FEBRUARY/MARCH 2013
Hearth & home in high style Ted and Rhonda Strauss design a house with heritage
Fabrics inspire ideas for wall
Anne Hempel
paints her love of life
Stone is a natural in your home
February &March COVER STORY
Rhonda Strauss shares her passion and style for décor that’s smart and comfortable
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BEFORE AND AFTER
Grey makes a transition for two rooms
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FEATURES
Fabrics go vertical – and not just for draperies
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Natural stone brings color and warmth to counters, floors and fireplaces
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PROFILE Anne Hempel paints a world of beauty
HOME & GARDEN Jimmy Martin gives his garden tour
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IN EVERY ISSUE
3 Inspirations 4 Introduction
ON THE COVER
A bird’s eye view of the Strauss’ living room
Cover photo by LONG’S PHOTOGRAPHY 339-5799, 702 W. Tharpe Street www.longsphotography.com
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Tallahassee.com/HomeandDesign
FIRSTWORD Published by the Tallahassee Democrat president and publisher
Julie Moreno 850-599-2126 jmoreno@tallahassee.com designer
April Miller contributing writers
Marina Brown Tricia Dulaney Andy Lindstrom Katy Radford contributing photographers
Glenn Beil Linda and Olyn Long
contact us advertising
Lisa Lazarus 850.599-2333 llazarus@tallahassee.com Home & Design Magazine is published six times a year by the Tallahassee Democrat at 277 N. Magnolia Drive, Tallahassee, FL 32301. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. Home & Design Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork.
show us your stuff
Home is a welcome respite
T
his is that time of year when you just want to curl up by the fireplace with a good book, a glass of wine, a loved one and a four-legged friend. When you walk into Ted and Rhonda Strauss’ house you immediately feel that kind of comfort. They have created a home with history that’s updated and welcoming. Rhonda has an impeccable sense of style and you can spend forever looking at all the details. It’s astounding to find out how much of her furnishings she has sewn and designed herself. And while you might be comfy and cozy inside, the oversized windows and doors bring the beauty of nature inside. This home has a wonderful history and Rhonda and Ted have honored it beautifully. Laura Bryant walks us through a redesign that offered a tough design problem, until she came up with a neutral solution. She respected the homeowner’s wishes and made some bold statements her customer desired. Have you ever had a spot on a wall you needed to hide? Check out the story on fabrics for walls and find out how to magically improve your surroundings and style – then tell everyone you were just inspired to accomplish that look. There are so many options for natural stone that any color, design and finish your imagining can be found. Durable and beautiful, it makes a good investment in any home, making a statement of stability and strength. Skip Sheffield Construction provided the photos in this edition through the photographic skills of Ray Stanyard. The images really show off the rooms they complement. Anne Hempel has a beautiful view on the world. Her inspirations of nature come through in color, texture and the whimsical feeling you get from her work. Through images, she speaks of love and nature. Thoughtful landscapes offer moments of peace and solitude while birds and mermaids play on other pieces. Our next issue is the Green Edition. Every year there are more businesses, houses, materials and surprises about what’s popping up in more sustainable pieces of our home lives. If you have products or ideas that we need to know, please contact me with more information. The next edition of Home & Design will be published on April 3. Enjoy our impending spring!
Do you know of a home that should be in Home & Design? Please e-mail Lisa Lazarus, llazarus@ tallahassee.com
Lisa Lazarus Home & Design
February/March 2013
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COVER STORY
Old Florida is Alive – and Sophisticated – on a Mid-City
6 February/March 2013
By Marina Brown
– Mini-Ranch
S
he’s petite and beautiful, with long tawny hair and the vibrancy of a coed. He’s rugged, handsome, athletic and successful. And yet as modern as are Ted and Rhonda Strauss, with interests in politics, sports, charities and their children’s activities, these two are grounded in the past and in all of the burnished beauty that comes with it. Take the place they call home. In one of Tallahassee’s hidden woody enclaves situated between Capital Circle and Blair Stone Road, lies what once was part of an 1820s plantation. Slowly divided after the Civil War, forty acres of the property were consolidated again by Ted Strauss’s grandfather. Eventually the land became his father’s, and from it, Ted was gifted 7.5 acres for his own homestead. “In those days we could ride horses all the way to where Capital Circle is now,” says Ted.
