Design on Deadline: 3 Weeks to Bachelor's Bold, Sexy Loft

By Jeannie Matteucci

When a young bachelor purchased his downtown Dallas loft, he wanted a space different from his main townhouse in the suburbs. This loft would be a place where he could relax, hang with his friends and enjoy the nightlife of the city. He asked designer Abbe Fenimore of Studio Ten 25 to give him a contemporary and bold living room -- and give it to him fast.

"We furnished the entire unit in under three weeks," says Fenimore, who used floor models and replicas of out-of-stock items to get the place ready for when her client returned from an extended business trip. "With this living room, we wanted to create a place where he could entertain and enjoy the downtown views. We had to choose furniture that could be moved around easily, depending on how he was using the room. He didn't want anything fussy, and it had to be functional."

The warm orange, deep teal and royal blue colors in a contemporary painting of swimming koi fish that the homeowner purchased at a charity event served as the color inspiration. And since the living room offers dramatic views of the city outside, Fenimore and her client wanted the space to have a definite downtown vibe.

A clean and contemporary heather-gray sofa is extra long, so the 6-foot, 6-inch-tall homeowner could enjoy a nap in comfort and have a place for friends to sit while they watch TV or play video games. "I talked him out of going with a sectional," says Fenimore. "It would take away from the view and be too chunky in this space."

To anchor the room, Fenimore choose a bold striped rug that picks up the orange tones in the painting and adds warmth to the concrete floors. "I love the striped design here, because it immediately draws your eye out to the view," she says.

Because of the time crunch of this project, the designer went with the floor model of a modern glass coffee table with a walnut base. Fenimore feels this particular coffee table works because it keeps the space open and doesn't distract from the rug.

While the homeowner didn't want a sofa full of pillows, Fenimore persuaded him to add two on each side for comfort and to add another layer of color and texture.

"Understanding how to layer a color on its own is important," she says. "The gray fur pillow has cooler blue tones, while the sofa is a warmer gray. Instead of bringing in another pattern, you can use a neutral with texture."

This loft was designed for entertaining and fun, so the homeowner wanted a pool table nearby that could also be used for dining. "It actually worked out well, because it has a gray felt top that goes with our color palette," says Fenimore.

The living room is right between the master bedroom and the guest bedroom. Fenimore took color cues from the living room to the master bedroom, combining orange with purple to give the softer bedroom a personality of its own.

A flapper-dancer decal on the wall off the entrance to the living room was the designer's way of bringing a club vibe to the space. "He wanted an actual stripper's pole," recalls Fenimore, "and this decal was the compromise. He ended up loving it and thought it was genius."

Located off the loft's front entry, the living room is illuminated at night by recessed and track lighting and a large arching floor lamp with a white cotton and linen drum shade.

While the living room is open and airy, Fenimore doesn't consider it a minimalist space. "It's really a place where he can relax, entertain and just feel like himself."

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