View full sizeDesigner Allison Smith ushered in some new furniture with clean lines to mix with the soft curves and delicate details of her client's older family pieces. The cool blue walls make the camel-color ceiling detail stand out, while the orange silk curtains connect with the Chinese rug.The 1920s bungalow in Southeast Portland looks straightforward and unassuming on its quiet street lined with homes of a similar age. But inside, pickled-oak trim work stained a driftwood gray and sumptuous Chinese rugs in burnt orange and blues tell a tale of "rockin' good taste," a nod to the beach and knowing what to save when you take on a makeover.
"This room," says designer Allison Smith, standing in the entry to the living room, "had wallpaper which was too busy."
View full sizeBefore, the furniture was placed with little attention to the fireplace. Now the fireplace is the focal point. The two matching chairs on either side of it swivel. The living room had a lot going on with the busy striped wallpaper and a collection of furniture that did not enhance the space.The striped paper distracted not only from the large, colorful rug, but also from the hand-painted details a Dutch painter had added to the cove ceiling back in the '40s.
"It was hard for me to see the amazing parts of the room," Smith says.
The living room, the largest room in the 1,820-square-foot house, had become a collection zone of family antiques, collectibles, newer pieces and a television. It was so overloaded, it failed to function -- not in a hoarder sort of way, but in that there was nowhere for a gathering of any size to sit and converse.
"It was mishmashy and funky," Smith says of the former atmosphere.
An antique settee that had been recovered in a silk velvet a handful of years back was moved to the dining room right across the centered entry from the living room. End tables with lovely curves and legs were kept for their lovely curves and legs. Another smallish mahogany table was repainted in a high-gloss blue-gray, an idea that made the homeowner "wince" at first. Lamps were set aside to get new shades, and nearly everything else -- save the fabulous collectibles -- was tagged for resale or donation.
The striped wallpaper came down, and a cool, light blue-gray from Smith's Color Seasons paint collection went up to calm the room.
And then the cues came from the rug.
"I felt we had to make the star player be the rug ... it is so pungent and full of color. It's like modernized old-fashion," Smith says, adding she layered from there to create a traditional "grown-up" look that was also fun and hip.
Smith said it was crucial to follow the path set out in the '20s by the home's original owner/builder, who had the woodwork stained that driftwood gray -- a nod to the beach she loved -- and put the fire-orange rug down to create the distinct cool/warm mood. That framework was something Smith had to honor.
"She set the tone. This is where our anchors are."
A new royal blue velvet sofa from Vanguard went in across from the fireplace with two petite swivel chairs. A large club chair -- from Vanguard's Thom Filicia series -- anchored that key reading spot near the front window. Orange silk drapes went up on every window in both the living and dining rooms and brought back childhood memories for the current homeowner -- who is the third generation of her family in the house. She said her grandmother -- the one with what Smith calls the "rockin' good taste" -- had dressed her windows in orange brocade.
"That was familiar to me. That was an easy decision," she says of the draperies.
View full sizeSmith took some formality away from the dining room by adding the settee under the window and moving the table off-center. Moving the table also opened up the walkway through the room and into the kitchen.The dining room kept its lovely pale green and white wallpaper. With the settee placed under one window and the round table and chairs pushed off-center toward the street-front window, the room's formal feeling faded.
"I didn't want it to be so ho-dee-hum," Smith says. "I like a twist of unpredictableness in design. I like traditional and symmetrical, but in terms of placement I like the idea of utilizing space in a different fashion. This is a formal dining room, but why can't it also be a parlor?"
The process to bring the older home into its new chapter was a smooth one for both Smith and the owner, who had worked together in the past. The trust was there, and it was "high time" for a change, the owner said. She had no problem purging through her things and was ready to make an investment in some timeless pieces to give her home a new look and give her a feeling of having her own home. She was even ready to get the television out of the living room -- making Smith one happy designer.
View full sizeAllison SmithSmith followed her designer instincts and her expertise in color for the makeover, but says she felt the presence of the woman who started it all and honored her by keeping the anchors of the woodwork, painted ceiling and Chinese rugs. Adding the high-end investment pieces was key to creating a new, timeless room to fit within its old framework.
There's a lot of value in not making a mistake when buying furniture, Smith says. Spending money on furniture that is not decent is a waste of money in the long run.
"These pieces," she says fingering the velvet couch, "are exceptionally decent. It is important that people get an education on the value of well-made pieces."
The three-month project resulted in a unique design the owner calls calm and comfortable -- and hers.
"Now it is mine," she says.
Bridget A. Otto: 503-221-8527;
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More information
Designer:
Allison Smith
Firm:
Allison Smith Design
Contact:
503-827-5750; allisonsmith
design.com/home
COSTS
The prices on the furniture are to the trade, which Allison Smith passed along to her client. Smith says these prices fall 35 percent below retail.
Sofa: $3,434
Coffee table: $1,005
Bar cabinet: $4,095
Club chair: $1,584
Swivel chairs: $1,386 each
Recovering the settee: $1,800 (several years ago)
Painting the mahogany table: $490
Curtains: $3,690
Wall paint/paper removal: $1,020
Hardwood floor cleaning/screening/new top coat: $1,750
Designer fee: $4,200