Rhonda and Ted Strauss share their home with 3 furry loved ones.
February/March 2013
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Strauss, former owner of Florida Fence and Deck, knew exactly the kind of house he would build. A lover of wood, he would use seasoned, recycled materials. “In fact, this house was designed and built around sets of 10 foot double doors with beveled glass salvaged from the old Seabrook House.” When his company tore down an old log cabin, he incorporated the heart pine into his own home’s molding and trim. The floors are 2x6 tongue and groove pine, while the walls, all the way to the 16’ ceiling, are horizontal planks of juniper. And though not on a strict budget, Strauss preferred a do-it-yourself approach to the soaring fireplace as well. “Each one of those limestone (mini-boulders) was
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harvested from the Wakulla River with the help of Ted’s rugby team,” laughs Rhonda. But the house needed a major rehab when Rhonda arrived. “Ted told me I could renovate anything under the roof,” she says, then winks. “He didn’t know I had plans to go under the house, too.” Rhonda added the 10-foot-wide wide verandas that wrap the house. She turned a former deck into a top-of-the-line kitchen with rich cabinetry, granite counters and natural wood floors studded with black diamond patterning. An old closet became an elegant butler’s pantry and a tiny powder room a scarlet paean to chickens (one of Rhonda’s
favorite pets), complete with chicken wallpaper and glistening ceramic rooster. Then she turned to the more subtle decorating touches of the 3500 square foot expanded home. Rhonda, an animal lover – she has three dogs and two horses -- is also an amateur artisan. Throughout the house, there are examples of her expert decorating eye and her other tactile talents. She sewed all of the draperies and upholstery, including swags and elegant multi-fabric cushions. She designed and created huge panels of stained glass for the bathroom and pantry. And in an illuminated cabinet on the way to the cozy and carpeted study she created beneath the house is Rhonda’s
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collection of porcelain dolls, each of which she poured, fired, painted and dressed. “We really have a life within a life here,” she says, sweeping her hand around the property, so central to the city, yet entirely rustic in feel. The pool, surrounded by towering pines and magnolias, leads to the huge pool house, where both a billiard table and Ping-Pong table can easily fit. The tennis court, which for major parties is turned into a dance floor, is just beyond. Horses graze
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in a circle around the home’s perimeter, stopping to stare at the couple as they take in the rolling lay of their land from the front porch swing. “The only thing that presents a little problem are the owls,” says Rhonda, with a smile as she swings back and forth. I love to hear them through the trees, but every so often, I think I see them eyeing my little dogs. And though mostly benevolent, you never know with Mother Nature.”
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Rhonda Strauss’s eye for the unusual has turned her selfdecorated home into a stylish amalgam of the sophisticated and the salvaged. Here are a few of her ‘just-right’ innovations: • Using 8”x 8” slices of felled trees for chargers. • An antique chicken coop, wall-hung for a porch decoration. • A massive Susan Kempton painting of a long-horn steer over the dining table.
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• A huge barrel-like chandelier she designed and had made of the steel used for outdoor fences at her husband’s company. • A bold zebra fabric on a tufted bedroom chaise—purchased from Goodwill for $30. • Using an antique cane-backed wheelchair as decorating novelty in the basement ‘man cave.’ • A brilliant copper kettle, topped with glass, as side table. • A scattering of hides and skins,
texturally interesting against the hard wood: a brindle cowhide floor rugs; a deerskin table covering and calf pillows. • Rhonda also redesigned and redecorated the interior of a vintage Airstream trailer to resemble, in posh red, white and black, a tiny penthouse worthy of Miami Beach or Malibu. “It’s always a surprise when spillover guests get assigned the trailer,” she laughs. “When they see it, then everybody wants to stay in there.”
