Design Confidently, Live Comfortably
| January/February 2005 Find Your Eclectic Style A Barn Home Turns Artsy Repeating shapes and textures tames this open space, but color makes it sing Before the homeowner realized she really wanted an artsy studio space, this post-and-beam barn house was all stark-white walls, exposed beams, and country furnishings. The interior styling was directed by two major influences. The first was the homeowner’s acquisition of an abstract painting that started her on her journey toward color. The second was a Japanese-style garden designed for her backyard.  To evoke an Asian atmosphere in the dining room, we used texture and glimmering, golden light. Gold grasscloth covers the walls, and gold tones are repeated in the cabinet, in the mirror above, and in the chairs’ brilliant upholstery fabric. An oval dining table by designer Gilbert Rohde pairs well with Asian-influenced chairs from the 1950s. Moroccan-patterned window shades and a 1920s Chinese lamp with a new silk shade add texture, color, and fun.
 An elegant and sensual mood was our starting point in the master bedroom. The owner’s inherited circa-1750 four-panel Japanese screen (inset) sets the tone for color and rich materials. The ebonized James Mont dresser and headboard, both with Asian flair, were found at an antiques shop. To add coziness and warmth, we upholstered the wall behind the bed with gold crushed velvet. The velvet wall and the silk bedding pick up and repeat the gold in the Japanese screen.
NEXT: A Colonial Becomes Exotic |
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PHOTOS: JENNIFER CHEUNG |
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