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Bold Beginnings
Whimsy is the secret to beach house décor |
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A young New Hampshire designer feathers her first nest by combining yard sale finds, family artwork, and a few pieces dragged home from the dump.
In the living room, an antique dry sink from a yard sale is accented by a topiary and a painting by Sarah's father
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Sarah Andersen and her husband, Peter, have thoughtfully grafted their style onto a tiny 500-square-foot apartment, located on the ground floor of a three-story house. In the living room, an antique dry sink (right) from a yard sale is accented by a topiary and a painting by Sarah's father.
Sarah, a jewelry and floral designer, who works just down the hill in her parent's home accessories and floral shop, Cross Road, had a highly developed sense of style at an early age.
This is a space that conveys a sense of style well beyond the newlyweds' years. Cabinets shedding layers of paint share space with iron grates, glossy pottery, and bamboo chairs that used to inhabit Sarah's childhood bedroom.
"I don't think I've spent more than $150 on anything in here," says Sarah. "Well, maybe I paid more than that for the dry sink." |
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Sitting at a table she bought at auction and then painted, Sarah plants a tiny glass greenhouse. |
Years of scouring garage sales, auctions, flea markets-even the local dump with her artist parents taught her to spot a shapely table and how architectural salvage pieces can make artistic additions to the home.
Her parents advised Sarah how to buy, transform, and sell objects as her taste evolved or as she grew tired of them. "I am a total product of my family," says Sarah. "The core of everything I've done is formed by my family and how they've taught me to look at things." |
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The bold use of large objects, such as
the clock face and urn, add playful
punctuation to the Andersens' small
apartment. |
Crisp and fresh
Color cues
The bold use of color on the wall, as well as the accent quilt and bed skirt, creates a pleasant counterpoint to the white comforter. The color also helps distract the eye from the room's small scale. A charmingly curlicued headboard gives this bed focal-point impact, yet its open design keeps it from overpowering the modestly sized sleeping area. |
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Pale yellow
Pale yellow walls and berber carpeting provide a neutral palette for first-home experimentation.
Grass mats define the entry and seating areas, and matching bamboo chairs are fitted with cushions slipcovered in white denim, an inexpensive fabric that is easily cleaned.
Sarah balanced the home's sweet cottage feel with large-scale pieces that add a modern graphic element. She edits accessories and furnishings to retain a sense of simplicity.
"I like a clean look," says Sarah. "I'm not a big color person, and I'm not into anything dark. If I like [a piece of furniture] and it's dark, paint goes on it." In fact, "Just paint it" is one of the family mottos. "It's our joke," says Sarah. "Just paint it white and it'll look fine."
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Bedroom shelves display a triptych along
with plants, flowers, and vases. |
Pieces she tires of or feels no longer fit her lifestyle are sent to her parents' barn. A yearly yard sale there makes space for new bohemian treasures.
"I like funky, shabby looking pieces," says Sarah, who is drawn to the well-worn look inherent in less expensive furniture.
In addition to family hand-me-downs, plants and flowers are intregal to making the Andersens' house a home. Topiaries appeal for their color and dramatic shape. |
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Sarah scents the house with fresh arrangements of her favorite flowers-peonies, orange-red or pink roses, hydrangeas, and purplish-blue pincushion flowers that she had in huge bouquets at her wedding in 2003. "Flowers are like furniture to me because they become part of the room."
Her love of flowers also carries over onto bed sheets, the duvet, and in paintings, adding to the apartment's romantic aura. Says Peter: "The pink can get out of hand sometimes, but it's not really a big deal with me." |
White paint unified the formerly dark mirrored cabinet and chest.
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| Some of Sarah's family habits have even rubbed off on her husband. "He's up before me to go to yard sales on Saturday morning," says Sarah. "He never used to be that way, but he is now." |
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