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Great Design with Trudy Dujardin, FASID, LEED AP

A Colorful Pageant with Pillows!

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Whether you want a new splash of color for a seasonal change, a touch of cozy comfort, or to elevate a room’s style by adding pattern and texture, updating your throw pillows can be a small change that packs a powerful design punch. Don’t be afraid to switch things up!

Vintage horse blankets were used to cover pillows in the Manhattan living room above. Using unusual materials in an unconventional way can give your home a unique flair.

When a longtime client on Nantucket decided it was time for a new look for her living room, she had only one problem: she loved everything we had previously designed for the room! We knew there was a simple way she could update the room’s design without starting from scratch:

Pillows!

We replaced the original playful print on the seat cushions with a more modern geometric design.

We designed a couple of new pillows for the sofa as well, matching the geometric print to the chair cushions. It was important to keep the clean, crisp color palette with vibrant blue and Hermes orange for the warm and summery glow they bring to the living room.

The new pillows were carefully coordinated with blue trim for a meticulously orchestrated color palette.

Here’s that same cheerful color palette extended to the patio.

In the study, the nearby beach inspired a marine theme with touches of navy blue and white.

Need a few more ideas? Read on!

Here’s an eye-catching pillow design without searching for new pillows: In this elegant room, we sewed decorative tape to the existing pillows for a more contemporary look.

An artful fusion combining four separate pieces of fabric created this dynamic geometric pattern for the pillows shown above.

Playing with pillows in your design should be fun! You can mix and match stripes, geometrics, plaids and colors as long as you stay within a theme. When you have your perfect pile of pillows, arrange them in a staggered line, or layer them with a focal pillow in the center.

Pillows add comfort, color and pizzazz! Throw a pillow party in any room in your house that needs an instant lift.

Be sure to subscribe to get all the best design advice and beautiful inspiration through photos of our projects. I want all of us to live in happy, well-designed, healthy homes!

Throw a Pillow Party!

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Our homes reflect the seasons of our lives. Seasons change, and a room that sparkled for you a few years ago may, in time, lose a bit of its shine. Whether it needs a new splash of color or a touch of cozy comfort, you can easily elevate its style. There’s one room accessory that can do all that and more:

pillows!

When clients ask us to revitalize their beautifully designed rooms, without changing the form and function they love, the simplest idea can be the most elegant one. Throw pillows in new fabrics, patterns and colors can add back pizzazz–and pack a powerful design punch. Want to learn how?

Make Your Home Merry and Bright!

Posted on December 8, 2022 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Come on a house tour with me! We often see photos of decorated rooms for the holidays in our favorite magazines, but we don’t see the rooms before the twinkle was sprinkled. So I thought I’d show you just how I take a a room from every day lovely to holiday fabulous in three very different homes. Let’s go!

Your holiday greeting begins at the door. I love the cheeriness of red bows, but you can use any number of colors: red or green, blue or white, silver or gold. Let your own holiday spirit shine!

Let’s head inside!

Photo Credit: Durston Taylor

The foyer of my home in Connecticut is serenely welcoming, with soft neutral shades, and three wooden newel post lighthouses, all fiber-optically lit with softly changing colors at the base of the staircase. See the entry go from this…

…to this! For Yuletide, I’ve twined brightly lit garland and colorful ornaments around the staircase and added two more bright red bows! I believe in selecting a color theme and staying with it from the front porch throughout the home for sumptuous simplicity.

Photo credit: Durston Saylor

My eco-elegant home is the deepest shade of “green,” with everything selected as natural and close to toxin-free as possible.

But for the holidays, my favorite color is red!

Using red pillows behind the “Merry” pillows adds a touch of cozy warmth. The letters are embroidered with colorful threads from a local artisan.

Photo credit: Durston Taylor

The rattan chairs by McGuire and white skirted side chairs by Giorgetti provide comfortable seating and a tranquil setting in my everyday life. At the holidays, though, I’m going for the glow!

What I love best is preparing to host friends and neighbors–old and new– for an evening of food, music and merriment. Fa la la!

Don’t forget to decorate the dogs!

Photo credit: Erik Rank

Now we’re off to Greenwich, Connecticut, where this lovely estate seems ready made for Christmas decorations, with its stately fir trees and columns begging to be covered in greenery and lights.

