What’s Coming Up

HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA Huntsville Museum of Art Voices of Our Times February 3

hsvmuseum.org

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON Northwest Flower & Garden Festival February 9–13

gardenshow.com

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE Antiques & Garden Show Nashville February 11–13

antiquesandgardenshow.com

MONTEVALLO, ALABAMA Sixth Annual American Village Festival of Tulips Mid-February through March

americanvillage.org

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT Connecticut Flower & Garden Show February 24–27

ctflowershow.com

ATLANTA, GEORGIA Atlanta Botanical Garden Flower Show February 25–27

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HOUSTON, TEXAS 86th Annual River Oaks Garden Club Azalea Trail March 4–6

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Indicates Flower is attending or sponsoring the event. For more events, visit flowermag.com.

ALWAYS &

After 26 years and fi ve children together, India Hicks and her partner, David Flint Wood, were married in a storybook setting surrounded by friends and family

By MARGOT SHAW Photography by DAVID LOFTUS

FOREVER

Known for her work as a lifestyle entrepreneur and philanthropic activist, India Hicks is the granddaughter of Lord Mountbatten; the daughter of the late design icon David Hicks and his bride, Lady Pamela; and the godchild of Prince Charles. In pondering their wedding, India and her partner, David Flint Wood, arrived at a clear and soulful mission statement. “After 15 months of lockdown, with the world upside-down and a future that looks rather turbulent, particularly for my kids who are between the ages of 13 and 24, I wanted to do something very grounding, something very anchoring, something that would feel completely normal and traditional and safe and secure,” she says. “Standing as a family in church and making some lifelong vows seemed the right answer.”

India and David envisioned an unfussy affair that would be driven primarily by family considerations. The wedding party included their daughter, Domino, as the chief bridesmaid, along with

RIGHT, TOP TO BOTTOM: Three generations—India’s daughter and chief bridesmaid, Domino; India’s mother, Lady Pamela Hicks; and India—gather before the ceremony for formal portraits. • A vintage photo of Lady Pamela’s wedding to interior designer David Hicks includes her bouquet of lilies of the valley from Pulbrook & Gould, the same London floral firm that conceived India’s wedding bouquets. OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: The night before the wedding, India and David welcomed guests for dinner and dancing. One of India’s hosting trademarks is a long, narrow banquet table (which makes for easier conversation) with understated, tailored motifs, such as the hurricane cylinders and candles interspersed among the lush greenery of the table runner. Juliet Bennett of Babylon Flowers, a local and environmentally thoughtful floral designer, foraged greenery and sourced flowers locally for the table and hanging installation. • Plant materials for the lush, naturalistic installation included magnolia foliage, hydrangeas, garden roses, and hops. • A prenuptial dinner dance in the field adjacent to the couple’s Oxfordshire house, America Farm, set a celebratory tone for the festivities. PREVIOUS SPREAD: India’s wedding bouquet, created by Pulbrook & Gould, included roses (‘Iceberg,’ ‘Winchester Cathedral,’ and ‘Susan’), phlox, Japanese anemones, rosemary, lavender foliage, tuberose, hydrangeas, lisianthus, love-in-a-mist, eucalyptus, abelia, and clematis. • Guests celebrated India and David with confetti immediately after the ceremony.

CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: India shares a sweet moment with her bridesmaids before the ceremony. • Pulbrook & Gould wove together eucalyptus leaves with berries, rosemary, and wild bird feathers for the younger bridesmaids’ circlets. • His and hers pens were custom-made by Yard-O-Led for the bride and groom to use when signing the wedding registry. India wore her mother’s brooch that Lady Pamela had inherited from her own mother. To avoid interrupting the neckline of her dress, India opted for the brooch to be pinned to the back of the dress, which she says would have been fine except “my low chignon kept catching on it, and by the time we got into the car to drive away, I looked like I had been dragged through a bush backwards.” • The chief bridesmaid, India’s daughter Domino, carried a bouquet with many of the same flowers that were in her mother’s larger one. All bouquets arrived tucked into crisp white boxes that were trimmed in cream-colored velvet ribbon.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: All of the wedding party arrangements featured a touch of blue. • Juliet framed the entry of the church in locally sourced or foraged flowers and foliage. • India’s good friend Zöe de Givenchy, mother of one of the bridesmaids, does a last-minute wardrobe inspection before the ceremony.

