This Parisian-Inspired All-White Pied-A-Terre Is Master Class In Layering
Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
Transforming a stark, modern apartment into a warm and inviting space is no easy feat, but Lisa Staton, the principal designer of Lisa Staton Interior Design, was up to the challenge.
She was tasked with turning a ‘90s-era high-rise condo in Seattle’s hip Clinton Hill neighborhood into a retreat from the city. The biggest obstacle? She couldn’t make any major renovations. The designer didn’t shy away from the builder-grade blank slate. Instead, she leaned into its simple bones.
“Up high with lots of windows and glass, we wanted it to be serene and soothing, but also warm and inviting,” the designer shares. “The white-box bones provided a simple, blank canvas for us to layer on top of.” Drawing inspiration from the simplicity of Shaker design, the sparseness of Swedish minimalism, and the eclecticism of chic Parisian apartments, the result is a texture-rich pied-à-terre that’s a far cry from the builder-grade high-rise condo it once was.
Here’s how she transformed the bland space into a serene escape using warm neutrals, textural furnishings, natural finishes, and a few special objets d’art.
Lisa Staton Interior Design Custom Sofa.
She was tasked with turning a ‘90s-era high-rise condo in Seattle’s hip Clinton Hill neighborhood into a retreat from the city. The biggest obstacle? She couldn’t make any major renovations. The designer didn’t shy away from the builder-grade blank slate. Instead, she leaned into its simple bones.
“Up high with lots of windows and glass, we wanted it to be serene and soothing, but also warm and inviting,” the designer shares. “The white-box bones provided a simple, blank canvas for us to layer on top of.” Drawing inspiration from the simplicity of Shaker design, the sparseness of Swedish minimalism, and the eclecticism of chic Parisian apartments, the result is a texture-rich pied-à-terre that’s a far cry from the builder-grade high-rise condo it once was.
Here’s how she transformed the bland space into a serene escape using warm neutrals, textural furnishings, natural finishes, and a few special objets d’art.
Lisa Staton Interior Design Custom Sofa.
Picking The Palette
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Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
Though the color scheme is dominated by creams, whites, and beiges, a few unexpected neutrals also make an appearance, thanks to an antique find. “We started the design of this home with the wonderful antique rug we found for the living room,” says Staton. “We bought it while on location for another project in Portland, Oregon before the client had even seen it because we knew it was so perfect.”
The rug set the tone for the space in more ways than one, inspiring the color scheme for the apartment well beyond the living room. “It became our starting point and informed the palette of creams, natural muted colors and textures, cinnamon, and a hint of olive green. Then, simple forms of black, white, and natural oak wood were then repeated throughout the apartment,” explains the designer.
Sean Woolsey Studio Chairs.
The rug set the tone for the space in more ways than one, inspiring the color scheme for the apartment well beyond the living room. “It became our starting point and informed the palette of creams, natural muted colors and textures, cinnamon, and a hint of olive green. Then, simple forms of black, white, and natural oak wood were then repeated throughout the apartment,” explains the designer.
Sean Woolsey Studio Chairs.
Visual Interest
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Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
To add visual interest to the space, Staton and her team made purposeful use of sculptural furnishings in black, white, and natural tones. “We worked hard to pay attention to the actual shapes and silhouettes of the furniture — the curve of the sofa, the frames and tufting of the chairs, the elegant simplicity of the marble side table, and the bolder structure of the black ebonized bookshelves,” she says.
Layered Textures
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Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
“Working with neutrals is all about layering textures instead of colors,” divulges the designer. “For this project, that meant a combo of wool drapes, textural oak furniture, and natural-fiber and antique wool rugs. For furnishings, [we used] linen, textural velvet, and bouclé.”
Vintage Additions
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Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
The accompanying accessories play a similar role in adding layers to the space. “The softness and elegance are also achieved by the fact that many of the items are one-of-a-kind, handmade by artisans and small-batch makers with mindful antiques thrown in — the 100-year-old coffee table, the rug, the French mirror on the modern bookshelf,” says Staton.
“Old can be modern and work really well if the shapes are simple," she shares.
1-800 Lighting Table Lamp; Spartan Shop Vessel.
“Old can be modern and work really well if the shapes are simple," she shares.
1-800 Lighting Table Lamp; Spartan Shop Vessel.
Custom Quilt
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Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
“One of the very special — and subtle — moments in the home is the commissioned linen Shaker-inspired quilt that we made based on an Alvar Alto painting,” notes Staton. A leather and oak bench and a plush sheepskin rug add texture and visual interest to the vignette without straying from the subdued color palette and the simple design.
Hawkins New York Sheepskin.
Hawkins New York Sheepskin.
Bedroom Vibes
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Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
In the bedroom, the designer played with positive and negative space to curate visually interesting moments. “Instead of opting for the more typical large art over the bed, we choose to leave it blank,” points out Staton.
Camerich Seattle Bed.
Camerich Seattle Bed.
Side Table
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Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
“Instead, we have an impactful black vessel and a small Noguchi lamp on one side, and a vintage piece of art with a stool and large sculptural vessel on the other," she explains.
Ank Ceramics Vessel; Huppé Nightstand; Isamu Noguchi Light.
Ank Ceramics Vessel; Huppé Nightstand; Isamu Noguchi Light.
Mixmatched Design
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Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
Decorating within a neutral palette, the designer kept things interesting by opting for a combination of textures for the bedding, mixing walnut and oak wood finishes, and bringing in botanicals like the pampas grass in the tall glass vessel. To top it off, the mismatched bedside tables lend a casual, lived-in air to the space.
Parachute Bedding; Nickey Kehoe Stool.
Parachute Bedding; Nickey Kehoe Stool.
Dining Dynamic
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Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
In the dining room, the designer combined curved oak chairs with a complementary table. She then mixed it with a perfectly patinated set of vintage Herman Miller chairs. “It would have been boring to have all the chairs match, so introducing a very subtle contrast with the black metal adds interest and visual depth,” she explains of the bold choice.
Ethnicraft Table; Ethnicraft Chairs.
Ethnicraft Table; Ethnicraft Chairs.
Statement Light
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Photographed by Kara Mercer for Lisa Staton Interior Design.
The sleek and sophisticated light fixture suspended overhead is the finishing detail that pulls the space together. “The linear, brass chandelier is the last layer that adds some dressiness, yet is still warm, neutral, and quiet because it is so simple in shape and form,” notes Staton.
Lambert & Fils Light Fixture.
Lambert & Fils Light Fixture.