Photo Credit: Erik Rank

Wrapping columns in evergreens is always an elegant touch, and brings life and color back when the flowers are long gone.

Photo credit: Erik Rank

My team and I take rooms from daily…

Photo Credit: Erik Rank

..to dashing! (Dasher, Prancer, and Vixen would be right at home here.)

Photo Credit: Erik Rank

We always want to dine in style–

Photo Credit: Erik Rank

but as the holidays arrive, we need a festive flourish! Gold stars are snug in evergreen beds on the mantle and in the wreath above, adding a golden shimmer to the evening. Brown pinecones blend naturally with gold.

Photo Credit: Erik Rank

A love of music was behind the design for this room, as you’ll see in the framed awards on the wall in the next photo.

Photo Credit: Erik Rank

Now the melody is enhanced with gold and white decor: a harmonious palette accented by the bouquet of elegant Green Parrot tulips.

Photo Credit: Erik Rank

One more example of adding boughs of greenery to bannister and stairs! The gold theme is added to the red: the two-colored bows with seasonal evergreens are an eye-catching display!

Ready to head to Nantucket Island? Let’s go!

Photo Credit: Terry Pommet

It’s hard to improve on a Nantucket harbor view.

Photo Credit: Thibaut Jeanson

But I think these evergreen swags just might do it. Slipcovers on chairs and matching shades on the light fixture add holiday warmth!

Photo Credit: Terry Pommet

Time to add some comfort and joy here…

Photo Credit: Thibaut Jeanson

with red slipcovers and floor covering, plus poinsettias festooning a corner! We’re ready for a visit from Santa and his elves.

Photo Credit: Erik Rank

Don’t forget to put out the cookies…whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or the beauty of the winter season!

Our three-house tour has come to an end, but when you step outside, be sure to turn and take a closer look at this beautiful wreath. More is more at the holidays!

And if you have a little boat, by all means, decorate that, too.

Wishing you the happiest of holidays!

Watch for my new blogs once a month, and Instagram (@dujardin_design) and Facebook (@DujardinDesign) posts on Thursdays. Once a season I send a newsy email letter to you, too! Be sure to subscribe to get all the best design advice and beautiful inspiration through photos of our projects. I want all of us to live in happy, well-designed, healthy homes!

Counting Stars in Your Own Backyard

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Summertime is perfect for travel, to see new sights, taste new foods, and refresh our spirits. Sometimes we return from a vacation, though, only to sigh with relief at the sight of our own front door. There’s something to be said for a chance to relax without packing a suitcase, airport delays, and crowds of tourists. With a little advance planning, we can turn a stay at home into a luxurious retreat.

Start by thinking about what you love when you travel. If the feeling of luxury and being pampered is part of what makes a hotel stay desirable, then recreate that escape at home. Toss out old bedding, and invest in good quality organic cotton sheets. They’ll feel wonderful against your skin, and will support your health by being toxin-free. Buy new pillows, and add a soft alpaca throw at the bottom of the bed.

Rejuvenating your body as well as your mind and spirit should be your priority for this vacation. Consider purchasing a room air purifier. A HEPA filter will remove allergens and particulates from the air you breathe, then recirculate purified air back into the room.

I have a whole house air purification system that keeps the air in my home pristine, and my guests tell me they’ve never felt better or more energized.

Bring the best summer has to offer inside! I love the look of nautical throw pillows. Add shells and beach-inspired decor to keep you feeling like your toes are in the sand.

I love my collection of vintage sand pails, reminding me that this is the season to remember the delights of childhood, or enjoy them again with little people you love.

Plan a day trip (or three!) to places in your area that you just don’t have time to get to on a regular basis. One of my favorite destinations on Nantucket is Pumpkin Pond Farm. My good friend Marty McGowan is an organic farmer who blesses the island with gorgeous flowers and delicious homegrown produce. The recent Tomato Tasting there was a delight for all the senses.

Indulge in all the bounty of fresh summer foods–tomatoes, corn, peaches, plums, and fragrant herbs. Try a new recipe every night!

When the afternoon sun starts to make you drowsy, there’s nothing like a window seat where you can curl up with a book to read or to nap.