Christian Louboutin’s twin girls and Inès de Givenchy (great-niece of the legendary designer) as bridesmaids. Dressed in gold bloomers, two towheaded young cousins, Fraser Flint Wood and Kit Fraser, served as page boys.

Finding a wedding date suitable for all the players proved quite complex. The puzzle involved Lady Pamela being in fine enough form for a sprightly stroll along the stone steps leading to the church, a COVID-friendly window for David’s brother Fred to cross the pond from New York, and the ability of all other key friends and family members to navigate the restrictions of the day. But the puzzle was solved, and the festivities unfurled.

Describing the inherent unconventionality of it all, India says, “We did everything backwards, even hosting a seated dinner party with toasting and dancing the night before the wedding. It was more like a reception.”

The prenuptial fête was set in a clearing surrounded by wild grasses in a field near India and David’s Oxfordshire home, America Farm. Guests were seated at one long table, surrounded by the glow of torches and candles in clear-glass hurricane lanterns. Simple, rustic floral décor included a table runner, hanging installations, and garland along the center of the tent’s

“Standing as a family in church and making some lifelong vows seemed the right answer.”

—INDIA HICKS

The couple were married in the nave of St. Bartholemew’s, the 14th-century church where India had been christened and where her father, famed British designer David Hicks, is buried.

ceiling, all of which were composed of white roses, hydrangeas, and cosmos woven through lush foraged greenery, with some of the blooms coming from her mother’s nearby garden.

The bride-to-be asked designer and dear friend Naeem Khan to create a dress for the soirée, and he fashioned an exquisite mermaid-style gown. “There is much history involved in this wedding,” says the designer as he reflects on the occasion. “India is the granddaughter of Lord Mountbatten, who at the stroke of midnight on a date in 1947 gave the country of India to its people—a longawaited freedom. Now, years later, India herself wears a dress made in India, by an Indian designer, with an Indian motif.”

For the wedding ceremony, the couple chose the local St. Bartholomew’s in Brightwell Baldwin, a charming 14th-century country church that boasts special bookmarks through the pages of India’s family history. India was christened there, and it is the place where her father is buried. In another homage to family and tradition, Pulbrook & Gould, the legendary London floral and wedding powerhouse that conceived Lady Pamela’s wedding bouquet decades ago,

The family and wedding party assembled for group photos under the church’s arch, which was adorned with a garland of locally sourced greenery and flowers, including roses from Lady Pamela’s own nearby gardens. The informal yet elegant design of the garland was a beautiful embodiment of India’s ethos and style.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The celebration continued across the lane from the church at the Lord Nelson Pub, where guests congregated before the luncheon. • A garden-style arrangement spills over an antique basket weave concrete urn. • Luncheon menus were hand-lettered on deckled-edge paper, and place cards were planted in cream-colored, moss-filled pots. OPPOSITE: India cut the wedding cake using a Japanese ceremonial knife given to her as a wedding gift by son Amory, who commented that if he were getting married, it’s what he would want. Juliet echoed the wedding décor in her treatment for the cake by encircling the layers with garland made of the same blooms and leaves as the floral arch of the church. She topped it off with one of the bridesmaids’ posies.