February/March 2013
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BEFORE & AFTER
Blue and yellow make a bright statement among heirlooms
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About the custom pieces: Reclaimed wooden mirrors in the bathroom from Palecek, upholstered headboard in yellow bedroom by Kravet, a Fino Lino linen bed skirt compliments the blue bedroom
“T
he homeowner is a Monticello native with a lot of family heirlooms and antiques to incorporate into a new design. This project took more than a year to complete because the homeowner waited for the Atlanta Furniture Market which we attended together to pick out furnishings. The design work started with design concepts (sketch, image board and space plan) and experimenting with different color ideas that reflected the homeowner’s desire for bright and cheerful colors.
Laura Bryant, Licensed Interior Designer 694-2297 LauraBryantDesign.com
In the bedroom, yellow was a great tie-in for the handwoven rug she owned. We also included blue in the guest room, but then came the decision about how to transition between rooms – the logical choice here was gray. A neutral color was the perfect color to compliment the bathroom between the bedroom and a guest room. This client’s house is one of my favorites!” BEFORE
February/March 2013
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FEATURE
Let your imagination flow with fabric for walls
By Kathy Radford
I
n the world of interior design, there is no such thing as a product that has only one purpose. Using any product or material in an insightful way can create a unique environment that is both functional and visually appealing. If the idea appeals to you, you might consider dressing your walls in your favorite fabric. Whether you want to go big, be subtle or land somewhere in between, creating a friendly relationship between your walls and fabric can add interest to your space. Karen Rowan, owner of Karen Rowan Design in Quincy, Florida, explains, “Fabric in the room creates interest by adding pattern and/or creating texture, lowers the noise level, and gives a feeling of warmth.” There are many reasons why a wall might be “a bad wall.” Pet damage, cracks from settling, adding on a room and ending up with an exterior wall being converted to an interior wall, can all result in walls that cry out for covering. Williams has been known to cover bad walls with fabric.
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Textile wallpaper is just what the name implies; the textile material that is created like traditional wallpaper is a hit with decorators and clients alike. Kenan Fishburne, Assistant Professor of Interior Design at Florida State University, says she would turn to textile wallpaper if a client showed a proclivity for having fabric on a wall. “I would go for textile wallpaper; it is a textile, but it is manufactured like wallpaper is.” It is not necessary, however, to turn to textile wallpaper immediately. You can turn, instead, to actual fabric that can be affixed to the wall. Adding fabric to one or more walls creates a dramatic effect “without touching a paint can” according to Rowan. Starching fabric to walls is a common method for a attaching fabric, and it can be completed by a reasonably handy do-it-yourselfer. Calling in a professional is also a sound option, especially if you might prefer to go off for the day and come back to enjoy the end result without the effort. Removing fabric that has been starched to the wall is often much easier than removing wallpaper. But using starch is not the only way to
go. Tracy Williams of Decorating Den Interiors says that sometimes it is best to go even more low-tech than that. Using dowels or rods way up high on the wall or even on the ceiling is another way to go. If you are intrigued by the idea of fabric on the walls but don’t want to go over the top, textiles can be incorporated is smaller, more subtle ways. For a modern look and a touch of flair, Williams suggests getting a fabric stretcher and hanging a coordinating fabric on the wall instead of a piece of artwork. Using the same concept, but with more of a traditional look, you can frame the fabric or use the material as a backdrop behind photos in frames. In the bedroom, use a swatch that matches or coordinates with your bedding. For photos on the mantel in the living room, it might be fun to buy a couple of extra throw pillows and use the material from them so the same fabric appears on both the sofa and in the frames. One technique Williams has also found successful is to choose a strong, texturally interesting piece, sew on cord and trim or fringe, and make your own signature tapestry.
Tips •
Damaged walls call for a heavier, textured fabric.
•
Starching is particularly useful for renters or others who would like to be able to remove the fabric easily. Removal requires pulling down the fabric and washing the walls.
•
Get a second pair of hands if you are going to use starch to affix your fabric to a wall. Or call in a professional. Go for lightweight material.
•
Consider creating a faux headboard with fabric placed strategically on the wall above the bed.
•
If you adore the notion of having a scene depicted on the wall, textiles allow you to get the look without commissioning an artist.
