Design Worthy Downsizing

DESIGNED BY SUSAN VICTOR, NANDINA AIKEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY SHELLY MARSHALL SCHMIDT

When Jim and Margaret decided to plan and build a home that would hopefully be their last, they wanted to start fresh. Margaret, a retired executive, loved the creative process but was also cognizant of designing a home that would work to support the active lifestyle that she and her husband enjoy while also accommodating her elderly mother, who lives with them. Most of all, she wanted this new home to reflect her love of design and project a sense of on-trend style. The creative avenue used to achieve her goal was color!

She was completely on board when we proposed a vivid, colorful, handknotted rug to anchor the great room. An open concept floor plan worked well for the couple’s casual lifestyle and supported the use of the teal, gold, navy, and grey pallet throughout the main living space. New transitional furniture pieces mixed with the strong color pallet paired perfectly with her existing furniture and immediately updated the design. Their new home is functional, fits their lifestyle, but more importantly, reflects the style and modern attitude of its owners.

BEHIND

the design

It is always exciting when clients are willing to embrace creativity over the comfort of the known and acceptable. Our client, Margaret, was never intimidated by the challenge of something new. She was fully on board with choosing a rich, saturated color pallet for her new home which immediately took this design from a standard grey and white to something much more fun and creative. Grounding the great room with a rich turquoise blue and green hand-knotted rug provides an immediate punch of color and sets the standard for the rest of the design elements.

A mix of clean transitional pieces of furniture, like a modern wood framed chair with traditional hand-knotted rugs, updated the overall look of the great room. By choosing to leave windows either undressed or minimally dressed with valances allows the natural light and view outside to become an integral part of the design.

The couple’s love art and the introduction of richly saturated pieces is a great way to bring a lot of color into the design while still keeping a neutral pallet on the walls and in the major furniture pieces.

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