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Vacation Homes
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Houzz Tour: Sunny Colors Lighten a Century-Old Home
Brightness and elegance without a trace of stuffiness bring the individuality of a seaside Rhode Island home into the light
Houzz Contributor. After graduating from UC Berkeley, I found myself utterly unprepared for the real world and at a loss as to what I should do next. Luckily, one day I stumbled through the doors of Architectural Digest and was taken under the wing of legendary editor Paige Rense. She had the vision to look past my uninspiring sociology degree and my general lack of experience—an unlikely journalism career was born. After AD, with my magazine karma still intact, I was hired by yet another publishing legend, the food critic and writer Ruth Reichl. I currently ply my trade as a freelance writer and editor and live in stylish Mid-Century-Modern comfort with my dog, Mike.
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Houzz Contributor. After graduating from UC Berkeley, I found myself utterly... More »
The state of Rhode Island has always had an independent streak. It was the first of the original 13 colonies to declare independence from British rule and the last of the colonies to ratify the United States Constitution.
So it somehow seems fitting that Andrew Suvalsky's design for this home in one of the state's seaside communities takes a bold, stand-on-your-own approach. Each room has excitement in its color play, yet there's a quiet elegance throughout each space without the feeling of formality.
Suvalsky says he often uses color to "punctuate a classic environment." There are a lot of beautiful exclamation points in each of the rooms you're about to see.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A weekend retreat for a couple and their 2 college-age children
Location: A seaside community in Rhode Island
Size: 4,200 square feet
That's interesting: A mix of Americana and European pieces gives the home its own sense of generalized history.
So it somehow seems fitting that Andrew Suvalsky's design for this home in one of the state's seaside communities takes a bold, stand-on-your-own approach. Each room has excitement in its color play, yet there's a quiet elegance throughout each space without the feeling of formality.
Suvalsky says he often uses color to "punctuate a classic environment." There are a lot of beautiful exclamation points in each of the rooms you're about to see.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: A weekend retreat for a couple and their 2 college-age children
Location: A seaside community in Rhode Island
Size: 4,200 square feet
That's interesting: A mix of Americana and European pieces gives the home its own sense of generalized history.
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The classic center entry hall is a big, open space. Suvalsky wanted there to be a moment of color and a graphic presence here.
"While I do like the eye looking all the way through to the backyard, I also wanted your eye to stop, so we needed something large," he says. This simple but graphic rug hangs from the ceiling to the floor, "so it's not just an overscaled piece; it also acts as a backdrop for the bench."
The cherry floors are original to the house.
Swedish bench: Cupboards & Roses; tapestry: Madeline Weinrib rug, ABC Carpet & Home; sconces: O'Lampia
"While I do like the eye looking all the way through to the backyard, I also wanted your eye to stop, so we needed something large," he says. This simple but graphic rug hangs from the ceiling to the floor, "so it's not just an overscaled piece; it also acts as a backdrop for the bench."
The cherry floors are original to the house.
Swedish bench: Cupboards & Roses; tapestry: Madeline Weinrib rug, ABC Carpet & Home; sconces: O'Lampia
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| Although this is a year-round house, Suvalsky chose to bring summer colors into the living room. "I wanted it to feel fresh and sunny, but without the clichés," he says. "We used blue, green, yellow and white in a way that adds a kind of punctuation." Since the green is used only for the chairs and one lamp, it breaks up the overall golden tone of the room. The scale of the striped chair "is bold enough to almost be architecture, and it sort of matches the boxes on the rug," the designer says. There are a lot of windows, so Sulvalsky softened them with white drapes, which keep them from becoming the focal point of the room. "The blue sofa is the only really traditional element," he says. "We used the hard pieces, like the coffee table, to bring in a rusticated wood and some metals that add an elegance to the room without being formal." Pair of sofas, blue sofa, wing chair: custom designed by Andrew Suvalsky; rug: The New England Collection; sofa table (foreground): Center 44; green lamp on sofa table: Antiques on Old Plank Road; coffee table: Circa Antiques; wall lamp: O'Lampia; metal side table: Restoration Hardware; drapes: Sharon Poirier |
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| Suvalsky reclad the fireplace surround with a blue-green slate. "It's something you would expect in a house of this vintage and geographic location, but it's a more modern, eclectic piece," he says. The deep blue and black painting by Jean-Francois Guzranyi adds a slightly more dramatic palette to the room. Swedish side chairs, tile-topped side table (partially visible in foreground): Briggs House Antiques; green vases on mantel: Milieu |
