Designer Summons Fantasies to Life
By Gina Dostler
Anita Borrelli might talk with a soft tone, but her design work speaks boldly. Personally recruited by the von Hemerts, she brings her love for interior designs to the furniture store von Hemert Interiors and creates spaces that sparkle.
Q: Tell me about 12 Hermitage Lane in Laguna Niguel’s Ocean Ranch.
A: It has incredible views of city lights and the ocean. I truly enjoyed working on this project. The whole focus was on entertaining, creating awe-inspiring spaces to wow the guests. And it worked. Many times interiors this big can feel cavernous, but I added reds to warm the rooms since color tends to get lost in large spaces. It has a dramatic entry with 25’ ceilings. I utilized big chandeliers to create glamour and beautiful floors for guests to wander on throughout the home. There’s a game room, wine cellar, gym, spa and a five-car garage below the home. I actually took part of that section, enclosed it off and made it a home theatre. There is lot of house in this 8,000 square foot home.
Q: You have many one-of-a-kind elements in this home.
A: I’m lucky to be working at von Hemert that has many sources all over the world. Hermitage Lane has a stunning custom Swarovski crystal chandelier, 7’ x 7’ hanging from a domed ceiling. The dome I had custom painted with a pattern I drew where I mimicked below in the custom rug set into the floor. I wanted to create a dramatic feel with color and sparkle upon entering the home, grand chandelier hovering above, red strategically placed throughout to make any guest feel special walking through the entryway.
Q: So you geared this home for black tie events?
A: That’s exactly what we had in mind; big, grand and exquisite for all their entertaining. I designed a balcony overlooking the living room where musicians could play live music. I had a lot of fun with the downstairs guest room where I decided to turn it into a parlor room. I commissioned an artist to paint the walls in exact detail as the drapery, red and gold stripes, which I carried through into the bathroom. I also had the artist paint draperies on the walls on either side of the bathroom sink and painted the ceiling into folds of material like the drapery, making a colorful beautiful blooming spiral pattern to reflect into the mirror.
Q: Do you find yourself preferring one style over the other when you design?
A: The French provincial style at Hermitage Lane provided a special opportunity for me to create such a luxurious place. But I love designing for all styles. I’ve been designing for over 42 years and have a lot of ideas under my belt that meld into my current work no matter what type of style is needed. I have contacts with many vendors and sources to create anything a client so desires.
Q: What was one challenge for you designing an interior?
A: The house I did in Naples, (Long Beach) is rounded and everything has a curve to it. So I floated the furniture, bringing them to the center of the room so they didn’t touch the walls which in this case were windows overlooking the bay. I then took a display cabinet for the one focus wall. The effect left the curvature untouched, and allowed a nice flow around the furniture. This effect works well when working with large rooms or curved walls.
Q: What’s your current project?
A: I just flew in from Bainbridge Island. My client purchased the home where the outside is gorgeous but the insides are old. We first tried working with the interior spacing but soon found that wasn’t going to work. We gutted the inside yet soon found that wasn’t enough. Halfway through the design project we just weren’t able to work around some of the structural features of the home so decided to tear it down and work from the ground up. It’s a whirlwind of a job, but I’ve already done three of this client’s homes with great success.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Anita Borrelli
von Hemert Interiors
1595 Newport Blvd.
Costa Mesa, CA
949-642-2050
