All posts by Beth and Carolina

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!

Founders’ Five: 10 Things for a Bold New Year

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We love bold designs, whether that’s for interiors, jewelry, clothing, or gorgeous gifts. We’re kicking 2023 off with some fabulously bold looks that we can’t wait to get our hands on!

BETH’S PICKS

Love this U-shaped candle with the integrated brass holder from Glaze Studio. It’s made of 100% white beeswax that’s been dyed a strong black.

There’s something about snake motifs that make me shiver – in a good way! So I’m crazy for this McVeigh ring from Shoshannah Frank. It’s 14k gold with a black diamond eye.

You know Carolina and I love our dogs, so we want them to bring the bling as much as we do. This Anyderts leather dog collar with gold buttons and plaid embossing is perfect canine couture.

Did I mention that I like snake patterns? These coasters from Jonathan Adler are great for your own home, or as a hostess gift.

These bold bookends from West Elm are crafted from from lava rock sourced from eruptions in Indonesia.

CAROLINA’S PICKS

These beaded mules from Staud are definitely va-va-voom! The bold red, leopard pattern, and stunning beading make for an eye-catching design.

We are always on the lookout for incredible lighting designs and this Talisman Loop Sconce from Apparatus Studio is amazing. A long loop at the top is made of tarnished silver, jade, and leather.

The Croc brass ring holder by Coppertist was inspired by the tip of a crocodile’s tail, giving it an organic and dramatic design.

I’m always looking for a good crossbody bag for travel, and I love the checkerboard pattern on the Midi Sac from Clare V. It’s made from handwoven leather and has several strap options.

Products that have a good sustainability story are always on my list. The swirl candleholder from Tom Dixon is created by recycling the powdered residue from the marble industry.

A Few of Pulp’s Favorite Things for Holiday Gift Giving

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This holiday season, the Pulp team has found fabulous gifts that will calm and soothe, while also offering surprise and delight. It’s been a long year, and the people on our holiday list could use gifts that are special and meaningful. So we’ve gathered 6 perfect items for our clients and friends, and for anyone on your gift list, too!

SELF + CARE

Self care is the trend for 2023, and for that it’s important to engage the senses. The Pulp team suggests using Kiehl’s dry body oil layered over lotion for an amazingly soothing experience. And Incense is a great way to add scent and calm to a room. We found these incense matches from Original Incense Matches while shopping at a local boutique in Palm Springs and loved the elevated concept.

BITTER + SWEET

Yes bitter and sweet could describe 2022, but we’re thinking more of cocktail couture. Not only will these orange bitters from Dashfire Bitters add a great note to your favorite drink, but the bottle looks gorgeous on a bar display. And for your sweet tooth, Pulp found the most amazing shortbread cookies from Honolulu Cookies while working on our projects in Hawaii. The packaging is fun, too!

 

SERVE + SMILE

The holidays are the perfect time to gather with family and friends, so why not elevate the experience? Create the chicest cheese boards and charcuterie with these elegant serving knives from Zodax. And use our exclusive Pulp tea towel designs for display and clean up. You can also shop our other fabulous Pulp products by clicking here, including luxe candles, throws, coasters, and more.

The most important thing this holiday season is to slow down and just enjoy your time with your closest loved ones. So use this gift guide to make things easy and fun!

Creating a Cozy Feeling in Every Room

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When you combine cooler weather and the holiday season, having cozy rooms to curl up in with friends and family is the perfect way to get through the winter. We love to create these comfortable spaces for our clients and we do have a few tricks of the trade that allow us to craft the coziest of rooms. Let’s take a tour!

Living Room

In the living room, the key to cozy is texture! A chunky throw or two, a soft velvet, luxe pillows, a knotted rug – they work together to give the room a snug and comfy feeling. Anything that you can cuddle up with is going to make you happy in this space.

Dining Room

There are two very important ways to make this room feel warmer during colder weather. The first is light. A softer light creates a feeling of closeness and intimacy, so consider dimmers or lower-watt bulbs. The second thing we love to do in this room is wallpaper the ceiling. Not only does that add amazing visual interest, but it seems to lower the ceiling and make a cozier space.

