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Visit to a Pierce Allen Designed Apartment

Bob and designer DD Allen visit another Miami apartment designed by Pierce Allen. This 1,000-square-foot apartment was made of two former units and now has three bedrooms and an open living, dining, and kitchen area. The unifying concept of the apartment is the color scheme that is all white with punches of color throughout. Allen found vintage pieces like the Kagan sofa and table that were refurbished for the apartment. Vintage lighting designs from France, ship's dining chairs recovered in white, and a dining table made with surfboard technology complete a sleek, shape-focused blend of modern design and contemporary finishes. The kitchen, too, is white with lime green accents, an all-white, molded Corian counter, and an island with a floating, stainless shelf. Vintage glass panels with an etched bamboo motif and original handles grace the doors to the guest bedroom. Pivoting, laminated, frosted-glass doors open onto the master bedroom done in white, with a lime green upholstered back wall that softens the space and functions like a huge headboard. Lucite shelves, a bright pink ultra-suede wall, leather, and glass bring a funky feel to the sleek, monochromatic design that runs thorughout the apartment.

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Visit to a Pierce Allen Designed Apartment

Installing the Toto One-Piece Toilet Now Playing

Installing the Toto One-Piece Toilet

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Installing Moen Faucets in the Bathroom Vanity

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Installing the Water-Cooled HVAC System

Clip Transcript For:

Visit to a Pierce Allen Designed Apartment

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" The approach that. You know Michael pierce took here is a little different one. From what we've seen in other projects in Florida."

" Here's the absence of color yes we really wanted to keep everything white very serene and then use accents of stronger color."

" So you took two apartments and combined them into once and raise roughly what a thousand feet yes about that OK and what you got is one long rectangular space. And it's really interesting visual stuff in terms shapes."

" Well -- is. Modern. Furniture and this is a Kagan piece that was designed. Probably in the fifties and we customized it and they're they're remaking these pieces today covered it white mother yet. And the boomerang table that's I'm also -- a custom top for it yet. I think it's great and quite floors what I know it's a little bit of a bit of an upkeep problem but they look beautiful."

" But if you don't have little kids with crimson and it is not immediacy getaway apartment that's right the owner probably uses it. Sporadically and lends it to friends and family and that's I think death."

" This is cool and then great piece that was designed by -- and non. In France in the forties and every years issuing that now as well but it's got -- wonderful shape and."

" It's a wonderful wonderful thing and then that you're you're you're mixing them all up together yet there's this whole uniformity of white white white white white pulls it together. That the table and the chairs are -- vintage."

" I'm the chairs are from a ship. From ship dining room and we recovered them again in way. And the table was made by it's a friend of ours in California who uses surfboard Texan technology. It's and layers of -- It's beautiful beautiful piece and very easy to take care of yeah."

" Though the whiteness continues right throughout the kitchen and boy that's a brave thing to do the but it looks so fresh and does it looks great. And it it's the kind of design where I guess even if you're chopping stuff and everything. Everything flows right into the sink that's right you molded the is it Korea it is Koran means a lot of Korean here. And the islanders and nights a nice design."

" Yeah we used stainless and Fed into the Koran."

" And I've never seen this done before you've kind of made it Independent -- you've got this opening through here. Which is not. Particularly functional they just feel like it's floating and I just -- it that sense yes."

" What's this this is designed by a friend of ours John we've more with the lighting designer and uses parchment on stretched on framework and -- it's a great."

" organic shape it is yeah who works for me good because when you're in this part of it you start to see how you've used punches of color. I mean I see pink and blue right here but I start to see it farther down into into into other parts of the apartment. Yes of this that the strong wall here."

" This is ultra suede. And of course hot pink."

" But it sets off the glass and the on the site shelves my eye was caught over here as we wandered by --"

" This is -- like an etched glass right these are vintage glass panels come from somewhere in Miami probably in the forties and with a bamboo motif. Fans of the original handles -- had them sentences doors into new door France."

" And then you've got how many bedrooms in the -- we carved out three. The other small. They're again basically white with some touches of pink and and some of that kind of lime green that you like to use yes -- So this is. A -- department is there a -- guest bedroom is there like a master bedroom yes."

" Hidden behind these stores."

" You know they hadn't even registered as being doors back here is it just when you walked in just felt like it was part of the walls."

" That open up to the master bedroom got you so the whole wall. Can be if it's just. Good to have you here just be opened up exactly. And then this -- this is probably laminated frosted glass yes."

" And we have pollster this back walls of film feels like one big headboard. "

" And so when you say -- is it's actually not wallpaper its proper. And it's been stretched on on -- stretcher dressed out. -- up against the wall and has a softness to it it done I think that's very very house."

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A Healthy Room for Baby

Moving to the baby's room, Bob continues to talk with Bernadette Upton of Eco-Decor about the materials used in an ideal room for baby. Although the room is designed for infants, Upton reviews safety procedures to put in place when the baby becomes a toddler, such as removing tablecloths, anchoring furniture, removing climbable furniture, and safeguarding electrical outlets. Upton reviews Treatment-free fabrics used in the window treatments, including washable cotton and solid wood to avoid the glues and formaldehyde found in pressed woods and particle board. The exposed edges and surfaces of particle board and pressboard should be completely sealed with a non-toxic sealer to stop off-gassing. The sofa is an eight-way hand-tie, which can only be constructed using solid, formaldehyde-free, wood. Upton recommends using wallpaper over vinyl, using a minimal amount of it, and airing it befor hanging. When selecting a crib, Upton recommends selecting one from after 1991 because the crib bars are a safe distance apart from one another and harmful chemicals were banned from the manufacture of children's furniture after that date. The baby's mattress is an organic, chemical-free mattress. The house has natural wood floors with throw rugs. The Baby's Breath brochure is available from the American Lung Association.

Furniture Shopping

Bob goes furniture shopping at Sears with the homeowners and a designer in New Hampshire.

Reviewing the Interior Design Colors and Shapes

Bob and architect Michael Pierce review the elements of DD Allen's interior design for the Miami condo. While the dominant colors throughout are calm whites and blue grays, Pierce stresses that he and Allen choose to punctuate their designs with punches of furniture and color. The magenta Morrison three couch, which is a recumbant three draws the eye as does the purple velvet chair from the 1940s. These strong punches of color are offset by a series of black and white photos by Miami photographer Iran Itzakhan, the Kagan white kidney couch, and the white art deco-style table made by project supervisor David Southard through his furniture-making business, DS Woodworks.