All posts by Beth and Carolina

Founders’ Five: 10 Essentials for Summer

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In just a little over a week, we celebrate the unofficial start of summer with a fabulous long weekend! The Pulp team loves the longer days and warmer weather and we’ve found 10 essentials that will make summer living even better this season!

BETH’S PICKS

The Leland Rattan Beverage Tub from Crate & Barrel has the perfect summer style for serving up cool drinks on hot days!

An intoxicating floral scent for summer days, Gucci’s Bloom Profumo di Fiori combines sandalwood with tuberose and jasmine for seasonal bouquet.

The Lete Tote from Evereve is the perfect beach bag or weekend inspiration. Made of 100% cotton, this is going to be my go-to summer tote!

This is a major aspirational piece for me, but a girl can always dream, right? I love the lock jewelry from Marla Aaron and this Fordite and mixed metal bracelet is one of my favorites!

Summer means evening cocktails on the patio, so I’m looking forward to this fabulous brass suspended tray from Gentner with handcrafted glasses.

CAROLINA’S PICKS

Platform espadrilles take the summer shoe look to a whole new level, and I am obsessed with these bold orange Mariza du Desert sandals from Christian Louboutin and Net-a-Porter.

Grilling is now a moveable feast with this portable BBQ from Everdure. I plan to use this little guy from Food 52 on the deck, at the lake, and at our favorite vacation spots!

Nothing says summer like turquoise, and I am obsessed with these paperclip-style earrings designed by Lee Jones for Ylang 23. Wear them alone or in a layered chic look!

Everyone needs the perfect perch in the great outdoors, and this Masha chair from CB2 hits the modern mark for me in teak and rattan!

Mocktails by the pool are the perfect accompaniment for sun and fun! You can still get your buzz on, though, with this THC-infused drink from Flora Hemp Spirit.

Before and After: Modernizing a Laredo Mediterranean

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We love to show you before-and-after looks at our projects! It really helps you see how the Pulp team can transform any dated property into a bold and beautiful home that functions perfectly for our clients and their families! This Laredo home is one of our faves – and not just because we adore the clients. It’s a large home that is drop-your-jaw gorgeous! But it started out with a much more ho-hum design. We’ve shown you the transformation of the exterior, so it’s time to blow your mind with a look at how we redesigned the interiors to give the spaces a more modern and stunning style.

BEFORE

The Entry

This house had the perfect location and the right bones for our clients. But the interiors were dark and dated, with an old school Mediterranean vibe. Our clients are young and vibrant and they needed interiors that are as modern as they are. So we painted everything white and added large mirrors with sconces to brighten the entry. The new paint alone was transformative, especially over all the brickwork that was throughout the house. You can really see that in the unique ceiling in the entry.

Red brick ceiling and sky light in a dated Mediterranean style home in Laredo before the interior design renovation
BEFORE
White brick, floor to ceiling mirrors and a bird of paradise brighten an entryway renovation
AFTER
AFTER

Living Room

As you can see in the photo at the top of this post, the living room was actually a sunken space with archways and columns. We removed all of that and filled in the floor to raise it to the level of the other rooms. We also took out all of the heavy furniture and massive draperies to let some light and air into the room. On one end of the space, we commissioned a huge painting to fill the wall. On the other end, we removed more arches to install a bar that’s a dream for entertaining. Wood floors replaced the cold tile for a more cozy and warm look. And, in one of our signature clever designs, we hid the television behind hinged art that opens to reveal the screen.

BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER
Yes, the TV is behind that art!

The Kitchen

In this space, the brick was looking heavy and dated. But you can really see how paint can change everything in the “after” photo! We reworked the layout to be more functional and more modern, and we added a new custom pantry. Now this is a light, bright, and updated space that invites guests in!

BEFORE
AFTER

Dining Room

Dark wood, dull paint, and a heavy light fixture made everything seem out of style. We used our clients’ amazing art collection for inspiration and gave this room a modern makeover that it desperately needed! The light-as-air modern fixture not only puts a glow right over the table, but it also adds an airy feeling to the dining space.

BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER

Family Room

Dark cabinetry and an out-of-fashion heavy fireplace kept this room from being family friendly and welcoming. We wanted this to be a comfortable but fashion-forward space where everyone would want to spend time. So we added a cozy sectional, brightened the palette, and added those special Pulp touches with art and accessories.

