Grecian Formula ’99
With its classical columns, rotundas and bevy of Greek goddesses, the 1999 Philharmonic House of Design is an ode to a Grecian urn.
Situated on a hill overlooking the Pacific, the newly built 8,000-square-foot mansion has enough classical features to make visitors feel they’re on a Greek island instead of a gated community in Newport Coast. The $5.9-million home will be open for public tours Sunday through May 23 as a fund-raiser for the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.
In preparation for the tour, 24 members of the American Society of Interior Designers/Orange County have spent the last couple of weeks frantically furnishing, painting, polishing and fussing over every inch of the home’s interior, while four landscape design firms have turned the exterior into a Grecian garden.
The result: Lush surroundings that would have suited the Greek god Zeus himself.
Inspired by both the home’s classical architecture and ocean view, the designers chose “Aegean Jewel” as the decor theme. While drawing upon ancient Greece as the starting point for a timeless decor, the home has enough futuristic features to ensure it will be ready for the new millennium.
“We felt Mediterranean themes had been worked to death, and we wanted something different,” said Mary Swift, chairwoman of the local ASID. “So when we looked at the architectural elements like the 22 columns throughout the house and the domed ceilings, we went a little Greek. But we’re keeping it subtle.”
Indeed, the only Greek goddesses to be found are the draped figures that adorn table legs, curios, cabinets and artwork. There are no garish statues or overt murals of Mt. Olympus.
Reminders of Greece Throughout
Still, there are small reminders of ancient Greek civilization everywhere, such as the key motif that appears etched on glass and painted on walls throughout the home. Some fabrics have Greek motifs, and there’s classical crown molding adorning ceilings, doorways and cabinetry.
Designers from von Hemert Interiors Inc. decorated the library with furnishings that reflected neoclassical themes, including ceramic hand-painted urns on the fireplace mantle and a Russian curio of mahogany and marble with gold-plated Grecian women adorning the front. The area rugs have been stone-washed so that they look ancient.
“One rug looks like it’s 1,000 years old, and it’s only 2,” said Keve Butterfield, an interior designer with von Hemert in Costa Mesa.
In the master bath, which features a round tub surrounded by columns, designer Lori Hankins of Elegant Environments in Laguna Niguel installed a glass panel etched with a Grecian motif of a goddess-like damsel.
Some advanced decorator features in the home will seem Greek to even modern homeowners, such as the glass sinks in Hankins’ bath that light up from below.
“They glow like a piece of Lalique crystal,” Hankins said.
The master bedroom, by Newport Beach designer Anna Shay of Solanna, features a state-of-the-art fiber optic dome illuminated by neon light that changes hues--so future occupants can play god and change the color of the “sky.” Called “An Ode to Greek Astrologers,” the dome has pinpoints of light that form constellations.
The master retreat, which connects the bedroom to the bath, has another thoroughly modern touch: its own cappuccino bar.
All of the designers worked from a common color palette, established months ago to give the interior a cohesive look. In addition to using the blues and greens of the coastal setting, designers incorporated the terra-cotta, ivory and black hues found on ancient Greek pottery.
The kitchen has black granite counter tops that contrast with the creamy beige marble on the floor and ivory-colored crown molding on the ceiling. In the living room, Newport Beach designer John Benecke hung cotton drapes with deep terra-cotta flowers against an ivory background to frame the tall windows.
Shared Palette but Separate Visions
Once the color palette was established, the designers met for brainstorming sessions to show each other their plans for their space, including color boards and fabric swatches. While they shared ideas, each space reflects the designer’s vision.
“We don’t dictate,” Swift said.
Designer Beverly Stadler of Design Focus in San Clemente fell in love with a swag motif, which she used throughout the bedroom she decorated for a fictitious college-age woman. She used “Aegean green” swag draperies and silk damask on a daybed. She also used a sea green fabric on an ottoman cushion, which is supported by three Grecian figures cast in bronze.
In an adjoining bath, she installed a neoclassical towel bar and soap dish carved out of stone, a tribute to the ruins of ancient Greece.
“I like repeating a motif without overdoing it,” Stadler said.
To pull off their visions, designers called in teams of artisans, painters and manufacturers who could loan them the finest furnishings and materials. Once the tour ends, most borrowed objects will return to their source--unless the home finds a buyer who wants to pay extra for the furnishings.
Designers from Thomasville Home Furnishings in Laguna Hills outfitted the home theater with a $30,000 prototype projector and an 80-inch wide screen from Genesis Audio. They padded the walls and added leather sofas, creating a couch potato’s paradise.
Some additions to the home will remain, such as the handmade paper wallcovering used throughout the upper landing that’s applied in sheets and adorned with 1,600 silk ribbon ties.
“I had a lot of wall but not much floor space, so I really wanted something interesting on the walls,” said Michelle Cohen, a Newport Beach designer.
The wine cellar has been transformed into a fantasy-like archeological site. The walls were painted a deep terra-cotta hue to look aged, with alabaster scones and a copy of an ancient Greek mural drawing visitors into the small space.
“I wanted to make the wine cellar look like a cave,” said designer Gail Lesley Diehl of Laguna Niguel.
The House of Design is expected to net $500,000 for the Philharmonic Society, which uses the proceeds to offer free music education programs to county students from kindergarten through high school.
An Education in Design on Display
More than 25,000 people are expected to wander through the premises. Many come to pick up the latest design ideas and techniques to duplicate in their homes--whether a condo or a castle.
“You can come here and get a design education,” Swift said.
In the library, for instance, the walls have a rich texture that looks like wallpaper but is actually layers of different colored paint. Shades of bronze, ice blue and teal were dabbed on using scrunched-up plastic bags--something virtually every homeowner has on hand.
To dress up the beige tile in the shower enclosure of the master bath, designer Hankins placed gold drawer pulls in the center of black marble squares--an inexpensive but elegant addition to the space.
Stadler covered the walls of her bath with a new type of wallpaper that wrinkles after being adhered to the walls, giving the room a rich, aged look.
“My wallpaper hanger was freaking out. I forgot to tell him it’s supposed to wrinkle,” she said.
Asymmetric Approach Is Quick Change
After the tour, some visitors might also be tempted to go home and rearrange their furniture. As the designers demonstrate, simply putting furniture at an angle can add interest to a room.
In the young man’s bedroom, designer Dean Kiser of Los Angeles installed a bed with a leather-upholstered headboard at a diagonal, flanked by faux-suede screens set asymmetrically on either side.
“Placing things at an angle takes off the static edge,” he said.
His room offers a lesson in mixing contemporary with classical pieces: One focal point is a modern chair by Pace, inspired by the simple fold-out deck chairs that graced ocean liners in the ‘30s and ‘40s but made from stainless steel mesh--the material used on conveyor belts--for a new look. Kiser paired the sleek, simple chair with an ornate 18th century reproduction marble gueridon from France decorated with gold ram’s heads.
“There are ways to make the connection between contemporary and old, by picking up patterns and materials. The cross [pattern] on the leather headboard is picked up by the cross of the legs on the stainless-steel chair,” Kiser said.
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The House of Design will be open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last entry at 4 p.m.), and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays so visitors can meet the designers.
People interested in learning more about interior design can attend free lectures by the designers at 10:30 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday (except April 30).
Garden lectures are offered at 10:30 a.m. every Wednesday, followed by garden tours at 1:30 p.m.
Tickets to the home tours are not necessary to attend the lectures.
The home is in a gated community of Newport Coast called Pelican Crest; free shuttle parking is provided across from the gates at Pelican Hill Road North and Newport Coast Drive.
Ticket prices are $20 by mail or at the door. Call (714) 840-7542.
