All posts by Beth and Carolina

5 Pro Tips for Styling Your Bookshelves

Ah those notorious bookshelves. Too often, people have no idea what to do with them, and it shows. They can look unbalanced or too bare, and that can detract from what is an otherwise amazing room. That’s where pros like the Pulp team come in. We take care of every single detail in the interiors we design, and we know how to leave our clients with wow-worthy and magazine-ready rooms. So here are our 5 pro tips for styling your bookshelves so they look polished and perfect!

1. Back It Up

Don’t forget the background of your shelves. You can create a stunning showcase for your mementoes and books by using wallpaper or paint to set them apart. Having color or pattern peek through between the items on your shelves makes them more visually interesting. You can see that in our Seattle Glass House project above, with that lovely blue wallpaper from Phillip Jeffries.

2. Vertical / Horizontal

Bookshelves should allow your eye to travel, to move from element to element. One of the best ways to do that is to offer both vertical and horizontal elements. Even if your shelves are mostly filled with books, it’s best to stack some and then prop others. It also offers a balance to each open space, allowing you to fill in the open area or to let some air breathe around it. And one thing to remember is that you will never get this right the first time. You’ll need to take things down, move them around, and keep placing them until you get that balanced look!

3. The Magic Number

Until you feel more confident, one easy trick is to remember the power of three. Three elements will help you achieve that balanced look. It could be a stack of three books, three framed pieces of art, or three items on one shelf. Try it – it works almost every single time!

4. Show Personality

Pulp believes in the element of surprise, and there’s no better way to showcase that on your bookshelves than with quirky or personal items. They may be things you’ve brought back from travels, something meaningful from your childhood, or even items that you collect like pottery or art. Those pieces will give life and visual interest to your shelves and show your guests a bit of who you are.

5. Layers Are Key

Using those first four tips, experiment with layering. Mix books and art, add boxes and frames, even place things in front of others. Create a storyline that visually tells the viewer something about you and your family. Keep moving things around and step back to see how it all looks as a whole. When it’s right, you’ll know it. There will be balance and a lot of visual interest!

Founders’ Five: 10 Must-Have Travel Essentials

The Pulp team finds so much inspiration in travel, and we’re squeezing in a few more trips before the end of summer. Here are the 10 essentials that Beth and Carolina can’t travel without!

BETH’S PICKS

A chic passport cover protects your most important travel document while also keeping everything organized in your bag. I love this black lizard version from Aspinal of London.

The luggage from Away makes packing so much easier! They have built-in compression that allows you to squeeze more in, and a hidden laundry bag that lets you sort out the dirty clothes.

The Salvas sneaker for Cariuma looks great and allows you to walk in comfort all day long – perfect for major sightseeing trips.

The Donna crossbody from Bandolier keeps your hands free but your phone available for great photos and digital tickets. I am obsessed with the bold orange leather version!

Apple’s AirTags are a great way to keep track of everything as you travel, from luggage to your kids or travel partner.

CAROLINA’S PICKS

I love the subtle simplicity of the high-tech Oura ring. It’s lightweight and waterproof and will track everything from your health to your sleep.

On a long-haul flight, it’s so important to be chic and comfortable. The solution is a pair of super-soft cashmere joggers from Loro Piana.

Fanny packs are back – but now we call them waist bags! This fab rattan version from Clare V provides great color and style, while keeping your hands free.

Long flights can make my skin look dry and dull, so I love to use a facial spray like this one from Kora Organics. It delivers moisture, refreshes makeup, and boosts that glow.

Tagging your luggage never looked more luxe than with this leather ID holder from Gucci. Loving the bold red with the iconic double G!

How Custom Design Sets Your Home Apart

At Pulp, our team is known for crafting the most beautiful and functional homes for our clients. But we also want the interiors to be special and to stand out from the crowd of cookie cutter designs. We specialize in custom design that will give our projects a unique and stunning style. Why custom? Because we can create the perfect look that only our clients will have, and custom also can offer amazing solutions to design challenges. Here are some of the custom innovations we’ve devised for our projects!