BEFORE
AFTER

Powder Bath

This room was probably one of the most over-the-top Mediterranean looks in the entire house, with an odd painted border around the entry. We wanted to give it some drama and glam, the kind of design that will make guests gasp when they open the door! The stunning vanity with its hammered metal sink ensures that this is a one-of-a-kind space now!

BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER

Primary Suite

Just like the rest of the house, the primary bedroom and bathroom needed to be brought into the modern era. Lighter paint, soft textures, and the gleam of burnished metals helped create a sleek but romantic space in the bedroom. For the bathroom, we had to do a major gut job, but that allowed us to create a beautiful custom sanctuary, complete with a coffee and drink bar, heated towel racks, steam shower, and champagne bubble soaking tub.

BEFORE
BEFORE
AFTER
AFTER
AFTER

Whew! What an amazing transformation, right?! If you need to bring your home out of the dark ages and into a lighter and more modern world, give the Pulp team a call!

It’s All Fun & Games at Home

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We love to create rooms that are fun, that bring families together, that entertain or challenge our clients and their guests, and that let kids be kids. Those can be game rooms, home bars, playrooms, and even home gyms. These spaces need thoughtful design as much as any other room in the home, so here’s how we add a bit of fun to our clients’ homes!

Bars & Wine Storage

After the pandemic, we’ve all discovered how much fun it can be to have your own super-cool bar right in your house. The Pulp team has designed home bars and wine storage for so many of our clients. Some want a full bar with its own fridge and sink, like the one below. For others, we’ve suggested very cool bar units that fit into unused space, like the fabulous built-in you can also see below. And by the way, that built in also has a drawer fridge – so fabulous! We also tend to attract clients who have a major appreciation for wine (we’ve even designed a full winery!), so we love to create the proper storage for those clients. Check out that blue room above! These spaces are fun for our clients and their guests.

Game Rooms

Entertaining at home can include fun game nights – for adults and kids! When we find out that our clients love backgammon or are obsessed with video games, we are ready to guide them to rooms and spaces that will help them do what they love! Game rooms can include media like big screens and gaming consoles, or great seating and tables for board and card games. And if you like more active things like table tennis, we can design something that fits your style, too!

Home Gyms

A gym can be as large or as small as our clients need. We’ve provided spaces for storing weights and equipment in rooms that do double duty, like in the Pulp House Palms Springs below. And we’ve worked with homes that have attached basketball courts or full home gyms. Whatever our clients need for their wellness goals, we’re always game for designing the perfect spaces!

Play Spaces

We love to gather with our families, and we know our clients do, too. So fun spaces that welcome even the littlest family members are important. These rooms can be just as stylish as the rest of the gorgeous home – all you need are washable paints and fabulous performance fabrics. Also key to a great playroom is storage for every toy and puzzle, as well as colors and patterns to stimulate little minds. As they grow, though, we want these spaces to still work for them, so we also include things like a fridge for sodas and water and a microwave drawer for popcorn!

Do you need to inject more fun into your home? Give our team a call!

Perfecting the Palette

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How does Pulp select the perfect palette for the homes we design? We often find our best inspiration just outside the doors! And then we add our signature element of surprise. Let’s take a look at a lakeside Seattle home and how we built its color story.

NATURALLY COLORFUL

Mother Nature has an incredible way with color, so for the gorgeous room with a view you can see above, we took our inspiration from the lake views and lovely plants and trees outside. You’ll see an array of blues in the home, all from the every-changing color of the lake’s water. And there are neutral colors like sand, bark, and stone in every room. 

PACKING A PUNCH

We always love to surprise and delight our clients, as we did with the bold punches of orange and deep red in the living room. Those colors can be part of the stunning sunrises each evening on the lake, and they definitely add balance to this home’s color palette.

WATER COLORS

One of our favorite parts of this home is the open staircase. We gave it a lot of personality with a custom ombré stair runner in watery blues. It looks so beautiful against the view of the lake just behind it. 

In the primary bedroom  we had a local artist plaster the bedroom wall, giving it a texture that looks like waves of water. 

In the outdoor setting, the neutral look for the furnishings is accented with blues in the pillows. The patterned fabric is from our collection with S. Harris – it’s Old Cairo in the aptly named Lagoon colorway.

MULTICOLOR TASKING

A lot of rooms now serve many purposes, like the den below. Our clients wanted a workout room, an extra guest room, a TV room, and a great hang-out space – all in one space! We made it happen, and we made it chic and colorful. The bold orange is perfect in a room where you need some energy. And that’s also why we selected the incredible wallpaper on the walls, too. 

