slhl SMALL SCALE
The Art of Ambiance Capturing the feeling of “welcome”
BY SYLVIA FORBES PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTHEW HARRER PHOTOGRAPHY
Guests who visit Tina and Terry Crouppen are greeted by their cheerful welcomes and the open, airy entrance seems to echo their sentiments. The two-story room, with tall windows topped by fanlights along one wall, adds to the feeling of spaciousness. Doors leading outside to the pool area provide options to expand the entertaining area for large parties. The yellow walls trimmed in white add a sunny atmosphere to the space, where people instantly feel at home. “The entryway is what sold us on the house,” says Tina. “We bought it five years ago, and loved this room. However, the room was arranged into a formal dining room and living room. We do a lot of entertaining, and my husband wanted a less formal area where people could sit and relax and enjoy each other.” The Crouppens chose S&K Interiors to help them achieve a new look for their entranceway. S&K Interiors, a mother-daughter team of Shirley Strom and Katie Marvin, specializes in residential interiors, though they have also done everything from law offices to cafés.
60
S&K began by painting the walls, which had been a neutral ivory, in a golden yellow, immediately brightening the room. They created two comfortable seating areas, using a blue-green sofa with cream leather backing that Tina had recently bought and adding accent pillows in matching blue greens, reds and yellows. Several red pillows feature a pineapple design, a traditional symbol of hospitality. An additional red accent was added by painting the back wall of a built-in bookcase. The wall provides a dramatic backdrop for the art objects displayed in front of it. Two chandeliers already hung from the ceiling, but up so high they were mostly unnoticed. Shirley lowered them, making a statement of elegance. She added shades for each of the lights on the chandelier, coordinating them with the rest of the room by their red color. “The biggest challenge of this project was lowering the chandeliers,” says Shirley. “The ceilings were so tall, the workmen had to use scaffolding to reach them. I felt like I was in Italy, watching them.”
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 STLOUISHOMESMAG.COM
SMALL SCALE_1112.indd 64
10/12/12 1:10:13 PM