This week we’re taking you on a tour of the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, the oldest show house in the country. Run by an all-volunteer staff, the organization has raised more than $17 million in support of the arts over the past 60 years. It is open for tours Tuesday through Sunday until May 16th so try to catch it before it closes. See www.pasadenashowcase.org for more information.
Joe Kattenhorn, Robert Allen’s Director, Residential Sales West visited the Pasadena Showcase when it opened last month. He offered to share some of the highlights with us so with the cooperation of photographer extraordinaire Alex Vertikoff, here is Joe’s blog post:
Joe Kattenhorn:
The 2010 Showcase House is the Craven Estate, built in Pasadena in 1930 and designed by renowned San Francisco architect Lewis P. Hobart. The three-story, 50- room residence was inspired by the baroque Chateau Vaux-le-Vicomte (also the inspiration for Versailles). For the past 38 years, it has served as the headquarters of the San Gabriel-Pomona Valley American Red Cross and it was badly in need of a facelift. A team of 25 interior designers and several landscape architects were happy to oblige!
Part of the designers’ challenge was to incorporate the original interior details, including the door and window hardware imported from Europe. Designer Amy DeVault of Venice worked around the inverted, glass dome ceiling which was restored and cleaned in her design of the Grand Staircase & Landing.
Amy’s use of artwork and hand-painted glass panels help integrate her contemporary palette and patterns with the space’s classic Neo-Renaissance architecture.
The Drawing Room by designer Joshua Cain and his team from Saxony DesignBuild in Burbank was a standout for me. Of course, I’m a little biased as he used Robert Allen and Beacon Hill fabric and trim throughout the room! Joshua did an outstanding job of complementing the golden mahogany paneling installed by European craftsmen in 1930 with contemporary fabric and trim he chose in a light, bright citrus color palette. The end result is an eclectic and timely interior that’s both impressive and inviting.
Michael Berman of Los Angeles designed the Powder Room, inspired by the old Bullocks Wilshire Department Store. Framed photography from retro fashion ads is featured on walls covered with a harlequin pattern reminiscent of a hatbox.
The design of the Family/Media Room is meant to underscore the importance of green design. Karen Schoener, president of Designs of the Interior in Westlake Village, worked with her team to source fabrics from recycled plastics, reclaimed wood cocktail tables and renewable wood flooring. The wallpaper, custom-designed for the Pasadena Showcase House, is also made of recycled paper. Even the color palette and artwork speak to the theme of natural beauty.
New Yorkers may mistake this Linen Room for a studio apartment. Ammie Kimm Interior Design of Beverly Hills created this fantasy storage space with unlimited shelves and luxurious accents. Do you know anyone with a crystal chandelier in their linen room? Or a linen room?
The Retreat by the design firm Tocco Finale of San Marino is a mix of Zen and Old-World design influences. Asian artwork graces walls upholstered with hand-painted Fortuny silk. A calming, comfortable space to relax in an atmosphere where everything that surrounds is beautiful.
Jennifer Bevans Interiors of South Pasadena created Mr. Craven’s Dressing Room, a sophisticated and refined masculine hideaway that showcases a distinguished antique Biedermeier Secretary desk. Who was Mr.Cravens, you might ask? He was the gentleman lucky enough to have married Mrs. Cravens, an heiress of the Liggette and Myers Tobacco Company.
The final room I’ll show you is the Master Bedroom, the work of Julie Kays Design, Inc. in Pacific Palisades. She chose a current color palette with textural fabrics to make a traditional room seem fresh and relevant. The elegant canopy bed is the centerpiece, setting a tone that is romantic but not fussy. Like the rest of the showhouse, the bedroom translates an opulent past to livable modern-day luxury.