Clients often ask their designer to incorporate a treasured heirloom, a favorite sofa, or a personal collection into the design of a room.
Here, Little Black Door Designs and C&M Interiors show us how an owner’s possessions—in this case a pair of 19th-century gilt bronze French sconces with Chinese porcelain inserts from Jules Pass Antiques—inspired living room designs, each different yet stunning.
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Design partners Channing Glover and Maria Lesko of C&M Interiors are known for their modern, sophisticated, and functional home interiors.
For this project, the duo took inspiration from the sconces’ multihued palette and thematic elements, and added contemporary touches for an up-to-the-minute living room design.
“We selected a contemporary sofa [covered in a traditional floral Indian block print in vermilion and navy on cream] as a companion piece to the lounge chairs, which have an Asian flair to them,” says Lesko. “Both the sofa and chairs offer a strong contrast to the traditional sconces.” In this room, the sconces are viewed as works of art that can stand alone within a minimalist setting.
“Mixing styles helps us achieve an eclectic and thoughtful space,” says Lesko.
Elizabeth Baumgartner of Little Black Door Designs grew up surrounded by the antiques and classic furniture that her parents restored and sold, and thus prefers to stock her Kirkwood shop with pieces sourced from flea markets, estate sales, and the Scott Antique Market in Atlanta.
This living room design includes a wheat sheaf table that references the ornate metal frame and bucolic scenes depicted in the sconces. The room’s color scheme is also taken directly from the sconces, with lively accents of olive, aqua, pink, and vermilion in the art, lamps, and pillows.
“The owner’s treasures don’t have to direct the whole room,” she says. “I like to mix things up, like the modern art by Kayce Hughes, which is similar in scale and color to the sconces, and where the geometric shapes act as a counterpoint.”
