Room Crush: A Decadent Designer Green-on-Green-on-Green Living Room

Have you ever had a room crush? You know the feeling: you see the photo of a room so enviously gorgeous that it stops you dead in your tracks, and you can’t help but think about it – heck, you’re even talking about it to your friends who care to listen.

Sometimes, the crush is on a room that’s totally on your level; something you can Pin for later and aim to recreate with your own twist. Other times, it’s just something so pretty, so unattainable, so over the top, that it instantly steals your attention. This is one of those times, and this decadent space, designed by Jonathan Rachman for the 2017 San Francisco Decorators Showcase, is one of those rooms.

Inspired by the friendship of couturier Hubert de Givenchy and his muse, the iconic Audrey Hepburn, as captured in the photograph by Jacques Scandelari, Jonathan created this marvel of a room with Paris in the springtime in mind. “I imagine them returning to Givenchy’s green salon on Rue de Grenelle to enjoy each other’s company while ‘April in Paris’ (duet by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong) plays softly in the background,” notes the designer. “‘Til April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom…’ I wanted to bring the Parisian Spring glamour and romance back, in a fresh current way, airy—not stuffy—fresh and classic.”

This living room is all at once glamorous, modern and timeless; it’s also a study in how to do green-on-green-on-green in a way that doesn’t feel redundant. And that wallpaper…well, don’t get me started on that! “Silk Tree” is a custom de Gournay commission by Jonathan that took 12 weeks (expedited from the customary 22 weeks it normally takes to complete a similar project) to install and it’s the showstopper here. Hand-painted and embroidered in place, it’s a feat (and of course, a total luxury). It makes the voluminous room feel full, verdant, alive.

I’ll stop myself from gushing further on the walls, and dive into all the other aspects that make this aspirational room totally crush-worthy:

1. Jonathan accomplished an all-green palette beautifully. The key here was mixing of shades (some warmer, some cooler), textiles (velvets, crushed velvets, silk) and patterns mix-and-match prints on the throw pillows, a faux bois scheme on the rug).
2. When you’re maxing out on style in a room, then actually max out. Bring in real greenery and flowers to complement the leafy wallpaper. Regular window coverings? Nope, try a full-frame, scrolled valance. Small built-in dining bench? Take it wall-to-wall instead. And, of course, never ignore your ceiling, which brings us to our next point…
3. The plaster and gold-leafed ceiling of this room could easily steal all the attention, except here, the designer was able to introduce this bold design element in a way that worked cohesively with all the other show-stopping additions to the room.
4. Velvet, velvet, everywhere. As if an emerald green velvet Chesterfield weren’t enough, the luscious material reappears on a pair of wingback chairs, the extra long dining bench and on the dining chairs.