•
Combine moldings from the home supply store with the fabric for an added touch of pizzazz.
•
Decorate for the holidays or seasons easily with fabric and remove it for the next one that comes along.
•
Use irregular patterns to hide imperfections that may occur in the hanging process.
•
If you prefer not to use draperies on a window for whatever reason, using fabric around the windows to represent drapes is a great idea that Rowan says “can provide the look...while saving quite a lot of money.”
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February/March 2013
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FEATURE
Use natural stone for color and durablil
G
By Andy Lindstrom ranite counters in the kitchen. Marble panels framing the master bath. Classic blended flagstones from hearth to ceiling around the great room fireplace. Architectural stone, both natural and manufactured, isn’t just for the exterior walls and turrets of medieval castles or millionaire mansions. “Actually, it’s pretty commonly used inside Tallahassee homes,” said sales rep Maureen Stuart at South Georgia Brick Co. “Especially
18 February/March 2013
for somebody more into the cottage-style homes of neighborhoods like Midtown or Bull Run.” Skip Sheffield of Sheffield Construction Co. said that most such homeowners probably would choose lighter and less costly veneers cast from concrete-type materials to replicate natural stone. “What we call faux stone is a good value. But it’s not the real thing,” he said. In addition to its undeniable snob appeal, true stone is usually reserved for higher-end residential projects because of its initial price tag and labor-intensive installation cost.
“The homes we build here over $1million almost all use natural stone,” said Sheffield, who’s been putting up what he calls “dream homes” in the Tallahassee area since 1974. “But even natural granite, which once was considered everyone’s dream, has given way to more unusual products like soapstone or fossil stone. That’s not only hard and beautiful but a real conversation piece with all its embedded shells and other fossils.” Tony Bianco at Master Granite Marble & Tile said that his range of mostly imported natural stone enjoys a strong
Travertine Cararra marble
r lity Polished granite Photos by Ray Stanyard
market among local homeowners at a number of different income levels. “I’m very busy,” said Bianco, a native of Sicily who’s been in Tallahassee for the past 10 years. Glistening slabs of Italian marble, Brazilian granite and travertine mined from quarries in Turkey fill the lot fronting his Capital Circle NE showroom. Stone’s attraction, Bianco said, is what he called “its very distinct look.” Associate Mark Berntsen cited stone’s durability and unique appearance. “Some people like the fact that it’s less commonplace,” Berntsen added. “They might even put a marble
As tiles for a kitchen’s backsplash, treads in a sweeping staircase or handcarved mantels over a plantation hunt room’s fireplace, stone offers a unique blend of Old World craftsmanship and contemporary chic at what dealer Charles Luck called “the intersection of form and function.”
a marble vanity, whether mined from a quarry or cast in a pattern, stone comes in an almost unlimited array of shapes, colors and textures. Countertops are the most common application. But it’s also used as floors, furniture and wall coverings, even bathroom tubs and window treatments. Unlike wood, it can last for ages. Compared to brick, it’s a step up the social ladder.
“Its details become a focal point,” Luck said. From the graceful swirl of a granite sink to the shimmering surface on
“No two pieces are exactly the same,” Berntsen said. “That’s why a lot of people like it.”
countertop in the kitchen, knowing it won’t wear that well, just because they want to be different.”
February/March 2013
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Honed granite
For sheer elegance combined with rock-solid reliability, it’s
interior decorators, artists and crafters for its lustrous blue color.
Travertine – Softer than granite and commonly used for countertops and flooring, it’s a Turkish import, but Among those used by Skip quarried in the U.S. as characterized Sheffield and other Tallahassee by ivory to gold color bands.
hard to beat natural stone.
