Press Kit - Kyle Schuneman

 Kyle Schuneman Kyle Schuneman At 28, Kyle Schuneman is already ranked as one of House Beautiful's "Next Wave of Top 20 Designers", a "Tastemaker" by Los Angeles Magazine and part of the "30 Under 30" list by Refinery29. Kyle's company, Live Well Designs, is a threefold venture consisting of interior design, art direction and prop styling. His colorful, classic style is already making a mark in numerous private residences and advertising campaigns for clients such as Target, CB2, Martha Stewart, and JCP. With a natural comfort in front of the camera, Kyle has appeared on CBS' "The Talk" and frequently lends his style advice to on-­‐air segments for NBC, HGTV and TBS. His television work also consists of art directing various shows on Style Network and the Emmy-­‐winning Food Network series, "Giada At Home". In addition, his work has been featured in Esquire, Dwell, Cosmopolitan, This Old House, Redbook, Sunset, L'Uomo Vogue, The Chicago Tribune, CA Home + Design, Angeleno Interiors, and often contributes to Real Simple. Kyle released his first design book, "The First Apartment Book: Cool Design for Small Spaces" (Clarkson Potter) in 2012 and writes a column for the Los Angeles Times called "The Apt. Life". His upholstery line, Kyle Schuneman for Apt2B, was released in 2013 bringing affordable, colorful, and modern furniture to the masses. He is currently working on his second book. www.KyleSchuneman.com before+after:
man cave
Masculine
makeover
An eerie, partially below-grade storage space becomes a fun and functional
getaway for a hardworking dad By KEITH PANDOLFI + Photographs by JOE SCHMELZER
DesIGner : KYle sCHUneMan
Even the most die-hard family guy
needs some alone time. Take Kirker
Butler. The Los Angeles–based writer longed for a quiet retreat where
he could craft his TV scripts while
still being close to his wife and young
daughter. “I wanted some bells and
whistles, too,” admits Kirker, who
hoped a big flat-screen TV, a leather
recliner, and shelves for his sports
memorabilia and collectibles would
make the room just as much man
cave as office.
Unfortunately, the only spot available was a dreary storage area off the
garage. The space, which had once
held a gas furnace, was small, with
uneven floors and large concrete footings designed to anchor the house in
an earthquake or a landslide.
Designer Kyle Schuneman set
about giving the dank room a library
look with dark mahogany millwork
and built-in shelving. General contractor Mark Aller laid a floating
wood floor over the uneven concrete
and clad the footings in drywall.
Now the formerly cold, dark space
is a treasured getaway for the man of
the house. “I’ve been thinking about
this space for seven years,” says
Kirker. “It turned out awesome.”
before The concrete
footings gave the dreary,
unfinished storage
space a bunker look.
after The designer
cleverly incorporated
the footings as the bases
for mahogany bookcases
and a raised reading
nook. Desk: Crate and
Barrel. Chair: Design
Within Reach
{ before }
January/February 2012 Thisoldhouse.com 31
before+after: man cave
> A varied color palette of warm and cool neutrals
helps highlight the architecture of the room. Goldenyellow paint envelops the cozy reading nook, while pale
gray grounds its base. Reading light: Restoration Hardware
≤ A new window, twice as tall as the original, was
installed for more light and air. In the corner, a gas
meter was boxed out with drywall and is now accessed
through an exterior panel.
≥
Mahogany
boards dress up
the drywalled
footings and help
integrate them
into the design.
to
mechanicals
16'
to
outside
concrete
footing
gas
meter
14'
32 Thisoldhouse.com January/February 2012
1_ Zoned the
space with a half
bath in the room’s
only open area and
bookshelves along
the periphery.
Concealed a gas
meter (now accessed
from outdoors).
2_ Finished
the footings by
boxing them out with
drywall and building
bookcases on top.
to outside
to
mechanicals
mini
fridge
TV and hid a mini
fridge inside the
wall that leads to
the mechanicals
access area.
tv
desk
built-in
shelf
bench
seat
3_ Mounted a
4_ Floated a
gas
meter
desk in the center
of the room and
added a recliner
for TV viewing.
built-in shelf
14'
FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE DIRECTORY, PAGE 106
floor plans: Ian worpole
The 14-by-16-foot storage space
was used for little more than stowing drippy
paint cans and holiday decorations.
The comfy space now serves as study,
office, and entertainment center.
16'
before
after
before+after: man cave
≤ Collectibles gathered
over time make the space unique.
