Designer Frank Babb Randolph

Thank you to the Washington Post for including this post in your Blog Watch, July 9, 2009! 

Last week, while visiting family in Washington, DC, I made a trip to the wonderful antique store Marston Luce. I had just read the new issue of Southern Accents on the airplane ride to DC, but did not make the connection between the store and the article on Luce's beautiful home in France until the seeing the magazine in the store; when I commented on what a good issue it was, the store manager made the connection for me. Hill Country House did a wonderful write up of the article and the 'humble elegance' of Marston Luce.

I snapped a quick iphone picture of the window display at Marston Luce; the Swedish settee truly beckoned me into the store.

While I was in the store, my sister pointed out that famed Washington DC based designer Frank Babb Randolph was in the store with a client. In my world, famous designers are like celebrities. I was more excited to catch a glimpse of Randolph than I would have been to see Brad Pitt (well, maybe that is an exaggeration). Although I did not rush over and take a picture and ask for an autograph, I did surreptitiously listen in on Randolph's comments on the various antiques in the store, and his conversation with the shopkeeper.

It was quite interesting to see what caught his eye that day. This chest was of particular interest!

Randolph does not have a web site, but many of us are familiar with his work from reading magazines and blogs. These pictures of a beautiful white kitchen are perhaps some of the most popular images of his work to circulate on the blogs; I have posted them quite a few times on my own blog, as the beauty of the kitchen and the conservatory style breakfast room inspire me every time I see them. I also love the little sidelight windows on the wall next to the sink. Image via Southern Accents, photography by Tria Giovan.

This beautiful living room is from Randolph's own home, which was profiled in Washington Spaces magazine. I always think it is fascinating to get a glimpse into the personal space of a designer - it is often the best reflection of their own true style. I love the mix of antiques with new items, the beautiful French doors that fill the space with light, and of course, the contemporary art by Elizabeth Dax above the fireplace. Image via Washington Spaces, photography by Kenneth M. Wyner.

A view of the other side of the living room. I love the lines of this sofa (the Gabrielle sofa by Niermann Weeks)! The tall mirror and the exquisite sconces are my favorite elements in the room; clearly Randolph is exceptionally talented at scale and proportion, because the sconces in relation to the mirror seem perfect to my eyes. The soft, pale colors of the room really speak to me.

I am a huge fan of light floors, and clearly Randolph is too. The rich, dark color of the mahogany dining table (custom designed by Randolph) is the perfect element in this light room. Notice the feet of the table, which are nickel plated lion's heads. The symmetry in this room is so pleasing to the eye. Image via Washington Spaces, photography by Kenneth M. Wyner.

The exterior of Randolph's Georgetown home. Image via Washington Spaces, photography by Kenneth M. Wyner.

When I saw this picture on the cover of Washington Spaces last year, it inspired a post on light floors that remains one of my all time favorite posts. I recently came across a quote from Randolph about light floors; he believes that they make the furntiture really dance. This home was a 1960s Georgetown showhouse that was transformed by Randolph. I love the combination of the bleached oak floors and the luxurious melon and lime striped silk curtains. Also note Randolph's use of a contrasting fabric on the back of the chairs. Image via Washington Spaces, photography by Morgan Howarth.

The dining room of the showhouse is simple and elegant. The coral curtains and skirted table add an infusion of color. I must admit, I have a great fondness for coral silk!

Another space that Randolph decorated, this time a Georgetown townhouse from the 1800s. More and more, my taste is transitioning to chairs with straight elegant lines like these.

Randolph also worked on the Vice President's residence for former VP Cheney and his wife Lynne. "We transformed the house using a simple, monochromatic palette," Randolph said, and used antiques, art, classic upholstery, and billowing silk curtains. Image via Washington Post.

Another picture of a room from the VP Mansion, with a large dramatic piece of contemporary art by Helen Frankenthaler taking center stage. Lynne Cheney said that one of the best perks of decorating the VP Mansion was being able to borrow extraordinary pieces of art. Image via Washington Post.

