[This is our last week of posts from our three finalists, each vying for a spot on the ATLA roster. Today thru Friday, each of our three finalists will be walking us through a house tour, beginning with Abby's tour of a Franklin Hills residence...]
Name: Joshua & Raphael
Location: Franklin Hills, CA (Los Feliz/Silver Lake)
Size: 1080 sq. ft.
Joshua Rose, an Emmy-award winning visual effects designer and his partner Raphael Kalichstein, a practitioner of Chinese medicine, fell into interior design a few months ago when they bought a tiny English cottage in the Franklin Hills above Silver Lake. Combining Josh's visual skills with Rafael's Eastern training, they've started FORM based on their belief that the services of an interior designer should be available -- and affordable -- to everyone. One of their signatures, which they've trademarked Modern Salvaged Interiors, is the recycling of elements, from chairs to building materials, they've literally found on the street.
Favorite element: The light floors. White washed pine planks with two coats of clear high gloss varnish lighten up the house. The yellowing caused by the varnish gives them a color akin to old ivory.
Proudest DIY: Josh refinished the entire dining room set himself. "I found the chairs at a thrift store in Venice Beach and the table in a junk yard in Twenty Nine Palms."
Resources:
Furniture:
Casa Victoria (both locations)
Palm springs thrift stores
Craigslist.org
Woodson & Rummerfield
Appliances: Bosch and Kitchen Aid in the Kitchen. The bathroom fixtures are almost entirely salvaged. "When we bought the house, Josh recognized the built-in tub as claw foot, sans feet, and the hunt was on. Ultimately, we found the feet in Florida."
Furniture & Lighting: What�s not salvaged was commissioned at Room Service Home and there are a few Ikea pieces such as the iron bed in Josh's daughter's room.
Paint: Josh swears by Dunn-Edwards. "I love their palette and there�s a depth and a life to their paints that doesn�t exist in other lines. It�s the one line which I find supports a lot of negative space. This was especially important in the living room where we deliberately left the walls bare to maximize the feeling of openness in an otherwise small house."
Window Treatments: The curtains in Josh's daughter's room were made by her mother. Roller shades are by Smith and Noble.
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Nomade Express Slee...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
How to Make Buckwheat Soba Noodles from Scratch
That yellow chair is sublime!
I can't get past slide six; slide seven says "error: unable to load page."
I love the use of primary colors in the downstairs’ rooms. In the neutral dining room, the red light fixture adds excitement and looks amazing when viewed from the office with the green kitchen. Even though the kitchen was originally all in white, the green actually makes it seem much lighter and brighter. Are the cabinets covered with auto body paint also?
Other things that I love about this place are the black trim used throughout the house and the beauty of those floors, which really do look like the keys of an old piano.
Sorry...slide #7 was causing some type of error in our slide show (slide #7 is the living room photo up top). Slideshow should be working correctly now.
I love how they used all those great deep, bright colors without making the place look crazy. Somehow it all looks so fun and sophisticated at the same time. They might be geniuses.
I can't believe the transformation of that house - it's fantastic. And the salvaged furniture is great (goes with the green philosophy too).
Love how they used salvage and yet it doesn't look "SALVAGED"
It looks new and fresh and modern and bright. And homey.
Like this entry A LOT and I this finalist should make the the cut!
( Still love the Emil's hardware post!!!!)
OOOPS. What I MEANT to say was I think this finalist should make the cut!
I love the color and the detail in the objects they salvaged, which work so well visually with the rest of the house. Abby has a fine eye for honing in on color and character. Great photographs of a really sophisticated yet warm house!
Teriffic piece that shows what can be done with very little - which is what AT is all about. Loved the pre and post shots - gave real substance to the transformation of a house that 99 out of 100 times would have been passed over - and enhanced the credit due to its finders/creators. Got the strong feeling that this project had generous helpings of ingenuity, inspiration, perseverence and discretion, all to build a livable and workable space for its brilliant owners. The daughter's room shots brought that home particularly well. The sourcing explanations were helpful - and inspirational. Loved the "Proudest DIY" also. Well done AT!
I don't know where to start. I'm thoroughly impressed with this house makeover. What I can't believe is how incredibly balanced it all is. It has such a definite style but is not one note at all. Each room is it's own environment yet it all flows. It bursts with personality, originality and yet is not overdone at all. Too many designers put their statement above the sanctity of the space...and they have clearly melded the design seamlessly with the sanctity of the space. They don't have to overdo the statement...it speaks for itself in all the details and choices that they made. Bravo!!! This one should win it...hands down.
