Beautiful saturated colors, arresting fabrics, and a style that blends California dreamin’ with European sensibility characterize the rooms in the new book Kathryn M. Ireland Timeless Interiors (Gibbs-Smith, 2012).
Kathryn, an interior designer and fabric designer whose work has graced our pages, starred in Bravo’s Million Dollar Decorator in 2011.
As a fan of playwright David Mamet, I was glad to get a glimpse at the good-looking, easygoing style Kathryn gave his home in Santa Monica. It was designed by John Byers in the thirties, who was known for his Spanish Colonial Revival and Monterrey-style homes. Here’s a closeup of a bookshelf with memorabilia from plays of Mamet’s that have been made into movies.
“What I love about the Southern California houses built between the First and Second World Wars is that the architects of that period, Byers among them, understood that exterior living spaces were as important as the interiors,” Kathryn writes in the book. “So they created lovely interior fluidity through clear, distinct rooms and plenty of garden and patio space for outdoor living.”
Here’s an example from the grounds of a Santa Barbara horse ranch: ahhhh
As a bibliophile, I always think of home as a form of autobiography, and Kathryn is expert at letting her clients’ lives tell stories in their homes. I especially love the screening room she designed in the home of film director Robert Zemeckis. Kathryn says, “I merely had to camouflage the projection port with a large painting that could rise mechanically for screenings.” (The painting itself, charmingly, is of film watchers.)
While they were designing this home, Kathryn says, she and the client were so in sync they could finish each other’s sentences. It shows.
"Lush, layered rooms steeped in color and texture are Kathryn Ireland's signature. The designer showcases eight of her favorite projects and details the creative process behind each of them. Tips include finding color inspiration, her go-to shops and sources, and the magical power of designer-client friendships."