Custom Cabinetry

This is probably the number-one custom detail that we recommend to all of our clients. Creating custom cabinetry allows you to have storage solutions that are perfect for how you want your room to function. In a kitchen, that can mean unique drawers for spices and baking ingredients, or toe kick storage for platters. In a bathroom, you could have a drawer that holds your hair dryer and curling irons, or a cabinet with the perfect place for all of your toiletries. We’ve used custom cabinets to put wet bars into extra spaces that would otherwise not be used, or to transform a boring closet into a glam wine room. Always try to include custom cabinets in your budget.

Custom Solutions

We love it when our clients give us a design challenge to solve. This is where custom design can definitely bring a smart solution. An unused space under the stairs can become a secret wine room. A TV can be hidden behind panels of art. A beautiful mural can slide back reveal an art room. That’s the beauty of working with custom craftsmen – if you can dream it, we can make it happen.

Custom Furniture

Sometimes you just can’t find that perfect sofa that fits just the way you want it to. Or you need a table that really blends into the room’s design with a unique finish. That’s when we call in our workroom pros to bring our custom designs to life. It’s a great way to get that piece of furniture that is exactly what you want and need. We designed several custom pieces for our “zoom room” at the Kips Bay showhouse, above.

Custom Rugs & Floors

In our Laredo project above, we spent a lot of time working on a custom rug for this living room. We wanted dimensions that you can’t find in commercial rugs, and we also wanted the colors to perfectly match the palette we created for the room. It makes such a big difference! We’ve also gone through up to 15 steps for the perfect wood finish, or hours putting tiles together for a wow-worthy look on a kitchen floor. Every detail is so important for a home that offers next-level design.

Custom Walls

Walls are a great way to add some fabulous style to a room. We use a lot of custom paint colors and we’ve created custom wallpaper to make a statement. But if you want to add a super-luxe look, then you should really think out of the box. In the bar area above, we had an artist hand apply muscovite mineral to the walls that looks like snake skin. It’s an edgy design that we love.

Custom Art

We have a great group of artists that we love to work with that can create the most beautiful works of art to fit any space in our clients’ homes. Not only does it make a room’s interior perfectly balanced and gorgeous, but original art is a special way for our clients to create or expand their own curated collection. Art can tell your story and show a lot of personality in a home’s design.

Does your home need a custom redesign? Give our team a call to get the Pulp team’s help to take your home to the next level.

5 Ways to Elevate a Bathroom Design

The Pulp team is known for having a unique viewpoint that combines luxury design and a flair for the unexpected. When we design a space, we think way out of the box to give our clients personal spaces that are stunning and different. Every room deserves that, even the ultra-utilitarian bathroom. Rather than just thinking of the usual plumbing and tile, there are ways to really elevate a bathroom’s design into a functional and fabulous space. Here are 5 of our top pro tips!

1. Custom Design

The best way to get a bathroom that functions exactly the way you want it to, and is a design that you won’t see anywhere else is through custom details. The custom cabinetry we designed for our Kips Bay Dallas space (above) showcases beautiful reeded doors and drawer fronts. You can’t just buy that type of cabinetry in a big box store. And look at how the stone counters continue down the side in a waterfall effect. That’s another detail that you can only get with custom design. Even a custom sink can take your bathroom to an entirely new level, as you can see in the bathroom we designed below for our penthouse project in Seattle.

2. Add a Vanity

Every time we’ve added a special vanity area to a client’s bathroom, they have been thrilled with how much they use the space. It’s the perfect place to store makeup and toiletries, and it allows you to get ready in the morning in comfort. It’s such a luxe touch, and adds a bit of glam to any bathroom, as you can see in our Laredo project below.

3. Make It Steamy

There are so many bells and whistles that you can get in a shower or bathtub today! One of our favorites is a steam shower. It has so many health benefits, and it transforms your bathroom into a spa-like experience. You can also find aromatherapy showers, sound wave therapy for your tub, and built-in music systems. Ask your designer for all the latest tech innovations to help make your bathroom the perfect oasis, like the one we designed in Snoqualmie, Wash., below.

