Add Comment (0)
Makeover Show
Laura Schuebel enlisted San Francisco designer Palmer Weiss (who appears on our cover) to help her redesign part of her Ruxton home and assist with cozy beach house renovation.
Her living room was formerly a mix of pinks and greens— too preppy even for Laura. “I’m drawn to that with two girls, but I wanted a more sophisticated look. I wanted someone to get me out of my box.”
Laura and Palmer opted to retain and recover her sofa and one of her chairs. “Palmer would send me samples, cream herringbone for one of the chairs, blue silk curtains… The sofa is green velvet with Greek key taping on the bottom— Palmer tweaked the color. She has a great twist with color.”
“I used a manufacturer called Samuel and Sons— for this trim, they have a sample but the sky is the limit in as far as how you can customize, size of tape, design, thread colors,” Palmer says. “I adjusted and cut the strength of the thread color so it would stand off the fabric better. I was ultimately very happy with how it turned out.”
Palmer suggested a faux tortoiseshell coffee table by Laura Yaggy.
“We wanted a square table,” Laura Schuebel says. “It’s inviting when you’re entertaining. Palmer said the square is one of her favorites too at the moment. My husband Scott is very traditional, so I was trying to push the envelope, but not too far…”
Laura’s rock crystal lamps are from Circa Lighting. “I like how they brighten the room, creating a pretty sheen; they are sophisticated, but not too out there.” -Laura
Headboard Art
For the master bedroom, Palmer recommended a custom bed with elaborate camelback headboard, similar to one she had painstakingly made for herself.
“I wish I could take credit for the uniqueness of this design, but it has been done by others— Jonathan Adler for one; I also love Tom Scheerer’s version,” Palmer admits. “Since it is custom…Laura agreed to let me make it out here so that I could supervise the process and meet with my upholsterer to lay the fabric out on the actual headboard. She benefited from some of my prior research.”
“I would never pick the headboard fabric colors myself, but I love it,” Laura says. “She has a yellow, caramel and robin’s egg blue. I wanted the headboard to be the statement of the room. I didn’t want to have to put any artwork on that wall, and now there’s no need.”
Palmer helped Laura select a lovely Christopher Spitzmiller lamp. “She said, ‘Tell me your favorite shapes,’” Laura says. “We decided on style together and she picked the color, pale blue-green.”
Laura splurged on Leontine Linens, not only because they get a rave review in all decor magazines, but also because she greatly admired their unique monogramming technique.
“The borders pop a little more. I chose a duvet cover with Greek key. We started with a monogram and chose a border we thought would match well. Palmer’s a huge fan of Greek key and so am I. It’s timeless. I don’t want to be trendy and have to redo in five years…”
Laura’s Alexa Hampton side tables are soft cream to blend with the headboard. “Palmer sent me a bunch of selections. I just wanted something classic, and I liked the shape. The square size with drawer on bottom is nice, and there is even a pullout shelf for cups of water. The open space underneath houses my books. Whatever you place there will bring color.”
Water Bed
The master bedroom in Laura’s Rehoboth Beach home boasts a bed with classic sea grass headboard from Pottery Barn.
“Palmer suggested the light blue sham with birds, a lot of colors going on. She sent the sample,” Laura says. “I’ve since ordered white bedding with a pretty green geometric border.”
In both the guest room and the master bedroom, the beds feature drawers for efficient storage. “It’s a small condo and I wanted to utilize space,” Laura adds.
Petite Sophisticate
Laura’s inviting beach house guest room centers round the beautiful bed decked out in periwinkle blue-and-white Lulu DK for Matouk fabric. “I thought for the beach it was a soothing color,” Laura says. “It’s a small room. I wanted it to be cute but uncluttered.”
The white slipcovered headboard is Lulu DK, as are the duvet cover, pillow shams (with blue lattice pattern) and little pillow in adorable fish fabric. The queen bed itself is a Pottery Barn find.
An artful white fish lamp from West Elm was Palmer’s rad suggestion. “I love it,” Laura says.
Pop Goes the Living Room
Palmer viewed Laura’s existing couch as a simple canvas for color. Blue and green pillows add bold personality.
“Her couch was an off-white ecru color in basic fabric. She’d recently bought it. People will say, ‘I just bought this new sofa. How can we accomplish this?’ Throwing bright colored pillows is not expensive,” Palmer explains.
Sofa pillows: Cowtan and Tout robin’s egg blue with Houles apple green tape, and acid-green damask in outdoor fabric by Crezana design.
“The overall theme was doing something that would be happy and beachy and bathing-suit proof. For instance, the acid-green damask fabric [on the couch pillows] is an outdoor fabric so you can lean against it, no problem. There’s a teeny blue pattern on her chair, using easily treatable fabric.”
Palmer ordered two Charles Stewart chairs covered in Peter Fasano fabric.