When researching this post, I realized that there is a certain look to Randolph's rooms, one that I like very much. He often uses full richly colored silk curtains; a monochromatic palette punctuated with bursts of color in the art, curtains, and pillows; a mix of best quality reproductions and beautiful antiques; often there are light floors or light, neutral rugs that unify the space and provide a wonderful backdrop for the items in the room. In his own home, Randolph has a fondness for painted European furniture and beautiful chairs - go back and and look, and you will see such a variety in the number and styles of chairs. He clearly has a love and appreciation for beautifully made chairs!

Chair Transformation

Thank you to the Washington Post for including this post in your Blog Watch, June 25, 2009! 

Six years ago, I purchased a set of chairs from Scott's, a monthly antique market in Atlanta. They were in good shape, although the upholstery needed to be redone. However, I had spent my budget on the chairs, so one of them sat in my front hall 'as-is' for years, and the other one was relegated to the attic. On occasion, my husband complained about having a ratty looking chair in the front hall, but to me there was a certain charm about the chair in its original upholstery.

I finally decided to take action on the chairs in late 2007, and posted about it here. I received some tremendously helpful recommendations from my readers, and had the chair stripped of its old brown finish and repaired. The chair then went to a fantastic decorative painter in Atlanta, one who does expert work on antique restoration and finishes on high quality reproductions. Little did I know that the chairs would be at the painters for more than six months! The decorative painter does excellent quality work, but she is an artist and she likes to work on projects when they inspire her. So, I called every few months to check on the progress, but I went on with my life.

Finally, the chairs were ready! I purchased some off white linen from a local fabric store, and had the chairs rebuilt and upholstered. And here they are (well, here is one of them - I don't have room for the pair in my front hall, so the other one is in my living room)! The decorative painter recommended letting the natural fruitwood tone of the chairs show through, and she did a light limed finish in a tone that picks up on the off white of the linen.

Just for fun, I had the back of the chairs upholstered in one of my favorite fabrics, Kravet's lemondrop (I had to put felt strips on the back of the chair as the finish was rubbing off against the wall).

Here is the transformed chair in the context of my front hall. I purchased the triptych at the Trinity Artists Market; I love the look of the contemporary art contrasted with the French chair, and pulled together with a sisal rug. I hope you enjoyed the chair transformation that took a mere 6 years to complete!

Please stop by Between Naps on the Porch to see other transformation projects in Metamorphasis Monday!

Pianos

Thank you to the Washington Post for including this post in your Blog Watch, May 7, 2009!

When it became apparent that music would be an integral part of my children's lives, I purchased a gently used 5'10" ebony grand piano. Although my house is not large, I have an unusually long living room; the piano fits beautifully into the space and is the true focus of the room. In fact, my children refer to the room as 'the piano room' because that is truly the primary purpose of the room - for music. In my search for a new home, one of the first things I look for is a good place for the grand piano. I also notice when there is a piano in a picture of a beautiful room, because so much about the owner can be determined by looking at the placement of the piano in the room.

I really like this room because it is not a huge cavernous space, but instead is more intimate. It has a great balance of furniture - not too much, not too little. I think it is very effective to have a round ottoman positioned under a piano; it can be tucked away, provides a nice soft effect in contrast with the glossy black piano, and can be pulled out for additional seating. Notice that the piano is positioned so the opening faces the biggest part of the room, which is best for the piano sound. Interior design by Christopher Maya.

This is one of the most memorable pictures of a piano in a room (from Traditional Home); the bay window looks like it was custom made with a piano in mind. However, the opening of the piano is facing the window - it should face out into the room for best sound. Interiors by Nancy Bernstein.

I think this picture must have been stretched out with a wide angle lens (it is from an Atlanta real estate listing); I have seen this room in person, and it is not nearly so elongated. I like that there is a separate area of the living room for the piano; it allows the piano some breathing room.