builders, the following are not only ornamental and practical but often include a fascinating geology lesson as well: Indiana Limestone – Formed around 300 million years ago and mined in a variety of shades from buff, grays and blends, it found a place in both the Empire State Building and U.S. Holocaust Museum. Pennsylvania Blue Stone – A hard, stable sandstone from northeastern Pennsylvania, it’s popular with 20 February/March 2013
Marble – Not as durable as granite, but with a long history as countertop material in traditional homes. It appeals as a cultural symbol of refined taste. Coral Stone – A natural limestone from the ocean with embedded fossils. Sheffield most recently installed it as a bathroom floor. Tennessee Field Stone – Rugged and reasonably priced, it’s a fireplace favorite for its rustic look. Granite – Probably the most popular countertop over the past 15 years,
it’s most often seen with a polished finish. Honed granite offers a softer and warmer finish for folks who consider the polished look a little hard. Onyx – With a translucent appearance that can be backlit for effect, it reflects light beautifully and has a jewel-like appearance. Soapstone – Available in colors from gray to dark green, it has been used by carvers for thousands of years. More recently, it’s a popular countertop material. Fossil Stone – A fine grade limestone whose fossils date back to the dinosaur years. Very hard and durable, it is mined in Wyoming, Texas and throughout the Mediterranean.
Calacatta marble
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February/March 2013
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PROFILE
Anne Hempel
In love with life By Tricia Dulaney
A
nne Hempel loves her life – and it shows. That joy isn’t the only element that makes the Tallahassee artist’s work so
distinctive, however; her paintings are done exclusively on wood panels. Panel painting was common prior to the 16th century, when most artists turned to canvas, but Anne’s work owes nothing to stiff medieval depictions of saints. Instead she uses the wood as another medium. “Art’s always been part of my life,” she says. “I used to paint on canvas, but then I started painting furniture. I loved experimenting, that rustic look of furniture with the paint chipping through, the way the grain of the wood shows. Since I liked working with wood and I liked painting, I started painting directly on ¼” birchwood panels – and I never went back to canvas.”
Each panel receives seven or eight layers of acrylic paint, gel medium and glazes, building the rich color and texture. Anne has a system, starting the background of a number of paintings and working on them in succession. “If I have a really large piece, I might just work on that for a few days,” she says. “I don’t have a preconceived idea of what the background should look like. I experiment a lot with technique, play with color. Sometimes I do start out with an idea in my head, but it doesn’t turn out looking like that - it generally turns out better! I have a lot of fun experimenting.” While the experiments – and the wood itself - determine the background of Anne’s works, her own experiences determine the subjects. “My father has a boat, and I like to take pictures of the herons, egrets and sandpipers. I love St. George, and my husband and I camp and canoe on the Suwanee River. I have a real appreciation of North Florida, and that shows up in my work.” Her style is also influenced by her time spent teaching in Japan and traveling Southeast Asia. “I think my hummingbirds, my dogwoods and my lilies reflect that.” Anne is a prolific artist who participates in a number of juried art shows, such as LeMoyne’s Chain of Parks Art Festival, Artquest in Seaside, and the Jones Creek Art Festival in Atlanta. Recently, however, she’s been busy with another creative project: the long-awaited birth of her daughter. “I’ve been in total new-mommy mode,” she says. “She’s everything I’d dreamed of; I still can’t believe it. I had this big, wide-open space for her in my heart, in my life, in my marriage, and she totally filled it.” Anne’s studio is at home, which she admits is the perfect setup for a new mother. She and her husband live in the Miccosukee Land Co-op, a wooded community east of Tallahassee. “It began in the ‘70s, with the idea that neighbors would all help build each other’s houses so no one would have a mortgage. Now there are mostly younger folks out here; it’s a very close-knit community. We have a community center, potluck dinners. When I had the baby, neighbors brought over dinner every day for a month.”
