Feature (Montecito)

Designer Kim Alexandriuk melds refined ANTIQUES with bold
VINTAGE pieces to give a Montecito home a fresh and modern look
Feature (Montecito)
JONATHAN HUGSTAD
JENNIFER BLAISE KRAMER
Photography by
Written by
From the outset, interior designer Kim
Alexandriuk had a clear goal in mind for
the Montecito estate of her longtime clients and friends. Using fine antiques and
edgier pieces from the 1930s to the 1970s,
the designer sought to create a fresh, yet
timeless feel.
“This family lives a very grand life—
elegant, sophisticated, worldly, and accustomed to the best of everything,” she
says. “The combination of classic pieces
Holding center
court is a custom
Robsjohn Gibbingsstyle table over a
DAVID ROCKWELL
FOR THE RUG
COMPANY carpet.
Behind is a French
walnut Louis XVstyle buffet a deux
corps, circa 1840.
Opposite: A DENNIS
& LEEN stone-top
table sits over a
CHRISTOPHER FARR
rug, while a CARLO
SCARPA VENINI
chandelier shines
from inside.
Feature (Montecito)
Feature (Montecito)
Clockwise from
above: Vintage Italian
Stilnovo sconces
from ECCOLA and
chairs in HOLLAND &
SHERRY Dedale velvet
flank a custom-made
credenza, Riviera
coffee table by JEAN
DE MERRY and KA
DESIGN custom
sofa. In the master,
an Empire-style,
early-20th-century
table from HABITE
keeps company with
a custom KA DESIGN
chair and ottoman in
COLEFAX & FOWLER
Brockham damask.
A 1950s Murano
chandelier from
BLACKMAN CRUZ
shares the dining
room with TOMMI
PARZINGER
sconces from
JOHN SALIBELLO.
Opposite: The
daughter’s bedroom
features a 1960s
Italian brass Sputnik
chandelier from
ADESSO and bench
covered in CLARENCE
HOUSE fabric. Side
view of the motor
court and home.
with more playful vintage ones, artwork
and light fixtures [results in] the unexpected—something edgy yet chic.”
To offset the home’s neutral backdrop,
Alexandriuk integrated pops of color and
striking accents throughout the interior,
such as a dramatic chocolate brown wall
in the formal dining room and a vintage
Murano chandelier from Blackman Cruz
for a statement overhead. A custom credenza designed by Alexandriuk, architectural black lacquer deco end table and
striking Stilnovo sconces brighten up the
living room, while a 1960s Italian brass
Sputnik chandelier adds a playful touch
to the daughter’s bedroom.
“To me, lighting is like jewelry,” says
Alexandriuk. “I am drawn to big, chunky
jewelry that makes a statement, and the
same goes here—a space can be vacant
without a strong light fixture.”
Accessories infuse whimsy into the
environs, from a vintage brass butterfly
wall hanging found in Paris to a collection of varied artworks, comprising
Picasso drawings, paintings of street
scenes and train stops, black-and-white
fashion photographs, and 19th-century
etchings and charcoals.
“Designing a home like this is much
like a painting—it’s about composition
and balance,” Alexandriuk says. “It’s
about the combination of period pieces
and more contemporary pieces, and the
language of the two.” •
Feature (Montecito)