FLOWER LISTS

DINNER PARTY AT AMERICA FARM AND WEDDING LUNCHEON AT LORD NELSON PUB Asparagus ferns Birch Cosmos Eucalyptus Hops ‘Annabelle’ and ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas Ivy Magnolia and oak foliage ‘Margaret Merril’ rose Snowberry Zebra grass

CHURCH ARCH

Beech, magnolia, and oak foliage Cosmos Dahlias Hydrangeas Miscanthus grass Phlox Roses from Lady Pamela’s rose garden Sedums Snapdragons Zebra grass

WEDDING PARTY FLOWERS

Abelia Borage Eryngium Eucalyptus Hebe Hydrangeas Japanese anemones Jasmine Lavender foliage Lisianthus Love-in-a-mist (nigella) Old man’s beard (clematis) Phlox Rosemary ‘Iceberg,’ ‘Winchester Cathedral,’ and ‘Susan’ roses Scabiosa Tuberose

created India’s bridal bouquet, as well as those of the bridesmaids. As her sensibility encompasses a thoughtfully sustainable approach, India made a conscious effort to involve as much local talent as possible, including flower farmer and designer Juliet Bennett of Babylon Flowers, who decorated the church and reception site.

For her wedding attire, the bride partnered with famed British fashion designer Emilia Wickstead to bring to life her vision of a dress that would differ from a classical wedding gown. India describes it as “cream French lace, not long, tea length with a slightly high neck—a hint of Grace Kelly.” Her close friend Christian Louboutin provided the perfect cream-colored high heels. “They were so comfortable. I never once wished I’d been in flip-flops,” she quips.

LEFT: A handsome hammered-copper urn housed a lush mélange of locally grown flowers and foliage in the marquee at the Lord Nelson Pub. OPPOSITE: The traditional tossing of the bouquet took place just before the newly married couple left in their tobacco-brown, vintage Mercedes convertible.

The service itself was timeless, including Church of England liturgy with lovely personal touches: One of the couple’s sons, Conrad, read the poem “I cannot tell you” by Morgan Harper Nichols; three of the couple’s favorite hymns were sung by the congregation; a version of the 23rd Psalm, handwritten by David, was read by his best friend, Charles Finch; and a soloist sang “Ave Maria” as the newly married couple added their names to the registry.

Rather than throw the expected lavish affair after the ceremony, India and David invited the wedding party and guests to stroll across the lane to the neighborhood public house, the Lord Nelson. Guests enjoyed a luncheon under a marquee filled with antique concrete planters and footed urns spilling over with local blooms and greenery. And in another nod to responsible, green living, flowers recycled from the night before graced the tables.

After the blur of revelry, surrounded by loved ones and the beauty of the familiar landscape, and with all boxes ticked, including the tossing of the bouquet, India and David departed in his vintage tobacco-colored Mercedes convertible to begin their married life and honeymoon weekend with all five of their children in “England’s green and pleasant land.”*

Stylish Sophisticate

With a tight deadline, Atlanta designers Don Easterling and Nina Long took a historic home from dated to dazzling while highlighting its innate architectural beauty

By ALICE WELSH DOYLE Photography by LAUREY W. GLENN Floral Design by KIRK WHITFIELD Styled by ELLEN S. PADGETT

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The bar opens to the family room. • A bold lantern from Urban Electric brings a modern touch to the antiques-filled foyer. • Don Easterling and Nina Long of Mathews Design Group OPPOSITE: In the bar, Schumacher grass cloth wallpaper offers a textural contrast to the sleek cabinets painted Benjamin Moore’s Newburyport Blue.

Talk about trust. With less than six months to complete a top-to-bottom makeover of a large historic Atlanta home, these homeowners asked Don Easterling and Nina Long of Mathews Design Group to take the reins, knowing that the pair could pull it off with great aplomb. “They bought this house and wanted to have it ready before the school year started,” says Nina. “That gave Don and me only a short window to make it happen.” Since the designers both had the design prowess to do just that, as well as an existing relationship with the family, they saw the project as an exciting challenge rather than a stressful undertaking. “It was certainly helpful that we had worked with these clients before, so we knew what they liked and how they wanted to live in the house,” says Don.

While the homeowners went abroad, the designers rolled up their collective sleeves and got down to business. Fortunately, the house already possessed plenty of character and some

outstanding architectural details, which helped prime the canvas for an overall cosmetic makeover. “It was in great shape, so structural changes were minimal,” says Don. “An addition had been completed years earlier by the previous owner. The kitchen also was renovated, so it only needed some tweaks here and there. Our primary focus was breathing new life into a dated design scheme.”

