TrippaLuka Style

Before & After: Casual Kid’s Lounge | Play Area

July 13, 2012 By Trisha 1 Comment

Do you have a quiet space in your home where the family can just relax, kick back, and watch a movie together? Or, maybe you’d like to have a place where the little kids can just hang out and play a video game without disturbing the adult guests in the Living Room? Well, that’s exactly the type of space one of our ‘post-Katrina’ residential clients wanted to have in their new custom home.

An Informal Kid’s Lounge that’s Comfortable for Adults, too!

It wasn’t until a couple of months after Hurricane Katrina that we met this lovely young couple with two small children. Before that, the couple had planned to move some existing furniture from their old home into the new space intended for use as a Kid’s Lounge area. A few small boxes of toys and games had been brought over to the house just days before the storm hit the area. Unfortunately, ‘Moving Day’ for all of the big stuff happened to fall on the same day that Hurricane Katrina caused a massive evacuation from south Louisiana. It’s no mystery why the movers didn’t show up to work that day. Needless to say, that particular existing group of furniture designated for this space never made it into the new house…or any other house for that matter. So, the space wasn’t quite laid out as they’d planned and was only being used with sparse furnishings and toys.

Kid’s Lounge Seating Area (Before)

Kid’s Lounge, Built-in Entertainment Center (Before)

Obviously, the main dilemma for this new space was that there wasn’t any place to sit down or lounge. So, the first pieces to find were new sofas and chairs (and some hardware for the doors and drawers of the built-in!). But the space was relatively small for a den or lounge (it was a 9’x12’ bedroom/office size), the new TV was going to be placed in a built-in cabinet in a corner space of the room (where a closet would have been), and there needed to be casual, comfortable seating to accommodate four to six people (at least two adults and four kids).

So, for the main large seating piece, we decided on a sectional-style version of this sofa to maximize seating capacity, and that could also act as a chaise lounge for mom (or dad) to stretch out on. We chose an indigo-colored denim upholstery fabric for comfort and durability (in case popcorn fell on the seats), added hand-hammered pewter nailheads for a casual effect, and selected a distressed wood finish in a vintage chestnut color on the legs. Because this particular sectional didn’t have big arms on the ends, the total size fit perfectly in this room, and allowed enough space for a small end table with a lamp in the corner.

Kid’s Lounge Seating Area (After)

For the throw pillows, we opted for a few in various shapes and sizes, some in a celery green color, and others in a fun striped blue and cream pattern.

Kid's Lounge - Custom Pillows for Sectional Sofa

Custom Throw Pillows for Sectional Sofa

For a small armless side chair, we had a slipcover made from a really cute multi-colored fabric that our client found at a local discount store. A couple of monogrammed bean bag chairs supplemented the main seating, and a vintage round table was placed in a corner of the room with a funky table lamp. Our client found some cute sports wall art for their little boy, similar to this vintage baseball themed piece.

To complement the informal room, a large soft area rug was needed and we’d found a couple of frieze rugs as options, but our client fell in love with this soft thick cut-pile area shag rug that had big fat nubby strands that she’d found on a great sale that she just couldn’t pass up (unfortunately, she later wished she had gone with one of the frieze area rugs, though, because that shag rug shed incredibly like this one…who knew?!!).

Well, we had some additional ideas for the facing back wall over the sofa, like a large map wall art piece, but a wonderful job promotion with a transfer created another move for this lovely family to different state (maybe the map wall art will work in the new space after all!).

Kid’s License Plate Canvas Wall Art

What would you have put on that wall if this were your Kid’s Lounge area? Is there a space like this in your home? Do tell, I’d love to hear! – XO, Trisha

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Filed Under: Before and After Tagged With: Kids Rooms

Program First, Design Second!

July 2, 2012 By Trisha 1 Comment

Do you remember the Kohler TV commercial where the lady pulls a faucet out of her purse and tells the Architect to design a house around it? The look on the Architect’s face is priceless! I can just imagine the questions forming in his mind before the design process actually starts. That little plumbing fixture is a prime example of where inspiration might come from for a design concept. Its contemporary shape, style, quality of construction, features, and silver finish color hint at the preconceived image the couple has for the new house. But, before any sketching or designing begins, the program for the project needs to be spelled out first.

