All posts by Beth and Carolina

The Pulp Edit: Top 10 Spring Inspirations

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For the Pulp team, starting a new project always begins with an inspiration board like the one you see above. It helps us capture our client’s style and gives us a guide for the interiors. We also like to create these mood boards to define cutting-edge looks that we see coming on the horizon. Spring is another time of new beginnings, and one of our favorite seasons, so we were inspired to select some of our favorite trends for the season! In true Pulp style, these aren’t your usual pastels and florals, but are new ideas that are more dramatic and complex. Check them out below!

A playful catchall bowl from Haas is crafted in an eye-catching gold and matte black. It’s made of porcelain and embellished with 24K gold.

The stunning ads from Dior in Architectural Digest offer a moody take on spring fashions – and we’re here for it!

Carolina gave these Stevie hoops from Mejuri to Beth for Christmas. They are two-toned and can be worn in multiple ways, which is a perfect fit for Beth’s style!

Matisse’s cut-outs were the inspiration for a handpainted wallcovering from Porter Teleo, soon to be seen in a Pulp project in Florida.

A friend and fellow designer who passed too soon, Traci Zeller gave this necklace to the Pulp duo. To honor her, Pulp is asking for donations to a scholarship in her name at VCU. To give, enter Traci’s name in “Special Instructions.”

Donghia’s Blockbuster wallcovering is infused with mica, giving it a stunning glow. Who knew you could showcase minerals on your walls?

The new Hermès H Booming bracelet is inspired by architectural design. Gorgeous in black and gold, it was featured in the Winter issue of Elle Decor.

Mohair and woven checks are timeless looks that are elevated by both color and style in these luxe Donghia fabrics that Pulp is using in a mountain project.

These beautiful leather looks are meant to be used as flooring, a luxe and surprisingly durable idea from EcoDomo.

This grasscloth brings spring vibes while still retaining a modern style. It’s the Gru Magnus design from Schumacher in a lovely beige and gray palette.

Founders’ Five: The Glamorous Life

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Pulp Design Studios’ co-founders love finding new products that make their lives easier and more glamorous! Here are their favorite finds to brighten their lives…

BETH’S PICKS

As a business owner, I am always on my phone. This faux python leather case from Flaunt gives my phone a chic look while I’m talking to clients or texting with Carolina!

This organic lamp by Studio Palatin offers super functionality due to its cordless design, allowing it to go anywhere you do!

My goal for 2025 is to read more, and top of my list is this first book by my good friend Jonathan Savage!

I like to mix metals in interiors and for my own jewelry! This ear cuff from Jennifer Fisher takes two-toned to a modern level.

Is fitness on your 2025 list of resolutions? This Bala Beam will make you feel as sleek as it looks!

CAROLINA’S PICKS

Stunning shapes form a diamond and gold design from Azlee, a unique take on
the tennis bracelet.

Speaking of cocktails, this Smokeshow starter bundle gives you everything you need to craft those on-trend smoky bourbon drinks!

I’m into charms of all shapes and sizes, so I’m obsessed with this quill-shaped piece of turquoise topped by a diamond. Available from Irene Neuwirth, this charm can be worn alone or with other favorite keepsakes.

I love modern design and beautiful functionality, so the Wave Pitcher from Mociun definitely fits the bill. It’s perfect for mixing up a batch of chic cocktails.

This luxe throw is both cozy and chic, featuring a Mondrian-themed by Jonathan Adler.

Styling Bookshelves Like a Pro

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At Pulp, we see bookshelves as another form of art for interiors. If the shelves are properly styled, they can reveal a lot of personality and style! Here’s how to set up your bookshelves like a pro, giving them a gorgeous individuality for your home.

