Cozy Chic in an Open Dallas Loft

Designer Bernard Underwood’s downtown attic was a stark white box with an open floor plan and high ceilings inside a 1920s historic building. Those components independently created a challenging space to layout, but historical attributes like concrete beams, exposed brick and unpainted plaster which Underwood was restricted by altering pushed the issue level even higher.

He reacted beautifully by layering jewel-toned colours, faux-fur throws and velvet fabrics to soften the more industrial components. “Now the heat meets me in the doorway and makes me feel great at home,” Underwood says. And to keep things new, Underwood constantly changes the insides, which act as a canvas for creating his fresh thoughts. “I really like change,” he says. “I’m not a person that is stuck to any one thing. I’m constantly thinking of how I could revamp some thing to make it better.”

in a Glance
Who resides: Bernard Underwood
Location: Downtown Dallas
Size: 1,384 square feet; 1 bedroom, 2 baths

Angela Flournoy

Underwood turned a retail shop mirror into a coffee table by simply attaching it to a metal foundation.

He also created the black and white wall art by painting two large panels using a high-gloss metal enamel, then incorporating picture white swirls. “It’s paint,” he says. “When I mess up, I will always paint over it. I’m not real individual. I love to hurry and see the final product.”

Angela Flournoy

The designer painted stripes onto the living room walls as one of his very first home projects. “With this white box, I had to include dimension,” he says. “I did not want it to be dull, and the stripes brought the space down to scale. The furniture was floating beforehand. I’m not a major fan of cluttering every wall with pictures. I think if you paint stripes or designs, it removes the need for wall decor or artwork.”

He then brought in large parts of furniture, “something large that will produce a massive effect,” he says. “I love deep, rich colours, like chocolate browns and burgundies, and then I layer on pillows and throws to make it even more lush.”

Brown throw pillows: Hemispheres; gray paint: Almost Charcoal 4008-2B, Valspar

Angela Flournoy

Underwood’s late mother created and upholstered one-of-a type furniture pieces. This royal-blue velvet chair is a project they finished collectively. “I designed them, and also my mom built them, and then we upholstered them collectively,” he says. “I went searching for fabrics with my mom and desired a rich color that would make a statement.”

Angela Flournoy

The designer spotted this display table in a retail shop and bought it to use as a dining table. He left the kitchen is, other than adding some budget-friendly shelves from Ikea to maintain wineglasses within achieve.

Glass Cabinets: Wisteria; wall shelves: Grundtal, Ikea

Angela Flournoy

A repurposed store banner over using a geometric pattern leans on a wall. “I really like to recreate matters,” Underwood says. “Shifting something from its initial purpose and utilizing it in a totally different way really excites me.”

White sofa: Domino, Z Gallerie

Angela Flournoy

Underwood opted for warmer tones from the bedroom to ramble in the dramatic colour combination from the living area. His aim was to create a relaxing and relaxing area. “I only wanted to make it warmer and comfy upstairs,” he says. “If I’m sitting up here working on a project, it just relaxes me. I sit and watch people on the road walk by.”

Burgundy throw: Essential Cozy Throw, Pottery Barn

Angela Flournoy

This decorative white panel was once a prop from a retail window which adds a decorative element to the bedroom. “I attempt to think out of this domain of what a thing is assumed to be used for, and it saves a great deal of cash,” he says. “Plus, it is a fantastic conversation starter when I have people over.”

The wood floors were a labour of love. When Underwood first seen the attic, the floors were untouched and dull. He tackled this project before moving; in a 48-hour procedure, he implemented a gloss coating to provide the untreated wood its high sheen.

Wall paint: Almost Charcoal 4008-2B, Valspar

Angela Flournoy

Open lofts do not have a great deal of solitude, and Underwood embraces that motif, even in storage areas. “I believe that if it is an open floor plan, why try and hide it?” He says. “Just keep the open layout in most facets, and you also won’t stress out about storage and trying to conceal things.”

The open closet also forces Underwood to purge frequently. With the dearth of personal storage, staying organized and utilizing every inch of this vertical space is indispensable.

Angela Flournoy

Instead of tucking away his endeavors, Underwood functions on them in full display throughout the attic. From the styled mannequins from the entryway to the hat set in his bedroom, his imaginative endeavors become immediate art and add to the eclectic flair of his property.

The foyer place doubles as a workplace for meeting with customers and as a workstation for sewing clothing or pillows. “The whole place acts as a live-work area and keeps my thoughts imaginative,” he says. “I have the space to create table configurations, save racks of clothing or even picture vignettes for customer projects.”

Angela Flournoy

“It’s always reassuring to come home to my area,” says Underwood, shown here. “My layout taste is very eclectic. I love mixing new and old, rough and smooth, contemporary and rustic. I tell my customers, ‘Design your home like you want your clothing. Layer colors, textures and accessories. Your home should be a reflection of you.'”

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