Says Kirker, “A man cave should
be personal. I suggest a Star Wars
collection from your childhood
that your wife doesn’t want in
the living room.”
more
man
caves
See a photo
gallery of
masculine
spaces at
thisoldhouse
.com
/janfeb2012
< A recliner tucked into
a corner provides a comfy
spot for TV viewing. The
bookcase backs are painted
a pale color to keep the dark
millwork from looking
oppressive. Sisal rug:
Pottery Barn
> A small half bath is
concealed behind a space-saving
pocket door and looks surprisingly
roomy, thanks to a tiny wall-mount
sink and, yes, a urinal. “Hey,” says
Kirker, “it’s a man cave. Why not?”
Hand mirrors: Jayson Home.
Urinal and sink: The Home Depot
homeowner tip
Kirker butler, los angeles
“Put electric outlets
everywhere—the walls, the
floor, everywhere! Then,
when you find a really cool
lamp made out of a beer
bottle, you’ll be able to put
it exactly where you want.”
34 Thisoldhouse.com January/February 2012
≥ The library gets plenty of
soft, warm light from sconces
installed on the posts dividing
the bookcases. Sconces:
Restoration Hardware
Special Section
Inside
L.A.
Treasure hunt
An interior designer lets us in on his secret
weapon––local salvage shops
by jennie nunn | photographs by Joe Schmelzer
Furniture with a past doesn’t scare interior designer Kyle Schuneman. The founder of Live Well Designs (who has worked on
sets for shows like HGTV’s Creative Juice), he uses old aluminum
tiles as wallpaper, carpet remnants as area rugs, and retro metal
movie reels as picture frames (each hole in the reel gets a photo).
“I love salvage,” he says. “It helps tell a story, gives instant
history to a room, and it’s eco-friendly.” A tour of his favorite
sources reveals everything from bowling alley lanes turned
dining tables to old railroad ties transformed into bookcases.
Schuneman’s favorite shops
At first glance, Santa Fe Wrecking Co.
might look like, well, a junkyard. But
this indoor-outdoor space is overflowing with rows of old doors, columns,
ceramic sinks, and wrought-iron
railings. “Most of it is from home
demolition jobs, but they really pick
and choose what they sell here,” says
Schuneman. “And it’s great for DIY
projects like using old doors as desks.
Leave them unfinished or paint them,
then cover with a piece of glass and add
chrome trestle legs. You can get two
very different looks.” Closed Sun; 1600 S.
Santa Fe Ave.; 213/623-3119. >44B
Sunset November 2009 44A
Shop
Slug + design
Big Daddy’s Antiques is a massive
18,000-square-foot warehouse filled
with hand-carved limestone
planters, rusty urns, marble
finials, ceramic garden stools,
vintage Rand McNally globes,
antique French birdcages, castiron birdbaths, and concrete
horses and spaniels. “Shane
Brown, the owner, has an amazing
eye, and he’s constantly picking
up new pieces on his travels,”
says Schuneman. “I love the old
carnival games and the bowling
alley tables. They cut them to size
and make custom dining tables.”
Occasionally closed Sun, call for info;
13100 S. Broadway; 310/769-6600.
Frames and antique
mirrors piled high at
Olde Good Things.
You can spot Olde
Good Things by the plaster
moose and the giant inflatable Humpty
Dumpty on the roof. Inside you’ll find
rustic farm tables with nautical anchorchain legs, antique mirrored glass, bronze
candelabra dating from the late 1800s, and
wrought-iron screens. “They specialize in
architectural items, whether it’s a stainedglass window from JFK Airport or copper
dormers from the Carnegie mansion in
New York,” says Schuneman. “It’s like a
history lesson every time I walk in. The
staff gives great backstories on all of the
pieces.” His top picks? The huge collection
of tin ceiling tiles and old tennis rackets.
“Both make great frames for mirrors and
pictures.” 1800 S. Grand Ave.; 213/746-8600.
A table made from
recycled bowling alley
wood at Big Daddy’s
Antiques.
Cleveland Art’s brick warehouse
in downtown L.A. has a well-edited selection of antique
books, globes, and hand-blown glass vases, as well
as repurposed industrial salvage such as metal cabinets,
chains, task lamps, and vintage steel factory carts.
“They’re great alternatives to coffee tables,” says
Schuneman. Closed Mon–Tue (except by appointment);
523 S. Hewitt St.; 310/940-4134.
Industrial style
at Cleveland Art.
44B Sunset Client List
- The Beverly Hills Hotel
- C Magazine
- Canvas on Demand
- CB2
- Cost Plus World Market
- The Elysian Hotel
- Entertainment Weekly
- Esquire
- The Food Network
- Frontgate
- Garden Design Magazine
- HauteLook
-  Hotel Bel Air - Howard Miller Furniture
- JCPenney
- Kohls
- Marshalls
- Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia
- Sub-Zero
- Target
- Traditional Home
- Ty Pennington At Home
- Ubisoft
- Virtuoso Life
- Vogue Living
- Woolite