A Sense of Place

The Inn at Little Washington’s Patrick O’Connell dishes about design in his former home on the property

                                                    

When self-taught chef Patrick O’Connell opened The Inn at Little Washington in a former auto repair shop in 1978, few would have wagered that the venture would not only succeed but would garner top accolades from restaurant critics for decades to come.

                                                 

Though it has grown to include 24 guest rooms in the original structure (which also houses the restaurant and public spaces) and several outbuildings, the Inn still recalls another time and place. Inspired by notable European properties, O’Connell’s fanciful creation centered on the main streets of rural Washington, Virginia (population: 150), transports guests into a world where walls are painted in monkey motifs, cheese is served atop an anatomically correct cow sculpture and ceilings are bedecked in kaleidoscopic cutouts of designer wall coverings—and that’s just for starters. No two guestrooms are alike.

                                                    

“What is lacking today [in hospitality] is a sense of place, an identity, an authenticity, a personality,” says O’Connell. “We want guests to feel like they’re in someone’s home and we want it to look as if it has been here a long, long time.”

                                                   

To O’Connell, nailing the ambiance and timeworn patina is just as critical as serving an impeccable foie gras. “Your eye can never be bored, just as your palate can never be bored,” he says. “It’s all parallel, to keep guests intrigued and amused and to sustain that fascination.”

                                                 

O’Connell grew up in “big” Washington, where he studied theatre at Catholic University. One could argue that he hasn’t strayed far from his first calling. In his forthcoming book, The Inn at Little Washington: A Magnificent Obsession (Rizzoli, New York, April 2015; $50), O’Connell reveals that in his mind the Inn is a “healing cocoon” and a “folly and stage set for whatever drama is being played out” in guests’ lives.

If the Inn is theatre, O’Connell’s leading lady is Joyce Conwy Evans, a London-based set designer who has decorated every room on the property—most of them sight unseen. After she receives a blueprint of a new project, he explains, “Joyce goes into a trance and starts painting a rendering in watercolor. She has a vision and then steps into it. It’s been a wonderful collaboration for over 35 years.”

                                               

 

In addition to guest quarters, Evans also collaborates with O’Connell on his private residences on the “campus.” One of these was Claiborne House. After O’Connell purchased the 1899 “eyesore,” he hired Alexandria architect Allan Greenberg to transform it into a stately, two-bedroom cottage that would look like it had always been there. The architect’s plan created a kitchen, library, media room and veranda and gave the house presence with a front porch and two-story foyer.

Named for a frequent guest, food writer and critic Craig Claiborne, the cottage was O’Connell’s own home until 2006, when he moved into an 1885 Victorian he’d purchased nearby. Soon after, Claiborne House became the Inn’s presidential suite. In addition to its namesake, the retreat has hosted Al and Tipper Gore, Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, designers Carleton Varney and Charlotte Moss and many a celebrity chef.

                                                     

In the design of his current home, O’Connell and Evans are following their proven approach. “Each space, each piece of architecture, has a narrative that it needs to have told. It’s a little like raising a kid; it can’t necessarily be exactly what you want it to be. You follow its orders—and try not to go broke doing it,” O’Connell quips. Once they find a “clue,” whether it’s a piece of furniture, a color or wallpaper, everything falls into place. While his master bathroom is done (heated floors, marble-slab walls, Waterworks tub), the residence remains a work in progress.

                                               

However, readers will soon be able to survey the rest of O’Connell’s domain in his handsome and eloquent new book. “People who have worked here for 10 years have never seen it all,” he says. “The book is a window into the extent of the nuttiness.”

Chef, proprietor, co-designer and star of the show, O’Connell has clearly found his oeuvre. “My love,” he concludes, “is the art of transformation. Transforming anything. Like a turnip into something incredible, or a tear-down into something magical.”

Hallway Decorating Ideas

                                                   

 

While decorating your home, you often neglect the hallway of your house. Instead of ignoring make it interesting, it's not just a passage, but a first impression of your whole house. The entrance also deserves care as the rest of your home.

Hallway decoration does not require need much time and it can also be very economical with the use of intelligent ideas. It's not an immense space that needs to be filled up like drawing room or a bed living room. Following are the some ideas for hallway decoration.

                                                                                         

You may think that you can do only few things with this small space, but you can do canvas of hallway that requires change in the properties of color, storage and mainly layout.

Space and Color Connection:

Through this, you can make immediate difference, you cannot change the layout of your hallway, but you can make it very interesting for the people. Usually the hallway is a narrow space with dark color on walls to give a congested appearance to your hallway.

                                                                           

Always use lighter color tones in your hallway, it will look very refreshing. You can use the different colors on different walls to make it interesting. You can go for wall patterns, but while selecting the patterns one should keep in mind that they do not select a complex pattern. Wall patterns should be simple and sophisticated.

Occupy the Hallway Space:

Hallway is the busiest place of your home, as in the morning everybody rush to find their things to go for work. So, you cannot place heavy things as they may become the hurdle, but there is should be some space where you can place a delicate piece of furniture, a plant or decoration that will look amazing in your hallway.

                                                                              

Use the corner of hallway to sizzle your hallway. You can use indoor plants or a narrow pair of chairs to fill the corner. Anything that you want to place their remember that it has to be delicate and less occupying.

