Living Room

Homeowner Elizabeth Mead found this drapery fabric at a Carleton V sample sale. Elizabeth loved the fabric so much, she used what was left over to cover the living room armchair and throw pillows. The walls were painted Benjamin Moore's Marshmallow Bunny; the sofa is from Ralph Lauren.



Entry Staircase

"Play it safe when it comes to investment pieces such as a sofa or club chairs by choosing classic shapes and solid fabrics. You'll find you can live with them longer," advises Elizabeth. Then add quirky character with smaller pieces and a few patterned accents, like draperies and pillows.



Pink and Beige

"Pink can be quite sophisticated if you tone it down with brown or beige," the owner says. Hence the earthy tone of her dining room, in which pink recedes to an accent color. The raffia on the wall, by Hinson, vertically extends the texture and tone of the sea grass on the floor. The pine table and bench belonged to the owners's mother, as did the settee, in a Scalamandré floral that matches the draperies. The unsigned portrait of a lady was found at Tepper Galleries, an auction house in New York City.



Compact Kitchen

Sunlight pours into the compact kitchen thanks to two small windows that Elizabeth Mead leaves bare. A blue quadrille wallpaper balances the white woodwork and marble counters. Wooden stools are gathered around an industrial kitchen table from the Williams-Sonoma outlet store. A black granite tile floor "keeps the room from becoming too sweet," says Elizabeth.



Artwork

For artwork, Elizabeth favors the offbeat, like a sketch for a theater costume that came complete with fabric swatches.



Collections

In addition to mining eBay for inexpensive artwork, Elizabeth hunts for bargain books on fashion, design, and photography at thrift stores and online at amazon.com and alibris.com. "Books are a very important accessory for a home - they make it feel lived in," she says.



Pink Floral Bedroom

Upstairs, daughter Alexandra's bedroom feels rather grown up thanks to a pink ticking wallpaper by Ralph Lauren Home. The floral-print fabric, from Duralee, "was $3.50 a yard at their outlet on Long Island," says Elizabeth. "I upholstered the Ballard Designs headboard myself!"






Photo credit: Lucas Allen