Fine home design has many stories to tell

In her timeless book “Formal Country,” published in 1989, author Pat Ross dispelled the myth that country or provincial interiors also have to be corny. In Ross’ tour of this country from coast to coast, the book’s photographer, David Phelps, captured the interiors of upscale townhouses and of loft apartments, of cozy mountain cottages and of elegant estates, that blend classic period furniture with handcrafted pieces that are appropriate and at home in their eclectic environments.

In the mid-20th century, French and Italian provincial furniture was the rage for new homeowners, its wood obscured by faux finishes of wood grain or paint. “Provincial” is simply a fancy term that means “country” or “from the provinces,” and originated during the baroque era when lavishly designed furniture for royalty was reproduced in less important woods, its inferiority disguised with paint and gilt.

In the American colonies, fine cabinet makers supplied the affluent citizenry with furniture that copied the styles of the courts in England and Europe while people of lesser resources interpreted those same styles and adapted them for their usefulness, in a simpler vernacular.

The purists among us, who insist on only one period of design or who are slaves to the English and European influence of the 18th century, have to be pretty creative to ensure interiors do not look boring or tedious. Interior designers can fall prey to this trend, insisting on furniture that has pedigrees worthy of a museum; however, comfort often falls victim to this pedantic attitude – rooms that look lifted from a design magazine but with no place to sit!

YOUR HOME CAN TELL YOUR STORY

The most intriguing houses are ones that reflect the people who live there. Walking from room to room is comparable to reading a biography of the person who collected the furniture and accessories, tangible reminders of a life well lived. If you ask questions, every piece has a story, a common thread among those who consider furnishing a home an endless adventure. For instance, an “early marriage” sofa has been replaced with a more refined and comfortable one; a primitive trunk that was fine while the children were small has been displaced by a real cocktail table or by an ottoman for propping up your feet.

In her cottage in north Macon, Pat Smith is surrounded by her favorite things — the furniture and art work, the handcrafted artisan pieces and lots of framed family photographs, carefully culled from all of the purchases she has made over the years of starting out in small houses and of moving to larger houses that accommodated her blended family, plus grandchildren.

Smith has had several successful careers. She owned a health food store, worked in the nonprofit arena and is an associate broker with Fickling & Co., where she has sold real estate and more recently trained and mentored new agents. Each contact and each house she listed was a potential resource for finding objects she could take home with her. “The brass railroad lanterns, which I thought were tin, I bought from a man carrying them down Forsyth Street – I just stopped and asked him if I could buy them – then discovered they were brass,” she said about the lanterns she gave to one of her daughters when she downsized.

The pine cupboard, in the living room, with simulated buttermilk paint in the back of the shelves, she found in a junk shop, stripped it of paint and waxed the old pine to a warm patina. Another, taller cupboard, in Smith’s den, she saw on the screened porch of a house she had listed. The owner had screened the porch after placing the cupboard outside and had no way of removing it without taking out the screen. That was not a problem for Smith – she had some help in removing and replacing the screen, and came home with the prize.

COMBINING DIVERSE DESIGN ELEMENTS

In each room of her house, handsome Oriental rugs complement the woods and are the catalyst for colors Smith has used in her interiors. A pair of Asian watercolors in the foyer are the delicate counterpoint to the Chinese red wallpaper. Watercolors and pen and ink drawings by the late Ed Fluker are on the walls of every room, each one’s acquisition accompanied by a story of the occasion or about the prolific artist.

Jeanne Clark’s watercolors of fruit and of more contemporary subjects are paired well with the fine, rich grain of an English oak server in the dining room. A stack of papier mache bandboxes, colorfully lacquered in the palette used in the living room, cleverly conceal games and items that might otherwise clutter other surfaces in the room. Unusual pottery, some thrown by local potter Linda Padgett, is displayed throughout the living areas with other painters’ works, including that of the late Ben Shute, a longtime instructor at the High Museum School of Art and co-founder of the Atlanta College of Art.

DESIGN WITHOUT A PLAN IN MIND

Smith said she never really had a plan in mind when she started collecting. She inherited some family heirlooms which first stirred some interest in antiques, but since that time, her taste has become more discerning and she likes trying out new ideas and combinations. “Like my yard, I really don’t have a plan – I see something I like, bring it home and see if there is a place for it,” Smith said, laughing at her own trial and error style of decorating.

Her daughter, Valorie Lewis, the in-house interior decorator for Warno-Cam Paint Co. and owner of the design firm Breezy Hill Interiors, who sometimes cautions her mother on choices she makes, coordinated the design of Smith’s cottage. “She will let me know if the house looks cluttered and warn me about too much of a good thing,” Smith said about her daughter.

Smith may consider herself lacking in landscaping talent; however, the entrance to her house is abundant with color and textural interest, and has the old world charm of an English country house. Stepping up to the front door is enough to arouse the curiosity of a visitor, and the interior does not disappoint – the array of styles and the accessories, which range from primitive to sophisticated, is complementary in scale and, at the same time, the yin and yang of design that is noticed for its amiable coexistence.

A white bark cloth slipcover on the living room sofa looks cool for hot summer months but stays on the sofa year round, lending a casual air to the room where a circa 1890 chestnut armoire, with original brasses and its natural, luscious caramel finish, stands sentinel over upholstered, cane backed club chairs in a quiet, elegant room, perfect for reading.

Smith’s home is charming, but not predictable; it is elegant, but comfortable and, each objet d’art is a reminder of the friend or family member who gave it to her, or of the stop in the road to rescue an abandoned treasure. “Valorie found this plate rack for me when an antique shop was closing in Ingleside,” Smith said, pointing out the display of ironstone on its shelves, “and, isn’t it perfect for this spot?” The newest piece is a reproduction of an English tavern shelf, but doesn’t belie its lack of provenance. Like everything in Smith’s collection, it has a purpose and a story worth hearing.

This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Fine home design has many stories to tell."