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From the December/January 2010 Issue:

His and Her Getaways

The line between what makes a room feminine or masculine is a blurred one, with members of either sex appreciating elements of both styles. It often depends on who uses the room and how, as these examples show


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enlarge | Photo by Peter Vitale
Feminine Appeal

Warm colors and comfortable vintage furniture define a sitting room that Eastridge Design created for the Junior League of Greater Princeton’s Designer Showhouse & Gardens. The room, originally with raspberry walls and skimpy moldings, became a haven where the woman of the house could work on her laptop computer, make phone calls, rest, read a book, or visit with family members, designer Katie Eastridge says. To achieve her goal of creating a serene space, she chose “well-edited furniture of petite scale and a low-key color palette.” Patterns were kept to a minimum: a subtle geometric in the carpet and a more vibrant blue, green, and cream nature motif on the wing chair and matching ottoman. Panels with a simple trim frame windows that bring in abundant sunlight.

Sources: design and vintage chaise, chairs, tiled coffee table, desk, sunburst mirror and lamp behind wing chair, Eastridge Design in Princeton; pillows, custom with fabric by Donghia in Mount Vernon, New York; carpet, Beauvais Carpet in New York City; hanging light fixture and light fixture behind chaise, Stephen McKay Inc. in New York City; wall color, Pratt and Lambert POR-2057 Brown Sugar.


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enlarge | Photo by Rosemary Carroll
Seaworthy

The sea captain who once lived in the 1847 Memucan Hughes House, site of a Cape May Designer Show House, would feel right at home in the redesigned study, featuring deep window seats, shelving to display artifacts, and wood finishes that replicate the patina of time. He also would be set to work and entertain by twenty-first-century standards, thanks to the design by Michele and Bill Collins of Painted River Studios. The desk is placed close to the window for natural light, an ottoman stands nearby to hold papers or rest weary feet, and the wood floor is covered with durable sisal. Comfortable seating and a wet bar with refrigerator (shown in another photo in Design NJ, October/November 2008, pages 178-179) make the room ideal for entertaining. Painted River Studios covered the walls with grass cloth and finished the wood in a seven-step process involving paint, wax, and glaze for a timeworn finish. The woodwork was a challenge because the room, essentially bare at the start of the project, was not level. “All of the woodwork had to be custom fit to the space,” Michele Collins says. The mantel even includes a secret compartment where the sea captain could hide his treasures.

Sources: design and custom paint finishes, Painted River Studios in Corbin City; cabinetry and woodwork, through Painted River Studios; hand-tooled desk with metal top, Atlas Interior Home Fashions in Marlton; chair and ottoman, Lee Industries in Newton, North Carolina, with fabric by Osborne & Little in Stamford, Connecticut; wicker World War I artillery basket, Heather Fine Furnishings in Medford; handcarved dolphins on fireplace, Enkeboll in Carson, California; sea grass carpet, Stark Carpet in New York City.


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enlarge | Photos by David Van Scott
Sporting Look

A Morris County man can enjoy a sports bar experience without ever leaving home. The lower level of his family’s new home was designed to mimic his favorite sports bars, from the tin ceiling and fully equipped pub bar to five flat-screen TVs, pool and poker tables, and brick walls that add the texture, warmth, and ambience of an English-style sports bar, says designer Maria Bevill of Maria K. Bevill Interior Design. The five televisions — three above the fireplace and two behind the pool table — ensure the husband and his buddies can watch multiple games from any angle, Bevill says. She chose slightly overscaled, overstuffed furniture for the 11-foot-high room, and punctuated the tan/gold/black/brown color scheme with navy and red accents. The bar, a custom work by European Country Kitchens, includes a refrigerator, ice maker, sink, dishwasher, and storage. The bar, seating area, pool table, and poker table occupy distinct areas but are tied together by colors, textures, and the wide-plank heart-pine floor. “It’s very masculine, but very comfortable for every member of the family,” Bevill says.

Sources: design, red leather ottomans, tufted leather chairs at the poker table, and custom light above the pool table, Maria K. Bevill Interior Design in Chester; architect, Appel Design Group in Union; built-in bar, Susan Obercian of European Country Kitchens in Millburn; leather sofa, Bernhardt in Lenoir, North Carolina; tweed chairs, Pearson Co. in High Point, North Carolina; poker and pool tables, homeowner; walls, Ralph Lauren Suede Desert Plateau #SU03.


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enlarge | Photo by David Van Scott
Control Central

In the same home as the sports bar, the wife handles the day-to-day chores in her office, which she wanted to be feminine as well as functional, designer Maria Bevill says. Her computer, fax machine, printer, and files are hidden in cabinetry Bevill designed during the planning phase of the new home. She added feminine wiles with a raspberry/coral/leaf green/yellow drapery fabric and raspberry shag rug based on colors in one of the wife’s favorite possessions: an art glass bowl her husband gave her on their anniversary after she noticed it while window shopping on vacation the previous month. The bowl — filled with her favorite tulips — is shown on a file-storage cabinet under the window at left. “We wanted something bright and happy and cheerful because she spends a lot of time there,” Bevill adds.

Sources: design and custom desk, Maria K. Bevill Interior Design in Chester; architect, Appel Design Group in Union; draperies, made by Stitches Interiors in Randolph with fabric by Bailey and Griffin in Macedonia, Ohio, and large tassel cotton trim by Samuel & Sons in New York City; rug, Fabrica International in Santa Ana, California; ottoman (far right by door), Pearson Co. in High Point, North Carolina; desk chair, Laneventure in Conover, North Carolina; walls, Benjamin Moore Acadia Green #2034-50.