1. Start with Books

There’s a reason that these structures are called bookshelves – you’ve got to include books! If you’re a reader, this is going to be easy. But if you aren’t, don’t just put any old book on the shelves. Select books that really do reflect what you love, like travel, fashion, photography, cars, or nature. Compelling covers help add style, too. But what you want these books to do is show a visitor what you love and who you are! The books can be stacked horizontally or vertically, and we even love to prop one up like art if the cover shot is really good.

2. Use Sculptural Forms

Interesting shapes help create amazing visual interest on shelves. Select sculptural accessories that will draw all eyes! But again, don’t just pick up any random object at a home goods store. You want to use accessories that tell your story, that let people know what you really love. So choose pieces that really speak to you.

3. Consider the Background

Showcase the items you love against a gorgeous backdrop! The Pulp team styles bookshelves backed with stunning wallpaper or incredible paint colors. Make a big statement with color and pattern.

4. Layer in Artwork

Framed art should be layered onto the shelves in interesting ways. You can prop pieces in front of each other, use small stands to display art on a stack of books, or even hang art directly on the shelves. Give your shelves a stunning style with original art that you’ve collected!

5. Use Interesting Materials

Texture is important for crafting a visually compelling story. Use a variety of materials on your shelves, from woven boxes to textured metals to stone sculptures. Even strings of beads, luxe gameboards, and Chinese paintbrushes can offer a lot of personality!

Use these ideas to tell your story through your gorgeously styled bookshelves!

5 Tips for Stress-Reducing Rooms

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Reducing stress is a top priority for wellness and self-care. That can be tough with world events and daily pressures from jobs, family, and more. The Pulp team works with our clients to create beautiful homes with rooms that support the family in their goals and lifestyle. There are ways to reduce stress with a room’s decor, so here are our top 5 pro tips for making your home an oasis from a high-pressure life!

1. Engage the Senses

A room should not only look beautiful, but should also soothe you. The best way to do that is by engaging all of the senses. That includes soft velvets and leather that offer amazing textures, fresh flowers that provide an incredible scent, and draperies to help keep loud sounds outside. That will keep your stress levels low and your endorphins high.

2. Kill the Clutter

Research shows a strong link between clutter and increased stress, anxiety, and even physical health issues. That means it’s really important to keep messes to a minimum in your home. The best way to handle that is to ensure you have plenty of storage to keep things organized and out of sight. In a kitchen, consider an “appliance garage” for hiding away small appliances like toasters and coffee makers. In closets, be sure you have shoe storage and shelves for every single thing you want to put away. 

3. Use Color Psychology

Studies show that the top three stress-reducing color families are blues, greens, and yellows. Selecting from those groups can create an oasis in any room, but especially in a bedroom where rest is a top priority. Think soft sage, pale blue, and shades of light yellow to create a room that will send you to dreamland.

4. Focus on Function

There are so many advances in technology for the home, so be sure you’re taking advantage of everything that will support how you want to live. That can include sound systems through every room, layered lighting with dimmer switches, steam showers, and voice activated assistants. Each of these high-tech ideas can keep your stress levels low!

5. Neutralize Stress

Go for a neutral palette throughout the home for the easiest way to keep your stress at a minimum! Nothing works better to immediately set you and your guests at ease, and it creates a cocoon of soothing rooms. We love to layer in pattern and texture to keep a neutral room from reading as boring. Think about grays, whites, taupes, and sand tones as great combinations for any room in your home.

Use these ideas to create quietly beautiful spaces that will welcome you to stress-free living! And if you want help crafting your own perfect home, give our team a call!

How to Go Bold at Home

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Making bold design decisions for your home’s decor sounds like fun, but so many people find it intimidating or complicated. Pulp is known for embracing the adventure of interior design and pushing the envelope on how each room can look. So we have a few pro tips that will help you feel more confident to go bold in your home’s interiors!