Kitchen

With lots of metal and appliances, you may not think the kitchen can get cozy – but it can! The key here is warm wood tones. And luckily, wood cabinets are back in fashion. You can see in the kitchen above how adding those wood cabinets and drawers brought a warmth into the kitchen that would be missing in an all-white space. Then we also used a textured runner on the floor and a gorgeous green malachite in the hall just beyond the kitchen.

Primary Bedroom

Of all the rooms in your house, this one HAS to have the cozy factor on lock. Must-haves in this room include a thick rug that covers most of the floor, a fluffy duvet, lots and lots of pillows, and a super-soft blanket or two. You can also give the lighting a dimmer switch and put light-blocking drapery on the windows. That creates a room you won’t want to leave on cold winter mornings.

Bathroom

Can a bathroom be cozy?! Oh yes it can! It’s all about fluffy towels and robes, and a fabulous steam shower. Anything that creates warmth and texture will help create the feeling of a lovely oasis in this room. Use thickly textured rugs, lots of delicious scented soaps and oils, and even candles to turn this space into your own personal spa.

Use these ideas to create a warm and inviting home for the winter months. And if you want to renovate or update your spaces, give our team a call!

5 Bold Design Ideas

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It isn’t “go bold or go home” for Pulp Design Studios. It’s “go bold AT home!” Our design team loves to help our clients transform their interiors into spaces that are brag-worthy and innovative. We’re known for creating  exciting and adventurous homes that push the boundaries of design, while still delivering interiors that are functional and livable. If you’re nervous about taking those bold steps in your interiors, here are 5 great ways you can make a gorgeous statement that will WOW your guests!

Wow-Worthy Wallpaper

We love to work with graphic wallpapers to create a room’s personality. In the space above, the Boa wallpaper we used offers a glam and mysterious look for a modern lounge. In the room below, there’s almost a folk art quality to the wallpaper pattern. So when we paired it with bright white paint, it became an updated Arts & Crafts look that’s perfect for the home and our clients.

The Power of Paint

We absolutely love to create bold looks with paint. You can see in the room above how we completely drenched the walls with a gorgeous charcoal/black color. It actually gives the room a cozy feeling, and it definitely makes an impact. If that’s too much drama for you, try adding a POW of color in an unexpected place, like we did in the pantry below. That orange makes our clients happy every time they open up the door.

Artistic Expressions

Curating art is one of our very favorite things to do, and we always encourage our clients to select original art that really speaks to them. For our clients’ room above, we knew we wanted a large painting for that big wall – it would need to complement the tall windows, too. We introduced our clients to William McLure’s work and they loved it, so we had a painting commissioned to perfectly fit that space and the room’s decor. It’s a big and bold work that we love. For the Zoom room below, we wanted art that would really pop – and these 3D pieces by Samantha McCurdy really do! With such a dramatic wallpaper, we needed art that could still stand out, so we were thrilled to find these bold pieces.

Fabulous Furniture

The Pulp team is always on the search for unique and standout furniture designs. And we’ve been known to create and customize pieces so our clients have the perfect look that works for their families. In the room above, those bold stripes are definitely bringing the drama, but the stunning green sofa is holding its own, and really becomes the focal point for the room. And in the neutral room below, all eyes are drawn to the glam stools wrapped in Pulp’s own Leopardo fabric. Can you believe how deep that fringe is? Looks like that are why our clients love our furnishings packages. We know how to bring the zing!

Creative Solutions

When we work with clients, we want to be sure we can take advantage of every single square inch of their house, and we want to give them great rooms and spaces. The Pulp team is known for creatives solutions that always surprise and delight our clients and their guests. In the home above, we took the boring space beneath the stairs and crafted a wine room behind a hidden door. And in the penthouse loft below, we used a bold red door to create a separation between the bedroom and dining room to offer more privacy. Again, bold paint makes the room!

Use these ideas to create bold statements in your home! Or get in touch with our team by clicking here!

Founders’ Five: 10 Fall Finds We Really Need

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With cooler days and crisp nights, we become obsessed with natural materials like wood, stone, metal, and leather. Here are the organic looks we want to bring home right now!