Since you’re staying home, family and friends may be traveling to see you. Arrange guest rooms with the kind of touches that help people feel at home. A small table or chair where they can place their luggage is appreciated. Fill a basket with books you’ve enjoyed, soaps and lotions, and extra towels. The best way to decide if your guest room is ready is to sleep there for a night yourself.

There’s nothing more romantic than a summer evening, so don’t stay indoors and miss it. Be sure to make your patio or deck as comfortable as the interior of your home, with tables, umbrellas, and lots of wonderful places to sit, with cushions and throw pillows so you can relax.

String white lights with vintage lanterns..

Light lots of candles.

Then listen for the owls, and count the stars in your own backyard.

Let the Sun Shine In!

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

After a long, cool spring in the Northeast, the calendar–and the weather–have agreed that summer has finally arrived. Let’s throw open the windows and doors, and rethink the way we live at home. it’s easy to feel as F. Scott Fitzgerald did when he said, “I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”

Start with spring cleaning: To fully embrace the beauty of balmy breezes and abundant sunshine, we need to remove winter’s dry stuffy air from the house, and scrub the hidden spaces where dust collects. We don’t need to bring toxic cleaning products into our homes. It’s better to clean with baking soda, lemon juice, and vinegar, or else choose environmentally friendly products, rather than dousing our living space with chemicals. I’ve written about how to Clean Green before: read more here.

Think about re-establishing order. Stacks of books and blankets left by the fireplace should be put back where they belong, and then you can recreate the room for a completely different experience. Once the room has become a blank slate again, bring out the things of summer! Bright colors and garden stools definitely belong inside.

Add beauty and fragrance with fresh flowers. If you’re lucky enough to have a garden, then you have a florist shop at your fingertips! Cut flowers early in the morning while the sun is still low in the sky and the dew has not yet dried. They’ll be fresher, and last longer. Immediately plunge the stems into a bucket of water, then put flowers or a flowering plant in every space you can, including the bathroom. Summer is a celebration of things that grow!

The days of blocking our windows with heavy draperies are behind us. Make sure your windows are sparkling clean, then let the natural light pour in with minimal window treatments, or if you need the privacy, wooden blinds are a good choice. Simplicity is beautiful.

Change your bedding from heavy down comforters and dark colors to light and white. Your spirits will be lifted each time you enter the room. Color affects our emotions in powerful ways.

I love this room in my Nantucket fisherman’s cottage, decorated with vintage sand pails. Go ahead and celebrate what you loved about summer from your childhood, when the hours between sunrise and starlight seemed to last forever.

Red, white, and blue always works in the summertime. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, let your patriotic flag fly.

Don’t be afraid to have a little fun.

Go nautical, and let your rooms remind you of beaches, boats, and ocean breezes.

The time it takes to change your home’s look to sunshine and summer shouldn’t be seen as work. Homes need to be loved, just as people do. By making your home a welcoming, bright and sunny space, you will effortlessly bring more laughter and joy into your life.

So go ahead: let the sun shine in!

Creating an Oasis of Calm

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Good design is defined by the basics of scale, proportion, color, and contrast, among other considerations. To take the concept of a well-designed home one step further, though, is what I call my “tabula rasa,” the oasis of calm that envelopes us when we step inside our doors at the end of the day. Here are my thoughts on how to create that oasis, with simple ways to make your home welcoming, warm, and comfortable to live in.

Repetition of design elements, such as the columns in this beautiful beachside home, mirror each other from room to room, and define a space. Repeated in subtle ways throughout a house, they are the details that subconsciously soothe with symmetry.

In this New York City bedroom, the Greek Key is repeated in furniture, floor and bed linens, relaxing in its soft echoes.

Simple ways to reduce clutter, such as window seats with drawers for storage underneath, keep a room open and serene. I often say that “the eye needs a place to rest.” So does the mind, and the body.

Tradition is restful for many of us. Finding fine antique pieces to blend in with more contemporary furnishings is calming.

Surrounding yourself with the things you love is an important way to make your home unique, and fill you with joy every time you enter a room. Billy Baldwin said, “Nothing is interesting unless it is personal.” I would suggest that your most personal treasures that truly express your essence will do so much to lift your spirits.

Adding one stunning piece that is both eye-and heart-catching can be a singular focal point, another way to gracefully express your interests.

