๐ ๐๐๐ช ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐: After seeing my work published in a ๐๐ณ๐ข๐ฅ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ magazine spread, a lovely couple invited me to collaborate with them on their home renovation in the Northeast. โฃโฃThe wife had interviewed a few other designers prior to my arrival, and to hear her tell the story, it had been quite a frustrating experience for her.
Apparently, she had been told by each visitor that her โdatedโ โbrownโ furniture would be unacceptable for a new makeover. Each designer wanted a blank slate to start withโa desire I completely empathized with. However, upon further inspection, I found that the sofas and lounge chairs were all customized, eight-way hand-tied, bench-made compositions. The couple also owned a host of high-end antiques and fine art. Understandably the wife had quite a visceral reaction to the idea of simply throwing it all out. โLetโs remix all of itโ, I told her.โฃโฃโฃ I was intrigued by the challenge of creating a new picture with old puzzle pieces. Plus...it was an eco-consciously responsible thing to do!
We did purchase some new additions. But to the clientsโ delight, we also recovered nearly 30 pieces of their old furniture. I rearranged everything into different rooms and groupings, ensuring that things felt, at once, both familiar and new.โฃ ๐๐พ
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For example, armed with a new color palette of mint, aubergine, teal, lavender and white, we gave this living room a complete redux. The French doors were painted purple (yes, we did!!!), while the black Chinoiserie cocktail table was dipped in white lacquer. New finds, like the contemporary artwork and Robert Allen Wing Back chairs, were paired with vintage and antique pieces. โฃ
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By 1.) putting the house on a serious diet, 2.) retaining what worked, and 3.) peeling away the heavy layers of the 1990s, a classically modern silhouette emerged. Best of all, we honored the clientsโ long term investments, truly โsomething old, something new!โโCDJ #designremix
