Summer living calls for easy, versatile pieces, offering the chance to break from tradition and loosen up your decor. To inspire your vacation-time style, At Home asked three top designers to create fresh combos for a summery setting, all based on one piece of furniture.
The item? The new, modern classic Ghost Buster commode, designed by Philippe Starck for Kartell. While the simple lines evoke a French chest, the transparent or opaque plastic construction keeps the look light.
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1. Cirrus chandelier from Hinkley Lighting with brushed nickel finish and ivory fabric. www.hinkleylighting.com
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Marinell Donald fondly remembers helping her mother with household chores and finding a light green teacup or saucer in a laundry detergent box or even in a carton of oats. As a child, she had no idea these milky green pieces, known as jadite, were part of a growing trend in kitchenware.
Years later, Marinell began her own collection of the alluring glassware with a few pieces of Fire King’s Restaurant Ware pattern, including an egg stand, which she was able to secure at a local auction. “Restaurant Ware pieces are known for their durability and functionality, and they don’t have any embellishments,” says Marinell. Pieces in this collection typically include mixing bowls, mugs, juicers and place settings, which were used in diners and cafes during the 1950s, hence the name. To date, this is still the most popular and perhaps widely known pattern; however, it was not the first.
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1. Iosis Collection pillows feature embroidered fish, starfish and seashells on white linen. Yves DeLorme, Little Rock
2. Brass outdoor torches. Ken Rash’s of Arkansas, Little Rock
3. Lake House water hyacinth soy-based candle in an art glass vessel. House to Home, Hot Springs
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Penny Stanley’s home near Searcy has been a fixture on her family farm since it was built in the late 1930s. However, its original kitchen, which was last renovated more than 20 years ago, lacked adequate countertop space, and it was too cramped to accommodate guests while Penny prepared meals. Ready for an update, Penny enlisted the help of interior designer Beth Davis to give it the style, functionality and comfort of a modern-day kitchen. “Many people entertain more casually than they used to,” Davis says. “They want an interaction between the kitchen and dining areas.”
Davis began by knocking out the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room. She then replaced a small alcove at the far end of the kitchen with a spacious eat-in bar, and extended the length of the countertops. These changes allow friends and family the freedom to mingle or eat at the bar, giving Penny additional place for prepping and serving meals as well.
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Occupation: I’m a realtor for The Charlotte John Co. in Little Rock and a blogger.
Best known for: My blog, Live the Home Life, which I began two years ago. I chronicle being a single, twenty-something, do-it-yourselfer and people follow my home renovation and furniture rehab projects.
Lives in: A 1960s ranch-style home in midtown Little Rock. It hadn’t been updated at all when I bought it, which was ideal because I wanted to do everything myself and put my own stamp on it. I’ve been here a little more than a year, and I’m about halfway there.
My favorite part of my house is: My dining room, which is actually the most-used room in my house. I don’t have a home office, so I sit at the dining table with my laptop, and it’s also where I entertain when friends come over for dinner. A red chest in the room is one of my favorite pieces because it was my first rehab project. It showed me what I could do with a little paint and elbow grease.
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At Home in Arkansas: Your home manages to blur several design lines that can be challenging: it’s historic, yet feels fresh and livable, and it’s elegant while still feeling comfortable. How did you strike that balance?
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At Home in Arkansas offers you a look inside the state's most inspiring homes. The magazine features monthly advice from the experts to help you plan your next remodel or redesign, entertain at home, or find Arkansas's best kept secrets. It is your definitive guide to the state's finest homes and gardens, design professionals, fashion and entertaining essentials, and premier shops and showrooms.
