Distinctive Spaces
October 13th, 2007
While traditional New England living rooms tend to be very formal and staid, harking back to the entertaining parlor spaces of yore used only for visitors or on special occasions, todays living room trends reflect a far more welcoming daily-use approach.
Patricia Garrett, owner of the interior design firm The Classic Room, carefully balances classic pieces with just the right amount of drama. By working closely with her clients, Garrett achieves an enviable mix of luxury and tradition, all brought together beautifully to enhance the client’s individual character.
A tailored piece such as a classic down-stuffed Baker sofa accented with a soft cashmere throw might be placed with an elegant, antique blown-glass crystal chandelier and a gracefully arched golden mirror frame. Adorned with luxurious hand-stitched, silk-trimmed pillows and a few marvelous collectibles, the cozy haven achieves exquisite flair.
The rooms are inviting always, proving that sophisticated design is not foreign to comfort. Gracious entertaining through good times with family and friends seems at the core of Garrett’s designs. One is enveloped by the luxury built into her rooms.
Garrett’s ebullient style and appealing nature are channeled into her work. Very active with Connecticut’s chapter of ASID, Garrett’s clients adore her, as she draws out their personalities within their rooms. Her sunny nature translates warmth, often reflected in a room’s color palette, instilling a sense of well-being within each of her design spaces.
Sourcing excellent foundation pieces for just such a classic room can be done at Christman Furniture, where local families have shopped for decades. Located in Darien, this classic furniture store has truly fine pieces to furnish your home.
Exceptional quality has been a hallmark of this retailer for generations, as it showcases Kindel, Hancock & Moore, TRS and Henckel-Harris lines. Pieces purchased at Christman Furniture generally become treasured family heirlooms.
When clients ask interior designer Dianne Lowenthal, “Where should I start?”
Sensibly she replies, “Start with what you use most often!”
Invariably, unless a client entertains professionally at home often as a CEO or Ambassador (which has required Lowenthal Partners Interior Design to conform to more formal treatment), living rooms generally serve multiple functions.
By incorporating cleverly nested triplet side tables and surfaces such as antique Chinese garden stools (a suitable spot for placing a cocktail which might double as seating when the room is more populated), a carefully executed room design proffers elegant function.
Frequently a fine carpet anchors a room, building a schematic into the room. Seating arrangements are key considerations: groupings of inviting chairs, sofas and loveseats conveniently make a large living room conducive to supporting multiple small group interactions.
Lowenthal expertly manages contem-porary settings as deftly as more traditional designs.
Leonard’s New England, founded in 1933, sources antique furniture daily, primarily from area estate properties and often from its own customers. Complemented by the European pieces they import, Leonard’s offers a terrific spectrum of fine and unusual antique furniture.
Company owner and president, Jeff Jenkins joined the business while still in high school working alongside his father (the company’s manager since 1957), as well as company founder Lester Leonard; in 1988, Jeff purchased the business.
Inspired by the extraordinary craftsmanship of the fine antique furniture Leonard’s sold, Jeff developed a workshop to reproduce some of the most sought-after pieces. This workroom operates today to provide the same old-world handiwork found in the best heirlooms.
“Good looking, well-made and functional,” is how he describes their furnishings.
Dedicated Leonard’s employees, always welcoming to the public and to the trade, are proud of their product. Service and style are essential attributes of the company’s success.
That same sense of extraordinary craftsmanship can be found at Country Swedish Interiors. Ease and simplicity matched with distinguished traditional comfort in a classic Gustavian style is at the core of all Country Swedish furnishings.
The Country Swedish Collection, available to the trade at their South Norwalk or New York showrooms, includes furniture, wallpaper, fabrics and rugs.
Inspired by the royal European courts that heavily influenced the style prevalent during the reign of King Gustav III (from 1775-1792), these fine reproductions are crafted carefully with attention paid to scale, proportion and ornamental detail, marrying well with today’s American lifestyle.
Each piece in the Country Swedish Collection is handcrafted with master techniques practiced by skilled woodworkers using the highest quality materials. Expertly burnishing the signature color or stain on each piece is a time-honored skill practiced by only a few. The resulting furnishings reflect this extraordinary craftsmanship.
Orrick & Company of Greenwich takes a holistic approach when creating spaces with clients.
“We specialize in personal attention to a discerning client who values the expertise of our design team,” states Alicia Orrick. The company’s frequent use of natural fibers ideally translates to family-friendly living rooms because the materials are durable and easy to clean.
Orrick’s rooms are lived in easily. The juxtaposition of clean-lined functional pieces is in harmony with an active family lifestyle.
Equally successful treatment enhances a quieter, serene lifestyle with Orrick’s special way of incorporating contemporary design to create a soothing presence.
Careful integration of lighting is key to these comfortable spaces: a room’s natural lighting qualities are incorporated with layers of task lighting and reflection elements, imbuing the space with an encompassing translucence.
This sense of well-being is enhanced by cherished objects or collections, or highlighting artwork. Overall, a very comfortable room clearly results.
Confident style is created by Harborside Design using a client’s own pieces at the core of design. The Southport firm was formed by Alexa Wheeler and Christopher “Treef” Rosow to create interior and exterior design solutions that benefited from their combined expertise.
Alexa Wheeler, partner at Harborside, says, “We are finding that our clients want the best of both worlds in their living rooms. Long gone is the stiff formality of our grandparents”(and even our parents) living rooms.”
A recent living room installation in a formal house features the clients’ collection of fantastic Art Deco furniture. Incorporating wonderful textures with durable textiles allows the family’s children to be as welcome as their guests. The room is eminently functional and usable.
“Our clients want to combine the elegance of the traditional living room with the comfort offered in a family roomcreating a stylish yet functional space. In other words: a room that is a step above a family room, but still a room where children are not banned from the upholstery.”
EB Home, whose popular Mount Kisco store demanded expansion, recently opened a second gallery store in Norwalk to much acclaim. “What the modern and classic home can be…” is the company moniker. Inside the eclectic space, one can’t help but feel inspired.
Its gallery-like exhibition of ordinary objects makes one pause to re-imagine one’s own possessions: merely by showcasing objects in a new way, their importance can be magnified and their presence elevated.
“Collecting is important, as it tells the story of its owners,” explains Owner and Designer Rick Brown. Whatever his clients collect, whether books, pictures, or ceramics—these collections can be incorporated into a charismatic living room.
EB Home creates high impact with exceptional style.
In fact, Brown cleverly has termed today’s living room as “the Talking Room.” To bridge that sense of “Hands off!” frequently associated with living rooms of the past, Brown manages to highlight the sacred nature of the living room while enhancing its welcoming nature.
Brown focuses on the belief that these rooms are meant for conversation and engagement. For example, his own sons have been schooled to refrain from cluttering up the space with their toys and belongings; they come to the room knowing that it is a space in which to interact with others and enjoy the pleasures of another’s company.
The best living rooms remain spaces to enjoy the company of others, which is the essence of comfortable Fairfield County living.
Meg McAuley Kaicher, Capital Consulting Group, 201 Shore Road, Greenwich, CT 06830, 203-625-3375/cell 203-554-5300, megmk@optonline.net
