Silver Beach Towers Lobby Redesign | Cara McBroom
I was chosen to create a vision for both the East and West lobbies of Silver Beach Towers, a little over a year ago. This was a pretty big undertaking, not only for the sheer scale, but also for the fact that my ideas were under scrutiny of an entire homeowners association, as opposed to a couple of homeowners. Luckily, they loved my ideas, and decided to hire me!
This was a fun transformation! The style was about 10 years old, with its palm tree and monkey themes. My main goals were to:
- LIGHTEN things up.
- Create a TIMELESS atmosphere.
- Keep things CLEAN and STREAMLINED.
Lobby BEFORE
Lobby AFTER
My first step taken in “operation lighten-things-up” was changing all the paint colors! I wanted to neutralize all the gold tones, so I chose a pale warm gray for the walls, a new fresh white on the trim, and a soft blue on the ceilings that helps add depth, and also emphasizes the architecture of the ceiling. I removed all the black iron railings, painted the newel posts and rails white, and added suspended glass panels, for an unobstructed view of the ocean when you walk in the lobby doors. I replaced all the dark carpet in one lobby, and all the gold tile in another lobby, with this beautiful, soft gray porcelain tile. Finally, I updated the furnishings, added some “wow” factor lighting, hung some large-scale colorful art, and brought in some live plants.
What a difference!
Being the first thing you see when you walk in, I wanted our center table and chandelier to really make a statement! First, I added a silver leaf faux finish to the dome ceiling, so that the lighting would twinkle and glow. Next, I chose an ethereal trickling glass globe chandelier. Each globe has tiny crystals in the bottom, so that they catch light, and resemble trickling rain drops. I drew up a design for this center table, and commissioned Armored Frog to build it. Made out of reclaimed wood, with a mitered inlay top and a chrome banding on the top and bottom, this table took my breath away when I saw the finished product! I couldn’t be more proud! It’s not every day I get to design a piece of furniture and see it come to life! I feel like a proud Mama!
I covered all the upholstery in soft, buttery vinyl that looks like leather (easily wiped clean!). The backs of the slipper chairs are upholstered in a blue 100% solution-dyed acrylic fabric, that is resistant to stains and sun-fading. The pillows are also covered in solution-dyed acrylic Sunbrella fabrics. Although practicality and function were a main concern, I think these new furnishings added some much-needed warmth, sophistication and welcome!
This new entry console is a thing of beauty! Above it is a textured giclee art that packs a colorful punch, and some simple, elegant accessories.
I commissioned local artist, Mary Hong, to paint these 8′ tall acrylic and glass abstract panels! (In above picture, to the left). You can see a hint of the track-and-pendant system I installed in the part of the lobby that overlooks the pool level.
Pool Lobby BEFORE
You can see in this BEFORE photo, that the lighting occupying the expansive ceiling and 2-story space was rather small in scale and nondescript. I wanted to utilize the entire ceiling, while still only needing my one central electrical source (concrete ceilings in high rises always force me to be creative!). Here is what I did:
Pool Lobby AFTER:
I used a bendable track, and hung crystal pendants at varying heights, for a trickling effect. This design took advantage of this prime, empty real estate! It drew the eye towards the beach view, and added some much-needed visual interest to this area.
This story and design was featured in the current issue of Condo Owner magazine:
Click here to read the full article: Latest Issue Condo Owner (This link will only work until the newest issue comes out!)
Want to see some more photos from the installation process? Read on!
Before my track pendants were hung, I cut out circles from magazine pages, and had my installer tape them to the wires, so that I could stand back, and artfully judge the height and placement of each pendant! For about a day, we left people pretty curious about what in the world we were doing!
I don’t envy Jeff’s role, here!
That’s my son, Case, pitching in! He is fascinated with anything that has wheels on it, so he was more than happy to help push this gigantic contraption around! That’s my friend, Dawn, to the right!
Again, he is sooooooo helpful! ha!
Setting “mamma’s” prized creation in place. Be careful with that prized piece of craftsmanship!!! I still get heart palpitations when I look at this. Thank you, Armored Frog!
Pat Heroman and his wife personally made sure all the plants were freshly fluffed for our photo shoot!
Pat’s company, Heroman Services, is the leading Interior Landscaping firm along the Gulf Coast and is ranked as a Top 25 Company nationwide. He was amazing to work with! I told him my design concept for the lobbies, we talked about placement of plants, and style, and he ran it with it! He provided photos of our spaces, with images of his proposed plants and containers photoshopped into the room! Click here if you want to read a blog I wrote about biofilia, and the importance of living, green plants and flowers in interior spaces.
This is Mark Worden, with Lightwave photography, the photographer who took all the amazing shots of the lobbies for Condo Owner magazine.
Mark and I worked together before, in a photo shoot for Condo Owner magazine! Click here to see this project! If you want to see his amazing photos, click here to see that issue of Condo Owner magazine.
Here, you can see a close-up of the Entry chandelier glass globes, and the little crystal beads that live within each one!
Contact me if you need help coming up with a vision and plan for your home or lobby!
Cara@lovelaceinteriors.com
Cara McBroom Interior Designer 