David Jimenez talks to Largom
December 18, 2008
David Jimenez loves mid-century design. Its a simple clean and layered look that is both relaxing and invigorating and when we came across his work we felt more than an urge to get in touch and ask him how the redesign for his Palm Springs House came about and his ideas about interior design. To view the project, click on launch gallery.
How did the palm springs project come about ?
I purchased the house fifteen years ago as my get-away and it was time to give it a fresh point of view. I wanted to create a space that was contemporary but with a nod to the past. I went to local thrift and antique stores in Palm Springs and found some great vintage pieces that I loved — the sofas, lamps, chandelier, artwork and accessories. Then, paired the vintage finds with new purchases to create a nice mix of old and new throughout the house.
Any sleepless nights ?
Many late nights, but none that were sleepless. I thrive on the energy and excitement of setting up a new space, constantly moving things around until they feel just right. I crank up the music, turn down the lights go from room to room moving furniture around late into the night.
The project looks fresh and not over-designed, is this something you do consciously as an interior designer or did this evolve as the layers of the project took shape ?
I wanted rooms to be layered, comfortable and to have bold color accents. I love the way that layers help make a room look casual and collected over time. It's also a terrific way of creating warmth and making a space feel more personal. I was inspired by some of David Hicks's rooms and wanted to achieve a similar contrast in textures and patterns. In fact, the wallpaper in the master bedroom is an original David Hicks design that I paired with bedding that has a graphic pattern. Then to add drama I chose an oversized basket-weave print rug in chocolate. I had a lot of fun playing with scale and color throughout the house.
How true have you been to the mid-century design ethic ?
The house was designed by William Krisel and built in 1956 by the Alexander Construction Company. These homes are commonly referred to as "Alexanders" in Palm Springs and are sought after for their unique design, personality and original fifties detailing. While I wanted the house to have a mid-century point of view that was true to the origins of the house, I wanted the mix of furniture to be eclectic. I feel that houses have more soul, character and wit when the furnishings aren't all from the same era.
Which aspects of the design are you most pleased with ?
Some of the room colors and furniture placement choices were spontaneous and completely unplanned, but they worked and I went with it. For example, when I set out to furnish the living room, I found the yellow sofa at a thrift store, fell in love with it's bold color and knew that it would be a great focal point for the room. I chose the dove gray wall color because I thought it would be a nice complement to the citron yellow sofa. I found the blue Regency chairs at a thrift store in Kansas City and sent them to Palm Springs, thinking I would want to use them in front of the chocolate wall in the dining room. When I got them to the house, I placed one of them in the living room and loved the effect of combining a regency chair with the round wicker chairs and sofa from the seventies. I took the other blue chair to the guest bedroom for a pop of color. It mixed nicely with the Moroccan tile print rug and Morrocan-esque mirror on the bedside table.
I know its considered a bit rude to ask designers to give away names but where did you get the yellow headboard lamp
I found the lamps at a thrift store and fell in love with their bold color and retro design. They are vintage mid-century Robert Sonneman lamps and create the perfect bedside lighting for tight quarters.
What are you working on at the moment, any thing in the pipeline ?
I recently finished updating the carriage house of my home in Kansas City, and have several other fun projects in the planning stages. In between projects, I enjoy writing my monthly column on design for Kansas City Spaces magazine, and appearing on radio and TV shows discussing design.
To see more of Davids work go to http://www.djimenez.com
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