A House Designed Around a Passion

I've just done a partial photo shoot of one my projects I've been working on for over a year and half.  It's a whole house remodel that really involved every space, even the exterior.  Above are the flowers I took for styling, loaded in the back of my SUV.  Normally I take at least one vehicle, sometimes two, FULL of stuff to style the shoot.  I have a stockpile of accessories for photo shoots.  Generic items ranging from rustic wooden bowls, assortments of glass vases, crocks and pitchers, white towels, French milled soaps, and beautiful baskets. I didn't take much for this shoot though.  Just flowers and fruit, a few wooden bowls, and the towels.  The homeowner had everything I needed.

One of the best things about working on this project were the collections of art, furnishings, and objet that my client had and loved and wanted to showcase.  Many things were tucked away or just not displayed to be seen at their best. They have lived overseas, in Pakistan and Kazikstan, and have traveled extensively all over the world.  She is an artist, working in textiles and jewelry, and has amassed a collection of antique textile pieces that have incredible detail. Embroidery, beading, weaving, and unique stitching and dying techniques all interest her and are why she purchases the pieces she does.  She also loves a rustic and comfortable feel to her home and has collected and inherited many antique wood pieces that have a worn, textural look.  You can tell from her collection that everything has been curated, carefully considered for their artistic beauty, complexity of detail, or hand hewn finish.  Each item was purchased because of pure passion for the object or was inherited with special meaning behind the gift.

This project was not about filling the space with beautiful furniture, art, and fabrics.  The furnishings and objet were already here.  This project was about creating the subtle, quiet envelope that would bring these things to life and make them feel at home.

Here's a peek at a few of her unique items.

She and I both have bemoaned the fact that prints like these beautiful antique textiles she owns are so popular now.  She's never collected these things to be popular or on trend.  She collected them because she loved them.

She has stacks of great art books about the things she loves.

When I looked in her kitchen cabinet to find some dishes to put out on the counter, I found the most beautiful handmade pottery.  Of course!  All her dishes were works of art as well.

I'm looking forward to seeing the completed photos.  I will share sometime soon!


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