Mid Century Modern Meets Classic Phoenix Part Two

My friend Joel Lilliquist has been renovating a small condo in central Phoenix over the last year. My last post highlighted his contemporary dining area. Here are a few pictures of some other areas I love.

This is his comfy seating area, a streamlined leather sofa, a tribal print rug, and a planked wood table. Fun pillows, a tripod lamp, and a colorful art piece add the finishing details. Joel is a “less is more” designer and dislikes clutter. It shows in this vignette.

This classic beehive fireplace adorns the room opposite the seating area. Simple accessories balance out the vertical element.

Branches, metal candlesticks, and a wooden bird make a delightful statement!

Joel’s light hand with accessories is skillful. He chooses just enough of the right pieces and creates magic! It’s so easy to overdue it, to over design ledges, table-tops, and bookcases. Fewer accessories helps a space feel calm and peaceful.

Shapes, textures, and dimension pull together this wall collage into a travel story!

How to address the walls? With extreme caution and wild abandon! This collage has both! Joel used the right pictures and artifacts, spaced them in the right way, and this narrow wall became an eye-catching element in this space. Think about unusual placement of dimensional pieces. The animal horns Joel used are typically placed horizontally, but here a vertical placement! Strands of oversized beads, a handmade basket, and pictures of Joel’s trip to Africa transport you.

This space has Joel’s name written all over it! Contemporary, colorful, grounded, playful. These are the words to describe this inviting condo. Joel has inspired me again to edit my design work, to think out of my typical design box, and use my creativity in ways I have not thought of before.