Meet Janie

Collections (and what to do with them)

Organizing and displaying collections takes careful thought.  I always encourage clients to group whatever they are collecting en masse.  It is visually stronger and more interesting  to display a group of similar items in relation to each other.  Most anything can constitute a collection.  I rotate my own collections which range from sort-of special to especially loved.  On a walk through my house one would find collections such as a grouping of sculptures by a favorite New Orleans artist (Julie Silvers),  my children’s primitive pottery, a wall covered with brown transferware, old family sepia-colored photos, and last but best, 15 odd pairs of my boy’s very worn toddler-sized red Keds sneakers.  I have them tied all together as a vertical hanging sculpture.

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We recently worked on a project where the client had several wonderful collections but they were scattered throughout the home. On this wall we reorganized a graphic collection of botanicals by South Carolina artist, Becky Davis.

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In this Nantucket Inn, we gathered up a collection of woven lightship baskets and clustered them on a parlor desk.

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Another way to group collections is in a color genre.  In this foyer a collection of artwork in tones of black, white and grey creates harmony with a like-minded palette.

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A Delft plate collection accented with Delft lamps and a Delft planter in a breakfast room. If you have a favorite stack of china hiding  in a cupboard, consider grouping them in a fun design on an accent wall.

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Collections don’t need to be costly to be loved.  I am very attached to my dog-eared collection of coffee table books.  I love how our client stacked her own collection. Coffee table book collection turned coffee table!

Janie’s Morocco Travel Diary

In researching our Marrakech hotel, El-Fenn, I’d heard it offered some excellent eye candy for decorator-types. It did not disappoint. Located within the walls of the medina, the hotel is made up of a series of connected riads with tucked-away courtyards, pools, and a rooftop garden with lounge dining, more courtyards, another plunge pool, and […]

Beginnings and Endings

Inspired by House Beautiful’s Before & After issue this February, I revisited some of our projects and a few favorite beginnings and endings are below. Beachside Restaurant At Rooster’s Southern Kitchen in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina,  we unified the existing interior wall treatments by painting all walls and ceilings a warm, creamy white. Floors were stripped […]

In Defense of Twins

The twin bedroom gets a bad rap.  Often scorned and deemed a “B” room assignment by some, I am here to put in a good word for the twin room.  My husband and I have 5 children and large extended families on both sides.  Luckily, our children seem to have a lot of friends who […]

Nancy’s Kitchen

It’s kismet when all the stars align in a project and the end result is even better than you had hoped for. Good friend and longtime client Nancy reached out to me for some advice on a kitchen re-fresh. Her kitchen footprint is a right-angle space, one part narrow and a little dark, and the […]