When decorating a home, for designers, the key to client satisfaction is to reflect the homeowner's personality as it was in the case of the Hall residence at Mizner Country Club, Delray. Decorator Nancy Feldman envisioned a sophisticated whimsical look, while the homeowner's palette was soft and glowing. Combining the two looks was indeed a challenge. But there was an even bigger challenge: How do you take a cookie cutter country club floor plan and turn it into YOUR home? It's all about setting the stage. Scale, furniture placement and the backdrops you're working with matter when you truly want to create something that stands apart from all of the other homes on the street.
Another important factor is timing. Projects shouldn't take forever. Of course, timing depends on the scope of the project. If you're working on an 8,000 sq. ft. home or custom designing each piece from scratch, things take a little longer than going to a furniture store and working with one of their designers. In this project, most of the important pieces of the Hall's home were custom built to fit their space as well as their personalities.
What helped complete the decorating within a short amount of time was that the Halls h;nl u'.ilr.ii. and could make decisions quickly.
The colors selected for the soft faux of the walls provided a backdrop that was not only elegant but would allow us the ability to go in different directions when necessary. "Our traditional/French country actually became a more transitional with a blast of contemporary art punch it up! We had fun," said Nancy.
"The scale and focal points of the Great Room were enhanced with the addition of the wall mirrors and I love it when there's a reason to enhance areas with murals or interesting wall treatments. This great room gave us the ability to view so many different areas at once that we had to ensure interest appointments throughout," claimed Nancy. The leaded glass front doors, and muraled fountains introduced in the entry and entrance to the Master Suite that is viewable from this room enhanced the flow that the design team was looking for.
The Hall home boasts a soothing monochromatic blend of golds used in repeated and mixed patterns and textures. In the Master Suite we went with one pattern for the bedding as well as the window treatments. This can also give smaller rooms more drama. You'll see this technique used often when it comes to Toile fabrics. The chaise is custom as well as each and every silk in the house. Nancy purposely stayed away from live plants and flowers since this is a part time home.
In the Great Room the pair of mahogany Bergere chairs strives for formality but the addition of the Maitland-Smith elephant table lightened the mood considerably. "The dressmaker skirts on the sofas, the custom pillows and the bench covered in red patterned chenille sitting atop a breathtaking area carpet (rare because of its unusual coloring) and the fact that we used a custom glass and iron cocktail really pulled the overall look together for this room," said Nancy. All of the fabrics used were of great quality and yet suitable for a home that had to serve visiting executives as well as the family grandchildren. The two guestrooms were actually in a different wing of the house giving the decorator "permission" to introduce blues and soft greens into the color way. The interplay of various textures and colors create sensations that work in a feng shui way. Both guest rooms are shuttered and complement one another, one room is slightly Asian and more plush while the other features twin rod iron beds (left) and is a little more Country French. "In the breakfast room we introduced trompe 1'oiel window treatments since privacy was not an issue. We did the same in the Master Bath. You have to let yourself believe in fantasy and escapism when you're creating a setting that people just don't want to leave," said Nancy. There should always be architectural and practical reasons for placement of furniture and scale, but make sure you never lose touch of the desired result. "1 knew I wanted homeowners Jane and Sy to love coming to Florida. This home was a get away that turned into a 6-month stay each year. I couldn't be happier," Nancy said proudly.
Nancy Feldman has been featured in several interior design and lifestyle magazines and can be reached at (561) 479-2290 for questions and home decorating projects. www.theartofplacement.com
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