For interior designer Edward R. Stough, the challenge was to take a typical boxy room without any distinctive architectural features and turn it into a warm and cozy library-retreat for his busy clients. The room -- in a high-rise condominium on the edge of the city -- lacked any detailing, but it did include two nicely sized windows and a small built-in sink and cabinets for a bar.
One of Mr. Stough's first decisions was to add traditional moldings and built-in bookcases, which helped to define the function of the room and establish its classic style. To further enhance the space, he gave it a dramatic color scheme of greens and pinks based on the floral fabric covering two carved chairs in the room.
Because the moldings were so important to the room, he painted them a bright white and surrounded them with dark green walls and a pink valance. He painted the ceiling a light green. "I hate white ceilings," he says. "I usually always paint the ceilings in my rooms and it was very important in this room because the light green of the ceiling helped to make the moldings stand out even more."
To control the sunlight flooding through the large windows, he used wood Venetian blinds entwined with green cording.
Furnishing the room involved mixing new pieces with older furniture, including antiques. The new sofas were covered in a soft chenille to make them extra comfortable for lounging. An entertainment center, housing a large-screen television and a stereo sound system, was designed for the wall opposite the sofas. Also incorporated in the wall space was the original bar sink, which was surrounded by glass shelves and given a green counter top.
On an adjacent wall, an antique butler's tray, standing under an ornate Venetian mirror, was placed to serve as a bar. Other pieces chosen for the room included an antique library ladder, a painted, Oriental-inspired coffee table, and two original art deco chests.
The Persian rug, made in China in the classical antique Bijar motif, was purchased from Alex Cooper's in Towson. A floral pattern on a green background, it complements the floor's rich mahogany wood. Placing the floral-clad chairs on the floral-patterned rug presented no problem for Mr. Stough. "I don't know why it worked, it just did," he says. "I took one look at the rug and knew it was the one."