High Chroma Hues | Designing With Color

We're as guilty as the next guy for falling for the clean profile of a charcoal grey sofa, but the first day of fall has jewel tones dancing in our heads. A beautiful interior comes together like pieces of a puzzle, finding harmony and balance as each piece plays off one another. We love creating full, layered looks that display our clients favorite pieces paired with new additions, and finding new ways to achieve a warm and cohesive space is always at the top of our list.

A recent project with an open floor plan challenged our team to create a holistic look through four connected living spaces. We grounded the space with this rich emerald velvet sofa from Italy. It achieves the perfect pairing of retro elegance and sophisticated style that is at the heart of Weisshouse's aesthetic, and helped to lay the groundwork for the rest of our color palette.

Don't be afraid to treat your sofa as if it were a piece of art. Whether you're building a bold color

story, or adding a burst of color to a neutral palette, opting for high chroma furniture is a great way to create a one-of-a-kind space.

The Hunter Studio Chair from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams balances warm greys with a rich mustard leather.

The Atwood Sofa from Gus*Modern plays joins pale, rosy hues. Photo from @hdbuttercup

While designing this loft space, we contrasted the industrial architecture with bold rugs and upholstery. Photo by Laura Petrilla.

B&B Italia's George Sofa stands out in a seductive cranberry against a monochrome backdrop.

Classic Couture: Iconic European Chairs

Our design intern, Chelsea, is running down a list of some of our favorite European designs at Weisshouse. 

Grande Papilio Armchair, Naoto Fukasawa

Fukasawa developed a way of thinking called “Outline”. Outline is about defining the boundaries of relationships between objects, people and the environment. Today, Fukasawa is in Tokyo with a small team, collaborating with many international leading companies, a professor at Musashino Art University, and a visiting professor at Tama Art University.

LC4 Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand

The ever so famous “resting machine” designed in 1928. One year earlier, at age 24, Charlotte Perriand approached Le Corbusier’s asking for a job and was swiftly rejected with the now infamous line, “We don’t embroider cushions here.” This closed door didn’t stop her. She designed a bar made of curved steel, glass, and aluminum for the roof of Paris’ Salon d’Automne, the annual design festival. Pierre Jeanneret, Le Corbusier’s cousin and collaborator, brought him to see her design. Le Corbusier was so impressed, that he apologized and hired her as a furniture designer.

Charlotte Perriand posing on the LC4 Chaise Lounge at the Salon D’Automne, 1929. It was at that design festival two years earlier that Le Corbusier had hired her.

Caprice, Philippe Starck

Philippe Starck has a mission and a vision: creation, whatever shape it takes, must make life better for the largest number of people possible. He lives by the approach, “No one is forced to be a genius, but everyone has to take part.” Starck’s designs extend beyond ergonomic furniture, including  products such as lemon squeezers, to revolutionary mega-yachts, micro wind turbines, electric cars, and hotels that aspire to be wondrous, stimulating and intensely vibrant places.

Red and Blue, Gerrit T. Rietveld

The original chair was constructed of unstained beech wood and was not painted until the early 1920s. Fellow member of De Stijl and architect, Bart van der Leck, saw his original model and suggested that he add bright colors. He built the new model of thinner wood and painted it entirely black with areas of primary colors attributed to De Stijl movement.

Zig Zag 280, Gerrit T. Rietveld

Designed in 1934, this natural cherry, gravity defying chair is one of Rietveld’s most famous designs. Zig-zag is built with four panels that bend in sequence of an elegant dance to create what may at first seem an unstable chair, though in reality is very stable. Many knock-offs will show hardware but the original composition of the chair is flush and seamless.

Meet the New Weissguys!

We are bidding Weissguy Stan a fond farewell as he embarks on a new project. We've been so fortunate to have Stan on our team for the past decade, and we look forward to working with him during this new chapter in his career. You can view Stan's Loft and some of his past work on our Projects page.

Stan has left some big shoes to fill, and to take his place Weisshouse welcome's two new Interior Designers to our team. Today we're getting to know Adrienne and Alison, two ladies with a sharp wit and a serious sense of style.

Meet Adrienne, an Art Institute graduate with over a decade in the industry. Adrienne's experience ranges from freelance design to the corporate office of a major interiors firm.

How would you describe your personal style?  
My personal style is very eclectic.  I love mixing clean, modern silhouettes with traditional, antique and vintage pieces.

