When Kate returned home from Tuesday’s House Beautiful Color Institute in Florida the first thing I asked her was “how did it go?” and “did Jeffery Bilhuber say anything about the colors he chose for Anna Wintour’s Hamptons retreat?”
To which she replied “terrific!” and “no” — but Kate did say that he told a cute story about when he was working on Ms. Wintour’s project… one day she called and informed him that she was taking on the task of shopping for her own lamps (alone)- but upon arriving at a showroom and discovering a selection of hundreds of lamps ( for as far as the eye could see)- it was an endeavor, the queen of fashion later assured him, she would never attempt again. ( Phew! glad to know that even the most stylish amongst us get overwhelmed when it comes to this stuff)
Jeffery also talked about Mariska Hargitay presenting him with a random bunch of fabric swatches telling him that she liked them all and to make it work and of another client who when asked what colors she was thinking for her home simply answered him with a one word description- “Red”.
I suppose the fortune of working with a fabulous designer allows one the free reign to be a little demanding… all the while knowing you’re going to love what you get to come home to.
Jeffrey Bilhuber delivers to his lucky clients just that- homes that feel like homes. Rooms that have that wonderful balance between designer touches and a comforting familiarity. They are spaces that rightfully grace the pages of interior magazines- but happily they are the ones that you say to yourself- “I would love to live there”.
When I was perusing Mr. Bilhuber’s website and bio I couldn’t figure out quite what I was more excited about- his rooms, his client testimonials, ( I mean come on Anna and Elsa Peretti- that’s impressive!) or the fact that he began his career working at the Carlyle Hotel and was inspired to become a designer by the late, great Mark Hampton who at the time was renovating rooms in the iconic New York hotel. ( On a side note Mark Hampton’s designer daughter Alexa Hampton was the guest designer at the Color Institute I attended this past fall in NYC…she was so cool and funny and told these awesome stories about growing up in a ‘Hampton’ designed home- must profile her soon!)
Okay so back to Jeffrey, “color is confidence, color is pattern”… were but a few things that he touched on as he presented to the audience a little insight into the design world of Bilhuber & Associates, the design firm that he began in 1984. Kate was most impressed by his candid and refreshing reminder to the room ( that was filled to the brim with designers and color enthusiasts) that ‘being a great designer is 10% design brilliance and 90% business smarts. Even the most inspired design can’t make up for poor execution — always be on budget and on time.’
His idea that “color is confidence” came pretty clear to me as I began pulling images from his website, his palettes are best described as just that -’confident’. He has a innate knack for combining colors that you may not think would work together in the same room- yet somehow they do, and beautifully at that.
How awesome is that punch of blue and the touch of unexpected art- they add just the right amount of energy to the room ( isn’t funny that its a ‘cool’ color in a room of warm colors that’s adding the spark, plus check out the touch of purple quartz on the table… I have a sneaking suspicion he loves touches of purple).
Can’t explain how much I would love an entry with a round table and giant lamp ( by the way how does one deal with the cord in a pretty manner ?)… Love the heaviness of the blue velvet and fringe set against the lighter colors and fabrics- the formality of the dual ferns is speaking to my symmetric- loving self!
Icy pastels- mixed together-cozy? Somehow yes…hey, there’s that purple again.
‘Modern History’ is one of the terms he uses to describe his rooms… I think that description best sums up this ‘Americana with a twist’ palette.
Who wouldn’t love to have a room to read, stargaze and escape the stress of the world in… I so love the deep stone fireplace and dark color on the built-ins that I’m eyeing my recently painted white living room bookcases and thinking maybe… just maybe….
And of course I couldn’t help but notice that his website’s color perfectly represents his work ( if you’ve been following my blog you know that I’ve become somewhat obsessed with the colors that designer’s choose for their own sites!)
If I ever get to meet him I’m going to have to ask him about that purple…. there’s a story there- I just know it….
FYI- Future House Beautiful Color Institutes are happening this year in Atlanta and Houston… check in at House Beautiful.com for dates… they are free to attend and the line up of speakers and events always make for a colorful, fun day!
More from the House Beautiful Color Institute:
Kate on her presentation in the Duralee showroom: Creating Moods with Color…
Thank you so much for sharing some of Mr. Bilhuber's work. I agree with everyone's comments above. Creating something new with color is, in some ways, like writing a new musical score. It takes courage to do that; to try something new and/or bold. Safe color combinations can be a simpler route. But designers like Bilhuber are willing to take chances so that we can enjoy the results. What a breath of fresh air his palettes are!
- spam
- offensive
- disagree
- off topic
Like