The color palette that I turn to over and over again is white plus one color. There are so many whites to choose from: crisp white, cool greyed tones, soft blue hues, or rosy tints when the sunlight streams through the windows. It’s pleasing to the eye and the spirit.

An invisible way to restore energy and help to clear your body of toxins you’ve come across during your busy day is by installing a good heat recovery ventilation system and a whole house air filtration system, for exchanging, filtering and conditioning indoor and outdoor air to lower VOCs. Honeywell has some that I like that will work with your heating and cooling systems, and recover up to 80% of the heating and cooling energy. Choosing No-VOC paints and finishes keep our homes a haven where our families can enjoy good food, good company, and good health.

At the very least, invest in a good bedroom air filter, as your liver detoxes during your sleep. Clean air is the best gift you can give yourself to feel your very best.

Luxury and comfort are not mere indulgences in my mind. Bespoke bed linens, downy comforters, and lofty pillows all summon us to sleep in a place of refuge. An organic mattress filled with cotton and wool and made without chemicals, including fire retardants, is a good choice.

Don’t forget the bathroom as a space for luxury and well-deserved pampering. Soft towels, natural shampoos and soaps free of irritating chemicals, and organic cotton pajamas waiting by the bath allow us to sink into a restful soak when the sun goes down. Take time for your own end-of-day rituals.

Oscar Wilde wisely said: “I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex.”

Make your home one of simple pleasures, and a place to savor the all-too-fleeting delights of summer. It’s the easiest path to finding peace of mind.

A Window on Your World

Posted on February 19, 2016 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Many of us live in the homes we do because of our first glimpse of the house as we came up the drive. Perhaps it was the sound of the sea and the smell of salt water that led us there, and the drive through the dunes romanced us all the way. The creamy yellow daffodils bobbing along the borders, or the dignified old Sugar Maple spreading its arms across the lawn were like love letters from the property, delivered straight to our hearts.

When the front door opens, if the house isn’t just right, well, that can all be fixed. Take down a wall here, widen a doorway there, refinish wood floors, replace sagging windows, and you’ve made it your own, which is one of the goals of interior design, and a very important one. As Billy Baldwin said, “Nothing is interesting unless it is personal.”

No matter how beautiful the interiors are, however, I always feel that the room is blessed when there is a glorious view in sight. Particularly for a home on the water, whether its on the ocean, a river, or a lake, you’re aware of the view. My intent in a home on the waterfront is never to obscure the home’s setting.

In this house, the center hall leads you right to the ocean. If you keep going, as the crow flies, the next stop is Portugal.

Another signature of my design work is my love of window seats. They’re perfect for sitting in the sunlight with a cup of tea on a winter morning to watch the snow fall, or to catch the sea breezes as the day falls to dusk.

They also are functional, as they provide extra seating for guests..

…and in a bedroom, can be designed with drawers for storage underneath.

Whether your view is a sandy beach, an English garden, or your children splashing in the pool, a seat by the window is the perfect spot to take a closer look at your world.

Make a Fresh Start!

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

From time to time, people ask me what it’s like to work with an interior designer. I can’t answer that for anyone but myself, although certainly there are industry standards that a properly credentialed interior designer adheres to. In January of this year I wrote about the inspiration for a house, and some of the design process in Every Room Has a Beginning.

That post was about a very specific house, and the kinds of decisions we made with the homeowners to redesign a beloved home after it was moved cross-island to save it from eroding bluffs. Here are a few more things you should know about the design process:

Clients often say that working with Dujardin makes the design process fun again. What can become quickly overwhelming–the details, schedules, plans, and coordination, with architects, contractors, craftsmen and landscapers–are handled seamlessly, resulting in elegant and sophisticated interiors that immediately feel like home. We can incorporate varying degrees of sustainability or design a completely holistic “deep green” residence, always honoring classic tradition while achieving 21st century style.

Whether you’re building a new home, renovating an existing building, or just designing interiors, it takes a village to create a house. You may need contractors, architects, carpenters, painters, artists, landscapers, energy system installers, plumbers, tilers, electricians and more.

Having the requisite training in a home’s structure, design and function is what makes me a full and welcome partner in team meetings that include any or all of those participants.