Become a Mix Master

Pattern mixing can definitely be scary, but there is an art to it. First, remember that patterns don’t just mean on the fabrics! There can also be a pattern on wallpaper and art that needs to be considered as part of the mix, too. Then start with your “hero” pattern. That’s the one that you want to be the focal point. Often (but not always!!) that is also the one with the largest scale, like that stunning velvet on the back of the sofas above. Then layer in other patterns but be sure to vary the scale. The design of the art hanging behind the sofa in the room above has a more medium scale in comparison to that velvet, so it isn’t fighting for attention! And then there is a quiet and smaller scale for the pattern on the floor. That mixology will give you the perfect bold design look!

Anchor the Color

If you described the room above to someone who couldn’t see it, they might think “how does that all work?” There is a palette of blue, raspberry, grey, brown, and brass. Without an understanding of how to make it all work together, that could have been a busy mess! The key is to have an anchor for the color palette, or a place that just ties everything together. For that dining room, it’s definitely the rug, where every color is represented. Then we selected one color to be the most dominant, in this case the raspberry. And the blue plays a strong secondary role. You can be much more adventurous with color if you keep that anchoring rule in mind!

Keep Your Focus

Bold design choices can overwhelm a room and look like a huge mistake if you aren’t careful. Remember to keep your focus. There should be an obvious place for your eye to land when you enter the space. In our “sinner’s den” above, that spot was definitely the feature all with the wallpaper and that huge mirror. Everything around that is supporting the look with either its finish or its color. It’s soothing to the eye and less confusing or overwhelming if you stick to that initial focus for the room.

Speak with an Accent

You don’t have to cover a room with paint or use a truckload of tile to craft a more dramatic style! Look carefully at that bold home office above. If you took all of the furniture and art away, the room has a neutral color and a wood floor. What adds that sense of color and adventure is all of the amazing accents! The art, light fixture, accessories and fabrics give the room a real personality. It looks bold but hasn’t required a major commitment. If you’re commitment-phobic when it comes to your decor, try this design idea!

If you want a bolder home but need help getting there, give our team a call!

New Year, New Beginnings

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At the start of a new year, everyone thinks of new goals, new beginnings, and new lifestyle changes. And that includes where and how they live! Depending on your budget and how you need your home to function for you, there are several ways to rework your home so it is exactly what you’ve always dreamed of. The Pulp team offers a service for every need, so if you’re ready for a new beginning at home, take a look at how we can bring your vision to life!

New Build

In a ground-up, whole-home construction project, Pulp collaborates with you and your team, including architects and contractors, to create a gorgeous home that fits your personality and lifestyle. Pulp has developed an organized and comprehensive process that takes care of every detail from concept to installation, while still giving you approval of overall budget and style. Building a new home really does give you a whole new beginning, where you can have a say in every single space. But it shouldn’t be stressful for you, and that’s why Pulp ensures that you can enjoy watching the home take shape while we oversee each step! In the new build Dallas home above, floor-to-ceiling windows allow light to flood into each space, highlighting the fantastic floorplan.

Renovations

A major renovation can be disruptive to how you live, but it can also rework your home so it is exactly what you need! The Pulp team expertly collaborates with build teams to reimagine your home so it offers you the functionality you want and a beautiful design to fit your personal style. And as with any of our projects, we oversee the entire process from construction to completion. We specialize in new kitchen ideas, bathrooms that are stunning and functional, and spaces that take advantage of every square inch in your house. In the Seattle project above, you can see how removing a wall opened up the living area to add beautiful light and movement to the home!

Micro-Renovations

A micro-renovation is where we make smart cosmetic changes to your home that really make a big impact. This type of project may not require a general contractor to transform your home, but the Pulp team will focus on what best fits your budget and how you want your home to work. Pulp guides our clients to creating interiors that are the best they can be without a huge investment. This is also a great service if you just want a refresh of your home. That can include light renovations, as well as finishes, fixtures, and of course furnishings!