The WONDERS OF WOOD 

We love the look of natural wood, and this home was perfect for an organic look like that. In the kitchen, we expertly mixed several wood tones to create a stunning look for the cabinetry and floor. And don’t you love those windows around the top? The view of the greenery makes it look as if the wood cabinets are the source for the leaves.

We kept that neutral look going in the nearby dining space. The art by Kevin Dotolo gave us the perfect opportunity to bring in more of those gorgeous blues.

Need help selecting the perfect palette for your home? Give our team a call!

5 Bold Ideas for Walls

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Design ideas that push the boundaries are a hallmark of Pulp Design Studios. And that includes how we finish the walls in a home. Unique materials, eye-catching wallpaper, fabrics, and incredible techniques are all ways that we make sure the walls really talk in our clients’ homes! Here are five ways that we bring bold looks to a home’s walls.

1. Venetian Plaster

Venetian plaster has been around since the Middle Ages – in fact, this material is exactly why frescoes have lasted for centuries. It’s a very versatile treatment, and it gives an amazing glow to every room. It’s low maintenance and it has an incredible visual impact when you enter a space. We love how the light is softened in any room with this finish on the walls. Not only that, but this plaster is also mold-resistant and mildew-resistant. That’s why it was the perfect idea for the walls in that stunning bathroom above. You can introduce any pigment to the plaster, so it can be eye-catching like that bold orange above, or a softer look like the one in the bedroom below.

2. Wood Paneling

If your idea of wood paneling is the knotty pine look from the ‘70s, then think again! Wood paneling can be gorgeous in its natural state, especially if it’s refreshed with a new finish or with paint. One of our favorite looks is the bright white version below that we paired with a bold wallpaper. We also love using more modern wood panels like those in the primary bedroom you can see below, too.

3. Wow-Worthy Wallpaper

Pulp is always thinking beyond the ordinary, so we’ve come up with some amazing designs for wallpaper. There is no limit to the incredible looks we can create, including paper that looks like slices of wood or wallpaper created from the schematics of a client’s favorite team stadium.

4. Fabulous Fabrics

Fabric on walls can create such an amazing textural look, and a nice alternative to wallpaper. Fabric can also add a softening effect to the sound in a room, too. In the beautiful art niche in a primary bedroom below, we used fabric from S.Harris to create a fantastic textural backdrop.

5. Beautifully Raw

Sometimes our favorite looks are found right in the bones of the house. We loved the look of the concrete wall below so much that we just kept the raw view. It’s an industrial chic idea that’s perfect with the softly upholstered bed.

Which of these bold walls are your favorites? If you need to add more drama to your home, get in touch with our team!

How Pulp Designs a Custom Rug

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So much of what Pulp uses in the interiors we create is custom. We want to give our clients a unique look that’s all their own, and we know that custom designs also let us control the quality and style. In our Modern Laredo Mediterranean project, Pulp co-founder Carolina Gentry meticulously mapped out one-of-a-kind looks with Stark for the living room and the staircase. Let’s take a look at the steps for creating a custom rug design!

Define the Design

Looking at the overall design for the room helps us start to define the color and pattern that we want for the rug. We were definitely going for a lighter and brighter look in this Laredo living room, but with some unexpected pattern and materials. That gave us the jumping-off point for the custom design.

Choose Your Weave

Great rug companies like Stark offer a lot of options – it can be hard to choose! The key is to understand how many knots per inch you want. The higher the knot count, the denser the weave will be on the rug. And you may also want to consider the pile or height of the rug’s weave, especially if you want it to be part of the overall pattern.

Define the Colors + Materials

This is our favorite part! We love to go through the bins and bins of yarns and materials to make our selections. It isn’t just about the pretty colors, though. You want to really consider the traffic that each rug or runner will receive. For the living room rug, we wanted a super-luxe look, so we selected a combination of silk, metal, and wool. Yes, metal! And for the nearby staircase, we wanted a runner that would coordinate with the living rug, but could hold up to the heavy traffic that stairs often get. You can see that selection below!

Strike Off

The last part of the process is to order a strike off. That’s just a fancy term for a sample of the rug. A strike off lets you see if the pattern is exactly what you wanted, and if the rug or runner is going to coordinate with the room. You can see the strike off for our rug design below.