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| The 100-year-old house was built in a classic shingle style that's often imitated in new homes today. From the street approach, its exterior hasn't changed at all. Some remodeling was done to the rear — decks were added from the first to the third floors to take advantage of the views — but those modifications aren't visible from this vantage point. |
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| Suvalsky says that his clients like history, and that freed him to bring in pieces from different periods. He subdued this baroque turned-wood chandelier by wrapping it in a single, thin shade, which keeps it in step with other elements in the room. "We used the colors and patterns of the rug as the foundation for the room," he says. "While the blue in the rug is its own thing, we brought it out with the antique peacocks from India and the lamp, which was made from an antique jug." Suvalsky often takes found pieces like this and has them electrified. The chair colors are evocative of other pieces in the house; the ones in a lighter hue are covered in a heavy-gauge linen that goes well with the wall color. Table: Holly Hunt; chairs: custom by Benjamin Noriega Ortiz; buffet, chandelier: Circa Antiques; rug: The New England Collection |
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| The sunroom overlooks the backyard. Suvalsky likes to paint vaulted ceilings, transforming them into a real feature in the room. "There's a huge expanse of lawn, so I decided to turn it on its head, and we used a grass-green color in a semigloss," he says. The traditional rattan furniture is paired with a red rocker and an antique lamp. "I like to bring in a more unexpected color, and then you just leave it there and don't make more of it," he says. "It punctuates a more classic environment. And the white table snaps your eye to attention." Sofas, rocking chair, throw pillows: Maine Cottage; rug: The New England Collection; drum table: M.S. Antiques; white side table: West Elm; tripod floor lamp: Pamela Lerner Antiques |
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| The master bedroom is a large room; the wide-stripe rug has a boldness that almost creates a room within a room. The chair is a custom piece based on a midcentury armchair. It sits alongside other furniture that's more country Swedish. "It has a more rustic finish but a classic form that balances everything nicely," says Suvalsky. Headboard: Real Gustavian; bedside tables: Gustavo Olivieri; lamps: Center 44; rug: Shades of Light; drapes: Sharon Poirier |
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In the master bath, "that yellow and white beehive hamper is the thing that really makes the room," says Suvalsky. "You have all these beautiful traditional materials, like the Carrara tumble tiles, but it's great to have a graphic element. Pieces like that take a room from something that's two dimensional to an exciting three-dimensional picture."
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| The couple repurposed a sleigh bed they had in another house for their daughter's bedroom. It fits perfectly in this nook, and after it was reupholstered it had a whole new personality. "The idea here was to create a room that was more energetic," says Suvalsky. "It leans more toward a midcentury design, but the mix of objects and the white keeps it more youthful and fresh." |
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| The son's bedroom has a more overtly traditional feel and a straightforward color scheme reminiscent of sea and sand. "It kind of reminds me of how a house in the '40s or '50s would have looked at the time, but from a current viewpoint," says Suvalsky. Lamps: vintage bamboo; chair: vintage, Edward Wormley; English dresser: vintage; night tables: Pottery Barn |
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The wallpaper in the guest bathroom has a traditional yet playful aspect to it. "The mirror is a casual piece because of the material, but it's more formal in form," Suvalsky says. "That's a common theme you'll find throughout this house."
Ideabook published on Aug. 16, 2012.
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I think, due to the sometimes overwhelming choice in colors, that people sometimes get a little confused as to what works and what does. At the end of the day it should always come down to personal preference. If anyone here finds choosing colors a little daunting then take a look at this guide, it really helps - http://hometipster.com/how-to-choose-paint/
Nice article and a very nicely decorated home.
House beautiful!
The trick is to get the colours REALLY right, though: too often a mix of bright colours ends up looking like a carnie's worst nightmare.
I love how the house is clearly an aged home, but the owners and designer haven't dwelt overly heavily on "authentic" styling, which so often ends up being overblown peacockery.
I have not been able to get this house out of my mind all night and I realised last time I decorated I actually went with these colours only in different shades, an ice blue to cool a hot room, a soft creamy yellow called custard in rooms that needed brightening and greens for accents all through. I am about to embark on another major decorating spree of the entire house and intended being very trendy with neutrals, but I am now convinced to stay with these colours and be more true to me. I will add more white in soft furnishings, it definitely lifts these rooms and I can see how it will lift mine.
Thank you for such a timely blog.
Looking through his other work, he is certainly very talented with colour, although a lot not to my taste, the colour palettes are amazing, he even takes neutrals from bland to exciting!!