Feminine and Fierce

This home-away-from-home exudes strength and sophistication with a French Cottage vibe, bold patterns and classic and cozy touches.

In our fast-paced culture, carving out a niche for some TLC and renewed inspiration can feel impossible. For the owner of this renovated Pied-a-Terre in Portland’s Pearl District, it was a necessity. After purchasing the 525-square-foot space built in 1925, she reached out to the design team at Casework to transform it into the perfect getaway to relax and recharge.

“She’s a business owner and was in this lovely place of knowing exactly what she needed and wanted: ‘an oasis to remember my truth,’ she said,” recalls Casey Keasler, founder and design director at Casework.

Retro Feel. Cute and cozy, this kitchen exudes a French Country cottage vibe. “The existing cabinets and tile were updated with a fresh coat of peach paint, new hardware and a cream color Smeg refrigerator,” Casey says.

Renovating & Rethinking

The creative team got to work collaborating with the client, narrowing inspiration and determining exactly what she wanted from the small but cozy space. Luckily, this nearly 100-year-old apartment was full of character and charm. The only major change they made was removing the closet doors to create a bed nook, giving a custom feel and a splash of color to the sleeping area. Original features like the cabinetry in the kitchen and vanity built-ins remain, with a refresh with a coat of paint and new hardware for a modern touch.

Feeling French. Cozy moments like this breakfast nook punctuate the design of this second home. “The breakfast nook is inspired by a French bistro and overlooks a garden,” Casey says. “We wanted our client to feel at home just having a cup of tea or sitting down at her laptop to work.”

“We treated the space as a hotel suite, including an elevated color palette and a furniture plan with all the little luxuries you want and none of the extras you don’t,” Casey says.

Playing with Color

Color and patterns complete a bold and complex dance throughout the apartment, all expertly wielded by the Casework team to fulfill the client’s desire for a space that reflected the key phrases “ageless,” “self-love” and “feminine with an edge.”

Dramatic Entrance. This tiny but mighty entryway sets the mood for the rest of the apartment. “We wanted to create a grand entry to the tiny apartment, and Kate Blairstone’s Tigris wallpaper felt perfectly fierce to welcome any guest,” Casey says.

“As we dug in and started the creative process, it became clear she was looking to push the limits in color and vibrancy while also sprinkling in a power clash with surprise and delight built in,” Casey says.

Hello, Headboard. The bedroom is a prime example of Casey’s expert pattern combinations. Originally a closet, the wallpapered space behind the headboard is another transformation by the Casework team. “We removed the closet doors and installed wallpaper to create a dramatic headboard,” Casey says. IbelowI Dividing Lines. One of the greatest accomplishments of this design is the maximization of every inch of the small floor plan, both functionally and visually. “The oversized coral-velvet sectional plays with scale in the tiny apartment. It also divides the living space from the sleeping space,” Casey says.

The palette accomplishes this with variations of pink, orange, gold and red alongside warm neutrals and black trim and punctuated by graphic patterns. “We wanted it to feel bold, powerful and ageless as opposed to young, sweet and innocent,” Casey says. “The warmth in the pink and the saturation of it lend to a more sophisticated palette.”

Fab and Feminine. Palette, patterns and textures work together to create a strong yet soft feel throughout this apartment. “A layered corner in the apartment blends a coral-velvet sectional, a bright plaid ottoman, a brass and cream rug and a chrome lamp,” Casey says.

Staying Original. Keeping true to the apartment’s 1920s roots, the Casework team chose to leave certain features. “The original built-ins were left in place but updated with a fresh coat of peach paint and new hardware,” Casey says.

Popping Patterns. Bright and feminine florals pop against a more neutral plaid pattern, followed by another punch of color in the plaid bedding.

Perfect Pairing

Bringing together a variety of patterns and colors can be intimidating, but done well can be extremely rewarding. Casey Keasler, founder and design director at Casework, shares her tips for mixing and matching palette and patterns in a way that enhances the design of any space in your home.

Go for Goldilocks. Like the fairytale, try to find patterns that hit that that sweet spot between too similar and too different. “Patterns that are too similar in scale often are too visually busy because they compete; on the other side, if they are too different in scale they create imbalance,” Casey says. “We also think about where the pattern is going and play with how those proportions work together.”
Beautiful Blends. There are a few pattern combos that go together especially well. For example, Casey recommends pairing plaids and checks with florals. “Another favorite for me is taking the same pattern but a different scale,” she says. “And animal print is neutral and goes with almost everything!”
Create Cohesion. Unify the look no matter what patterns you combine by choosing one color to be repeated in each pattern. “The fun is that it doesn’t have to be the same color from pattern to pattern,” Casey says.