debbie F on August 4th 2008 at 7:33am
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I know this is terribly late...but does anyone have her paint color information?

Thanks!

posted by gracielou on September 22nd 2009 at 10:47am
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Jus read the thread...have the answer to my question...duh.

posted by gracielou on September 23rd 2009 at 8:24am
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Sometimes neutral rooms can feel a bit bland, but this place has so much character. I absolutely love it. I especially like the mirror in the bathroom.
- Stopping by from Decor Musings (www.decormusings.com)

posted by decormusings on October 18th 2009 at 6:34pm
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