Enter new paint colors, lots of wallpaper, colorful floral and botanical fabrics, luxurious rugs, and updated light fixtures. The team mixed fine antiques with reproductions while using brushes of deep blue, ocher, red, marigold, and green hues to impart liveliness. Every piece pairs perfectly with its partners, and, despite the tight time frame, nothing feels like a placeholder.

In the dining room, chinoiserie accents highlight a studied mix of elegant appointments. “The space holds one of our favorite Frenchinfluenced dining tables from Hickory Chair, and I am obsessed with it,” says Nina. “It looks fabulous in a stained finish, but it’s so pretty painted

ABOVE: The dining room’s dramatic, ornamental Schumacher wallpaper establishes the palette. The curvaceous dining table and the draped-back chairs add feminine touches to the space, while pagoda-topped étagères and a painted cabinet provide notes of chinoiserie. OPPOSITE, TOP TO BOTTOM: Simple fixes such as fresh paint and new countertops brought the kitchen to life. The ladder is original and adds charm to the space while also making upper cabinets accessible. In the living room, a mix of comfortable upholstered pieces in sophisticated, luxe fabrics invites guests to linger by the fire.

Respecting Tradition

While infusing the house with a fresh attitude, designers Don Easterling and Nina Long made sure the original beauty of the architecture remained intact. Floors throughout were unchanged, including the hardwoods, the brick in the bar area, and a lovely mosaic tile with Greek key detailing in the master bathroom. In the dining room and foyer, bold light fixtures draw the eye up to the intricate ceiling medallions. The living room, once a deep red, was reimagined with a lighter paint color to enhance its innate beauty. In lieu of the fussy window treatments of the past, streamlined panels, classic Roman shades, and even undressed windows in the family room allow light to pour in, making the windows focal points. The old-school paneling in the study was a must-keep for the homeowners. And while some fireplace mantels and surrounds received updates, they remain in keeping with the age of the home. “When given the chance to work on a house like this, Don and I firmly believe in taking cues from the original architecture,” says Nina. Adds Don, “It's a joy to work on historic homes. You are stewards of the past, giving the intrinsic beauty a boost while still allowing it to tell a story.”

“It was certainly helpful that we had worked with these clients before, so we knew what they liked and how they wanted to live in the house.”

—DESIGNER NINA LONG

RIGHT: A Sherrill sectional and Pearson chairs create a cozy corner in the family room. The multitiered, beaded chandelier adds a dose of wow. OPPOSITE: The breakfast room’s ode to blue-andwhite includes chairs and a table from Hickory Chair, an antique clock, a custom settee with a fringe trim, and a large-scale chandelier from the Ralph Lauren collection for Circa Lighting.

white too.” While Nina and Don decorated with many of the clients’ antiques throughout the house, they chose the reproduction table for its functionality. “Antique dining tables often don’t have the scale for large rooms or the durability needed for livability,” says Don. “Some antiques can be too fragile, and we like things to work—no shaky legs and no drawers that don’t open properly.” The selection of the dining room chairs was debated among the pair. “I have always admired these chairs but was scared they were too over-the-top,” says Nina. “Don insisted on them, and I’m so happy with the result! They add a fittingly glamorous note to the room.”

The family room, bar, kitchen, and breakfast area showcase the enduring magic of blue-and-white with Chinese export porcelain, a jaunty navy leatherand-brass chandelier from Ralph Lauren, and white Chippendale-style dining chairs with striped cushions. A standout

ABOVE: The main bedroom is a subtle symphony of icy blues and neutrals. Armchairs and a bench, all from Hickory Chair, offer space for relaxation after a long day. The bedside tables and bed are by Alfonso Marina. LEFT: Original to the house, the Greek key tile floor in the master bath offers timeless appeal. OPPOSITE: With velvet armchairs and a patterned rug, the paneled study conveys a rich tone. The art over the mantel is by Brian Coleman from Anne Irwin Fine Art.

custom settee with decorative fringe serves as an ideal place to hang out during meal preparations or to linger over morning coffee. For the bar, the designers went bold with glossy blue cabinets and soapstone countertops. “We were channeling a little Miles Redd by infusing this striking color in an unexpected, small space,” says Nina. “It draws people in, which you want when entertaining.”