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Anne’s work is available on her website, annehempel.com, or at Suz-Annz Down Under and The Garden Shop in Apalachicola. The Marinated Mushroom,
the Owl Café, and the Ronald McDonald House have all commissioned pieces, and Anne takes private commissions as well. “People might see a painting and want something similar, only a different size, different colors. I’ve learned to ask the right questions in the interview process to make sure clients get what they want. I go to their house, talk about size and dimensions and subject matter. Only once have I had to redo a painting, for a long-distance client when I couldn’t see the house. The first one sold almost immediately to another client, though.” As her daughter gets a little older, Anne is anticipating more time in her studio. “I go through times when I’m not happy with my work, but then a new color or an accidental technique turns it all around. I think I’m heading towards being really inspired. I can’t force it, but I can feel it coming. I love being in my studio, love creating, love my work. And my daughter inspired me even before she was born.” February/March 2013
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GARDEN
Making an Eden of Your Own By Marina Brown
I
f you’re tired of grass, grass, everywhere, consider a garden—but one with personality. And don’t be constrained by tradition. A polite veggie patch at the side of the house or a prim rose garden to the rear may be old hat. Be adventurous. Be practical. And get to know what’s living out there. Jimmy Martin and his garden aren’t what you’d expect. He is a physicist at Tallahassee Memorial’s Cancer Center. The son of a dairy farmer, he likes growing plants. But instead of typical North Florida plants, he’s made a desert garden of cacti and exotics. He then added a water garden, a vegetable garden and a
24 February/March 2013
palm garden. Each of these have become well-known venues for Martin’s ‘garden’ parties promoting Alzheimer’s research, the LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts and Big Bend Cares. “It all started with a dry slope…really difficult to water,” he says. Martin added a support berm, then introduced dozens of tiny cacti that root from their own leaves and now stand like alert sentinels or crawling spiders along the arid soil. From night-blooming cereus with its ‘dinner plate-sized’ blossoms that for one night fill the air with fragrance, to ottoman-like golden barrel cacti, the tough
desert plants seem perfectly at home in Tallahassee soil. The shrubby naranjilla which shelters clusters of vivid orange fruit beneath leaves with inch-long thorns along their under and top sides grows, alongside the cacti. Martin says this plant is delighted with Panhandle humidity. Nearby, he introduced succulents like aloe and agave that store their moisture in fat, spongy spikes. Clusters of self-sufficient vermiliads are equally on their own. Martin can’t abide grassy lawns and never rakes the leaves and pine needles that give his land a soft spongy bounce. Instead he
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senses what the land and soil want, then plants the cultivar that would be happiest there. “You’ve got to learn the culture of a plant and respect that,” he says. Toward the rear of the property, a massive century oak—Martin’s requisite for buying any house—seems to usher a guest into a different garden climate. Suspended beneath shady trees is a wall of hanging baskets containing scores of orchids that wait patiently for warmer weather to push out a bloom. From the desert, Martin has turned to the tropics. Here, near a shady
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gazebo, the sound of cascading water from two waterfalls spilling beneath an arched bridge and into a koi-filled pool seems miles from a desert locale. Staghorn ferns, anthurium, begonias, ginger and fatshedra vine thrive in the semi-shade. Recently Martin has added a new interest. Though he’d experimented with trees in his citrus mini-orchard of hardy, grafted lemons, limes, grapefruit, oranges and tangerines, he wanted a palm garden as well. Now youthful queen and pinto palms, their leaves still cropped and
tied together, stand like embarrassed adolescents in an open spot that Martin is envisioning as a new area for functional landscaping. “I’ll think about it…” he smiles. “Given a little time, the land and the plants sort of reveal what else would be best there.” And how much time do these diverse garden stations take? “I spend maybe two hours a week,” says Martin. A little watering, very little weeding, occasional dividing—and lots and lots of enjoying!
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Here are a few common mistakes made by the home gardener. They apply to all types of garden choices, from vegetable to flower to large orchards.
The Five ‘S’s: Soil: Make sure of the quality of the growing medium. Too much clay or sand without enough nutrients will not let your garden thrive. Undernourishing is a major mistake made by home gardeners.
Slope: A well-drained location is important. Standing water will rot roots.
Sun: Too much or too little won’t work. Some plants will thrive in all-day shade; others can’t get enough light. Plant where your plants tell you they want to be.
Season: Choose the right season for plantings; the right season for fertilizing and the right season for pruning. Plants have a life cycle finely attuned to the time of year.
Soaks: Watering, like sun and nourishment, must be attuned to the plant’s dictates. Slow, deep watering is better than inundations that leave standing puddles. 28 February/March 2013
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