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Photo by Alise O'Brien
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Photo by Alise O'Brien
There’s no denying that Traci Stisser has a thing for color. Even before a visitor sets foot inside her house, a lively combination of turquoise-painted front doors and lime-green porch furniture reveals a penchant for vibrant hues and a relaxed and welcoming environment.
The renovation on Stisser’s home, which she shares with her two daughters, was completed last spring. The project wasn’t exactly a teardown, but Stisser did change nearly everything about the structure. What was once a home with four bedrooms and two and a half baths became a house with five bedrooms, three full baths, two half baths, and an interior that reflects the owner’s love of the beach.
“I went to grad school in California and for many years my family had a home in Florida, so I love the feel of coastal properties,” she says. “I wanted something that was airy, happy, and light. I wanted to feel like the house hugged you when you walked inside.”
Interior design is a passion of Stisser’s, so whereas a three-year project might have exhausted some homeowners, the process energized her.
“I have friends who need to pick out a paint color or look at fabric swatches, and to them it’s just so draining,” she says. “I’m like, ‘Let’s do this!’”
Stisser is also skilled in the art of bargain shopping. When she sees something she really loves, she says, she buys it: “I did a lot of resale shopping for the house and kept a storage unit at Public Storage off Lindbergh.”
Her first find was a breakfront for the kitchen. She painted the shelves and the back of the case her favorite shade of orange but kept the rest just as it was when she bought it. “It’s really beat up, but I love it,” she says. “It even has a broken handle.”
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Photo by Alise O'Brien
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Photo by Alise O'Brien
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Photo by Alise O'Brien
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Photo by Alise O'Brien
Another cherished piece is the vintage Henredon display case in the home office. “I found it at The Refind Room. You can find similar pieces on 1stdibs.com selling for around $2,100, but I paid a fraction of that.”
In addition to The Refind Room, Stisser’s favorite haunts include the Miriam Switching Post, the Restoration Hardware Outlet, and the clearance room at Stash. HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx, and Marshalls also offer a good selection of affordable pieces, she says.
The key to knowing when you’ve stumbled upon a find, such as the two Midcentury Modern swivel chairs Stisser found at the Miriam Switching Post and plans to cover in a fun fabric, is the craftsmanship. Before purchasing a piece of secondhand furniture, she weighs the cost of having it repaired or reupholstered against its inherent quality.
“Those swivel chairs are rock solid,” she points out.
Having the vision to see past defects and imperfections is a matter of training your eye. The high-back chairs in the living room, for example, were found on clearance at Stash; though they weren’t the right color, Stisser knew that once they were painted anew and accessorized with cushions, they would be keepers.
Despite her keen sense of style, Stisser asked design consultant and friend Garrison Salinas to check her instincts. Salinas, owner of Garrison Ltd. in Clayton, describes his role as that of an editor.
“I kept the focus on the long-term design style,” he says, advising Stisser on what he calls the “meat-and-potato” finishes, such as floors, walls, and architectural details.
“These will always be returned in the value of the home,” he says.
In addition to new purchases and consignment pieces, Stisser inherited special items from her late father. Incorporating those was a labor of love.
“It’s important to me that each piece tell a story,” she says. “It was fun to take some of my dad’s pieces and mix those in.”
