I believe that every home should be a sanctuary and that upon entering it one should immediately feel physically and emotionally protected. What I first noticed upon entering Jim and Nancy Chudas Green Home to select a room to design for an upcoming feature in Los Angeles Magazine was that it had all of those qualities even in the construction phase.
The Living Room is not a large space but it has everything going for it. A soaring ceiling, magnificent and very tall glass and steel doors and windows that look out onto tree tops on two sides and a water wall feature on one of the many very well thought out open spaces. Jim and I re-designed the fireplace so that the raised hearth would extend under the window and I could treat it as an alter/display area. I felt it was important to design an interesting window treatment and to find some form of art work that was tall enough to be enjoyed when standing in the meditation area that overlooked the Living Room. This room has such a strong voice that it needed just a few very well thought out pieces where one can sit, relax and enjoy easy conversations. Natural materials such as the granite clad fireplace and bamboo flooring form the backdrop as well as non-toxic materials such as a coffee table made from a petrified log, a dried branch and carnation sculpture, a window shade made from dried abaca plants and banana leaves, seeds recycled onto pillows, natural clay ceramic bowls, wood recycled into a piece of sculpture and a wool rug organically dyed of hand spun wool.
It is with great pleasure and joy that I join the LuxEco Living team as Managing Editor for Interiors.
