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About This Design
Interior Design: Paul Miller
When they contacted me, my clients were ready to make this home their own with upgrades to everything from cabinetry and flooring to paint and furnishings. I wanted my choices on their behalf to provide comfort, durability, and beauty. In the kitchen, we collaborated with a Winchester-area cabinet retailer to add storage and a Fairfax-based refinishing company to update existing cabinets. The tall pantry pullouts encasing the refrigerator are new, the island was existing, but with skilled work from our refinishers, new and old are in perfect harmony. That this approach was more environmentally sustainable and smarter fiscally was a win on many counts. New hardware, a simple, high-impact upgrade, was the finishing touch to bring it all together.
The living room was a space our clients were really excited to take ownership of after letting it be a fun romping grounds for their kids since moving into the house. With the boys getting a little older, it was time to envision a relaxing area for the grownups, too. To keep the palette sunny and sophisticated, I mixed blue, green, and ivory in fabrics and paints. Searching for a soft, warm green that would never look minty, I returned to a favorite: Benjamin Moore’s Artichoke Hearts. On the sofas a crisp stripe highlights the fine tailoring on the arms - and sweeps the eye up to the dynamic embroidered drapery panels and eclectic gallery art wall.
In the foyer and throughout, original (and fairly battered) hardwood floors were in real need of replacement, having faded from a dark, reddish color in some areas to a pale rosy brown. I identified a wide oak plank in a sandy, neutral brown that will offer my clients timeless good style. As I frequently do, when the stair treads were being refinished to match the new hardwood, I recommended having the risers painted to match the baseboard and case trims. A high contrast between tread and riser emphasizes the rhythm of the staircase and cuts the monotony of such a large architectural mass. For greater comfort and better acoustics, we added a fluffy, luxurious carpet runner in a kid- and pet-friendly natural jute tone.
I carried the palette of the living room into the family room with a linen check drapery, although in this space, directly off the kitchen, blue takes the lead. To enliven the palette, there are a range of blue notes, from the aqua tones of the corner reading chair to the heathered mix of denim and blueberry in the storage ottomans.
The changes to this nest have made the house feel fresh, stylish, and new. Our clients now have more of their home to use for spending quality time with one another and loved ones. Perhaps as importantly, the changes have been met with approval by the finickiest member of the family, Surrey.