 

Furnishings Curation

The Pulp team creates custom furnishing selections for your home that will give you stylish spaces and your own unique style, through the lens of the Pulp aesthetic. We get to know our clients and what they need, which often includes furnishings that will stand up to pets and children (or even an adult with a glass of red wine). We work with you to define your personal look, and then we create a vision and floor plan for you and your home.

Ready for a new beginning in your home?! Give our team a call!

Fearless Bedroom Design

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In the last post for our Fearless Design series, we’re turning our attention to the bedroom. Whether it’s a guest room or the primary suite, a bedroom should be an oasis and a respite. But that doesn’t mean it can’t also have some daring details and out-of-the-box ideas! Here are Pulp’s best tips for creating fabulous bedrooms!

1. Play with Pattern

We do like to keep a bedroom palette calm and serene, but that doesn’t mean the room can’t also be bold! Mixing patterns is a great way to add some pizzazz to a bedroom without losing that sense of a sanctuary. In the room above, Pulp used our own fabrics for S. Harris to create a bold and far-from-boring bedroom.

2. Custom Details

This should be one of the most indulgent rooms in your home, so spoil yourself! Add custom furnishings and accessories that you won’t find anywhere else. In the Dallas bedroom above, we crafted a custom bed that has the texture and headboard height to make this room stunning and serene.

3. Texturize It

Even in the most neutral palettes you can find boldness. It’s all about the texture and adding dimension and detail. In the Seattle primary suite above, textural style can be found from the ceiling to the floor! The wallcovering has an amazing feel and the upholstered bed is comfy and fabulous. The art is dramatic and eye-catching, but still within that quiet range of colors. So remember that you can be fearless with the fabrics and surfaces!

4. Glam to New Heights

Don’t be afraid to add a little glam to a primary bedroom! In the Laredo home above, we took things to new heights with a tall textured metal canopy bed that makes a bold statement. The open design keeps it from dominating the room, and the metal details we used throughout really tie the whole design together.

Use these tips to create a gorgeous design for your bedroom. And if you want to go big with a fearless home design in 2025, contact our team!

Fearless Dining Room Design

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With the holiday season here, our fearless design series turns to the dining room! For Pulp, this room is a very public space for showing a lot of personality. So we always urge our clients to be absolutely unafraid to embrace color (of course!), mix patterns, and try new ideas for this room. Here are our best tips for creating daring dining room looks!

Consider Every Angle

Every view in the room should be considered, and that includes the ceiling! In the Seattle dining room above, we added a custom-colored Porter Teleo wallcovering on the ceiling, which draws all eyes to that stunning Oly light fixture. This is an historic home, so we also wanted to balance that mix of vintage and modern, creating an amazing room that’s ready to wow guests.

Mix in Magic

We absolutely love working with clients who are daring and ready to take a risk, especially when it comes to color. You can imagine what someone might think when they hear Pulp say: “It will include navy, black, gold, and a big wash of raspberry on the ceiling.” But look at the magic we created with that mix in the Dallas dining room above! In expert hands like ours, we find that perfect balance and know how to pull it all together, as we did with that rug that made it work seamlessly.

Unconventional Materials

Another Pulp specialty is creating custom looks for our clients. That really makes the rooms we design stand out. In the Dallas dining room above, we designed that dining room table when we couldn’t find exactly what we wanted for our clients. Then we used an unconventional material to add incredible detail with the beautiful muscovite wall covering behind the custom bar.

Risky Business

Taking risks can lead to something incredibly special! In the Seattle high-rise penthouse above, the view is breathtaking, but we wanted the dining room to draw attention, too! We used a fun wallpaper to ground the space and shapely chairs that are almost works of art on their own. It’s a playful room that finds success in its out-of-the-box design!

Try these ideas to create magical spaces for your holiday dinners with friends and family! And if you’re ready to really dare to be different, give our team a call!

Fearless Bathroom Design

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Pulp sees every single space in a home as a chance to showcase fearless design! Bold bathrooms are definitely a signature for our team, and in this second part of our series on the adventure of design, we’re giving you our best tips for incredible bathroom style.

