Instead of bringing you a Room of the Week today, I thought a whole house was in order - specifically this amazing, creative, and refreshing loft space that happens to be the home of photographer Kevin Chin and his equally talented wife (and floral designer!) Nancy Liu Chin. Oh, and their little dog too...
Many creatives work out of their home these days, but the Chins have taken this idea to the extreme with Kevin's studio placed right in between their living room and dining area - not an easy challenge!
"I choose this loft because of the great light and 18 foot ceilings. You can see from the photos that I have no problems mixing living living space and working space together. In fact, our friends and my clients tell me that they like walking into our loft and immediately they know they are in a photographer's loft. The open floor-plan makes it great for entertaining and the concrete floors ideal for doing photo shoots in the loft."
The trick to making it work seems to be Kevin's ability to use the space like a studio and gallery without cluttering things up. Like storing photos in silk boxes and finding simple and attractive ways to display his work.
"I specialize in real "film" so having lots of wall space in our loft gives my clients the opportunity to view fine-art prints matted and framed and hung on a wall to be appreciated as art as opposed to looking at digital images on a computer screen," explains Kevin.
"I kept the colors neutral so as to emphasize the artwork on the walls. I did paint a few accent walls with Ralph Lauren gray suede paint which has a beautiful texture. I choose a few key walls that gave the loft more depth and dimension, like the long stairway leading up to the mezzanine level.
The only dramatic color is a large, over-size color wedding photo of us in our dining wall. It is a photo of us in front of a large mural on the alley in which we live. I love the contrast of the vibrant colors of the mural. Even the bedroom is done in mostly white with accents of silver..."
I love that Kevin and Nancy chose to keep the bedroom all white too - very relaxing and bright! And how cute is that lineup of their baby photos along the dresser? I get the feeling that Chin Chin likes the camera too... such a model dog!
The Chins have a great attention to detail - even in their more functional spaces, like the office. From the collection of vintage cameras and baseballs to the sleek magazine holders - everything has a place.
And what does Nancy think of it all?
I'm proud to say that I'm married to an incredible person. KC furnished many of the pieces without telling me. Most women would just die not having a say in the decision but I trust KC's taste in design, fashion, and art! And, one of the things I love most about our space is that even in winter it's warm. Many people have this notion that lofts are cold, industrial spaces and we are so fortunate that we have lots of light. Lighting is so important in good design.
After seeing this space, I think I'd trust KC too! And the lighting definitely can make all the difference - when the sun is shining in, even in the winter, this space looks very inviting, personal and warm. My question is... when you have parties, do you get to use the studio as a 'photo booth', because I would!!
All you need is one little kick to jumpstart the energy (like those adorable calling cards!). The options are endless! And speaking of vacations... today's my boy's birthday so we're off to enjoy the day together! See you tomorrow luvies!
