Smithtown Sophistication

Smithtown Sophistication Project Details

My client for this project had, for a number of years, held onto a news article story about a prominent local business owner and her art and accessory business. The client had fallen in love with the featured series of three simple black and white floral line drawings, wanting to hang them on her dining room wall. The business owner had shifted to a different business model and no longer had those art pieces, she then extended her referral to me.

The client's previous designer had closed shop and moved to the south of France, after losing their spouse, and the job was left incomplete. Although most of the larger furniture pieces were installed, they had not a single accessory or piece of artwork. They would purchase item after item, returning each one, which left them feeling unsatisfied, frustrated, and completely lost.

Taking on the challenge

During our initial meeting while outlining how I would solve this problem and describing how I would gladly take on the challenge, they agreed to engage my design services. I began with the art program finding almost the identical black and white botanicals that the owner fell in love with and that they long wanted. In every room I sourced, curated, and executed an extensive and versatile collection of original pieces of art, hand-picked frames and mats each one on a level equivalent to museum quality. The subject matters included landscapes, botanicals and abstracts, charcoal line drawings and watercolors. This was the culmination of a truly "one-of-a-kind" art collection. Sometimes whimsical and always timeless the unique artwork and array of accessories defined the style of the home interiors and helped to depict the client's unique signature look.

Accessorizing

With the artwork phase of the project finally and successfully completed, I launched a full-blown shopping spree to accessorize all of the rooms; beginning with the front door entrance foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, and family room. Knowing I had their trust now, I asked them to spend a day out of the home, to allow me a marathon one-day installation of everything including all of the accessories and botanicals. The big reveal was everything they dreamed of and demonstrated the type of client reaction to my work that makes it all worthwhile!

Some of the details

A mixture of cultural artifacts made of clay, bronze and antique gold metal vessels; boxes made of bone inlay, plexiglass and brass lamps, bronze candlesticks, an elaborate silver peacock displayed on the bar cart and a marble & silver beaked Cockatoo statue found on the antique sideboard are placed strategically in each room. A collection of oversized colored glass urns and vases are perched high on a ledge above the kitchen, make the complexity of each room look effortless.

Exquisite custom-made floral arrangements sprout from a collection of clear, colored glass and metal vessels. In the dining room, a contemporary highly polished silver mirror is flanked on either side with a custom hand-painted “Ralph Lauren” Stencil which is infused with a palette of bronze, gold, peach Glitter.

Install day

Not recognizing their home and overwhelmed with tears [the happy kind,] they asked to live with everything for a few days and then make their final decision. On the third day, I returned and they purchased all but three accessory items on the spot. This led to my next projects for them - the complete furnishing and installing two guest bedrooms and the master bedroom. The ease of collaboration made this a dream job, and it all began with solving one problem: finding just the right pieces of art.