BETH’S PICKS

Perfect for lighting up the longer nights, these handcarved marble candle holders by Athena Calderone are each unique and one-of-a-kind.

Handmade by Hermès artisans in France, the Gourmette Double Tour Apple watch band pays homage to 1930s Hermès dog collars. This is definitely on my must-have list.

So stunning in its simplicity, this wooden fruit bowl in walnut from DeJong & Co. is hand crafted from a solid block of lumber. Perfect for crisp fall apples.

You never have to wonder which drink is yours if you use these natural marble cocktail picks from Williams-Sonoma. Each brass pick is topped by a different color.

I literally want to have a fall dinner party just so I can use this stunning leaf platter from Kelly Behun. It’s sculpted in ebonized European oak and accented with brass.

CAROLINA’S PICKS

I love the Lito candle from L’Objet with its protective evil eye symbol on the top. And the scent is fabulous: vetiver, citrus and moss developed with perfumer Yann Vasnier.

Asymmetry is perfection in the Dylan mirror by Studio van den Akker. The polygon is crafted in blackened brass with satin brass clips.

The Tulum serveware not only looks beautiful, but the unique handles feel good in your hand. They’re made of brass over ebony wood.

Malachite is one of my favorite stones, so I have my eye on this Jenna Blake bracelet in an 18K gold mariner link design.

Fall is all about great textures, like in this Rhys woven rope and metal belt from Free People. It has a great artisan look.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, too! We showcase a lot of what we love on our feed and in our stories.

Pulp Featured in New Design Book

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We are so excited to have Pulp’s work featured in a new design book, More is More is More: Today’s Maximalist Interiors by Carl Dellatore, which was launched yesterday by Rizzoli. Although maximalism isn’t a new trend in interior design, it is definitely having a new moment. This new book celebrates designers like Pulp who have created stunning maximalist work. We are so proud to be featured alongside designers like Ken Fulk, Steven Gambrel, Kelly Behun, Mark D. Sikes, Pierce and Ward, Bunny Williams, Corey Damen Jenkins, and Redd Kaiho!

Carl is an amazing icon in our industry who is the author of several design books. He reached out to us when he saw our Wise & Wicked interiors for the Kips Bay Dallas Show House, noting that the way Pulp layered the spaces gave them that lush and maximalist look that he wanted to feature in his newest book.

As you can see in our “Sinner’s Den,” using incredible materials like velvet, muscovite, shagreen, and crystals gave the room an opulent look that’s full of drama. It’s definitely MORE – in a good way!

Our other room featured in the book is an office nook, or what we called the Zoom Room. We are known for bold and adventurous design and in this small space we really let our creativity fly. It’s a room that’s full of dynamic looks, but it’s also very livable and functional for a space to meet virtually or in person.

Get your copy of More Is More Is More here! And be sure to check out our full Wise & Wicked spaces by clicking here. And if you’re interested in going to the MAX for your interiors, just click here to get started with the Pulp team!

Modern Laredo Mediterranean House Tour

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One thing that we encourage clients to do is to bring the Pulp team in at the very beginning of their project – when they’re actually looking for their dream home or a property. Because we have the expertise to understand what will give our clients the best value for their money, we can give them invaluable advice on budget, construction, renovation, and more. So when this longtime client began to look for a new Laredo home, she knew she needed to call Pulp before she even started her search. Together we found the right location and the right “bones,” and then we went to work on a complete renovation, including interior and exterior paint, appliances, reconfigured floor plans, finishes, and also furnishings for the entire house. Let’s start the tour!

ENTRY

The entry of the existing space was dark. The whole house is brick, so we painted
everything white and added large mirrors with sconces to brighten the space. The new paint alone was transformative, and the mirrors help exaggerate the natural light and brightened the entire space.

LIVING ROOM

You would never know it to look at it, but the home originally had a sunken living room. While that may have been au courant in the ’70s, it just did not function for our clients today. We tore down archways and filled in the floor, which allowed us to create a formal living room that is a hostess’s dream, including a bar with stunning brass inlay, a wine cellar with a humidor, and a custom cabinet to hide the TV using our client’s personal art collection as the doors.