Wow. I wouldn't have imagined black trim against white walls in an old character house, but it really makes the rooms look large and clean, and then the mix of bold and primary colors in the furniture really give the room life ... and then there's those floors. I'm going to have to re-think all my boring pastel walls and ordinary brown floors. And the bold kitchen green is a great color. Amazing house. Awesome work.
i love, love. what great eyes you have. it's absolutely fantastic, i wish i was that good...
Thanks for the tour of Joshua and Raphael's house. All the tough things like colors and kids' rooms are done beautifully. The details of the recycled materials are great as well as useful. Thanks for the tip on Dunn-Edwards paint. And, I love the autobody paint on the chandelier. A great piece. Like the refinishing on the dining chairs, next time I go to Casa Victoria I'll pay closer attention. Also, I checked out FORM. Nice. I'll bookmark the url for future projects.
WOW! Nice work on this lovely home. I wish I hadn't just painted my interior as there are many ideas I would like to steal from these guys. I love the splashes of colour and I am amazed at how well it all comes together.
This is perfect. The windows, that light, those colors, the surprises.
The photos of this home are as beautiful as I've seen in any design magazine. And, what a good resource FORM now is for those of us interested in doing a renovation within our budget limits. Really enjoyed this particular post.
AH, someone who shares my love of bright colors but knows how to use them more artfully ;-)
Amazing what simple choices and bold colors can do to that kitchen renovation. This house is absolutely a gem, I live down the street from it and have always wondered what it was like on the inside.
Such a treat! Thank you.
Wow! That office.. The kitchen. Super sweet. Nicely done all 'round.
Oh wow. This house is so beautiful! I love the before and after pictures, I only wish there were more of them so I could see even more of the process of the transformation. The whole effect is stylish and chic, but completely livable and inviting. I love it! The little girl's room just completes the picture, they've set just the right tone for a child, without being "cutesy" or disneyfied, it's totally bright, feminine, playful, and whimsical. The whole effect is totally inspiring. And I love the ethos of making stylish design affordable for everyone! I would love to see more of their work.
this is amazing. i adore the floors.
nice job Abby!
What a great space! I love their bold use of color.
Leah
What a beautiful transformation. Not to overuse a cliche, but form truly meets function in this amazing home.
I love their use of colors and am glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks bright green belongs in the living room. I wish I had their luck at finding salvaged furniture for my house. They obviously have good junk karma!
This house shows a thoughtful and stunning use of color and contrast. It looks like they've gotten it all right. The salvaged furniture is inspired by sophistication. I, too, would like to see more of their work. Thanks, Abby, for presenting this inspiring example of great design work. I wish I had a project looming. I'd call them in a heartbeat.
Wow! this is amazing!
The imagination seems limitless, and with no effort and limited budget! a work of art.
The transformation is unbelievable.
And with such taste, imagination, and minimal expense
I love it!!!!!
What an experience to see what they have done with the house. The before and after shots show the creativity and brilliance of Form. And the ability to create such beauty and function on a budget... Ms Stone's selection of and comments on this home and the work of the designers show she has an impeccable eye for beauty and workmanship.
Wow. This house has high style and big time cozy all at the same time! The did a fantastic job - can they come to my house!?!?
These guys are super. It is hard to believe that they were able to do so much with so little $. They should be on a reality tv show! I don't understand how they managed to make a space that was so drab into an exciting, homey place to live. Especially for a little girl. How much do they charge?
Congratulations!
Your taste is impecable....I foresee a lot of success, the house came out spectacular!
The use of spaces, the light, the windows, everything looks great!
This house is so beautiful. I love the painted wood floors and the navy trim. Every detail is artistic. I'm thrilled that I got the chance to see this renovation. Thank you for showcasing these designers and their extraordinary talent. I'd like to hire them to renovate my own home.
I think the choice of colors and combinations of colors compliment one another and make a beautiful home come alive. I think this team of new designers is outstanding. They have my vote.
Amazing, thank you for sharing your space, it's inspiring! I would love to know who designed the pillows on the green sofa....please :)
Stunning. Especially the yellow chair and the love of green!
I love your house...especially the black molding. I love how you use the bright colors.
Shows how color can bring life to a place.
Hey All. Thanks for your amazing comments on our home! We hope to show you a lot more of our work. Sasha_ we checked our pillows for the manufacturer and they don't list one, however we purchased them at Room Service on 3rd here in LA.