I am breaking protocol with this feature. I am back home in Charlottesville, Virginia so rather than apartment hopping, I’m house hopping. My godparents, Donna and Sandy McAdams, have a funky home perched on top of a Charlottesville hilltop. Here are my favorite features of their home:
The main living space is filled with worn leather couches, art and of course, books. They own a used bookshop downtown and whatever can’t fit in the three-story store, lives here. When decorating, it is often easy to feel tied to symmetry. This room breaks all of those rules. The art, books, couch, TV and ottoman all exist in their own space. Nothing is balanced and nothing matches-which in this case, is a good thing.
I was with Donna when she bought this ottoman years ago and I still love it. Adapted from an antique persian rug, we saw it at Crate and Barrel and there was no hesitation to purchase. Best of all, the ottoman is on wheels and can easily move to any space in the room.
In the dining room the McAdams play with scale and symmetry. The main dining room wall is filled with original art, art from friends and other memorabilia. What makes this work is that they stuck with the same color palette. The black and white colors give the display continuity and make it feel less disjointed.
Short on cabinet space? No need to panic. Take your favorite dishes and put them on display. For all the time spent picking china patterns, why stuff everything in a dusty cabinet?
For Donna, a true New Jersey girl, there is always time to chat on the phone. This pale pink, vintage telephone is tucked into a small shelf in the foyer. The “princess phone” as she calls it, is an example of decorating with the things that simply make you happy.
Love to Donna and Sandy for letting me snap pictures while they entertained.
