the homeowner could get an idea of what the designer had in mind. Dara heard “custom this, custom that. I was petrified.” Afraid that n.d.’s services would be too expensive and that the couple were in over their heads, Dara wrestled with the decision, then returned to Nan expecting a referral elsewhere. “I’m not sure I’m the right client for you,” she recalls saying. “I don’t have a whole lot of money.” To her surprise, Nan was unfazed. “I can do that. That’s me.” The first step in a design project is getting acquainted. “We have to learn our clients,” Nan explains. During initial interviews, “you sit there and you listen to the personality.” Then the job is translating that individual’s style – no matter what that style might be – into an appealing and functional space. “I have so many personalities inside me,” Nan says. “It’s just as inviting to do a traditional home” as a more modern one. From talking with Dara, the designer learned that the homeowner “likes clean, straight lines” and “loves color and excitement.” The color orange “just vibrates her,” and she was in tune with a modern look. The couple are also very much focused on family and home. As Nan says, “They live in their house.” With a small child on the premises, that can mean serious wear and tear in the space of 3,702 heated and cooled square feet. >>>
In the kitchen, new glass tile was installed over the existing backsplash, and the kitchen dining table was refinished by Kelly Pettit to work with the space, which also got new lighting. The kitchen is open to the family room. At left, Nan decorated Dara’s office at the front of the house to integrate with the homeowner’s wild animalpattern desk. Dara works at home, and says she’s happy to spend time in this lively room. Above at left, a decorative cabinet placed at an angle adds a little punch to one corner of the family room.
Home & Design Magazine | October/November 2012
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