“Girly Modern:” Melanie Coddington

Get This Look Photographer: Joe Fletcher

 

Named one of House Beautiful’s Top 20 young interior designers, Melanie Coddington is the founder of Coddington Design, a boutique firm with studios in San Francisco and Los Angeles.  Known for her feminine-but-streamlined “girly modern” look, Coddington has established a reputation for interiors with elegance and charm. The firm’s recent projects include residences in Pacific Heights, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Carmel and Napa Valley. Coddington also recently launched Room Service, a virtual decorating platform that empowers clients to DIY worldwide.

Get This Look Photographer: Joe Fletcher

Is there a classic that is always a part of your design…sort of a signature? What is it and what enables it to work in any environment?

We always strive to design spaces that are fresh, polished and livable, and love to use strong silhouettes paired with serene, sophisticated colors. To make spaces feel even more luxurious, I love to use sumptuous textiles! I often start a project with fabrics, and always use the highest quality possible. I’m very tactile so I love natural fibers like silk, mohair, velvet and linen.

How has the onslaught of social media outlets and “design on the web” affected the world of design – for you personally, or in general?  Do you see lasting change in design from this movement to new media?

Now that we can shop in our pajamas, why would we stop?  We recently launched Room Service, our e-decorating platform designed to empower clients who love our look but prefer to DIY.  It’s entirely virtual, and provides access to our expertise from anywhere in the world.

Get This Look Photographer: David Duncan Livingston

How important do you believe websites, blogs, and social media are and will be in growing your business?

Absolutely essential.  We love magazines but there is something really satisfying about the speed of information with online media.  Blogs are so fantastic because you can delve into a real niche, experience a specific style distilled in one place.  Although Coddington Design tailors each project carefully to the client, on our new blog, Girlymodern.com, which will launch late May, we’ll be able to truly indulge our personal aesthetic.  www.girlymodern.com

How are you adapting your business model to the current mood of the market and the available technology?

We launched Room Service in response to what I considered to be an unmet need – instead of designing an entire house, some clients prefer to take it one room at a time on their own schedule.  We like the idea of designing gorgeous rooms for clients on their terms.

Get This Look Photographer: David Duncan Livingston

Are there any design trends from the past twenty years that came and went, not a moment too soon for you?

The antler trend got really out of control, but thankfully I think we are moving on from that now!

How did you become interested in interior design?  Who were your mentors in the early days?

Interior design has always been an obsession of mine.   I grew up in Northern California and while my friends were running around playing hide and seek I was literally building furniture out of the long grass in the field.  I was the kid re-arranging Barbie dream house furniture and ignoring the dolls.  Thankfully someone hired me to design because I was ruined for anything else!

Get This Look David Duncan Livingston

Get This Look Matthew Millman

Get This Look Photographer: David Duncan Livingston

How would you describe your design style?
Approachable, clean, classic and feminine. Girly modern!

What do you do, or where do you go, for inspiration?
I firmly believe inspiration is everywhere.  I always look to fashion – especially handbags and shoes – for inspiration for new custom furniture pieces. And, of course, travelling and art are huge influences. Just as with interiors, there is something magical about distilling mood or feeling, stillness or dynamism into a work.

What is your favorite paint color to use for walls, ceiling, and trim?  Why?  What type of sheen do you prefer?

Is it a cliché to say Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White?  I really do use it in a satin finish on trim all the time.  In rooms with substantial crown molding, I like to use 50% strength of the wall color on the ceiling.

Get This Look Photographer: Joe Fletcher

Who are your 3 favorite fashion designers and why?
Rodarte for their feminine but modern style

Tory Burch for her translation of retro and preppy into something fresh and new

Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel for his imagination and impeccable quality

What will be different about the interior design industry in 5 years?
I came to this industry after working with tech start-ups and I was honestly shocked at how slowly things changed.  We thought we could get by without a fax machine in our new LA office, but we ended up having to get a fax number because certain vendors still refuse to email!  But the rate of change is accelerating.  Tech savvy clients and younger clients love that we’re active in social media.  Everything moves faster and we need to meet the demands of clients who don’t want to wait!

Get This Look Photographer: Matthew Millman

Get This Look Photographer: Matthew Millman

In your opinion, what makes a great room?
Very personal spaces that people actually live in! One of my favorite Chanel quotes is, “It’s not the rooms it’s the life you live in them.”  You need something unexpected, the room should grab your attention at first glance then, the longer you’re in it, reveal more of its details. I always enjoy rooms with a “head-scratcher,” something that makes you wonder, what is that and why is it in here?

What is the ultimate goal for all your projects?
To create a truly personalized space in which life’s experiences unfold beautifully.

Get This Look Matthew Millman

Get This Look Photographer: Joe Fletcher