The large living room reveals a more subdued yet still engaging mood, with various seating areas to bring down the scale of the room. “We wanted it to seem cozy but still be usable for a crowd,” says Don. “You can comfortably welcome 30-plus people in the space and not feel crowded.” The soft green wall color provides a quiet backdrop for the art, along with a bold chandelier and a gold Asian-inspired mirror over the mantel. Hits of blue in pillows, lamps, and cocooning armchairs unite the room with the others on the main floor.

The vibe throughout the interiors is thoughtful, stylish, and collected. Only those privy to the process would ever suspect that this well-appointed home was designed, updated, and installed in less than six months, all of which speaks volumes for this dynamic design duo.

Celebrating Camellias

Designer James Farmer hosts a luncheon every year to honor the women who raised him on the birthday they all shared. Their favorite fl ower, the camellia, is the featured guest.

By LYDIA SOMERVILLE Photography by EMILY FOLLOWILL

‘Frank Houser’ camellias are one of James Farmer’s favorite varieties and feature prominently in a pair of tulipieres on the chinoiserie sideboard (opposite), as well as in a silver bowl on the living room co ee table.

For James Farmer, camellias are a powerful talisman of his childhood. Growing up in Perry, Georgia, he was raised by Southern women who relished the flowers for their midwinter spark of color. “My great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother all shared the same birthday, February 24th,” James says. “That was camellia season, so there were always containers full of blossoms all over the house. As a result, I came to associate camellias with birthdays. Now that these wonderful women are all gone, I like to honor them on their special day with a party that includes as many camellias as I can find.”

James grows a few camellias of his own, but he also likes to visit his neighbors and do what he calls “civic pruning” to gather enough blooms for the celebration. “I know who grows which kind,” he says. “I will stop by to catch up and ask if I can gather any blooms that have fallen on the ground, as well as clip a few branches. The bushes need to be pruned after blooming anyway.”

“Only in the South would you dare to take a container designed expressly for tulips and fill it with camellias.”

—DESIGNER JAMES FARMER

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: In the dining room, James used an abundance of accents in coral, his mother’s favorite color. The draperies are “Chinese Lantern” by Lee Jofa. Floral designer Mary Pinson made the camellia wreaths hanging on the French doors. • In the hallway, a tall arrangement of camellias and greenery creates an impactful focal point. • James served lemon meringue pie, a Southern classic, for dessert. OPPOSITE, LEFT TO RIGHT: James displays his antique and vintage china alongside camellias in bud vases on the shelves of a wooden hutch. • Individual ‘Frank Houser’ camellia blooms fill a tulipiere.

While camellias are ubiquitous in the Southeast, they are not native to the area. Part of the tea family, these blooms originated in eastern and southern Asia. The British East India Company began to import camellias to England during its trading heyday in the late 18th century, and the flowers made their way to the United States by 1797. Americans fell in love with the blooms, as they provided a reminder that spring was on its way, even during the gloom of January and February.

For this occasion, James took a moreis-more approach. He filled shelves with single-stemmed camellias in bud vases and then grouped the blooms with mid-century pottery. “Croghan camellia bowls from Charleston make good containers for camellias as well,” says James. “These glass bowls are very shallow and work great if you want to float the blossoms.” But the designer also looks for unique ways to display his camellias. “I like to put the flowers in my tulipieres, which feels very Southern,” he says. “Only in the South would you dare to take a container designed expressly for tulips and fill it with camellias.”

In addition, James often pairs citrus fruit with camellias. “I associate oranges with winter as well, so in my mind they belong together,” he says. Throughout his home, bowls of the fruit accompany containers of camellias, their pops of color echoing the flowers’ bright stamens.

In the dining room, a japanned sideboard holds the towering tulipieres. The room’s sunny palette is another homage to James’s mother. “Her favorite color was coral, so we used it in the fabrics and china,” he says. James also enlisted floral designer Mary Pinson to put her ingenuity to work in decorating the French doors. She made two wreaths by combining a variety of camellias together and adding plenty of their glossy leaves for festive effect.