Bold Color

The Pulp team prides itself on doing things differently from other design teams. We offer ideas that will really stand out and give our clients something completely different from cookie cutter design. Color is one of the best ways to be adventurous in your decor. In the guest bathroom we designed above, we took a walk on the dark side with black tile, ebony paint, and a striking stone floor that draws all eyes. It’s definitely fearless, but also stunning!

Statement Tub

You can find tubs in almost any shape and size today, so there’s no reason to just go for the usual white rectangle. In the Dallas bathroom above, we wanted to create an organic oasis, so we selected a tub that looks as if it was just carved from a large natural stone. It’s a soothing and spa-like look that showcases a unique style.

Daring Wallpaper

A boldly patterned wallpaper can give you an immediate hit of stunning style in a bathroom! It adds color and dimension to even the smallest space. Bathrooms are also a fantastic place to try new decorating ideas since they are not the most public spaces in your home. So go BIG in these little rooms!

Statement Lighting

In the Kips Bay powder bathroom above, an incredible light fixture doubles as an art installation. It takes a functional piece and elevates it to something imaginative and dazzling. It also packs a lot of personality! We are always on the hunt for new resources and ideas for our clients, giving them an experience as well as a beautiful design.

High-Tech Ideas

We do love style to the max, but functionality can be dialed up to 11, too! In the Seattle bathroom above, we added a steam shower with high-tech controls to give our clients an amazing experience that has added health benefits. There are so many new technologies to add function and excitement to a bathroom, and working with an expert design team can help you find the best bells and whistles for your home.

Extra Details

No detail is too small for the Pulp team! We want everything to be perfect for our clients, whether it’s the storage options, the hardware, or even whether to use handles or knobs. Every decision helps to create a room that will make our clients fall in love with their home!

Bathroom design can be tricky – but our team members are experts at bringing an amazing design vision to life. Contact us to define your own bold bathroom look! And if you missed the first part of our series on Fearless Kitchen Design, click here!

Fearless Kitchen Design

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Pulp Design Studios is known for fearless design, meaning bold, confident, daring, and gorgeous. Fearless design in the kitchen is all about making a statement while still offering functionality in creative and out-of-the-box ways. Over the next couple of months, we’re going to highlight our most fearless designs, room by room, and we’ll give you our best tips for taking that bold design path in your home!

Color Outside the Lines

In kitchen design, Pulp always thinks out of the box, and that includes color. White kitchens can be beautiful, but we always ask our clients to push the boundaries and to consider color. If you love blue, then a blue kitchen will make you happy! Having the confidence to try something new is what being fearless is really all about.

Light It Up

Statement lighting can make a huge difference in kitchen design. We like to choose fixtures that not only offer task lighting where it’s needed, but also look stunning in the space. Why go for the same boring styles and ideas? The linear light Pulp used in the Seattle kitchen above draws all eyes to the space while still functioning as much-needed light over the bar.

Storage Solutions

If you’ve ever wondered why you should work with professional interior designers on your kitchen projects, it’s because we’ve seen (and sorted) every challenge that can be thrown into the mix! We are experts at offering solutions for storage that are unique and perfect for each client’s needs. Pulp loves to make the most of every single square inch in a room, and we know how to make storage look chic and as gorgeous as the rest of the home’s design.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark

Black is definitely a gorgeous color for any room in the home, as long as you have the confidence to embrace it! In the modern farmhouse Pulp designed above, that deep dark color is the perfect counterpoint to the wood floor and the white stone backsplash. It grounds the design in a sophisticated and daring way!

Take on Texture

You can still be bold with a traditional or more neutral kitchen design! It’s the details that make all the difference, and that includes texture! In the classic Dallas kitchen above, Pulp used metal, wood, stone, and gorgeous moldings to craft a textural statement that is both beautiful and different.

To get your own fearless kitchen design, reach out to our team!