Bridge For Design Autumn 2014 Bridge For Design Autumn 2014 Issue | Page 222

TOP: In this entry hall, we painted the walls blue and paired an 18th century Irish table with a Sam Francis painting so that you really appreciate each piece in the
overall setting. Antique jars from Italy and Holland were added to provide an unexpected counter-balance to the contemporary art Photograph: Michael McCreary
OPPOSITE: This whimsical dining room starts with the traditional, clean lines of a set of Italian 18th-century Neo-classical chairs, each upholstered in vivid hued velvet.
Because the space was very long, thin and not conducive to art pieces, high drama is delivered in the tented ceiling and upholstered walls with handpainted fabrics.
Photograph: Michael McCreary

fabrics, I try to create a sense of comfort and ease, knowing that the

room. I like to match precious and sometimes disparate objects. I
avoid perfectly matched rooms, and prefer to design by adding
contrasting elements, like pairing an antique painting with a modern
one, thus making each item (and the room itself) feel more special.
In putting things together in a space, I very consciously try to mix
periods, textures, sizes and quality. The same holds for antiques in
general…the last thing you want is your house to look like a museum.
Mix away.
I am always on the look out for great accessories and decorative
pieces…they are one of the most important elements in helping
interesting decorative accessories that are unique and special.

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Whenever I see something that I like, I buy it and know that it will

shopaholic when it comes to accessories.
Art often presents one of the biggest challenges in completing a job
for clients. It is amazing how many otherwise sophisticated people

to be great art but a room with four bare walls is simply not soul
count as ART. I have also come to learn that it is good to move your
art pieces around within your home. You actually stop seeing a piece