Construction Maison

Lush Living Room The view overlooking lush treetops also made Richard and Joann’s preference for green easy to weave into the decorative scheme. The living room and dining room, arranged into one large space with a coffered ceiling to mitigate the intrusion of a structural beam, share soft celery -green walls. For easy visual flow between the two areas, a pair of sofas covered in silk velvet face each other in front of the fireplace, maintaining the clear sight line .  Symmetry strikes both areas. The living room shows off pairs of 18th- century gilded mirrors and George III side tables . Richard and Joann Brodie are not fans of lamps and prefer overhead fixtures and sconces to illuminate their rooms. Flanking the fireplace, a pair of 18th- century mirrors have attached candle arms . “Had there been lamps on the console tables , the candle- armed mirrors wouldn ’t have made sense,” designer Ellie Cullman says. An Isamu Noguchi sculpture rests on the left console table .      

Name: Katherine McEachern, Ian Tse and Gracie (the dog) Location: Berkeley, California Size: 750 square feet Years lived in: 6 years, renting "As an editor at Rue, I'm constantly looking at inspiring spaces and filing away ideas. For me, personal style is an ever-evolving challenge," says Kat McEachern, the Lifestyle Editor for the stylish magazine. When you come across as many talented designers in your career as Kat does, it's not surprising they've all impacted her style. Or that her home is always changing. Kat lives in a late mid-century building in Berkeley with her husband, Ian. Neither of them can pinpoint one definite style they are drawn to, but they both know what they're not willing to compromise on: functionality. Kat and Ian love to entertain, so it was clear that their home needed to be set up in a way that guests could come over for dinner, hang out and be a part of the cooking action. The extra kitchen "counter" the couple add...