Architects and Designers Working in the Office

I’ve devoted my life to the study and practice of interior design. I’m a professional member of ASID, and a member of their very select College of Fellows. (That’s what FASID means when you see it after my name.) I’ve just been elected a Senior Fellow for the Design Futures Council, which recognizes my contributions to the sustainable design movement.

I am a LEED Accredited Professional, with a specialty in Interior Design and Construction. (That’s the LEED AP + ID + C after my name). I belong to a number of professional organizations, have spoken widely about interior design, am an adjunct professor at Fairfield University, and am a professionally trained artist myself. I have a published full-color book of my design work that outlines many of the design principles I believe in.

Once we’ve decided to work together, the planning begins. We start with measurements, and a study of your home’s traffic flow, light sources, assessment of what the room will be used for, and by whom. We talk to you about what you love, and how you envision your home. The goal is to make your home an elegant reflection of your very unique lifestyle and family. To help you “see” the finished product, we create a beautiful binder showing you what we suggest. Here’s an example of a page showing window treatment and lamp options.

Let’s look at one specific room together. First, we show you a layout with all the furniture we suggest, and where it will be placed.

Next, our in-house artist creates a watercolor rendering to give you a feeling for the colors and furniture we think will be perfect.

We present several different styles of breakfronts. You choose which you like best.

And then we look at different chair styles.

Other pieces to be included in the room are next.

Finally, it’s time to look at fabrics.

There are thousands of choices to be made in designing a home, and mistakes can be expensive. By breaking every decision down to carefully selected options, our clients quickly feel in control of the process. They have a partner who cares as much about their home as they do, and we have a great time shopping together, talking together, and making decisions together. After several discussions about what our client likes and prefers, orders are placed. Here’s a look at the finished dining room following this process.

My education, training and credentials, as well as my professional team members, are all important in creating the home of your dreams. But I also believe that creating a beautiful, healthy, comfortable home should be FUN! My clients often refer to me as the “funmaker,” because I love designing homes, and we want the entire project, start to finish, to be something you enjoy. We take care of the hard work for you.

Believe it or not, we’re still having fun! We love our work.

Inspired by the Sea: Maritime Artwork

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

The painting above has been missing for twenty five years. Rembrandt van Rijn painted it, and titled it “The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.” It used to hang in the Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, but was stolen in an art heist in 1990, a theft that removed a billion dollars worth of art from the museum.

Art depicting the sea has been popular for centuries. Rembrandt painted “The Storm” in 1633, part of the Dutch Golden Age, when marine painting was a major genre. A little bit of history explains why: overseas trade and naval power were hugely important to the Dutch Republic, and so began the very first career marine artists, who painted almost nothing else.

The Battle of Trafalgar, J.M.W. Turner

The Romantic Age (roughly 1800-1850) saw marine painting surge in popularity. Detailed portraits of ships and the sea were sought from painters such as J.M.W. Turner, for whom painting the sea was an obsession. He was commissioned to paint “The Battle of Trafalgar,” a far cry from the kinds of coastal scenes that followed from other painters, featuring tranquil waters and soft light.

Lake George, 1862, Martin Johnson Heade

America experienced its own romance with marine art when immigrants, mostly English, came to the U.S. in the 19th century. Their arrival coincided with the coast being regarded as a place of leisure rather than work and danger. Beach scenes, coastal landscapes and river views became more common, especially among the Impressionists.

New York Yacht Club Race, James Edward Buttersworth

The poet Mary Oliver calls the sea “this enormity, this cauldron of changing greens and blues,..the great palace of the earth. Everything is in it–monsters, devils, jewels, swimming angels, soft-eyed mammals…also, sunk with some ship or during off-loading, artifacts of past decades or centuries…” No wonder we’re fascinated by it!

America’s Cup, by Michael Keane

I use marine paintings in many of my client’s homes. Coastal scenes are also found throughout my own home, several depicting places I’ve loved and lived. I’ve written before about some of my favorite painters, including many beautiful works by my friend, Michael Keane.

Blue Horizon, Michael Keane

No matter where they’re hung, marine paintings bring peace and beauty to a space, lifting us somehow into another place, where we can almost feel the sea breeze.

The beautiful living room, below, has several fine examples of marine art, including pieces by Antonio Jacobsen and Michael Keane. The portrait to the left is of an 18th century sea captain, another way to bring the seafaring life to your home.

