I was so excited to see Interior Designer Martha Angus' St. Helena, California guest house (not sure if it was her house or a client project), appear in this month's Western Interiors magazine. Here's a glimpse...

Angus here went with an analogous palette (adjacent colors on the color wheel) resulting in a harmonious, fresh design. Green takes center stage in this space, with bright bursts of orange and yellow, giving the space energy and a youthful, modern glow. She slipcovered a Crate + Barrel sofa in a green Sunbrella fabric and then added art to bring in strong graphics, orange, and green. The art, by Santa Monica artist John Baldessari, is unique because it marries photography with paint for a strong visual punch. And now onto my favorite space... The dining area.

Using white as the base, Angus again goes with an analogous color scheme using an almost kelly green with a light powder blue. The DWR Le Corbusier table has an airy feel, very little visual weight, and with a glass top that almost looks at if it's floating off the base, the table is as much a functional piece as it is a beautiful to look upon. Plus, the glass reflects all the natural light in this room, giving an even lighter feel to the space. I really like its light blue base, and of course those gorgeously green metal chairs, that Angus acquired at a flea market in France, complete the "old with new" look she was going for quite perfectly, don't you think?

If you'd like something similiar in your home and you won't be over in France anytime soon, try these chairs from the Sundance catalog and paint them a bright kelly green. If you can't afford a Le Corbusier table, you can achieve the look on a budget with the Silverado - a $299 CB2 find. Sure, it doesn't have the powder blue base, but paint can change that in a single afternoon. Or you can leave it as is, as long as the chairs are bright green and you pull in the blue another way, perhaps with a light blue rug, you can accomplish a similiar look.

Angus has such a huge following, and it's no surprise, her strong portfolio speaks volumes about the talent she shares with homeowners from California to New York and even as far as Paris. She is one that I admire because she can mix periods so well, you almost have to stop and pay attention that a 19th century chippendale chair is sharing the same space with a 70's lacquered parsons table and a massive contemporary painting. The simple fact that she then can throw in vintage metal letters or an orange rocket sculpture and make it all work, well it boggles the mind.

(top two images: by Mathew Millman, courtesy of Western Interiors and Design magazine. third image: sundance catalog. all others from martha angus design.)