Take a Tour of This Antique-Filled Contemporary Home
If you're like me and love to surround yourself with collections and have always dreamed of living in a library, today's tour is for you. It incorporates all of my favorite things: antiques, books, and, of course, luxury.
However, there are tips and tricks here that I've utilized in this apartment that the average do-it-yourselfer could easily incorporate into their space.
Table of contents
Foyer
In the foyer, we started with this cabinet, and this is an introduction to what you're going to see in the rest of the apartment. We're going to see tons of books, and we're going to see tons of antiques.
We brought in this fabulous silk wallpaper, and then I took my cues from this color, which was purposely selected to set off the warmth of the wood. I painted out all the doorways.
Now, here's something I've mentioned in the past, and it's so easy for people to do. This was a white slab door.
By adding these two pieces of trims and making our little panel, we've elevated it to a level of luxury that really didn't cost a lot of money.
I had all the switch plates and plugs in the house changed out to this gray so that they now recede and allow the star of the show to be this fabulous piece of artwork and antique piece of furniture.
Family room
I felt that there were things here that really weren't doing justice to the beautiful artwork, antiques, and books that he collected. So the wall behind me, for example, was painted red. That was one of the first things that I wanted to eliminate.
When I chose this wallpaper for this room, it was my suggestion that we carry that into the foyer as the space is a continuation.
I wanted to replace the couch with a color that would complement the antiques rather than blend in or fight.
So, I designed this beautiful settee.
I wanted to eliminate the back that was blocking the view of this beauty behind me and the books that were inside.
I brought in a beautiful bronze metal and a dark marble top for our coffee table. Because the room is a little bit awkward, I went with these two pieces that can be configured as needed. Then we added swivel chairs. I designed the swivel chairs in a beautiful gray velvet again to really complement the other colors that are in the room.
Eating area
We wanted to replace the table that initially existed with another wood table. So this time, I brought in, again, a bronze metal table with glass. I wanted to make sure that all the pieces had enough interest and weight so that they didn't fight the antiques but rather balanced out the weight of them.
We added a very contemporary light because we've got a fantastic cement ceiling.
So that's complementing that and tying in that modern element.
For the wall, I swapped that out to a dark color that really allowed the artwork to shine. Then, I brought in one of my favorite elements, which is the antique mirror. It's creating depth to this space as well as a little bit of shine and bouncing the light around.
One of the significant changes that we made here was in this beautiful drape that we installed.
Initially, this wall had all blinds, and it was cumbersome and busy because it was just a series of gray roller blinds. So what we did was once we took the blinds off, we bought a film that you cannot see on the glass.
This film is cutting the heat down drastically by over 90%. It also cuts the UV rays that come through, which protects our antiques and books. Then we brought in this beautiful sheer.
Bedroom
We're in the primary bedroom. So this bookcase was here. The client had already established this for the room, but we had a chair on the opposite end where I was so that he could see the view. However, you were walking into the back of a chair. So I felt that it wasn't the best use of the space. I suggested that we do this chaise.
Because we want to make sure that the homeowner is really living a luxurious life, we brought in small details.
At the small table for drinks, we make sure that there are lights beside all the chairs. In this niche here that's highlighting another piece of art, we kept it quiet and simple by just introducing a small metal table to showcase this beautiful sculpture.
On the other side of the room, all that we've done here was a couple of fabrics for his bedding, and then we did a feature wall with this silk wallpaper, again to really showcase the beautiful piece of artwork that he has.
Guest suite
I started the room off with a bookcase that I designed. I took my cues from what was already in the other rooms to establish the design and style of it. Then I took a chair, which was initially in the primary suite, recovered it using leather, and added a velvet seat for coziness.
So this is the main sight line when you come into the foyer. It's the first thing you see. So I wanted to establish just a quiet special moment, a place to go and sit quietly reading a book.
We added a small desk so that when it was being used as a guest suite, there was this spot to sit and write notes or for the wife to sit and do her makeup in the mornings.
This little awkward space off to the side initially housed a bathroom that had long ago been gutted, and again, the space was just being used for storage. So I created a small-scale sofa bed that, on its own, is a place for relaxation and retreat, but when guests are here, it pulls out as a bed and makes this room function in a way that it wasn't before.
Library
This room is magnificent. It really didn't need much help at all. All the bookcases that we saw and most of the architectural lighting were here when we got here. The room had a couple of problems. One again was heat coming through the windows. We had blinds right across that really weren't doing their job.
So we again brought in that UV filter to the glass and then added the same drapery for that lushness and luxury that we brought to the other room.
We see the same wallpaper is incorporated on the walls here that is elsewhere in the home. It really allows the books to be the star of this show.
We also brought in a comfy seating area here.
Then, the homeowner surrounded his desk with some fabulous little Ikea pieces.
These blend in beautifully with the custom bookcases that we have because they're quiet, and they allow the star of the show, the books, to really step forward and take the attention.
Antique-filled contemporary home
I hope you've enjoyed today's home tour and found a few tips and tricks to use along the way in your home. What was your favorite room? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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