Bedrooms are particularly good places to hang favorite pieces of marine art, as the soft blues and greens and even the white capped waves can add to the room’s soothing ambiance.

Painting over mantel is by American artist Tim Thompson

Any room can benefit from a striking marine painting. Here, artwork by renowned oil painter Tim Thompson enlivens the space.

Another work by Tim Thompson hangs above the sofa in a Nantucket home on the harbor.

Finding galleries with knowledgeable professionals to assist in buying art is an indispensable part of collecting any artwork. I particularly have loved working with Quidley and Company, both in Boston and on Nantucket Island at 26 Main Street.

Another favorite gallery is Cavalier Galleries, with locations in Greenwich, Connecticut, New York City, and on Nantucket, at 10 Federal Street.

A famous gallery known nationwide is J. Russell Jinishian, in Fairfield, Connecticut. Tucked away on a quiet street outside of town, people who know marine art know about this very special gallery just an hour away from New York City. Its extensive inventory includes over 1,000 marine paintings, drawings, sculptures, ship models and scrimshaw, by some of the world’s leading marine artists. Mr. Jinishian will be speaking on marine art on April 24th at 7 p.m. at the Black Rock Yacht Club, Black Rock, Connecticut.

J. Russell Jinishian Gallery, Fairfield, CT

The beauty of the ocean will always call to us, so maritime art and marine paintings will, likewise, always be sought after. Whether you are fortunate enough to own artwork by an old master, a revered artist who has passed on, or are enjoying the experience of collecting art by some of our wonderful living artists, your home will always be enhanced by your purchases.

As Mary Oliver says, “…on the water we shake off the harness of weight; we glide; we are passengers of a sleek ocean bird with its single white wing filled with wind.”

The Last Trap, by Michael Keane

Time Travel: Antiques in Design

Posted on July 28, 2015 by Trudy Dujardin, FASID, Leed AP

Using antiques to create distinctive interiors for my clients is a longtime signature of Dujardin Design Associates, Inc. Striking, original looks can be achieved by blending old and new, traveling across time to access the most beautiful furniture, accessories, objets d’art, paintings and rugs.I believe that every room has space for something old, a one-of-a-kind treasure that speaks of our shared past. Above, we used a wall hanging composed of 18th century Tibetan Buddhist prayers written on bamboo to bring Far Eastern calm to a contemporary space.

My favorite thing about using antiquesin my interiors? They’re the ultimate in green! Repeatedly recycled over decades, these pieces have been made from old-growth wood, protecting today’s forests, have long ago completed any off-gassing from the finishing process, and slow the resource intensive cycle of new production. Above, contemporary lamps, sconces and tables blend elegantly with an antique German Beidermeier armoire and mirror over the mantle.

There is beauty in contrasts. Rather than trying to achieve a single, monotone look, give your living spaces the dash and dazzle of opposites. In this Nantucket home, we paired a 19th century gilt mirror with 21st century whale art in hand-blown glass by Raven Skyriver.

Just as you might add a fabulous piece of vintage jewelry to complete an outfit, your room can use some jewelry too. The room above is bejeweled with the Tang Dynasty horse on the shelf near the window and the 18th century Chinese cocktail table, along with other priceless Asian artifacts.

I love the look of this marine-encrusted, glazed stoneware storage jar, dating from the 15th-17th centuries and found in the South China Sea.

One way to showcase old pieces is to use them in unusual ways . Here we took an antique rug and hung it on the wall as a stylish piece of art.

Juxtaposing a sleek white bedside table with an elaborately carved antique bed from the West Indies is a beautifully soothing contrast.

Don’t be afraid to use color to enliven an old piece. Unless it’s a priceless treasure, go ahead and paint it, refinish it, change the drawer pulls, and make it your own. Or let it keep its timeworn patina. Either way, it’s a fascinating addition to your living space.

Let your antique collections add fun and a little surprise. These small articulated artists’ models are the whimsical touch that brings this space to unexpected life. Another wonderful thing about antiques is that they add a completely unique look to your home. You won’t find these models available in catalogs or at mass market retail stores.

Ready to go shopping? Don’t miss the The Nantucket Historical Association’s annual Antiques and Design Show, this year from July 29th to August 3rd. Maybe I’ll see you there!