With more than 400 varieties, camellias are as disparate as any plant on Earth. Here are some of James Farmer’s favorites. Learn more from the American Camellia Society (americancamellias.com).

BART COLBERT VARIEGATED

This one is pink with splashes of white and yellow stamens.

BETTY BY GEORGE

The opposite of ‘Bart Colbert Variegated,’ these blush-pink blooms with their splashes of dark pink easily bunch together for a quick yet stunning arrangement.

BETTY SHEFFIELD SUPREME

Its pink-edged white petals and Georgia origin make this a Southern favorite.

CHARLEAN AND CHARLEAN VARIEGATED

The lush pink blooms are mottled with pale-pink spots.

CORAL DELIGHT

The semidouble blossoms produce the prettiest coral-pink color.

DEBUTANTE

It blooms early with the sweetest pink, peony-like flowers.

FRANK HOUSER

This showstopper displays extra-large blooms and intense pink and red colors.

KRAMER’S SUPREME

The rose-red color and frilly petals make this one a knockout.

SEA FOAM

At its peak blooming cycle, the large white flowers nearly conceal the greenery.

WHITE BY THE GATE

This classic white camellia is a sentimental favorite, as Harper Lee used it in To Kill a Mockingbird to symbolize innocence.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: A crystal epergne filled with blooms forms a festive centerpiece. • Cucumber, tomato, and egg salad finger sandwiches were served in honor of the powerhouse ladies who raised James. • ‘Betty by George’ camellias float in a classic Croghan camellia bowl. OPPOSITE: James paired a bowl of citrus fruits with a frothy arrangement of camellias and bamboo on a sleek black console.

The fresh camellias aren’t the only ones in the house, however. James uses textiles that include the flower, such as the Carleton V fabric made into the dining room’s tablecloth and the Lee Jofa curtain fabric. His vintage china pattern includes camellias in the colorful Oriental design. The blooms even appear in an antique panel hanging over the sideboard.

The menu for the luncheon also gives a nod to the wonderful women who shaped the designer’s life by featuring food they would certainly have relished. “My grandmother loved shrimp, so I had to include shrimp salad,” says James, who also served finger food, including sandwiches—cucumber and cream cheese, egg salad, and tomato— with the crusts cut off. “When I was growing up, if the crusts were cut off, you knew a minor dignitary was expected.” What better way to remember the special ladies in his life?

PERFECTLY PAIRED

What began as a renovation of a top-floor game room evolved into a full-blown makeover that brought this 1860s brownstone back to life

By ROBERT C. MARTIN Photography by MICHAEL LEE AND ERIC ROTH

As founder and principal of Liz Caan and Co. in Newton, Massachusetts, near Boston, designer Liz Caan is well versed in working with historic homes. So when one of her online followers reached out to her regarding a game room renovation in a classical brownstone in Boston’s South End, Liz was fully onboard. And as things progressed, this timely alliance of designer and project could not have been more appropriate.

ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT: When the game table isn’t being used for a high-spirited round of cards, it often becomes a gathering spot for informal meals. French doors provide access to a Juliet balcony with views of the well-heeled neighborhood beyond. • To accomplish her goal of injecting a “serious dose of happy” into the fourth-four rec room, designer Liz Caan painted the ceiling above the Ping-Pong table hot pink. Whitewashed box beams crisscross the expanse, adding a traditional touch to an otherwise retailored space.

LEFT: Throughout the home, Liz used imaginative light fixtures, such as the “Zettel’s 6” chandelier by Ingo Maurer from Casa Design Boston. It features scribbled paper notes cascading from above. BELOW: The owners’ avantgarde furnishings, such as the foyer’s sculptural newel post, provide a welcome contrast to the brownstone’s traditional details. BOTTOM: To the delight of everyone involved, the original staircase and balusters needed only a coat of paint.

