Designer Insider Living Room Inspiration From Glen Peloso And Jamie Alexander

We recently had the opportunity to ask designers Glen Peloso and Jamie Alexander for the inside scoop on their beautiful living room decorating ideas and designs.

The first room is this beautiful and elegant living room space. Even though this room offers many luxurious and artistic details, it still manages to feel comfortable.

BDMS: What was your inspiration for this space?

G&J: The sofa was the first element to come to the room and became the central inspiration for the space. The cut and sew with button detail in a champagne gold leather indicated that the room needed to follow suit. The étagère behind the sofa provides the detail and elegance required for the space.

BDMS: What’s the best way to combine vintage items with more contemporary piece while keeping a cohesive?

G&J: The cohesiveness has to come in the element of finish, type or color. The elements could all be in a burnished gold finish, or they could all be a similar item like vases or picture frames etc or they could all be of a similar color like a robin egg blue. When they are well curated they work very harmoniously together. These kinds of collections work best if they are not the major items like sofas, chair and coffee tables, but accessories in the space.

BDMS: Why did you choose this particular rug? What type of flooring would you choose if you were to replicate this space in a home?

G&J: The rug was appropriate stylistically to the rest of the room. Rugs generally help to define the area of the living room to keep the area cozy and intimate. In a residential setting, as this space was done as a “style spot” display in a consumer show, the flooring would be a hardwood like Ash or Walnut in a medium brown tone. If however the setting was in a more tropical climate we may opt for a warn grey porcelain tile or a travertine in a natural stone.

The second room is more casual and just seems like a fun place to hang out. This is the kind of "man cave" that even the women in the family wouldn't mind relaxing in.

BDMS: What was your inspiration for this space?

G&J: The barn board was the starting point and the inspiration or this space. The warm rich texture of the boards provides a great back drop for this style of relaxed but well appointed room.

BDMS: How do you incorporate reclaimed pieces of furniture while keeping the look trendy and modern?

G&J: The reclaimed look is very popular at the moment and many accessories are being manufactured to look “vintage”. The major element of the space, the sectional sofa, is a modern line and it sets the tone of space which is then filled in with reclaimed pieces. The coffee table has a reclaimed look as do many of the accessories. The combination of the second largest element as vintage makes way for many of the vintage accessories to come.

BDMS: Do you have any tips on creating collections of artwork that feel like they fit together even though the pieces may not seem to match?

G&J: Matching isn’t what ties the elements together. It is the vintage element that creates the collected look. The elements are all things that you might find in a barn or relate to the warm textured wood. When you are creating this kind of collection, think about the “feeling” of the room and the back drop of the space. If you have a wall paper in a paisley you will chose images appropriate to that. Once you have decided on the collection, create an overall square on the floor and arrange the elements inside that square. When you are comfortable with that collection, start to install it on the all – if you like, place the items on a large rolls of construction paper taped together. Once you are happy with the placement of the elements, draw the outline on the paper. Tape the paper to the wall, put the nails through the paper, then remove the paper and install the elements of the collection.

BDMS: What type of flooring would you recommend for this space in a home?

G&J: This room would be great with a wide board plank, hand scraped, medium brown hardwood. Place a carpet in the seating area of a cow skin or natural animal print.

About Glen Peloso and Jamie Alexander

Two well respected names in design – celebrity designer Glen Peloso and Jamie Alexander –came together to co-found and be the principals of Peloso Alexander Interiors.  Both have extensive experience in commercial, hospitality and residential design and bring a combined 35 years of experience to every client space. They create environments that merge their clients lifestyle, personality and architecture.  Being at the forefront of design their work has appeared in both print and TV throughout North America. They recently launched a collection of furniture available at boutique furniture stores nationally. Learn more at Pelosoalexander.com, or follow Glen and Jamie on twitter @glenandjamie and Facebook.com/pelosoalexander