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When Pat picks up a cell phone message from Annie saying, “I have a chair for
you to upholster” or “You should see this vintage trim,” her mind immediately
starts whirring. What does it look like? How should I use it? Despite her
enthusiasm, she always takes a little time to think about the best way to
approach a project.
On one occasion, Annie and Pat put their heads together
on what to do with a low, round table. Pat decided that it would make a great
ottoman for Annie’s living room. Then inspiration struck and she decided to add
a tufted “mattress” on top, with snaps to hold it in place. Flip it over to hide
stains or remove it entirely to turn the ottoman into a game table. “I wanted it
to serve two purposes,” Pat says. “Furniture has to be functional—not just look
good.”
(6) Isabel and a friend found robins’ eggs in the park
across the street and put them in a silver dish as a decorative accent.
(7) Detail
of an ottoman cushion made from old English
hemp. (8) Book covers inspire room color
palettes. “I
never use fabric swatches or paint cards,” Annie says.
HARMONIOUS HOUSEHOLD
Use similar colors throughout the
house. That way you can easily shuffle pieces around and everything will go
together.
DETAILS, DETAILS
Add details from salvaged furnishings to unexpected
places like the interior of an armoire. It doubles their impact and adds an aura
of charm that’s impossible to duplicate in a new piece.
(9) Jack the pooch poses in 15-year-old William’s room, inspired by
boating adventures in Florida. Carpenter Phil Black turned an old portico window
frame into a headboard that alludes to a porthole. (10) An architectural
fragment decorates the wall above 13-year-old Daniel’s bed. (11) “Library ladder” is just an ordinary extension ladder cut down to size,
with plumbing pipe used as a rail. (12) Paternal granddad’s prize swordfish is on
display. (13) Large door on TV cabinet blocks window glare.
(14) A salvaged tremeau mirror that once incorporated a painting serves as the door
of a media cabinet. Though wide, it’s less than 2 feet deep. “The trend toward
slimmer plasma and LCD TVs means that there’s no need for bulky cabinets that
take up the whole room,” Phil says.
Style on a shoestring page
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archive »
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East Coast Eclectic
Minimalist modern vs. cozy clutter: two completely divergent styles find common ground in a fanciful 1920s home| read more » |
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A Room of Her Own
A backyard garage is part studio, part design lab, and part private hideaway for this busy Tampa mom and artist| read more » |
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An Organized Oasis
In her home office (a converted bedroom), a Los Angeles-based stylist uses every trick of her trade to make even the most utilitarian objects look, well, stylish| read more » |
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On the Golden Pond
How one couple moved from Los Angeles to Oregon, strapped on their tool belts, and built a dream| read more » |
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