Frank Pitman

While growing up a native of California, I spent many hours drawing and painting California landmarks, winning local awards for my work. Drawing from my appreciation of fine interior design and architecture, and pulling from my vast references, it’s my passion to create environments that are unique to each individual clients’ personalities and dreams for their homes and offices.

Frank Pitman’s work featured in Orange County Register

From the Orange County Register:

A 2,520-square-foot condominium listed at just under $6 million in Corona del Mar originally was two separate units in the Channel Reef complex, built in 1963.

The two condos now have been merged and reconfigured into a single waterfront spread by architect Brion Jeannette and interior designer Frank Pitman.

Modern finishes, custom glass and a wide balcony create the feeling of being on a luxury liner, Sandra DeAngelis and Peggy Desantis of Seven Gables Real Estate say.

The two-bedroom, two bath condo contains a few surprises in addition to sweeping Newport bay and Pacific Ocean views at every turn, afforded by floor-to-ceiling glass walls.

The master suite, part of the condo’s open floor plan, has a platform bed, but no door.

A window in the spacious steam shower also takes in open stretches of the bay and beyond, but privacy glass makes sure the occupants don’t add to the view.

A standalone bathtub filled with water from the ceiling is perched atop floating steps. Interior features include an eco-friendly fireplace, fossil stone countertops, limestone heated floors, and a motorized entertainment unit as well as lights and shades controlled by a tablet.

To read the article or view the slide show, please visit:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/condo-736215-glass-bay.html

The Art of Interior Design

In addition to creating presentation color boards, working drawings, and blueprints, I am often asked by clients to draw a sketch or color rendering of a completed room or space. This enables the client to better visualize the completed interior design concept, as it would appear. Although working drawings are necessary to facilitate remodeling and new construction through the universal language of drafting, renderings enable us to have more freedom in our artistic expression, while sparking the imagination of a client.  I recommend this part of our service often, and it has been well recieved by clients throughout the years.

I do not believe it is necessary to be able to create renderings to be a great designer, although it has its’ advantages. I have been drawing extensively since I was a small child, and with very supportive parents, who actively encouraged me through constant art instruction and practice, I was able to enter design school with that edge. When presenting a design concept, a rendering can help the client imagine the space, and give them the confidence to move forward with implementing the project, to completion. It can also provide an opportunity to identify the need to change something to better suit a clients, personal tastes, and preferences.

I prefer black and white sketches to full color renderings, because I would rather let the beauty of the selected fabrics and color samples speak for themselves, with the clients own imagination filling in the colors and patterns. However, there is no substitute for a color rendering to convey a complete concept.

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The samples shown are drawn in two different styles. A black and white quick sketch of a mans den, presented as the concept sketch for the 2007 Orange County Philharmonic House of Design, and a full color rendering of our concept for the upcoming 2011 Philharmonic House of Design which opens this March.  Although drawn in different styles, the overall ambiance of each completed space can be visualized by the client, or in this case, the most discriminating committee of design professionals and philanthropists.

An Interior Designer’s Library

e2bf3b11df0b872112757f1c2fee6e32_lBesides a natural talent for Interior Design, the Sources that we Interior designers draw from are the single most important tool to bring to the creative project table.  Besides thousands of fabric sample books maintained in our fabric libraries, there are furniture, cabinetry, casegoods, accessories, plumbing, lighting, and hardware books at our fingertips. Most successful Interior design firms maintain an elaborate library of tried and true sources, and I maintain catalogues including glossy pictures and actual finish samples to afford the client the best visualization of the products I select for their home or office. Sources are constantly changing, and library management is an ongoing activity for most designers.

In addition to maintaining a current functioning library, there are additional new sources to add on an ongoing basis.  Every day, I receive literature and emails from many new sources, all wanting a space on the library shelf. Also,  I attend local and national furniture and gift shows several times per year, where we selectively accumulate new and exciting sources to add to our already vast library.   There are different shows throughout the United States where new sources are showcased for the designers approval including; floor coverings, carpets, tile, stone, draperies, building materials, floral, and specialty sources.

In addition to a large resource library, I maintain a database of Architects, Contractors, Carpenters, Specialty installers, and qualified Artisans that specialize in everything from interior decorative paint and plasters, to clock repair.  Frank Pitman Designs has a vast library of sources accumulated over the past 25 years, and although the sources are constantly being updated, there are still tried and true companies that have stood the test of time, evolving when necessary, to remain as valuable tools of quality and fine design.

Professional Interior Design Services

Custom Upholstery
Window Treatments
Draperies
Power Shades
Motorized Shades
Carpet
Wood Fooring
Stone and Tile Flooring
Stone and Tile Countertops and Splashes
Ornate Moldings
Architectural Embellishment
Architectural Enhancement
Custom woodwork and cabinetry
Built in Bookcases
Wall treatments
Custom Bedding
Decorative Plasters
Area Rugs
Plumbing Fixtures
Sinks, Tubs, Faucets
Lighting Fixtures
Chandeliers
Pendant Lights
Lighting sconces
Lanterns
Fine Art
Sculpture
Space Planning
Detailed Technical Drawings
Electrical Plans
Renderings
Tile Layouts
Landscape Plans
Hardscape Plans

Custom Kitchens
Cabinet Refacing
Bathroom Renovation

Orange County Cities We Serve

Aliso Viejo
Anaheim Hills
Brea
Buena Park
Costa Mesa
Cypress
Dana Point
Fountain Valley
Fullerton
Garden Grove
Huntington Beach
Irvine
Laguna Beach
Laguna Hills
Laguna Niguel
Laguna Woods
Lake Forest
Mission Viejo
Newport Beach
Orange
Placentia
Rancho Santa Margarita
San Clemente
San Juan Capistrano
Santa Ana
Seal Beach
Tustin
Villa Park
Westminster
Yorba Linda

We also provide interior design services to Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, Napa, Monterey and San Francisco regions of California as well as the entire Southwestern United States.