"So much of design is finding the delicate balance among all the various parts of a vignette, a corner, a room, or a home. The calculus of what stands out, what remains quiet, and what harmonizes in ways that draw and please the eye without overwhelming it is different for every person, occasion, space, and function."
-Matthew Patrick Smyth
I had just returned home from a trip to Virginia to find designer Matthew Patrick Smyth's new book Through A Designer's Eye - A Focus on Interiors waiting for me. It's lovely. As I had just visited the National Gallery of Art exhibits of Degas at the Opera, and True to Nature: Open-air Painting in Europe, 1780-1870, I was immediately taken with Smyth's use of art, it's placement, and of course his use of color. Like the artist that he is, he describes his designs in a first-person narrative. One of my favorite projects showcased in his book is a new house designed by architect Peter Pennoyer (pages, 122-143 not showcased here), it has a sophisticated appeal that hints at the "summer house" feel of Bunny Melon's Oak Spring estate which I recently had the privilege to tour in beautiful Upperville, Virginia.
"Year after year, these rooms evolve. The dining room bookcases reflect how life proceeds. Children's board and books have slowly given way to chapter books and young fiction. Mementos from recent family trips ... Summer trophies ... rainy-day art projects that chart the seasons - the kind of changes that every family, and every house, welcomes."
From a Park Avenue apartment to a home in Connecticut, Smyth achieves his goal of creating a comfortable environment and an ambience that suits the people who live in them. And isn't that the essence of coming home...
"It seems so simple to say that design and decoration should reflect location... But perhaps more important are the quality of the light, the degree of seasonal change, the character of the surroundings, whether urban or mountain, suburban or seaside. Every aspect of the world beyond our walls and windows can and should affect our choices within them - everything from architecture to materials, fabrics, and finishes to color palettes and types and styles of furnishings."
FAMILY HISTORY
"Some homes just feel meant to be. Others, especially when newly built, need love and attention to make them that way. This house is the second kind. When these longtime clients purchased it, it had good bones but lacked any sense of architectural style or focus. To fill it with the welcoming living spaces they envisioned, they knew they needed the backgrounds that only good architecture provides. Before we started to build up the decoration, we worked to correct what existed not just by adding ceiling beams, wall panel details, moldings, and metals, but also by fine-tuning each element to get its scale, profile, and silhouettes right."
My sincerest congratulations to Designer Matthew Patrick Smyth on his new design book.
All the best to you and yours.
To Jill Cohen and Melissa Powell of Jill Cohen and Associates - Where Beautiful Books Begin
Thank you for the opportunity which is always my privilege and pleasure.
All the best to you and yours always.
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