4. Rock the Walls

We always want to add that element of surprise and delight in a bathroom, and one great way to do that is with a fabulous wallpaper. Select a pattern that really packs a punch, like the bold design we chose below for a Seattle home. Paired with black and white, it makes a dramatic impact on anyone who enters.

5. Remember Luxe Details

In a bathroom, the beauty really is in the details, especially if they are functional! The Pulp team always thinks about extras that will make our clients happy, like a towel warmer (see below), teak flooring in a shower, heated stone floors, statement lighting and more. Think about the details that will give you an even better experience in this space!

Do the bathrooms in your home just function, or are they fabulous? Give us a call to help elevate the spaces you live in!

A Touch of Pulp

Pulp Design Studios is known for its bold interiors and thoughtful details. So when our team began developing Pulp’s product lines, we knew we wanted to offer designs that would bring a touch of Pulp to every home! From signature hardware to fabrics to home fragrance, the Pulp product lines are inspired by luxe living and unexpected style. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how we developed one of our most popular products – the iconic Starburst Pull!

Inspiration

There were two things that inspired the Starburst Pull. First, we couldn’t find hardware for our projects that would be both classic and unique. So we decided to design our own, using the timeless starburst mirror as our starting point. Then we modernized the look, giving it Pulp’s signature styling. The result is a sleek star motif with chic rays.

Design

The Starburst design offers a backplate with the modernized star and a pull ring in the center. It makes the pull both decorative and very functional, adding a bit of bling to every application and in any room. Above you can see how stunning it looks against the red-orange cabinet in our penthouse dining room.

Style

We’ve used the Starburst Pull in bathrooms, home offices, kids rooms, game rooms, and more – including a winery tasting room! And we’re thrilled that so many other interior designers have used the pulls in their projects, too. Because the design is both classic and modern, the pulls can be included in traditional, transitional, or contemporary room designs. And the four finishes – polished brass, matte brass, matte black, and nickel – give the pulls a different look depending on the color you select.

You can also bring home a touch of Pulp by ordering your own Starburst pulls here! And be sure to check out our other iconic home designs, like our hand-poured luxe candles!

How to Make a Dramatic Entrance

We all love to make a grand entrance and a great first impression! And that is exactly what your home’s entry should create for your guests. A beautiful foyer should tell a story about your home’s decor, and set everyone’s expectations high. Pulp is all about bold design and fabulous spaces, so here are our top tips for giving your home’s entry an amazing style that will wow your friends and family!

1. Set the Tone

From the front door, the entry should showcase the style and mood of your home’s design. If you have a contemporary house, then you definitely want to highlight the modern theme right away. In a minimalist house Pulp designed in Seattle, we used a unique cantilevered door and a neutral palette to showcase the style of the rest of the house. It makes a quietly bold statement that guests will find through each room.

2. Create a Landing Zone

If both your family and your guests will use the same entrance, be sure to create a landing zone that’s organized and stylish. You want a place for people to set their bags or keys, even temporarily, as well as a seat for removing shoes. Offer a table, bowls, trays, and other receptacles for whatever people are carrying. This will keep your entry looking chic at all times, like the Highland Park home we designed above.

3. Blend Indoor and Outdoor Spaces

Dark and dull entries are no fun to enter, so brighten those spaces with doors and framing windows to let in as much light as possible. Let the design be the bridge between the outdoor space your guests are leaving as they step through your front door. In the Seattle home above, we used warm wood tones to complement the gardens outside, and even kept the concrete flowing into the foyer, polishing it for an indoor look.

4. Add Your Personality

If you’re making a first impression on someone, it’s best to show your personality, right? You should do the same in your entry! Offer clues to what you love with art, books, and fantastic accessories. In the Laredo home above, Pulp crafted a look that showcases our client’s fresh and modern style, while large mirrors reflect the beautiful front door and courtyard outside.

Use these ideas to create a grand entrance that will impress your family and friends! If you need help with your home’s design, give our team a call!

Founders’ Five: 10 Essentials for Summer

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

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

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

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!