A combination of furnishings, colors, and style sometimes becomes so prevalent that a location becomes known for having “a look”.
Design by Gerrie Bremermann. (Photo: cotedetexas.com)
New Orleans’ design in the 1990’s brought to mind full silk curtains with dressmaker details, gilt antiques, Gerrie Bremermann, and Mario Villa metalworks.
Gerrie Bremermann repeatedly used beautiful antiques, warm colors, and billowy silk curtains. (Photo: vreelandroad.com)
New Orleans design stood out because of its local talent. Many homes were dressed in silk curtains made by the same local workshop. Many had lamps of columns and gilt angels made by a certain artist. Holden & Dupuy and Gerrie Bremerman were nationally recognized designers.
The “victory palm” steel bed. (Photo: courtesy of Mario Villa)
(Photo: christinehaught.net)
Also local, Mario Villa designed beautiful steel and bronze furniture. It offered a welcome contrast to the serious pedigree of the art and antiques. His palm fronds reflected the landscape. The celestial-themed chairs, above, provided a note of whimsy.
Likewise, Houston had its own look: seagrass, dramatically skirted upholstery, antiques, and a faded color palette.
Design by Pamela Pierce. (Photo: Peter Vitale)
Design by Carol Glasser. (Photo: cotedetexas.com)
Design by Eleanor Cummings. (Photo: eleanorcummings.com)
Many aspects of the Houston look were akin to that of New Orleans. One difference was the light and dark contrast. Houstonians had more influence from México. As a result, dark woods in the form of beams and furniture were commonly interjected.
Likewise, a marsh house could have a certain style.
Bayou house. (Photo: Pinterest)
Designing a house in a marsh has been on my mind having just read Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens. Kya, the protagonist, lived in a run-down shack resembling something like the one above.
She would not consider anything fancy, but I would wish for her a structurally sound house. One that was also a bit charming.
Handpainted wallpaper in Drottningholms Teatermuseum. (Photo: andreas-praefcke.de)
John James Audubon, Great Blue Heron. (Photo: fineartamerica.com)
The walls could be covered with marsh birds or grasses painted by her knowing hand.
Sandro Botticelli, Detail from Birth of Venus, 1496. (Photo: Imagedriver.com)
Anke Roder, Moonlight Garden. (Photo: ankeroder.nl)
Above all, Kya’s cottage would have to feel undecorated.
The summer home of Carl von Linné, Hammarsby, Sweden. (Photo: source unknown)
Although grand, this interior feels similarly undecorated. The floors are bare. Botanical posters paper the walls.
John Singer Sargent, Clouds, 1897. (Photo: effluvitality)
Maybe Kya’s ceilings could be covered in clouds.
(Photo: source unknown)
(Photo: iStock Photo)
The colors used would come from the marsh. Swampy green, lichen, moss, cloud-like blue-grey, and tobacco.
A favorite chair from Casamidy.
She could have one or two chairs seemingly made from twigs.
Petrified wood stumps would serve as tables.
A detail from a Casa V interior. An antique lamp from a Paris flea market wearing a block-printed fabric lampshade.
Rustic lamps with colorful shades would provide light for evening reading.
Kya would likely reject all of this, but this is what I would design for her. A home born from the marsh with just a touch of city comfort.
Casa V can design a place just for you.