This will be the last of the Designer Showhouse history tour! This was a room I did in 1999, again for the St. Louis Symphony. I asked to do this small office on the second floor because it had wonderful symmetry and windows. I played with the symmetry by using two skirted desks facing each other flanking a window and then added a bookshelf on one side and a radiator cover to match on the other side. These were both custom designs. The room had wonderfully tall ceilings and windows which allowed me to create the elegant, slightly over the top Turkish cornices covered in a rich wool damask with trims and tassels. I loved the effect these had of giving the room some vibrant, dramatic color but kept it up and out of the way.

I chose a light bronze green paint for the walls and finished with 3 coats of clear gloss lacquer for depth. The existing picture molding was finished in a faux tortioseshell lacquer to add dimension. A reading chair and fine Oriental rug completed the furnishings.

The prints on the walls were a set of 24 antique engravings from London, circa 1820, depicting the antique pottery collection of Sir Henry Englefield, engraved by Henry Moses. I had them matted in wide linen mats and then framed in simple burlwood frames. Very chic.

This room represents a favorite look of mine, traditional but with a simple, almost contemporary feel. Symmetry, elegance, fine materials, all of these elements go into a good room.