Logical Choices

Occasionally, I’ll receive aphone call from a potential client looking
for something very specific, like a French-style fireplace screen
from the 1920s or an antique Dutch tapestry from the 1800s...
Sometimes that item is something they
truly need, and sometimes it’s not. But one
thing that I have learned over the years is
that I need to see for myself what is truly
the case.
Meet my client, Christopher Johns.
Christopher is a Goldberg Professor of
History of Art at
Vanderbilt Uni-
versity, so he
knows a thing or
two about furni-
ture, art and ac-
cessories. When
Christopher first
called us he was
trying to locate a
pair of Ionic
columns for his
home. We made
an appointment
to meet him at his
home along with
our contractor,
Kenny Wilson of
Urban Designs. At
first glance, we
could see why
C h r i s t o p h e r
wanted to add
the formal style of
the Ionic column.
His furniture and
accessories were
ver y formal, but
the basic struc-
ture of his home
did not reflect the
formality those
items needed. He
was correct in believing that adding some
architectural details to the interior of his
home would better sync it with the for-
mal furnishings.
Christopher intended to incorporate
the Ionic element in the kitchen and the
breakfast area, but this column style is re-
ally more appropriate for a dining or living
room. As a result, we encouraged him to
use a more simplistic column style that
would still elevate the formality of that
space – without making it too formal. A
sketch was drawn and approved, then
Kenny Wilson built it on site for us.
After looking around Christopher’s
home, we gave him some ideas on how he
could upgrade the look of the living room
to match the quality level of his furnish-
ings and accessories. First, we recom-
mended adding some decorative molding
to the bookcases. Second, we suggested
introducing some crown molding to the
tops of his windows. Additionally, we en-
couraged him to add a ceiling medallion to
his chandelier.
Christopher welcomed our advice and
also let us to put a new coat of paint on
the ceiling, walls and trim.We followed this
up by removing his draperies because we
felt they were
a little too ca-
sual for the
room. Shifting
his chairs gave
balance to the
space, and re-
arranging the
books and ac-
cessories in
the bookcases
created more
rhythm in the
room.The only
other things added to this space were two
lamps that completed the project.
So, when you’re decorating your home,
ask yourself if the room actually goes with
the furnishings you’re placing in it? Do you
need to add – or delete – items to achieve
that aesthetic balance? Decorating a room
is easy when make logical choices.