This is one of my favorite images in the 'piano file'. The room is not designed around the piano; the deep nature of the room and the placement of the fireplace allows for room for both ample seating and a piano. The piano is to the side, but is well placed in the room, and provides a nice bit of contrast in the light room. It helps that this piano is smaller - probably a baby grand, which is defined as 5'2" and under. A medium grand is 5'3" to 7'2"; anything larger than that is a concert grand. Design by Ingrao, image via Cote de Texas.

This living room has a great mixture of seating, and is very well balanced. It seems like the perfect place for a piano performance! Interiors by Bellacasa Design Associates.

This piano, from an Atlanta real estate listing, is tucked into the corner. I suspect that this piano is rarely played both because of the floral arrangement on the piano, and because of the piano opening into the corner. The piano looks great as a piece of furniture, but it is not positioned well as a musical instrument. I wonder if some home owners and designers think that pianos look better when the keys can be seen?

I have a few pictures of pianos that are adjacent to dining rooms. I think this is a clever idea - it would be great entertainment during a dinner party (particularly for pianos that have the auto play feature. Image via Cote de Texas.

Another room where the piano is adjacent to the dining room. This is such a great use of space to me, mainly because my own dining room is so rarely used. Interiors by Bellacasa Design Associates.

This looks like a piano that get played on a regular basis. The piano opens into a good sized room, which is ideal from a sound perspective. Interiors by Albert Hadley, image via Habitually Chic.

The piano in this room is somewhat hard to see at first, as it is tucked into the corner and closed. Keeping a piano closed when not in use is a good idea for preventing dust accumulation on the soundboard. This room is from a townhouse in London that was once the studio of the great portrait artist John Singer Sargent; it is now owned by Sir Evelyn de Rothschild. Image via W Magazine (see full article here).

Another room that has not been designed around the piano, as the room is so deep. Image via Traditional Home and Wind Lost.

This room, designed by Anne Coyle, has several seating areas, one of which is focused on the piano. I like the placement and position of the piano in this room.

Beautiful space, and gorgeous piano. But, the piano really needs to be turned around so the piano opens into the room, not the wall; the projection from the piano will go right into the wall instead of the room. As a side note, I love the look of a bold, dramatic painting behind a piano; to me, it is a good balance to the size and scale of the piano. This painting is particularly effective as it is somewhat evocative of piano symbols. Interior design by Atlanta based designer Alissa Portman.

A beautiful home designed by Brooke Giannetti, with architecture by Steve Giannetti. The large living room spans the back of the house, and is divided into several seating areas. One of the seating areas is focused around the piano.

This room was decorated by Carole Weaks for a showhouse a few years ago. The bay window is the perfect place for the piano, and the piano is positioned well with the opening facing the room. Although some people (and designers) may prefer the look of seeing the keys, sometimes function needs to be chosen over form.

I have seen this set up in a few pictures - there is a transition spot between two areas (sometimes living and dining, in this case two seating areas) and a piano bridges the gap. Image via Traditional Home.

Here is the dilemma when you have a small house but a large piano! This room is not large, it has a lot of furniture, plus a grand piano. It looks a bit crowded to me. The scale of all the furniture in a room like this must be carefully considered when a grand piano is involved. If you have a grand piano, a room like this should be primarily a music room instead of trying to be both a living room and a music room.

This room has been seen so many times on the blogs, but have you ever noticed the piano tucked into the corner?

This picture in a recent Elle Decor was featured prominently in many design blogs. I admired it along with everyone else, but did not even notice the piano until I had seen this picture at least five times. Of course it is fitting that there is a piano in the house; it belongs to Lindsey Buckingham, who is part of Fleetwood Mac. The designer is Kristen Buckingham.

The contemporary architecture fan in me just loves this picture. Can you imagine the view when playing this piano?

Creating this post and looking through all of these pictures has been so inspirational to me. I love seeing how home owners and designers place pianos in their homes; whether they are used regularly or not, grand pianos have such beautiful and graceful lines, and really add such a great quality to a room.

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