Friday, August 15, 2014

Creating a Home that Matters


Over the course of a long career in interior design, I’ve come across the following scenarios on a number of occasions:

“There is nothing in this house that I’m attached to and I’d like to start with a clean slate, but I don’t know what I want,” says a client who has become bored with a stale or uninspired interior.  Or, often in the case of a younger client, “I really don’t have anything yet….I’m starting totally from scratch, and I don’t know what direction to go in”.  And thus begins the discovery process to unearth the hidden gems that will serve as inspiration for creating a home that matters.   Because everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has something meaningful to build on when creating or re-creating that sacred space we refer to as “home”.

So how do you get a whole new look while holding on to the spirit of what truly makes a house a home?  I like to start with stories.  I find that if I share personal anecdotes that have informed my own sense of style, my clients begin to look at design in a new light. 

I have very clear recollections from my childhood of certain colors, textures and smells and how they made me feel…. the coco-colored mohair sofa in my paternal grandmother’s old Savannah brownstone, the amber beads she wore, her tortoiseshell glasses…all play into my love of earthy browns and soft, rich textures.  When I think of her I immediately think of the color brown.  When I think of my maternal grandmother who lived in South Carolina, my immediate thoughts are of the way the magnolias smelled in her magnificent gardens, the way my fingers felt on the cool ivory keys of her grand piano when I was asked to play for her at the beginning of each visit,  the silvery-pink hair ribbon and a pearl choker she always wore…. those colors and textures immediately bring back feelings of love and joy.  As a teen, living for two years in Thailand, I fell in love with the heady tropical scents of jasmine and frangipani, adding those to my sense-memory with the southern magnolia.   The jeweled colors of Thai temples and the saffron robes of the monks as they billowed in the breeze all became a part of my visual lexicon, able to stir up feelings of mystery and enchantment, even now, so many years later.  

Whether creating a space for myself or a client, the place to begin is with the recollection of what is most meaningful….it might be a color that brings you joy because of a special memory, a texture that makes you feel warm and secure, a scent that transports you in some way.  These are the elements that are important to weave into a home.  Perhaps you have one piece of furniture that matters to you because it holds a million memories….use it!  Then fill in the blanks with new things that resonate because they bring happiness and a sense of belonging to your space.  The most interesting homes are a mix or old and new, nostalgia and inventiveness.  The important thing is to bring awareness to your choices so that your home becomes a reflection of who you are, where you come from and, perhaps, where you dream of going.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Let yourself be floored.

I've always loved the look and feel of a painted floor.  There is just something about the feel of cool, thick paint under bare feet that immediately takes me back to some of my favorite beach houses and southern verandas.  But the beauty of the painted floor lies in its ability to integrate with any aesthetic....from rustic and casual to modern and sleek.  Paint is my favorite tool in my design toolbox....nothing offers more bang for the buck and power to transform a space....whether you use it to whitewash the past, create a clean slate, or to embellish and enhance... paint is a mighty friend indeed.

Here are just a few fine examples of what happens when paint and imagination get spilled on the floor.







Friday, July 11, 2014

Contain Yourself

We all know recycling is critical to the health and future of our planet, but it is also the smartest way to think about building materials for residential and commercial spaces.  Shipping containers, as prefab building elements, are growing in popularity at warp speed, and its easy to understand why. Think of them as indestructible building blocks that can be stacked, cut and configured to create spaces from simple to sublime.  Affordable housing indeed.  The following pics (thanks Buzzfeed) are just a few examples of what can be done when shipping containers intersect with lively imagination.  I'm already imagining my own....

The humble shipping container:
The rest is up to you.








Thursday, July 10, 2014

Horsing Around

Equestrian art is fast becoming a modern element to incorporate into a residential space.  You don't have to be one of the "horsey" set to appreciate the almost architectural beauty of one of these four-legged wonders.  I'm loving the extremely large pieces, often focusing on a graceful neck or musculature.  Here are just a few examples that might inspire you to gallop out and look for a beautiful piece of equestrian art for your home or design project.  These are by the NC artist Jan Lukens. See more of his work at www.janlukens.com





Friday, September 28, 2012

Collections

I love to collect...Asian hats, seashells, books, old boxes and pictures.... things take on new impact when they are displayed in groups or repeated systematically in a space.  Collections can be displayed with a clean modern aesthetic that doesn't smack in the least of Granny's curio cabinet....its all about form.  Quite often I'm asked about how best to frame and display family photos. I  love to take my favorite photos, enlarge/copy them in black and white, then display them in large collections in strategic areas...along a staircase, down a hallway, banking a fireplace.   Below are some examples from my own circa 1880 home.  Enjoy and be inspired to display those things you love to collect!





Sunday, September 16, 2012

Inside Out


These early days of Fall are so lovely...here, in NC, the air is beginning to turn crisp and the leaves are starting to trickle down.  It is the perfect time of year to create outdoor living spaces for reading, relaxing and entertaining.  Taking the "inside out" doesn't require an elaborate location or an expansive piece of property.  It simply requires imagination!  Do you have a favorite tree?  Create an area beneath its branches for reading, writing or snoozing.  Do you have a private corner in the back yard with a view of the sunset or a starry sky?  Arrange an old table and chairs for dining alfresco.  Think in terms of furniture and accessories that you might ordinarily think of as "inside" pieces....let you imagination run wild and make the most of these beautiful Fall days.





Saturday, September 8, 2012

Small Space, Big Impact


These days, smaller spaces are becoming more and more appealing to those of us who are downsizing, or just plain simplifying.  With so many options for small-scale living, you don’t have to sacrifice style for space.  An economy of space simply requires using every square inch to its best purpose.  Smaller scale furnishings, cleaner surfaces, smart storage solutions…all add up to living efficiently and creatively.

Recently WhiteHouse & Co. redesigned the interior of an old condo at Wafco Mills in Greensboro.  The living room felt cramped with its angled fireplace and odd shape.  But with a bit of ingenuity, an apartment sized sofa and just the right furnishings and accessories, the space was transformed into something charming, comfortable and very livable.  Hooray for small spaces that free us up to live big lives!

Before....


                                                                                                  and After!