Some design stories begin with a blank canvas, but this one starts mid-stroke, with furnishings already in place and a layout filled with promise but needing some finesse. When KT Tamm, principal and lead designer of KT Tamm Inc., was called in to complete this home, the challenge wasn’t to start from scratch but to create cohesion and make the space feel like every detail was considered from the beginning.
“Our clients had purchased some of the furnishings before our involvement,” Tamm says. “They called on us to complete the look and melt new selections into play as if it had all been planned and chosen at the same time.”
Creating that seamless narrative meant addressing spaces with wildly different scales. The living room, for example, offered towering vertical volume, beautiful but overwhelming. Other areas, by contrast, felt more intimate and restrained. “We needed to find solutions to balance it all out,” Tamm points out.
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Designing With Drama
The home’s most visually striking element is the oversized floral wallcovering in the living room. Ethereal and dramatic, it turns an ordinary wall into a statement of quiet elegance. “Prior to this final choice and direction for the living room wall, we spent a good deal of time doing digital studies of various large-scale artworks,” Tamm explains. “It was a very good exercise, and we all decided to move ahead, developing the selected floral pattern into a full-scale, full-wall coverage.”
Printed in panels that soar 17 feet high, the wallpaper delivers impact without being too overpowering, thanks to its tone-on-tone palette and soft finish. The scale of the pattern also mirrors the architectural height of the room, helping to bring balance and focus.
After finalizing the dreamy selection for the living room, another pattern—initially in the running for that space—found its own home. “Now that we had the clients’ confidence, it was mutually decided to ‘go big or go home,’ as they say,” Tamm remarks.
Because the dining room didn’t yet have a clear design direction, the bold wallpaper gave the space its purpose and personality. This choice successfully injected character and drama into the previously undefined area.
“Now that we had the clients’ confidence, it was mutually decided to ‘go big or go home,’ as they say." - KT Tamm
Layering Texture and Tone
Much of the project’s success comes from the way materials are layered to create warmth within a modern framework. The core seating had already been predetermined by the homeowners, but Tamm integrated new elements that added richness and dimension.
“The beautiful area rug and the warm woods of the new consoles and coffee table really add to the overall warmth of the space,” she notes. “Accessorizing details and art selections also help tremendously.”
Rather than overpower or compete, these pieces complement the existing furnishings. Together, they establish a visual dialogue between color, texture and form, ultimately cultivating an inviting and sophisticated atmosphere.
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Moments of Impact
A standout moment in the kitchen came when the team addressed a uniquely shaped island that needed a new stone top. Rather than force a match to the existing counters, Tamm chose a natural slab with striking veining and opted for a book-matched installation, where mirrored slabs are placed side by side like pages in a book to create a show-stopping focal point.
“We found that stone top and wanted to book match the slabs to create a unique center point and really show off the fabulous markings that Mother Nature had created,” Tamm adds.
Equally eye-catching is the rotunda-style foyer, where artful placement and architectural finesse come together. “The metal butterflies were strategically placed to feel as if they were in flight above the custom wall-hung consoles,” she says, “and they complement the custom circular area rug.”
Going Beyond Design
Beyond aesthetics, the home includes practical upgrades that improve longevity and ease of maintenance. One detail that may go unnoticed but shouldn’t is the new stone-sealing process applied to the client’s existing marble countertops.
“The process was a liquid application that was pretty new at the time we did it through Picasso,” Tamm notes. It’s one of those quiet luxuries that prevent everyday mishaps from turning into permanent damage, a prime example of form meeting function in a subtle but meaningful way.
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