Dovetailed by design

By Connie Britell
Special to the Coastal Point

It’s a killer job to bring together such a complicated event, and it proves once more that it really does take a village — in this case, our village. Now it’s time to kick back for a well-deserved break.

This year, I had the privilege of being stationed at one of the homes during the two-day tour. As the interior designer of this particular residence on the canal in the Salt Pond, I had first-hand experience in the home’s recent renovation and decor. The opportunity gave me a chance to share with those who visited information about the design and changes that had taken place over the course of the recently completed project.

There were lots of comments and questions: Did the owners design and build the house, or had it already been built when they bought it? Do they live here year-round? Did they bring any of the furniture from home or did you help them purchase all new items?

Some other questions surprised me. “What about those unusual curtain rods? Can you get them locally?” “Where can I find a chandelier like the one in the dining room — and that diamond-patterned sisal rug in the living room?” “What’s the name of the red color on those walls?” “Who painted the delightful mural in the laundry room?” “Where in the world did you find the Marlboro Man in the bedroom?” And, “Whose idea was it to paint those amazing cabanas on the back of the house?”

The truth of the matter is, to be successful, all design projects must be a close collaboration between owner and designer. This home was no different. The beginning of its story is not a new one. My client had purchased the Bethany house a few years back, and had done a bit of decorating before deciding to take the big leap to make it her full-time residence.

That’s when things got serious and a little scary. Along with the inevitable fears about social isolation upon becoming a year-round resident in a beach community, came the questions like, “How’s my good furniture going to look down here?” “Is all that dark wood going to be out of place?” “Should I sell the furniture, or pay to move it down?” “Should I get rid of my mother’s old dresser or try to paint it white?” “Which beds should I keep?”

The big step

Any big move requires the critical process of editing one’s possessions. In my experience, one of the most important roles of the designer is to bring discipline and selectivity to bear so that clients do not fill their houses all at once with everything they own.

But that is not easy. You’ve got to do some soul-searching and come to grips with difficult questions — especially when the move involves a change in lifestyle; and moving to the beach is certainly that. It probably means creating a whole new chapter in your life.

For my client, this chapter did not mean another just another cookie-cutter beach house with yellow walls and blue-and-white fabric.

So, when we began our design work together, I visited her home in D.C. and took an inventory of her furnishings there. They were lovely and definitely on the formal side. She was understandably quite attached to a few special pieces.

Obvious questions came into play: “Will my furniture be too heavy a look at the beach? What can we keep? How can we make it work?”

Over time, we whittled down the over-abundant two-house inventory, saving the most appropriate pieces for the new beach home. Some of the more formal furniture, like the dark walnut, antique French bed in the master bedroom and a pair of beautifully carved Louis XVI chair frames, made the cut. (Eventually, the chairs — along with an almost-new sofa — were reupholstered in fresh fabrics that dramatically changed their appearance, allowing them to be key players in their new environment. A change in fabric can work wonders that way.)

Because many of the pieces selected were French in feeling, a palette reflective of Provence was agreed upon. In place of the traditional yellow beach walls, we went in the direction of rich mustard. To lend spice, paprika red was invited in. To add depth and anchor the large pieces of furniture, a touch of charcoal black was added. Maybe not your typical beach colors, but certainly warm and welcoming, befitting the look the client had in mind.

The next hurdle

Many small construction changes were also part of the unfolding plan. The kitchen was gutted. The builder-grade tile floor in the kitchen and dining areas was replaced with warm, cherry plank flooring. New cabinetry, countertop and appliances were selected and installed. A bulky, iron dining room chandelier was transplanted to the open stairwell and a whimsical, yet stylish, lightweight metal fixture took its place.

To make adjoining areas flow more freely, the once-exterior sliding glass doors and sidelights that separated dining room and sunroom were removed. I made the decision to narrow the resulting extra-large opening to make it proportionate.

Most dramatic of all, however, was the design and construction of an angled wall that created an anteroom for needed privacy to the entrance of a bathroom, whose unfortunate location was smack dap in the corner of the living room. With the addition of this wall, the full bath — almost never used as such — was converted to a generous and handsome powder room with new fixtures, tile floor, low-voltage lighting, and best of all: privacy.

The master bathroom took on a fresh look with a new, sparkling white marble countertop, framed by a backsplash of tiny blue and green marble mosaic tiles. The original huge plate-glass mirror was retired from the wall over the vanity and a couple of sassy, round swivel mirrors moved in, punctuated by a trio of handsome new sconces.

On the guest level, some of the bedrooms and bathrooms did take on a decidedly beachy feeling, to keep the spirit of what guests have come to expect when visiting the shore. The design became fun without being trite.

Much of the client’s former art was tired and needed to be updated. The work of many local artists and framers brought new life to the design project. Much to the surprise of my client, a personal favorite of many visitors turned out to be a colorful, mock-circus poster depicting her as the colorful and commanding ringmaster of her former staff in their special, costumed circus acts.

The final step

From the start of the design project, my client had asked that I come up with something exciting and artistic for the lower deck area by the canal. After much creative cogitation, the wow-factor finally took over.

Voila! The back of the house became the artist’s canvas. Soon a brilliant, yellow- and-white-striped cabana theme was unveiled for the curious eyes of voyeurs traveling the waterway.

So, this year’s party may be over, and in the end my client got anything but a cookie-cutter house. In a bigger sense, the fun (along with plans for next year’s tour) has just begun. Cheers and kudos, all.

Connie Britell, ASID, is an interior designer and owner of Dovetail Interior Architecture and Design with offices in Washington, D.C., and Ocean View. She and her designing sisters, Mary Jo Donohoe and Suzanne Hawkins, are Sisters On Style, co-authors of “SOS: The Professional Organizer For Your Home Designs,” available through www.SistersOnStyle.com. For a design consultation, call (302) 539 1902.