Not every decorator in Birmingham could dial into my eclectic, maximalist style, but Danielle Balanis held nothing back,” says Jeana Lee Upton called on Danielle when she hit a decorating dead end. Since the two women had been acquaintances for years, and Jeana Lee was a confessed stalker of the designer’s Instagram, a like-minded collaboration ensued.
Unlike with some of her other projects, Danielle was not starting from scratch; quite the opposite. “Jeana Lee had great foundation pieces, meaningful family heirlooms, and an enviable art collection,” she says. “She just needed help bringing out the best in those and making them feel new.”
The designer focused on adding window treatments and loads of pillows while covering existing pieces with new fabrics. For example, a French settee with classic lines was reimagined in a patchwork-style Pierre Frey fabric—an elevated version of rock festival wear. The piece then found a new home at the top stair landing.
In the black-and-white kitchen, Danielle introduced a large-scale Schumacher flame-stitch pattern that feels old school but is rendered in bolder hues. The designer worked with the existing cornice boards in the dining room and simply re-covered them in a mustard moiré fabric edged in a persimmon tape trim. Black walls and a de Gournay gilded Japanese chinoiserie hand-painted wall covering add to the dramatic color palette.
In the foyer, sky-high Lucite floor lamps with antiqued brass Corinthian column tops were tweaked with the addition of hand-painted custom shades that feature exaggerated Greek-key style detailing by Morgan Johnston.
Throughout the home, it’s evident that Danielle understood her client’s love of quirky, unexpected decorative accents as she creatively highlighted them. In the living room, a pair of stone sphinxes holds court inside mirrored arched alcoves while a collection of disparate tribal masks surround a zebra over the fireplace. The designer also incorporated a brass palm tree lamp and a grid of tortoise shells in the den.
“Jeana Lee and I both love going to live rock concerts, so we created a design that dials into the fantasy of that experience—where there’s a feeling of freedom and living out loud.”
—Danielle Balanis
Now Jeana Lee’s home reads like a swanky club where the coolest kids hang out—those kids being the ones that love fashion, art, music, and Indie films, as well as anyone who likes to push the envelope in just the right way. “People may equate maximalist sensibilities with clutter, but that’s simply not the case,” says Jeana Lee. “Everything has meaning and has a place.”
Danielle Balanis Design
daniellebalanis.com; @daniellebalanis_design