KITCHEN

We gave the kitchen a unique look by painting the brick that surrounds it. We also reworked the space to be more functional and more modern, adding a new custom pantry and a stunning custom hood.

DINING ROOM

The key to any Pulp project is an adventurous selection of art, accessories, and furnishings. We work hard to find things that are unique and that reflect the personalities and tastes of our clients. In the dining room, we were able to use pieces from our clients’ collections as well as some exquisite pieces we sourced for them. The result is a room that welcomes guests and entertains them with the story of our clients’ lives and travels.

POWDER ROOM

That well-traveled look and one-of-a-kind style is showcased in the home’s powder room. A custom sink, luxe stone, and antiqued mirror elevates this chic and sophisticated space.

PRIMARY SUITE

A neutral palette and a gorgeous metal canopy bed make this a glam escape from the world. We created the feeling of light and serenity by keeping everything in the same tonal look. And we designed a true oasis on the outdoor terrace.

The primary bathroom required a complete gut, so we created a beautiful custom sanctuary, complete with a coffee and drink bar, heated towel racks, steam shower, and champagne bubble soaking tub.

NURSERY

For the nursery, we wanted to create a textural room that would nurture the little one, while also embracing the adults in the home. The grasscloth is both tactile and beautiful, while the wallpaper on the ceiling provides a lovely viewpoint for the baby.

PLAYROOM

Pulp also designed a playroom addition for the home. One end of this room has floor-to-ceiling windows, so we wanted to create a space that would feel like the outdoor palette had flowed right into the room.

EXTERIOR

On the outside of the home, Pulp 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. There also is a new exterior kitchen that we added, and we refaced the exterior fireplaces.

To see more of this stunning home, click here!

And if you’re ready to find your dream home, give us a call!

Before and After: Modernizing a Highland Park Home

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We love a good before-and-after, and this one shows the power of paint, lighting, and wallpaper. When our clients bought a 4,300-square-foot home in Dallas’ Highland Park neighborhood, they had a very specific list of needs. The home had a French Provincial style, which was too stuffy and formal for this dynamic couple and their fun little dog. So they asked Pulp to modernize the spaces to make them more vibrant and chic. We used our micro-renovation service with a furnishings, art, and accessories package to give them exactly what they wanted! Let’s go room by room to show you the results.

THE ENTRY
BEFORE

The entry had a lovely tile floor and a gorgeous stair railing. But the details were too dated. We added a new sconce that was a better complement to the chandelier. And we put a modern table and fun stools in the curve of the stairs. It adds an unexpected moment that is much more exciting as guests and family enter.

AFTER
POWDER ROOM
BEFORE

The powder room, just off the entry, had an out-of-fashion wall covering and ornate lighting, creating a drab feeling. A lighter color and subtler pattern for the wallpaper made all the difference, as it lightened and brightened the space. The modern sconces add a touch of contemporary glam and the simpler mirror gives a sleek and chic vibe.

AFTER
LIVING ROOM
BEFORE

The living room had gorgeous natural light flooding in and a beautiful curved ceiling. But it was too vanilla and needed more interest and modern design elements.

IN PROCESS

We used a stunning blue grasscloth to cover the fireplace surround, creating a feature wall that updated the room’s design and offering a textural treat for the eyes. Then we provided a gorgeous package of furnishings, accessories, and art to create an updated and comfortable space that’s perfect for entertaining or hanging with family.

AFTER
AFTER

Now let’s talk about that stunning dining room you can see just off the living room!

DINING ROOM
BEFORE

The dining room, like the rest of the house, wasn’t bad. It was just a bit boring. Even our client’s little dog blended in. But look at what wallpaper, new lighting, and fab furnishings can do – now the room is a showstopper! It’s also a more modern space that exudes sophistication.

AFTER
KITCHEN
BEFORE

The smallest details can change everything in how a room looks. Lighting, new stools, paint, and custom storage in the cabinetry made this room more modern and much more functional for our clients. Those fabulous pendants are some of our absolute favorites!