The Installation

After all our hard design work, it’s time for installation! You can see the stunning results in the living room and on the staircase below.

If you want a custom look for your home, give the Pulp team a call!

6 Pro Tips for Styling a Coffee Table

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The Pulp team loves to style a space – it’s the secret to a perfectly polished room. It can be tough to style a tabletop and get that professional look, though. It takes balance, symmetry, and some finesse. In our Highland Park French Provincial project, Pulp co-founder Carolina Gentry gives us a step-by-step tutorial in styling a coffee table like a pro!

STEP ONE: Check the shape of the table. It will tell you a lot about where and how you might place items. A square table looks great when you place items within a square grid, for example.

STEP TWO: Fresh height. We always like to have some sort of natural greenery or florals on a coffee or cocktail table. A vase of branches like this also adds height to the look, which is always a plus. Varying heights add visual interest!

STEP THREE: Pattern play. We love a good pattern, and this chess set is just the ticket for adding that design to the table. It’s also something that guests and family members will be drawn to. But note that this is a super-stylish game, not just your same old set.

STEP FOUR: Styling with books. Even if you aren’t a big reader, books are a great way to showcase your personality and let people know what you’re into. Select large coffee table books and line them up. Another trick is to select books that have colorful spines that coordinate with the room’s palette.

STEP FIVE: The perfect stack. Build on that base, adding more books as needed. But don’t go too high if you plan to put other items on the table. A giant stack doesn’t work here.

STEP SIX: Add interest. Bring in items that are more artistic and that have great texture. The sculpture on the left is super-cool and fits the style and color of the room. And the box can also store things like matches or the remote.

Use these pro tips to create style your coffee table for the perfect look! And if you need help with your home’s decor, be sure to reach out to our team!

Good Bones: Redesigning a Home’s Exterior

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A gorgeous home isn’t just about the rooms inside. The Pulp team loves to ensure that the exterior of our clients’ home is just as stunning as any of the interiors! For this Laredo, Texas, home, we were brought in at the very beginning, when our client was still shopping for the perfect location. Together we found a house with “good bones,” that just needed some updating and renovation work to make it absolutely perfect for her and her family. You’ve seen how we transformed the interiors, but we’ve never shown you how we redesigned the exterior of this fabulous house. So here is your exclusive look!

Architectural Details

When we first saw this Mediterranean home, we could see past its dated exterior to the beautiful architectural details. Unique windows, engaged columns, arches, and a fabulous roofline are things that give a home incredible personality. It just needed updating and modernizing to create a more casual and lovely structure.

The entry was also unique, with a fabulous arched door. But it was dark and dated, and we wanted to allow more light into the home here to help brighten the interiors. So at this point we knew that a facelift would make a world of difference for this house, along with a few special surprises that we knew would thrill our client!

Open + Private

So how can a home be both open AND private?? Pulp designed the perfect solution. We created an exterior wall with doors and planters to offer more privacy for the entrance of the house. It also adds incredible personality and curb appeal.

The wall gave us the chance to create courtyards and green spaces. Now we could open up the windows and allow more natural light into the house, while still giving our clients privacy. Having that wall gave us the chance to rethink the front door, too. We removed the old heavy design (and those dated lights!) and put in a more modern door with lots of glass.

Modern + Bright

Now that you’ve seen the new front door, you also know that we completely reworked the color palette for the exterior. That old yellowed brick was just too tired and unattractive. Because we knew our client wanted a more modern look, we went with a stunning black and white scheme that would highlight the greenery around the home and would also work well with that fabulous tile roof. You can see the start of the new wall below, as well as the new paint going onto the brick exterior.

Details, Details

No detail is too small for the Pulp team! To craft a cohesive look, we selected everything from the perfect pavers to the just-right door handles. Even the brass finish needed to be very specific. We still wanted it to have a worn look, as if it was original to the home.

Below you can see some of the new pavers placed in the entry courtyard, between the home’s new gate and the front door.

The Big Reveal

With some new planters, landscaping, and fab outdoor furnishings, we were ready for the big reveal of the gorgeous transformation. Here is the gate into that new stunning courtyard and front door.

And a view of the green space just inside the front gates is below. The furnishings are a mix of old and new, in keeping with the home’s new exterior. And we kept to that fresh black-and-white palette for a gorgeous look.