Assembled information leads to an organized picture-perfect package!

(image via Style Me Pretty)

In case you’re not familiar with the term, the initial stage of an architectural or interior design project is called the ‘Programming Phase’, which is when information is gathered to prepare an outlined document, called a design program, setting the parameters of the project. Basically it’s a consolidated laundry list that includes all of the data, facts, and figures about what is going to be in the project. Within the program, the rooms and spaces along with approximate sizes are listed, the most important relationships between those spaces are defined, those individuals who will use those interior spaces, and how each space will be used is determined…in other words, the custom residential design program is the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How part of the project.

A classic challenge to be solved!

(image via Vintage Toys & Games)

Imagine that a single box contains all of the pieces to the jigsaw puzzle that, once the pieces are all put together, make up the designed picture of your dream home (or renovated kitchen, bath, or whatever your project might be). The puzzle pieces might actually be pages torn out of magazines with inspiration images of rooms, cabinetry, fireplaces, or even plumbing fixtures. The box might also contain paint chips of favorite colors, porcelain tile samples, or antique hardwood flooring pieces. There might even be pictures of landscapes, gardens, or even other houses that are compiled in a scrapbook of sorts. Don’t stress out if you can’t figure out how all of those pieces go together. Architects and designers can help sort through all of these puzzle pieces, and then add to or subtract from them to determine the final picture of the dream home you’ve envisioned.

For our residential clients who are considering building a custom home and having it designed from scratch, we’ve put together a comprehensive questionnaire asking all types of questions, from ‘What spaces need to be close to one another?’ to ‘Does everyone eat separately, or does the entire household have dinner together?’ Simply writing everything down and sorting through the things you want, or don’t want, in your new home forces you to figure things out, and avoid conflicts later. Once the program information is gathered and defined, the next part of planning and designing begins.

Stack of lovely vintage book boxes filled with inspiration!

(image via Layla Grayce)

Do you have a scrapbook, expandable file folder, or vintage box that you’re carrying around with inspiration images or sample pieces for your next design/build project?

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Filed Under: Design Business, Vintage Tagged With: Design, Layla Grayce, Program, Vintage

Hello world!

June 5, 2012 By Trisha 5 Comments

With a nod and a smile, I would like to say, ‘Hello’ to all of you in this big ‘Blogosphere’ world, and welcome you to our new design and lifestyle blog, ‘TrippaLuka Style’!

My given name is Patricia, but my family has always called me ‘Trisha’. At another time, I’ll tell you the story of how I was accidentally given the nickname ‘Trippa’ by my beloved piano teacher, who inspired me profoundly. I am so fortunate to work on a daily basis alongside my husband/partner, Luke (aka, ‘Luka’ by his Table Tennis friends…that’s another story); he’s a native of New Orleans who grew up in the Lower Garden District, an area also locally referred to as the ‘Irish Channel’. Our planning and design consulting firm, P.A.S. Interiors, is named after moi, an entrepreneur born and raised in the ‘Bayou Country’ of south Louisiana. We live in St. Tammany Parish (Louisiana is the only state that doesn’t have ‘counties’), in the quaint small Town of Abita Springs. Much of our design work and ‘style’ is inspired by our unique surroundings and cultural heritage, and we focus on offering consulting services that ‘bridge’ architecture with interior design to create beautiful, functional, and environmentally responsible building interiors (a visual expression of this concept is reflected in the image ‘Bridge over Abita River’ below).

At this point, I feel a sudden urge to offer you a cup of coffee or something to eat (that’s definitely a local cultural thing!). I’m new to blogging and very excited to move into the Blogohood. We’ll gradually be sprucing up this little place of ours, where we’ll talk about interior design, architecture, art, music, gardens and gardening, food, coffee (of course!), and share all things cultural in Louisiana, especially the greater New Orleans region. We’d love for you to drop in and visit us here, share your thoughts and join in the conversation!