What is your favorite piece in your home?
My favorite piece is an antique English Regency cocktail table by Baker, which was a gift from a dear friend and former co-worker.

What is the best piece of design advice you've been given?
Fill your home with things you love.  

How does Weisshouse reflect your own design ideals? 
I was drawn to Weisshouse for their unique mix of furnishings, floor coverings and art, which are all connected by a common theme of style and quality. 

Where do you look for inspiration for a current project?
I get inspiration from magazines such as Dwell and Elle Decor, Instagram, traveling, and rummaging through antique shops.

How would you describe your personal style?

Ultimately I am eclectic at heart. I have always preferred mixing old and new and creating a space that reflects to best of both. That being said, location, style, and my personal needs always help to define my space. My home in downtown Pittsburgh looks completely different than my home in the Laurel Highlands. 

What is your favorite piece in your home?

My parents are of the "Mad Men" era and I have a walnut dining table and chairs from that time that I cherish. Mid-century Modern at its best!

On Item you can't live without?

My iPhone.

Where do you look for inspiration for a current project?

When I start a new project I look to the architecture of the home or space. I like to pull inspiration from unique art or furniture my client may have collected through a lifetime. It's important to for me to get a good feel for how they see living in their space in the future both with function and style.

Get Organized: Fully Customizable Storage Units

We hope you all had time to relax and decompress over the long weekend. This week we’re getting organized with a new customizable wall unit from Huppe. Gravity, the newest edition to our showroom, was designed by Joel Dupras. This fully customizable wall unit can solve all of your storage needs, from walk-in closet organizer to a fully functional media center.

Maximize storage with a sweeping verticle frame that can be customized to fit your room. Choose your wood finish, lacquer color, and metal frame finish to reflect your own personal style. The drawers and shelving are fully adjustable within the aluminum frame, as the internal support brackets slide freely from top to bottom. All drawers are equipped with bottom-mounted ball bearing soft-close slides and silky hand-finished interiors.

Shown at Weisshouse: Gravity configured as an Entertainment Unit. White oak finish with a dark aged laquer. Dimensions: 102”W x 20”D x 92”H. Weissprice: $5448.

Feeling All Warm and Fuzzy with Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

Fuzzy, luscious fur is everywhere right now. Both faux fur and real fur are showing up on runways and in the pages of popular shelter magazines like Architectural Digest and Elle Decor. Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams have even jumped on the trendy train with a few new pieces that add a certain charm and softness (literally) to any space. There's just something so whimsical about a well-placed piece of furniture upholstered in fur and we have just what you need! Stop by and see these pieces for yourself.

Pittsburgh Magazine's Home of the Year 2014

The modern, light filled home of Sewickley interior designer, Betsy Wentz was chosen as Pittsburgh Magazine's Home of the Year (Renovation). A typical 1970's home located in Edgeworth was completely transformed by way of a newly designed addition, facade and interior (mossArchitects) and a brand new custom kitchen along with furniture, rugs and carpet provided by Weisshouse. 

The bright, colorful home now suits this busy family of six perfectly. According to Pittsburgh Magazine's article, Home of the Year judge Louis J. Talotta says the hues make the home feel young. “I was very impressed they took what was a very ordinary, nondescript house and made it into a very pleasant environment, and the usage of color was truly wonderful,” he says.

Read the complete article here.

Weisshouse Chimes in on Global Design Trends

There are so many new design trends hitting the pages of magazines like Interior Design, Dwell, Architectural Digest and Lonny Mag for 2013. Some of these trends have even gone global. One of the hottest design trends to go global is "Minimalism". There are many creative ways to approach this trend without looking too institutional. One of the ways a minimal interior can be both soothing and simple and playful is to use hints of bright, beautiful color! Choose your main pieces (sofa, chairs, tables, lighting) in a crisp white or soft, natural linen and choose colors that speak to you to elevate your interior and add some personality with accessories. Colorful striped wall paper, bright pillows, artwork and painted focal walls are all effective in adding just the correct dose of color. We love how husband-and-wife team, Katarzyna and Tomasz Widawscy favor minimalist, white interiors but added pops of color to make their clients with two young children happy. Their clients asked that bright color figure prominently in the 970-square-foot Warsaw apartment. Check out the complete story here featured on www.interiordesign.net. Create your very own minimalist interior with the help of Weisshouse and our talented team of designers! Visit our Highland Avenue showroom during normal business hours or visit us at www.weisshouse.com 24 hours a day. 