Wall Decoration:

You can use the hallway walls as a big object to beautify the area. If your hallway is congested and small you can use mirrors there, no need to buy high class mirrors, purchase raw mirrors and decorate their boundaries with artificial flowers.

                                                                           

You can use shells as well to decorate and with the help of spray paint you can add more colors at your living place. You can always alter your wall decoration according to your choice from simple sophisticated to sizzling funky. It’s a best way to enlarge your hallway. Mirrors also look very attractive.

Jazz up the Doors:

Hit the doors in your hallway they can be a master piece of decoration in your hallway. Use photographs of your family members respectively of different ages and jazz up the doors with these pictures. They will give your hallway very interesting look through this photo gallery.

Don’t place family pictures on all doors use only one door for such purpose? If there is more than one place always try to use different wall hanging designs on them. You can make these wall hangings at home or can purchase them from market at minimal price.

Good Light:

Hallway lighting is important, but people often forget to pay attention in this part. Whatever effort you made for your hallway it will rock only with the help of good light. Bad light may ruin your effort. Your hallway should be brighten throughout the day .

                                                                           

           

Pendants lights can be a good option for hallway, it's a great way to add fancy look into your hallway. You can also use striking light, they look beautiful. If you are not able to do much practical work for your hallway use lights to fancy it.

                          

                                                                          

                                                                             

Don't ignore your hallway; add character to your hallway with above mentioning ideas. Apart from these you can go for other ways to decorate such ignorant area of your home. Brainstorming can open the window of ideas for your hallway decoration.

How to decorate with secondhand finds

How to decorate with secondhand finds enables to fill the large living space with some left over material not only to your bedrooms/lounges but also to additional rooms. Decorating with second hand finds is a good source to fill your additional room and also give room the natural and less messy look.

How to decorate with second hand finds is the practice which indicates the attribute to bring new life to those left over furniture which can be made tempted or even presented in more organized form. Decorating with second hand finds is about creating surprising transformations through them.

How to decorate with secondhand finds is the question arise in past few years and thus created an opportunity for the experts to bring enticing modern ideas. How to decorate with secondhand finds by utilizing sandpaper, paint, strippers and fabrics is of interest to the people. There are several tips for How to decorate with secondhand finds.

AN OLD AGE FRENCH CHAIR:

                                                     

 

The first idea for How to decorate with secondhand finds is placing a nice French chair. Decorating with secondhand finds like French chair give a very old aged contemporary look which is generally in rugged look, finishes in deep hues, furniture waxed and is paint stripped. The chair can be coupled with end and coffee tables.

 DECORATING BEDS:

                                                   

The second idea for How to decorate with secondhand finds instead of investing so much money on purchasing new is a valuable tip through which by consuming less time the furniture can be stripped or painted with your favorite color. On the other hand, the beds can even be painted with creamy neutral shades or may be given more metallic look and thus provided as one good reason for How to decorate with secondhand finds.

STRIPPING ENAMELS:
 

                                                 

The third tip is that foot and hand boards can be used in the tips for How to decorate with secondhand finds. For more aesthetic appeal go for dark heavy stripping enamels and apply multiple layers on your furniture. The light colors aren’t included as a valuable tip for How to decorate with secondhand finds as they produce. The wood furniture has the advantage to glow when repainted no matter if is stained; a single fresh coat will give an antique look and can prove to be a differentiated technique for renewing old items.

MATCHING FABRIC DESIGN WITH WALL PAINT:

                                                    

The fourth idea for How to decorate young girls with secondhand finds allows the experts to choose fabric in motifs and textures can give the room overall a soft look. To give the room more rich look bold color paint on walls makes the overall appeal sophisticated. When it comes to How to decorate young girls with secondhand finds it suggests that in order to highlight the second hands one should go for white paints as it allows for more decorating flexibility, thus allows for more options by changing styles under How to decorate young girls with secondhand finds. The old fumes and art painting can be re framed.

 COMBINING UNIQUE SHADES:

The fifth idea for How to decorate young girls with secondhand finds is to combine the shades of red and pinks as it seems to be unique graphic of floral prints and stripped pattern fabrics.

 LUGGAGE RACK:

                                                  The sixth idea for How to decorate young girls with secondhand finds is to transform a Luggage Rack from any flea market find and can make a room accessory.

STONE BRASSED LAMP:

                                                  

The seventh idea for How to decorate young girls with secondhand finds is to utilize an old aged stone brassed Lamp; even a paint spray can turn the look into more textural finish outlook. The Furniture waxes can impart an aged look when slightly rubbed on pieces.

 DULL FINISHES ON LAMP:

                                                    

                                                    

The Eight ideas for How to decorate young girls with secondhand finds is to make dull finishes on lamp with slight black lacquer that can transform the overall outlook, and thus seems as a planned part of the finish. Try to use a good paint brush because when it is imbedded in wet paint will not leave any bristles. Same changes can be made with the dresser.

 CERAMIC BOWLS:

                                                

The ninth idea for How to decorate young girls with secondhand finds is to set fresh flowers on display vases and bowls. Don’t go for the expensive crystal bowls neat ceramic bowls or handmade pottery can be utilized effectively.

POLISH KNICK-KNACKS:

                                                   

The tenth idea for How to decorate young girls with secondhand finds is to polish knick-knacks which we mostly seen at thrift stores, but these are the accessories that may be the finishing touch in your living room.