Gentleman's Quarters
Interior Design Magazine Fittings and fixtures were original to the house. Black ebonized ash was used as an accent; maple veneer plywood paneling covers original blue ceramic tiles.
Darryl Savage and Anthony Awkard of DHS Designs had the dream client: a very well-read, well-traveled, sophisticated figment of their collective imagination. This dream client required a private retreat-gentleman's quarters-for his ablutions and, well, for dressing or moments of communion with literature. Savage and Awkard also had a pretty dreamy place with which to work: a 1920s Italianate mansion that had recently been purchased by a young couple who, in the process of it's restoration, volunteered the space as the show house venue. "The house had had several lives, but much of the original architecture detailing remained intact. The bones were great, " said Savage and Awkard. The 25-ft.-by-15-ft. sitting area and the 12-ft.-by-7-ft. bathroom opened off the master bedroom suite; a matched pair of rooms, off the other side of the bedroom, was devoted to the lady of the house's private needs.
 Noted Awkard, "We wanted to create a very masculine retreat. And because our client was a collector, we wanted to include some wonderful antiques. Almost everything else in these rooms is custom." Savage and Awkard upholstered the walls with linen; the also upholstered the panel molding to make it "more architecturally correct. The crown molding and the ceiling were original to the house, and very beautiful," they reported. Other upholstery materials included mohair and leather. Scale was a consideration: given the 10-ft ceiling height, all the custom designs, as well as rather elongated Napoleon III mirror, emphasized the vertical expanse.
In the bathroom the designers covered over, "dome horrible old blue tile" with maple veneer plywood paneling, designed for easy removal since the house's owners banned any changes of materials. They also used black ebonized ash for a picture rail and to frame the mirror over the original sink. Existing hardware was painted black. Most of the accessories come from the two DHS antiques stores. The result seems pretty dreamy to us.
 Two views of the dressing room clarify the experiments with furniture scale and the relatively neutral palette expressed through luxurious materials. Most of the furniture designs are custom. WALL COVERING: Henry Calvin. WALL COVERING INSTALLATION: Precision Wall Covering. ANTIQUES, ACCESSORIES: DHS Designs. CUSTOM FURNITURE FABRICATION: Old Town Woodworking. FLOORING: Van Dijk Carpets. FLOORING INSTALLATION: J.S. Flooring. BATHROOM WINDOW TREATMENT FABRIC: Corragio. DAYBED FABRIC: Donghia Textiles. LEATHER: Edelman Leather. CIGARETTE TABLE: John Boone. FLOOR LAMP: David Gill. BATHROOM ACCESSORIES: Calvin Klein Home. PHOTOGRAPHY: GORDON BEALL. Interior Designs Magazine, March 1997, pages 88-89 |