Along with design cohort Cooper Herrlinger, Liz went into warp speed while the owners’ college-aged children were off at school. “In the process, what initially started out as a small project quickly grew into a total refreshening and partial renovation of the remaining spaces,” she says. That meant the design team faced the sizable task of maintaining the townhome’s imposing presence while updating it for modern living.

From the outset, Liz and Cooper realized that the homeowners and the existing residence were a mismatch. “The clients are a vibrant, upbeat couple who enjoy art and entertaining, but their house displayed none of these qualities,” Liz says. “Instead, it was dark, overly masculine, and dated.” Early on, she enlisted one of her favorite contractors, Sasha Durand, to remodel the bathrooms and kitchen. Then

COVERING THE SPECTRUM

The real showstopper in this brownstone’s transformation is Liz’s masterful use of color and texture to enliven the spaces and form a balance among such wide-ranging styles. For the designer, it’s all about envisioning a certain mood that’s often specific to a room. “We were always conscious of weaving color throughout this residence,” she says. “Starting in the topfloor game room and family rec area, we picked these spaces to be the brightest. From there, we diluted and muted the tones a bit as we moved down the staircase to the first floor.”

In the more public spaces, such as the living room, Liz’s team chose a lighter, somewhat less intense range to convey a steadied degree of sophistication. “This color change also gives the homeowners a chance to ‘rest their eyes’ a tad in comparison to the bolder patterns and pigments found elsewhere,” says Liz. And in the more private spaces, such as the master suite, the designer relied on moodier, deeper hues that seem to encourage lingering and relaxation.

ABOVE: Liz points to the refurbished library to best explain her design approach. “We set about infusing color as a primary way to balance out the brownstone’s more historical elements, such as the Victorian mantels and fireplaces,” she says. Vibrant fabric selections and well-chosen accessories also keep the period embellishments from coming across as too dated.

ABOVE: In the third-floor master suite, Liz and her design team let color take control. Starting with a black-and-white carpet base on the floor (“Shadow Flower” from Stark Carpet), they installed a colorful headboard and then pulled out purple and green hues with chairs and pillows. LEFT: For the daughter’s bathroom, the designers used an accent tile to highlight the gold fixtures. “We had to replace the plumbing components, which destroyed the existing wall, so we decided to create ‘tile artwork’ in the shower,” says Liz.

Liz and her team began assembling plans for decorating and furnishing the entire home to make it more in line with this fun-loving family. “While we did re-cover some of the owners’ existing items, for the most part we designed custom pieces specifically for each room,” Liz says. The team consulted with local furniture and upholstery companies to achieve the right comfort level and scale for the new elements.

A major factor in choosing items for the home was the owners’ impressive range of artwork. The pieces ultimately served as striking backdrops in almost every room. In fact, Liz leaned heavily on those works when choosing her palette of paint and fabric colors. “We found the wonderful array of paintings and objects to be very inspirational—even to the point of giving us license to go a little wild,” she says. “Still, we were careful not to compete with the visual impact already established by the homeowners’ collection.”

ABOVE: The vibrant orange, pink, and purple colors in the “Herringbone” rug (from The Rug Company) pair with lime-green accents to make the family room a lively, go-to place in the transformed townhouse. LEFT: The daughter’s first-floor bedroom was inspired by her love of pink-and-red color combinations. “We were spurred on by her youthful spirit, so we really went to town in this room,” Liz says. The bold fabric on the windows (Pierre Frey “Heather” in Tutti Frutti) ties everything together.

For the new lighting fixtures that punctuate each space, Liz and Cooper took an approach that at first might seem odd for a 160-year-old townhouse but in retrospect works perfectly. “We intentionally searched for more contemporary lighting to help balance the home’s mix of old and new,” says Liz. Such an unexpected design decision gave the period residence a renewed charm that only strengthens its traditional elements.

Once assembled and arranged, the furnishings, art, and accessories, coupled with personalized touches that Liz and her team oversaw, appear well culled—and that was Liz’s overall goal. “We wanted this brownstone to match the energetic personalities of those who live here,” she says. “The result is a highly customtailored home that’s wonderfully reflective of its engaging occupants.”