Ivette Arango Interiors: Modern French
Designing the look and feel of a home in the South Gables
This new construction home, a bespoke creation by Ivette Arango Interiors, skillfully combines traditional and modern elements with French influences. The client provided the vision for their home. The Ivette Arango Interiors team, under the direction of its President and Founder, Ivette Arango, designed everything within the shell of the house from furnishing, colors, moldings, beams, electrical and woodwork.
“Our design process is disciplined in technical drafting and its execution to maximize the space and realize the creative potential of our design”, says Ivette A. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s what we love to do. In this case we wanted to combine light colors with warm and rich with a lot of lovely detailing.”
Ivette’s daughter, Ivette Arango O’Doski, works mostly behind the scenes in this family owned business but takes an active role in client development and intake. “The client gives us direction — the things that inspire them — to give us a sense of what their personal styles are,” says Ivette O. “Then we take that and communicate that idea using visual boards for each room.”
The Mudroom
One of the things which makes this space special is the use of wallpaper, which Arango says, “gives you the idea of flying trees.” Wallpaper is now the rage, says O’Doski, “something you haven’t seen much of, but back with a vengeance.”
The floor is Negro Marquina marble, with an inset marble mosaic that looks like an area rug. The window seat is a black, weatherproof acrylic fabric, set in a low wooden cabinet with lacquer finish. The overhead lamp is framed in black iron.
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Entrance Foyer
The staircase is wrought iron, designed — along with the side panels — by Arango, with a walnut handrail and walnut steps. The floor is comprised of white and checkered black marble. The foyer table, of maple wood with brass footings, was also designed by Arango. “We also design furniture for our clients and have our carpenters build it,” she says.
Wet Bar & Wine Cellar
The bar stools are upholstered in blue velvet to compliment the teal wall and ceiling paint. The island is a grey taupe marble with a leather-brush finish. The two towers were constructed to provide more storage. The floor of the wine cellar is mirrored, while the main floor is walnut. “We decided to do the whole room in a soft blueish teal color, which brings a lot of warmth,” says Arango. “The painting is by a Cuban artist.”
Kitchen
The island and counter tops are quartzite with brush leather finishes and a white subway tile backsplash; the island side panels, like the floor, are composed of dark walnut. The decorative ceiling beams are designed to incorporate the AC venting. The gas stove and hood, made of blue enamel, are L’Atelier Paris Haute Design. The cabinets are in a soft, off-white lacquer, with handles of polished nickel.
Dining Room
The chairs were purchased from the manufacturer and then upholstered in a soft linen fabric. The dining table and buffet table are both walnut with etched design; the walnut flooring likewise has alternating panels for design. Two chandeliers above the dining table were purchased as is, made from traditional cut glass and polished nickel. The working fireplace was designed by Arango Interiors and is made of limestone. The applied molding wainscotting was also designed by Arango. The two vases on the buffet table are made from amber glass.