Source: Interior Design

Source: Interior Design

Source: Interior Design

Source: Interior Design

Sofa available @ Weisshouse

Vintage Table available @ Weisshouse

Artwork by Karl Mullen available @ Weisshouse

Artwork by Karl Mullen available @ Weisshouse

Pillow available @ Weisshouse

Pillow available @ Weisshouse

Modern Celebrity Style

We often mention how much we love ELLE Decor. It's such a fabulous source for inspired interiors. We were recently stopped in our tracks by a Q&A on www.elledecor.com featuring the talented and stylish, Courtney Cox. Her delightfully designed Malibu home is a stunning tribute to modern simplicity. Interior designer, Trip Haenisch and architect, Michael Kovac created a lust-worthy masterpiece. We really love Courtney Cox's decorating/style tips and carefully selected pieces from Eames, Missoni Home and Arteriors. Read the complete feature here: http://www.elledecor.com/celebrity-style/homes/courteney-cox-home-joss-main-sale and check out our Courtney Cox-esque pieces below available at Weisshouse.

Source: ELLE Decor

A Few of Our Favorite Rooms

As we say goodbye to 2012 and hello to 2013, we wanted to take some time to revisit a few stunning room scenes posted by Elle Decor on their Facebook page. Elle Decor is one of our favorite design magazines. It's always full of lush photographs and engaging articles that make you want to drop what you're doing and go shopping! We love the idea of recreating rooms from magazines with a personal touch. As you are thinking about the new year and how you would like to spruce up your home, we encourage you to page through YOUR favorite design magazines and pull out images that inspire you. Bring your ideas to Weisshouse and one of our designers will help you realize them. Visit our website at www.weisshouse.com to browse our products and projects.

Celebrity Homes...We Just Can't Get Enough

Pop culture is a huge part of American life. We want to know what celebrities are doing, buying, eating and wearing. It's only natural that we also want to know where and how they are living. We thought it would be fun to take a peek inside a few of our favorite celebrity homes. If you want your home to look like one of the homes pictured below, visit Weisshouse and speak with one of our talented interior designers.

Gwyneth Paltrow & Chris Martin

Sofia Coppola

Jennifer Aniston & Justin Theroux

Beyonce & Jay-Z (Summer Rental)

Another Peek at the Weisshouse Designers

Often times, I will ask the readers of our blog, our Facebook fans and our clients what they would like to read about. In addition to design tips and new arrivals and trends, they want to know more about our designers. In past blogs, we have featured Stan, Betsy and Ron. We thought it would be great to re-visit some of the highlights from each of those interviews below.

Stan Adamik:

L: Is there anything that you would like prospective clients to know in regard to working with an interior designer?

S: Yes, it really helps to work with clients who are open and willing to hear and see suggestions. At first, they may not have thought of such suggestions. However, more often than not, ultimately they end up loving the ideas. The reason people seek interior designers to help them is because they cannot do it themselves and we are, in fact, professionals who have an infinite knowledge of furnishings and are not only trained in the history of furniture, but are also in the know in terms of everything new that is available for interiors.

Betsy Daily:

“I would say my personal style really involves listening to the client(s)…I feel that everyone has their own personal style and tastes and sometimes clients just need a little reassurance and guidance.”  Betsy enjoys integrating items that clients have some attachment to in order to reflect their personality into a space.  Betsy reiterated that LISTENING is the best design advice that she can offer other designers.  “I can only help to create the space…the clients have to live there!”

Ron Reinheimer:

L: Is there anything else that you wish to add about this project or the design process in general?

R: The Zitelli's (clients) are always a pleasure to work with. They are open to suggestions which really helps to move the design process along smoothly. As far as working with a designer, I find that it really helps people avoid expensive mistakes and saves a lot of time. When working with a designer for the first time, it's great if you (client) have a direction that you wish to head in and have an idea of the overall "look" that you want to achieve. My advice is to invest in great rugs and pieces of art that can be used again and again no matter what style of furniture you purchase over the years. Sofas and chairs come and go, but, investment pieces such as handmade rugs and art are around forever.

View some selected projects that our team of designers have completed here: http://www.weisshouse.com/projects

A great photo of our design team that was featured as an ad in Whirl Magazine