The Fun of Focus

June 5, 2024

Designing a home can be a daunting task when it comes to budget and decision making. In such moments—when the seriousness of it all sets in—Elisa reminds her clients to see the fun in the process, and to remember that working with a creative team encourages cohesive decision-making.To lighten the mood, she directs focus to core concerns, outlined below:

Where will you live?

Concentrate your energy and resources on the rooms where you intend to spend most of your time. Once identified, excitement will ensue with an eye to sourcing special pieces reflective of personality and place, like a character-rich antique basin sink for a prime-location powder room, a custom underlit bar for a tequila-collecting client, or a young family’s bustling mudroom replete with custom shoe cubbies and closets. Kitchens and primary suites often top the list of importance, thereby receiving close aesthetic consideration that can carry through into other spaces. “You may want it all, but it’s hard to do it all,” Elisa says. “Pick the rooms that matter most to you.”

What conditions shape your site and your lifestyle?

Thoughtful evaluations of your property and lifestyle can greatly simplify budget discussions. A work-from-home profession requires a resolute workspace, replete with window treatments to desaturate Zoom meetings. In contrast, a remote, forested property may allow for skipping draperies in select spaces—although kids’ rooms should always have curtains for privacy. Children should also be considered when custom sourcing; an investment rug in the living room may not stand up to the barrage of little ones whereas a custom slipcovered sofa will. And staircases need some sort of tread for tiny feet. “I always go back to functionality,” Elisa says. “What will allow for your peace of mind?”

What elements deliver the most impact?

Oftentimes, the interior architecture sets the tone for a home: the foundational decisions that define the overall aesthetic of the space. When recruited early in the building process, Elisa guides clients to make investments that matter—in structural materials and finishes. For instance, in her own home, she splurged on panoramic windows, which meant she waited to source key pieces of furniture until her budget replenished. Everyday, she affirms the wisdom of that decision as she takes in the valley views so beautifully framed by the towering panes. Be patient, she advises. Resist the desire to want everything “done” the moment you move in; instead, “focus on the things you are going to love living with for 25 years,” she says. “Furniture and accessories can be layered in over time.”

Above all, Elisa advises her clients to take an evolutionary approach to designing their home. Making wise, core decisions at the onset allows for future fine-tuning with furnishings and accessories. “Let your house evolve with you,” Elisa says.

Curb Appeal

May 29, 2024

In the mountains, summer issues a fresh invitation to consider the context enveloping our homes. The more time we spend entertaining outside, the more we see our homes as sites to behold and beckon. Recognizing this tantalizing potential, we offer strategies for sprucing up your homes’ curb appeal:

Continuous Cozy

Transform a covered front stoop into a cozy spot with an inviting yet sturdy accent chair and a vessel with gravitas and botanicals (the ingredients we always use to make a nook inviting). No matter the weather, this vignette welcomes with warm hospitality.

Sneak Peek

Picture windows, particularly when flanking a front door, provide a sneak peek at the aesthetic intrigue that awaits inside. Curate the framed view with statement pieces, like a monumental painting or a sculptural console.

Highlight Light

The layered architecture of this front facade calls for a quiet complement in minimalist landscaping and accents. As such, the light fixtures became a moment to shine—quite literally—with a statement sconce at once sculptural and serene.

Happy Hour

When approaching from the road, outdoor patios can serve as invitations to socialize. In the mountains, no party is complete without some sort of campfire camaraderie; this built-in fire pit, encircled by classic Adirondack chairs, makes a kumbaya moment out of any soiree.

Featured Finds

Greet guests with character; one-of-a-kind finds, like this antique wheelbarrow repurposed as a planter, convey your creative joie de vivre. Such stylistic flare hints at the inspiration to come indoors.

The Eye has to Travel

April 30, 2024

Travel supercharges Elisa and her eye. A designer to her core, she is incapable of turning her sight off, so she remains on—noticing everything around her. “I’m constantly scanning—color, materials, scale,” Elisa says. “I’m dissecting to the point of the smallest detail. I log inspiration in any format.”

The Chambers’ recent family vacation to Mexico found her taking a vast amount of photos. Such sourcing inspo spans the mundane and the monumental: from stone inlay within baseboard molding to the sloping staircase leading to a primary suite and a sculptural installation of concrete vessels as fencing.

Unfiltered in her absorption, no detail seems too small, no idea too ambitious. She takes it all in. Only upon reentry does she begin to scroll through her images, pulling specific moments out, letting them percolate into current or future projects. “A lot of my pictures don’t make sense to anyone but me,” Elisa says. Momentary epiphanies, elusive even to Elisa after the fact: “Sometimes, I have to go through and say, ‘Why did I take this picture?’”

MATERIALITY:

In Mexico, Elisa traced the abundance of sand into the preponderance of concrete, used widely and wonderfully. In keeping with such sourcing, she found nature informed so many interesting design elements, from palm fronds as canopy to masonry as continuous floor-to-wall treatment.

SCALE:

From pebble accents to sculptural installations: Elisa registered shifts in scale and the drama they delivered. Vessels, blocks, bricks: common forms became artistic when oversized.

SOCIAL INTEGRATION:

“I’m always in tune with how people live in spaces,” Elisa says. “I’m constantly making note of how other people live and how they integrate their families.” After staying in several communities in Baja, she found domestic layouts successful if they stirred easy, integrated living. The stone built-ins surrounding a pool—set between primary and guest quarters—underscored the amenity as the social hub of the house.

“I love to see the way people interact and how they integrate all parts of their lives into their home,” Elisa says. “A home is such a major investment, both financially and emotionally. You want it to be generational.”