Michelle and Ruel have been extremely busy of late. A few years ago, the cosmopolitan young couple was enjoying life in their hip downtown loft. But after the birth of their first child, they decided to hike out to the suburbs and buy a big house. A short time later, they discovered they were pregnant again — with twins — and very soon they were busy in a new home, in a new part of town, with three children under the age of two!
Needless to say, focusing on style in their new house fell to the bottom of their to-do list. But they were eager for change, and their basement, the biggest room in the house, was the first place they wanted to tackle.
The large bland space was empty, except for dozens of toys. They wanted to transform it into a grown-up entertainment area that was worlds away from diaper changes and 3 a.m. feedings.
The couple asked if I could create a space that would reflect their backgrounds (Ruel is Indian and Michelle is Indian and Chinese), provide a place to entertain, and still be an area where the kids could play. So I gathered my crew and geared up to create a lounge that was adult-savvy — and kid-friendly.
While looking through Michelle's memorabilia, I discovered her sparkly sari collection, which gave me the inspiration for a "Bollywood in the basement" theme. From this jumping off point, I decided that Michelle and Ruel's exotic new Indian lounge would be all about glitz and glam, with lots of detail and style.
I started by dividing the room into three zones, based on function: a television and media area, a lounge area and a small kids' space.
In the media zone, I put in a large ebony console that holds a big-screen TV. On either side of the console I put up gorgeous layered drapes consisting of polka-dotted sheers covered with rich velvety panels. I also installed a furniture grouping with a large, creamy L-shaped sectional and two slipper chairs in a gold and cream paisley fabric. To give the area some added pizzazz, I covered one wall in black paisley wallpaper with cool metallic accents.
Next to the media zone, I fashioned a lounge space. In this area, the focus is on a long counter with a gorgeous brushed gold laminate countertop above, and ebony storage cabinets and a bar fridge below. On the wall behind the counter, I put up stunning, metallic-backed sisal wallpaper. I put down funky black and white carpet tiles from the media zone into the lounge space that give the whole area the appearance of a checkerboard.
I then created a small kids' zone, which contains bench seating, toy storage and an area rug. The best thing about this area is that it can be all tucked away behind beautiful gold silk drapes when not in use.
The old ceiling lights left a lot to be desired (and a lot of the room unlit) so I installed some low-voltage track lighting around the room and brightened it further with some beautiful lamps.
After adding some exotic accents and accessories to the space, including throw pillows, a wooden screen and some small tables, the room was finally transformed from kids' play land to adult playground. By ridding the room of toys and filling it with grown-up furniture, exotic accessories and dazzling finishes, all that glitters in this room is now gold — and glamorous. Now that's divine!
Interior design consultant Candice Olson is the host of Divine Design on the W Network. For more information, go to www.wnetwork.com/divinedesign or www.divinedesign.tv