GRAY No. 3

OPPOSITE: When attempting a salon-style gallery wall, Ament suggests taping up paper templates that represent the paintings and living with them for a while, moving them around until it feels right. This page: Ament’s art studio is in the lower level of the house and it’s here where she displays many of her quirkier inspirations, such as brass animal figurines and other art she’s collected.

shockingly beautiful,” Ament says. “It is the gritty, harderto-understand side of life that is the most fascinating.”

The idea that things or rooms should possess elements of humor is what sets Ament’s interiors apart. Among the more surprising things you will see is a bronze casting by local artist Lynn Swanson of her daughter’s hand doing the “heavy metal” sign, a snow globe collection, and a bronze bunny with only one ear. Ament encourages seeking out alternative sources as a way of keeping your interior distinct, and yes, a bit weird.

“We were in Montana on vacation, and we drove past this thrift store that was so old, it was kind of creepy looking actually,” Ament says. “There, I found six different pieces I will have forever.”

Other favorite sources include stores going out of business (she found two tufted leather chairs from the

’70s in a frame shop that was closing), small estate sales, and artists on Etsy. She advises against the mainstream antique shops and even popular thrift stores because “everything is picked over and overpriced,” she says.

Lest it seem that Ament only appreciates quirk, the overall effect of the interiors is far from campy, even though she loves camp. Ament grounds the space thanks to a very serious love of classic design and an artistic sense of scale that keeps everything looking über-sophisticated.

“We like a lot of natural elements, but then also those glamorous ones,” Ament says. “I love Frank Lloyd Wright, the way he designed his midcentury houses—it was classic and sophisticated and glamorous at the same time.”

It’s this mix that is the magic, and like any great rock song, it just works.

GRAY ISSUE No. three

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