In late October I had a kaffee klatsch with reader Clare, who is British and lives in London, but oh so coincidentally also has a second home in Lee, Mass., just one town over!
Actually, we had two klatsches (and drank tea): First Clare came to my house and got the tour. Then I went to visit her – descending with camera in hand practically frothing after some serious retro recon. I apologize again, Clare! What a pushy broad I can be. But… I think we got on quite well, little chatterboxes who never stopped. Her husband ran screaming from the house. Oh, I mean, he went on a run.
Clare’s house is a little jewel box inside – you open the door, and voila, full of sparkling treasures. What I particularly liked was her amazing “graphic” eye. She has a real knack for using single images or pieces to really stand out to make an artistic statement. Kind of, less is more. And as you can see – very tidy. Normal, she say, even when guests with cameras aren’t coming.
Back to the graphics. This idea (above) is a great example: If you have just one precious role of vintage wallpaper, use it to cover one wall, with the wall color as ‘frame.’ The photo doesn’t do justice to Clare’s idea (my camera is bouncing too much light off the paper) – in reality, the installation reads almost ‘tone on tone’ with the wallpaper making just the right impact.
And you can see Clare’s graphic touch in the kitchen as well – the beige subway tile with red accents – is repeated in the carpet squares… all unified with the vintage avocado appliances. Hurrah for avocado!
Don’t forget to call me when you’re back for Christmas, Clare!