AND THE OSCAR GOES TO...??? | INSIDE THE AD GREENROOM | SLO MO SUNDAY SERIES

HAPPY OSCAR SUNDAY!!!

 Tonight marks the 87th Academy Awards Celebration!! 

Once again Hollywood's finest will dazzle on the red carpet.

Best Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Actress, Supporting Actress, Musical Score, Costume Design...

~ Have you made your predictions yet? ~

For the past several years the Architectural Digest Greenroom has been a highlight of this glamorous awards show. Each year I eagerly await to sneak a peek at the decor theme for this backstage chill-out lounge room for the presenters and nominees. An ultra-exclusive place where the evenings film stars can catch their breath and relax before and after they appear on stage. 

The design concept goal for the Greenroom this year was to create a West Coast vibe ~ an airy, glamorous, comfortable Hollywood Hills home with a retro-Hollywood feel. They definitely achieved their goal I think.

As you probably know, I am Bonkers for Banquettes and absolutely love this enormous creme banquette big enough to comfortably sit 16 people. Overall, the room is pretty monochromatic, creme furniture, walls and limestone floors, with pops of colour introduced in the cushions and foliage and finished off with hits of black throughout to ground the space.

Designed by the firm Commune in collaboration with the multi-talented, and amazing Julianne Moore whom, by the way, has been nominated this year for Best Actress. Good Luck to you Julianne!!

Don't you love the Caesarstone quartz bar? How about that 70's tapestry hanging on the wall behind?

On the far wall of the livingroom is a wall of 16 Samsung LED displays serving as a huge picture window with spectacular views of  Los Angeles. 

Complete with living plants, this groovy garden-like area was  designed to look like an outdoor patio. 

Picture - Matthew Petrelis

Looking for some fun on this Slo Mo Sunday? Why not roll out the red carpet tonight and kick off your own intimate Oscar Party with your significant other. 

Dress Code...... Pajamas!!  

Ditch the big Sunday dinner and cook up some yummy, hors d'oeuvres, dust off the shaker and mix up a batch of Martinis (recipe to follow) or your cocktail/mocktail of choice.

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Extra-Dirty Martini:

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 shots of your favorite vodka
• 1/2 shot of dry vermouth
• 5 teaspoons of olive brine

Equipment

• Cocktail Shaker
• Chilled Martini Glass

Instructions

• In a cocktail shaker, mix ingredients together over a generous amount of ice.
• Shake. And then shake some more…
• Pour mixture into a chilled martini glass, garnish with a few olives and sip away!

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Recipe - EatBoutique

Are you all settled and comfy on your couch? Great!

Neil Patrick Harris is this evenings Host. Showtime is 8:30PM ET and 5:30PM PT on ABC with red carpet festivities set to begin at 7:00 PM.

Cheers!!!

All Pics- Architectural Digest

Soulier Design Studio specializes in Sustainability, Eco Friendly Design, Products and Lifestyle.

http://www.soulierdesignstudio.com

POOL PARTY EXTRAORDINAIRE | IT'S A NEW DAY | JULY 17

Are you planning a POOL-SIDE PARTY?

These fabulous pools definitely take pool partying to a whole new level!

Gorgeous architecture and the absolute perfect settings create the most amazing ambiance.

Join me on this tour of some of the most extraordinary pools from around the world.

Enjoy!

Katikies Santorini - Greece

Villa d’Este Lake Como - Italy

The Raleigh Hotel Miami Beach - Florida

Qasr Al Sarab Resort by Anantara Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates

Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc Cap d’Antibes - France

The Resort at Pelican Hill - Newport Beach, CA

Wildflower Hall - Shimla, India

Hotel Arts Barcelona - Barcelona, Spain

The Beverly Hills Hotel - Beverly Hills CA

One & Only Reethi Rah Resort - North Male Atoll, Maldives

All photos - Architectural Digest

Soulier Design Studio specializes in Sustainability, Eco-Friendly Design, Products and Lifestyle.

