When interior designer Barbie Palomino ordered a custom bed for her client’s Kukio residence, it was the culmination of a lengthy decision-making process.
“I explored several options with the Cavens before settling on an investment piece for the master bedroom from a designer furniture line. But when I checked up on the order, I learned that the factory had been flooded by Hurricane Helene. All the fabrics were destroyed, and the factory shut down because its equipment no longer worked,” says Barbie. “I’m really action-oriented, so it's not the end of the world when something like this happens.”
Barbie calmly delivered the news to the Cavens. With grace and grit, she worked on some creative solutions.
“Scrapping it wasn't one of them. It had taken too long to get this bed approved, and I was too emotionally invested. I needed to see it come through,” says Barbie, who applies over 15 years of diverse design experience to navigate any mishaps that may emerge along the way to creating luxurious spaces that are livable and approachable.
After moving to Kailua-Kona six years ago, Barbie opened Studio Palomino, a boutique interior design oasis. She quickly realized that the choices for high-end furnishings on the island were few and far between, so she founded ROOST Design Hale, a full-service interior design retail store, furniture studio and showroom at BREW Block.
As co-owner and principal designer of Studio Palomino and ROOST Design Hale, Barbie creates spaces that are elevated and functional, while capturing the spirit of each client and the place they call home. What may begin as a project to source a few intentional pieces through ROOST often transforms into a full design journey with Studio Palomino, as was the case with the Cavens’ residence.
When they bought their Kūkiʻo home, it came with furniture that hadn't been touched in a few decades. In need of some updated pieces, the couple reached out to Barbie after a mutual acquaintance recommended her.
“The Cavens wanted to create a space that felt refined but relaxed. Over the past two years, this expanded into the dining room, the bedroom, the office, the den and the lanais,” Barbie recalls. The process started with capturing the floor plan in CAD (Computer-Aided Design). “Immediately, I saw that we could make the living room feel much grander. Pocket doors provide a transition from the living room to the expansive patio, pool, tropical manicured lawn and the ocean, so we also wanted to enhance that view.”
“The Cavens have kids and a dog, and they hang out in the living room a lot. The room’s design was inspired by the way the family uses this space. They also wanted enough space to entertain, which they hadn't felt comfortable doing before because the style seemed so outdated,” Barbie says, adding that their personal aesthetic and tastes influenced the project. “I try to appeal to my clients’ personalities, so none of my projects look the same. This is the only one that has these particular massive, black coffee tables.”
Other pieces that can only be found in the Cavens’ living room include a 12-foot-long sofa set and an entry cabinet, both custom-made.
“Every home should be a reflection of the people who live in it. That’s why I love collaborating with our clients to create custom pieces like this cabinet for concealed storage of the family’s shoes and the dog stuff. To give it an indestructible surface, we used a repurposed extra countertop,” says Barbie, whose own love for color and contrast inspired the light blue area rug that graces the generous room. “They were hesitant to bring in a little bit of color. So I brought a 2×4 sample and laid it down. They walked on it barefoot for a few days, and we turned it different ways. The way you turn the rug also affects the way the light hits it and informs the way we had it cut."
Sconces were added to enhance the sense that the living room is a gathering place, while wallpaper creates a softer touch. “The wallpaper was a fiasco to install,” Barbie says with a laugh. “But it ended up gorgeous.”
Inspired by the natural beauty of Hawaiʻi, Barbie incorporates local materials, art and culturally-grounded influences into her designs whenever possible. Rather than off-the-rack art for the Cavens, Barbie suggested commissioning local artist Krista Skehan to create a painting specifically for them. The result is an unforgettable piece that ties together the blend of modern and transitional styles that Barbie incorporated into the living room.
As for the delayed bed, Barbie knows that such challenges come with the territory: “I’m a problem solver, and when it came to this bed, the solution was to source textile companies, finding a similar fabric to what had been approved, while new factories in North Carolina were being sourced to produce the bed. It took close to a year from the day we ordered it to the day we got the bed installed, but it was worth it. Now they have something that is a unique reflection of them… and a conversation piece.”
ROOSTHawaii.com | Studio-Palomino.com | IG: @thedesignstalker