And here is the stunning new look for this Laredo house exterior, completely transformed into a modern and chic home. Isn’t it lovely?!

To find your perfect home, sometimes you have to look beyond a dated exterior to see what the possibilities are! That’s where Pulp can definitely help, so give us a call when you’re looking for your dream home!

The Pulp Edit: A Sense of Adventure

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There is a sense of adventure in the air, with exotic materials, well-traveled looks, and a one-of-a-kind design style. For this adventurous spirit, we’ve pulled together the products that you may see in a daring Pulp project soon!

Velvet is always a great choice for a daring glam look. Love the pattern on this Brentano quilted velvet in the Holly colorway.

The Tigre fabric from Scalamandre is a cult classic! It can be used as an adventurous neutral all over a sofa or a fun pop on a pillow or accent piece. 

Every great explorer needs to see all angles and this fabulous magnifying glass from Cyan Design offers a closer inspection of the situation.

This is a bold and chunky weave for a trim, and we are here for it. Love the color mix, too, for this piece from Schumacher’s Stephanie Seal Brown collection. 

This stunning hardware by Michelle Nussbaumer for Modern Matter is inspired by ancient Aztec designs.

There are tassels and then there are incredible tassels. This terrazzo design from Kanchi is definitely one-of-a-kind. The bespoke looks can only be found by those in the know. And now you know. 

The shine and shimmer on this geometric wallpaper comes from gorgeous capiz shell. It’s a stunning look from Arte Wallpaper, crafted on a tropical island.

Stormy seas or ancient trees – which story does this marble inspire in you? Silver Wave is a dreamy stone from Artistic Tile.

The Hands On sphere holder from Global Views is cast in solid iron with a gold leaf finish. The crystal ball is included, perfect for seeing your future.

The geometric patterns and bold colors make a statement in new Epoq suedes
and leathers from the Lee Jofa collection by Kelly Wearstler.

Ready to add a sense of adventure to your home’s design? Contact us today!

The Best Kitchen for Your Lifestyle

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The first thing we ask our clients before we begin to work on their kitchen renovation is how they like to cook and use their kitchens. That single question really lets us know which direction to take the design. Different cooking styles will let you know what you should invest in and what features are less important. Here are some of the most popular ways that people use their kitchens and the designs that make the most of what they need!

If You Love to Entertain

If you love to have friends and family over, then a kitchen with a lot of seating is perfect for you, especially in an open-plan design. An island with barstools and even a dining area right in the kitchen lets people join you as you cook, and gives you surfaces for serving. You also may want to consider a wine refrigerator, an extra ice maker, and maybe even a built-in coffee machine. In our Glass House project (above and below), the kitchen also opens onto the outdoor terrace, giving our clients even more space for entertaining.

Kitchen by Pulp – see the full home here.

If You Love Delivery

If GrubHub or DoorDash is one of the top 2 apps on your phone, then you need a very specific kitchen. You’ll want plenty of storage for leftovers in your fridge, and a great way to reheat. You’ll still want a stylish spot to eat in, like the penthouse kitchen we designed below. And with the white counters, it’s also a great spot to create a TikTok showcasing the fabulous food you’ve brought in, or a dish you’ve created over the weekend.

Kitchen by Pulp – see the full home here.

If You Love to Cook

Even though you may not have the time to create a gourmet meal for every meal, you definitely know your way around the kitchen. You’ll want to invest in a great range, maybe even with a fantastic new steam oven or a warming drawer. You’ll also want a lot of storage for all those implements, pasta machines, and ingredients – even an appliance garage like the one we included in the kitchen design below. And don’t forget how important lighting is. Task lights, like the pendants you see below, will help you clearly see every recipe.

Kitchen by Pulp – see the full home here.

If Cooking Is a Family Affair

After the pandemic, the kitchen has really changed. An island often doubles as a homework spot, a Zoom space, or a place to craft. So that island needs to perform for whatever you need! If you have a lot of family members in the home, consider doubling up on key pieces like dishwashers. They’ll really save you a lot of time and effort. We also like to suggest under-counter drink fridges, so kids and teens can help themselves without opening and reopening your full-size refrigerator over and over. And a nice long island will give you seating for everyone and a great place to get the kids involved in dinner prep.

Kitchen by Pulp – see the full home here.

So what’s your style? Since the kitchen is the heart of the home, be sure yours is really working for you and your family! If you need help with your kitchen renovation – or a redesign of your whole home – contact our team here!