French Elegance Meets Functionality
Seashal Belldina, owner of the design studio Interiors by Seashal, discusses how she merged French aesthetics with durable products to transform a family’s new construction in suburban Pittsburgh.
What is your design background?
My parents bought and renovated our late-1800s Victorian home, so I grew up around design and was always making over my own space. After graduating from college, I worked in advertising for almost fifteen years. One company I was at transferred me to San Francisco, where my husband and I bought a condo in the heart of the design district. I was always walking around and checking out the stores to peruse the latest furniture lines to fulfill my love for design.
Eventually, we moved to Pittsburgh to raise our kids closer to his family. Needing to furnish and decorate our new house, I started going to High Point Market, a home-furnishings mecca in North Carolina, with a friend in interior design; I also dabbled in that area as a hobby for a few years. People kept encouraging me to do it full-time, though, so I decided to reinvent myself. I went back to school, got an interior design certification, and launched Interiors by Seashal six years ago.
This home was a brand-new build. How do you tackle such a project versus renovating an existing place?
We use 3D modeling for all our projects, which is particularly important for new builds because you’re often looking at drawings instead of actual rooms. Ideally in such situations, the designer, builder, and architect work together and have clear communication from the start. In fact, large-scale home builders have told me that they won’t even start a job until there’s an architect and designer involved. It prevents them from having to make changes after they begin and saves homeowners a lot of money.
Unfortunately, though, that doesn’t always work out, and it can become tricky to determine whether things will fit. That happened a bit with this home—I was brought in after the floor plans were constructed and, as a result, had to ask the builder to move a couple of walls to account for the furniture.
What were the clients looking for?
They enlisted me and my team to make their house French provincial while also accounting for their three young kids. To accomplish this, we added touches of the style with family-friendly materials such as sturdy frames and performance fabrics.
The clients also wanted the main areas to be neutral with bolder pops of color. A good example of this is the living room—its overall hue is muted, but the sofa is yellow like flowers from the South of France and the chairs are navy blue. Natural light is important when looking at paint colors, too, and this home has tons of it. We chose a warm white throughout for a calmer vibe.
In contrast, a few other rooms are quite dark. What was your objective there?
One of my favorite rooms is the moody bar room/lounge near the entry, which allows guests to get a drink, sit down, and chat before going into the rest of the home. The husband wanted a tufted leather sofa in it—very traditional French. But to make the space more modern, young, and stylish, I wrapped the backs of the aged-leather chairs in fun striped fabric, created textured walls, and added a corked ceiling with gold flecks as a nod to the couple’s love of champagne. Overall, I really enjoy the juxtaposition of that cozy, dark room transitioning to the grand open floor plan with its bright kitchen and living room.
Details are clearly important to you. Would you discuss why?
Thank you. For each design, I like incorporating unique pieces that lend texture, color, or pattern to a room and can serve as conversation starters. For instance, the living room’s clam-shaped coffee table is really different and unexpected, especially as the space’s focal point. Almost all the furniture I select is customized and direct from the manufacturer: no client will see their design in a catalog or even in their neighbors’ homes. It should reflect their personality.
How did you make the kids happy with their rooms?
One of the boys first said he loved jungle animals, but then right before they moved in after the two-year build process, he changed his choice to dinosaurs. The design worked great for both, and it became a jungle dino room. His brother enjoys gaming, so I had a muralist come in and put wild graffiti art all over his room; I also added colorful LED lights and a funky rug.
Their sister, meanwhile, wanted her room to feel elegant and girly, which I accomplished with the wallpaper and some Restoration Hardware furniture—they really brought in the home’s French design and provided just the right look she was hoping for.
Tell us how you made the primary bedroom a sanctuary:
The couple needed a calm space, so I put velvet everywhere, from the fabulous layers of bedding to the classic French-blue settee. I also added reproduction French nightstands and lamps. However, their biggest ask was an antique mirror; I managed to track down an amazing gold eighteenth-century piece to add as a wow factor.
Did you design the ample kitchen and dining room for entertaining?
Definitely. They host a lot, hence the jumbo kitchen island slab and added seating. Similarly, I had the oversized dining room table, including extra leaves and chairs, custom designed to fit everybody comfortably for holiday gatherings. I also placed a sturdy rug beneath it to both bring in some color, texture, and pattern and prevent the high-ceilinged room from being echoey.
On your website, you promise that if clients trust your process, everyone will have fun. Would you elaborate?
While we work hard and are serious about what we do, we also have a lot of fun along the way. We’re bringing joy to people’s lives—how could we not? A renovation can be a long journey, but the results are always worth it when clients trust the process. We’re very clear about ours from start to finish and keep our timelines tight so we can deliver beyond homeowners’ expectations.
For more info, visit interiorsbyseashal.com