John Bradfield’s friends hired him to turn the blank living room in their historic South End triplex into a warm, bright, and inviting space. “The owners are creative and intellectual, so I wanted to make it interesting and artful, with a mix of forms and layers of textural finishes,” the designer says. The layout also had to remain open enough for easy circulation among adjacent spaces. With the living room transformed into a cocktail party haven, Bradfield has moved onto designs elsewhere in the home. “Once you decorate one room, there’s a domino effect,” he says. “This living room was the catalyst.”
1 The Phase Design chair offers interest to the dining room from the back. The bouclé seat cushions and the black and gold marble side table tie to the overall palette while incorporating nuance and texture.
2 After two fiddle-leaf fig trees died when the couple was traveling, they settled on a faux one. The Japanese rain barrel planter is from Artefact Home | Garden in the South End.
3 The couple commissioned artwork from Daniel Gastaud during a visit to his Paris studio. “We knew it would provide a pop of color,” Bradfield says.
4 The organic feel of the Oly Studio bubble chandelier is harmonious with the room’s sinuous shapes and infuses a dreamy feel.
5 The Arteriors Home velvet sofa inspired the color scheme. “Curved silhouettes ease circulation, which is important when furniture floats,” Bradfield says. The cocktail tables work pushed together or pulled apart.
6 “With so many straight angles, such as the pediments above the windows, softness is nice,” Bradfield says of the scoop-back, channel-tufted chairs.
Marni Elyse Katz is a regular contributor to the Globe Magazine. Send comments to [email protected]