AFTER
HALLWAY
BEFORE

Architectural details like a niche can add visual interest to a hall or entry, but people often don’t know what to do with them. That’s where having an expert team like Pulp can make all the difference. We added an ombre wallcovering to make this niche pop, and then we used a fabulous table and art to create an eye-catching spot that gives major personality.

AFTER
PRIMARY BEDROOM
BEFORE

The primary bedroom was another super-formal room without a lot of life in it. We wanted this to be an oasis, a space that would reflect the chic sophistication of our very modern clients, and a room that would help them recharge after a long day. We worked closely with our clients to source incredible lighting, special pieces of original art, and unique accents for each room. They love this primary bedroom and its gorgeous new design!

AFTER

This home really showcases how much a furnishings package and minor renovations can completely transform a home into exactly the space you’ve always wanted! If you want to call in the Pulp team for your own special transformation, contact us here!

And be sure to follow us on Instagram by clicking here!

Highland Park French Provincial House Tour

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A young professional couple was looking for a second house in Dallas – but not as a vacation home. They have a home base in Minneapolis, but found themselves traveling to Dallas on a consistent basis so an investment in a Texas home was a smart idea. They found a great location but called Pulp’s team in because the house had outdated interiors. They wanted Pulp to take the French Provincial bones of the Highland Park house and give them a fresh modern update. Let’s take a tour of the fabulous final interiors!

Entry

 

Pulp’s micro-renovation package was the perfect solution for what these clients needed. It offers smart home refreshes and furnishings packages with a nip-and-tuck approach to updating a house. We quickly got to work with fabulous updates, including fixtures, lighting, wallpaper, paint, drapery, and furnishings. You can see in this entry how a chic light fixture and a modern table took the look from dated to delicious!

Living Room

In the living room, we added a stunning blue wallcovering behind the fireplace, which gave the room a sophisticated focal point. The clients also had a little one on the way, as well as two beloved dogs, so performance fabrics definitely needed to be in the mix in this room.

Dining Room

It’s incredible how much you can change interiors with paint and wallpaper, especially with this stunning wallcovering we placed on the ceiling of the dining room. And how beautiful is that light fixture? The Pulp team prides itself on being able to source the most interesting and gorgeous lighting, art, and furniture.

Kitchen

Another key to a good micro-renovation is to create a gorgeous space, but to also make it function for our clients’ lifestyle. So we added a lot of custom cabinetry and storage in the home, particularly in the kitchen. To counterbalance the more traditional cabinetry, we used super-modern pendants over the kitchen island, as well as contemporary stools.

Home Office

As you can see in the home office and the small nook in a hall outside the office, color can make all the difference in changing the look of a home. We brought in a bold blue for the office, as well as a modern mirror and desk. It took the original design of this space and turned it into a much more contemporary style that our clients were looking for. And in the nook, we showcased an ombre wallcovering that draws the eye and also serves as a bold backdrop for the art.

Powder Room

New lighting really can make a huge difference when updating a home’s interiors and the Here’s another example of the unique and special pieces that the Pulp team brought to this project. The lighting throughout the house has been updated, including some spectacular sconces, pendants, and chandeliers.

Media Room

The room that required the most work – and the space that the Pulp team was most excited about – is the media room. We designed paneled walls to add visual interest and to help with acoustics. We also made sure that there are plenty of speakers installed so the surround sound will be amazing. And we added a new stone fireplace.

We also worked closely with our clients to source special pieces of original
art and unique accents for each room that will showcase their personalities.

Primary Suite

In the primary suite, we created an oasis of calm with a neutral palette that’s complemented by a spa blue color. Modern lines and luxe layering make the bedroom an incredibly lush and updated space for our hardworking clients. And the spa-like bathroom features a low-profile and long tub. Perfect for soaking away stress!

Outdoor Space

The home had a stunning outdoor terrace with an ornate and patinated fireplace. Rather than competing with the architectural details, we brought in furniture with sleek modern shaping. That lets the fireplace take the spotlight, while the furnishings become beautiful supporting players.

Do you want to see more of this lovely house? Just click here to view it on our portfolio! And be sure to follow us on Instagram (@pulpdesigns) by clicking here – that’s where we give you all the latest info and sneak peeks at what we’re up to.