Please visit us at 

https://www.soulierdesignstudio.com 

45th FLOOR MANHATTAN APARTMENT GOES GREEN | Sustainable Interior Design

Making your home green can be achieved by simply making it more environmentally friendly.  Just by committing to conserve energy and make your home function more efficiently; reducing the energy consumption of your appliances, the HVAC heating and cooling systems and lighting will go a long way in helping the environment as well.

Additionally, you will be pleasantly rewarded and actually start to save money as you make your home greener.  Making these changes can be done on a gradual basis one step at a time.

This fantastic apartment belongs to a Manhattan couple who renovated their 3,000 sq ft apartment from a 3 bedroom apartment into a one-bedroom with his and her offices.  With elevated environmental expectations, they were also looking for energy efficiency and comfort.

A smart home with "Environmental Intelligence".

Living Room with spectacular views of Manhattan

Heating, cooling, lighting, shades, humidity, audiovisual, computers and telephone were hooked up to a computer hidden in a closet off the bar. All the technology disappears. 

Walls were removed in the living room to open up the space, keeping private spaces at the back of the apartment. The couple entertain often.

Streamlined Energy Efficient Kitchen

the three bedrooms were converted into a large master suite paired with offices

An office off the kitchen

gorgeous spa-like bathroom

All pictures - courtesy of Architectural Digest

The Designers wanted to ensure that the interiors matched the views in quality and drama as they achieved a higher environmental IQ.  They also wanted the view of the city and apartment to fuse.

The lovely views were obstructed by the air-handling units in knee walls in the glass windows.  These units were not sufficient to heat and cool the apartment due to the glass windows allowing too much hot air in the summer and cold in the winter.

After receiving approvals from the Condo association to change out the air-conditioning systems and glass windows, the AC and knee walls were removed.  For sustainable heating and cooling, they kept the existing steam system but embedded pipes in the floors for radiant heating. Better insulated glass was changed out for the knee walls. 

Not only is the apartment more comfortable but the new window wall allows much better views of Manhattan into the apartment.

A much greener and energy efficient apartment!

Soulier Design Studio specializes in Sustainability, Eco Friendly Design, Products and Lifestyle http://www.soulierdesignstudio.com   

BONKERS FOR BANQUETTES! | INTERIOR DESIGN

As the title of this post suggests, I am absolutely BONKERS FOR BANQUETTES. 

In the unlikely event that you have NO idea what I am talking about? A banquette is simply, upholstered bench seating positioned against or built into a wall or nook.  Banquettes come in all shapes, lengths, styles and fabrics, modern, traditional, tufted, not tufted and they fit practically into any space no matter what the size. 

When my husband and I go out to a restaurant, I always find myself heading straight for this comfortable, cozy seating and find that I can just nestle in all evening while enjoying our always wonderful, interesting conversation, delicious food and my favourite red wine, J.Lohr. (In my opinion the BEST WINE IN THE WORLD) Can you say yum!! Anyway, the whole dining experience is heightened for me feeling more luxurious and intimate when sitting in a banquette. 

Banquettes are not limited to just restaurants and work wonderfully in kitchens or dining rooms helping to maximize both seating and table space. Round, square or rectangular tables whatever your preference; they all work beautifully. 

My husband and I live in a small bungalow and our kitchen/dining area adjoins our living room like so many contemporary floor plans. We plan on adding a banquette to this area which will serve as extra seating when we have guests. I am in the designing stages at the moment and cannot wait to build it.  I will be sure to take pictures of the step by step process to share with you. 

  

Until then, here is a collection of some of my favourites. 

Enjoy!   

photo - Nicole Franzen  

 photo - Paul Barbera 

photo - Nicole Franzen   

photo- unknown

photo - Nicole Franzen

 breakfast area of a Manhattan Duplex - Architectural Digest

breakfast room of Tracy Pollan / Michael J. Fox's Manhattan home - Architectural Digest

This leather banquette is a Summer Hill Design- Architectural Digest

What style banquette is your favourite?

Is there a small nook, or bay window in your home where you could add one?

If you are Bonkers for Banquettes too, we would love to hear from you!!

Soulier Design Studio specializes in Sustainability, Eco Friendly Design, Products and Lifestyle 

http://www.soulierdesignstudio.com