The Decorating Gene
by Ronnie Citron-Fink

Here's how I see it: ever since I moved into my home it's been a work in progress--a hand-me-down bookshelf here, an "I've got to buy this couch today because the dog wrecked the old one and we're having company for the weekend" there. When we bought the house as a young family 20 years ago, decorating was far from my mind. As long as the washer and dryer worked and the kids had a rug to sit on (not the plywood sub-floor that we had for way too long), I was as happy as a clam. It was all about comfort and affordability. We made our home with Ikea, Marshalls, some department store finds, and a mishmash of hand me downs.

While many people who visited our home would comment about how cozy and comfortable it was, with its high cedar ceilings and open floor plan, I never experienced it as the home of my dreams. When I would visit some of my friend's homes, I felt they had the decorating gene: their houses, while not excessively coordinated (not my favorite look), did look "put together." By contrast my home seemed unplanned and a bit dull.

Now, we had done upgrades over the years. When we moved in we had replaced immediately the fake brick behind the woodstove with an artful tile mosaic. We raised the roof to accommodate our growing family. We built a screened-in porch so we could enjoy the outdoors without getting eaten alive. Last year we even bought one of those beautiful stainless steel refrigerators, not just because the other one was on the blink, but my husband rightfully believed it would add to both the aesthetic and efficiency of the kitchen.

On a month-long trip to Martha's Vineyard in mid-summer, I was struck by the beauty of my surroundings. The color combination of ocean, sky and greenery was intoxicating and my mood was bright and serene. When I returned home to my house in the woods, it seemed dreary and dark--especially my bedroom. I decided I would get rid of the chunky furniture and re-paint. I was starting to dream in color schemes.

Once I figured out where to start this process, I headed to the Old Soap Factory in Red Hook for paint chips. Armed with a magazine picture of a nature-inspired color scheme I liked, I combed through the sample paint chips. Almost an hour later, I was no closer to choosing paints. Lisa, the woman who had helped me in the past, took one look at my color ideas and said that to pull off that look I probably should call a designer.

I can't begin to tell you how much I am not the type of person who would call on the assistance of an interior designer. I had recently toured my cousin's house. It had just been redecorated by her interior designer, and I found it way too fussy and over the top. I had no idea how to even choose a designer and I figured the cost must be astronomical. Lisa said there was an interior designer that came in often and this woman knows exactly what she wants for her clients and seems to be someone I just might like. She gave me her name, and off I went--paint-chipless.

After a similar futile attempt in the paint department at Williams Lumber, I loaded up my car with interior decorating and home improvement magazines and decided that before I would call interior designer Jayne Christy of Custom Interiors of Rhinebeck, I needed to pinpoint my vision for our living space.

The magazines gave me such an abundance of information that my head spun with color, form, lighting and design. I scoured over the pictures and articles, cut out room arrangements, furniture, color schemes and fabric ideas for my new bedroom. I even went to Stickles and bought a cute file folder to organize all my ideas.

The magazines stressed that decorating was a lot about trial and error, but I knew I could not face a mistake. The first warning in an article in House Beautiful called "Ten Design Mistakes" was "Always think about your house as a complete experience, not as a group of individual rooms." Yikes, if I thought I could get away with just reworking my bedroom, I was headed for disaster. The magazine also said to surround yourself with things you love. I knew I didn't love all the hand-me-downs. At the same time I believed my home had what Natural Home magazine considered the good home elements: "earth metal, water, wood and fire," and I certainly didn't want to mess with them.

The one thing I was certain of when I began my quest was that in the past I had always liked the interior of homes inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. Now, in reading magazines, I realized I also liked contemporary homes with an Asian flair. In Metropolitan Home I read about a homeowner of a remodel who stated, "I think simplicity is even more important in a bedroom. Having things spare and neutral makes it much easier to let yourself relax. The most important thing I learned from this project is how much you can add by taking things away." Then in Natural Home I read about the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, or "imperfect beauty." This ancient art celebrates all things natural, humble, primitive. Something about these two articles led me in the direction I would soon embark on. It also gave me the confidence to call Jayne and tell her what I wanted.

I had heard of Custom Interiors, and knew where they were located at 22 East Market St. in Rhinebeck. A friend had used them for decorating her home, a beautiful old mansion which is very different from my home, and absolutely beautiful inside. I asked around and found others that recommended their work. So, I took the plunge and called Jayne.

Jayne came to my house equipped with a paint chip wheel, furniture, lighting and fixtures catalogs, and more of those beloved design magazines. To save money, I had decided to consult her only about my bedroom. As she toured my house however, I found myself confessing that the den needed new furniture; the dining room chairs needed fresh fabric and padding, that the cabinets, counters and center island of the kitchen needed work. The house seemed dark, I told her, and wondered whether lighting ideas might help? Next I asked her about mixing styles: could I have a serene Asian thing going on in the bedroom and bathrooms, keep the living room Arts and Crafty and bring into the den some of the fifties' and sixties' colors that I loved growing up with?

The more I talked, the more excited I could see her becoming. She saw a common thread of clean design in all of these styles. "You are so in tune with what I personally love," she complimented. The best thing she said was "Your house has great bones." I showed her my design file with examples of rooms I liked and all my color scheme ideas. She in turn explained some of the principles of design.

By now I was sold on this idea of having a partner to bounce ideas off. I explained that I could not afford to redecorate the whole house at the same time. She immediately was sensitive to the financial issue and said the best way to work was to take each project or room separately, but with an overall plan. She also told me that she could do as much or as little as I wanted--everything from ordering and arranging what knick-knacks to leave out on a coffee table to just consulting on paint colors. I was hooked.

Soon my husband was laying a stunning bamboo floor in the bedroom in line with my nature-inspired color scheme. Jayne brought over window shade samples and fabrics for the window seat and she suggested we make a fabric headboard. We ordered the shades and fabric though Jayne. The rest of the work my husband and I did together. We found the bedside lamps on-line. We got the paint at Williams and Old Soap. I found great Asian inspired bedding at the HomeGoods store in Kingston. Jayne suggested thick padding on the windowseat and, in keeping with the Asian theme, I decided to use a futon bought at the Futon Store in Wappingers Falls. My crafty mother covered the futon with an incredible silk fabric that we ordered through Jayne. My husband built the headboard and side tables from some black walnut wood he had left over from some furniture projects he was working on.

It's been almost a year since I dreamed about a new interior and every time I walk in that bedroom, I can feel my whole body relax. Currently, my den has paint chips, couch fabric samples from Hammertown Barn, some very cool woven wallpaper samples (which I never would have found without Jayne), lighting catalogs strewn about, magazine pictures of coveted room arrangements and Jayne's floor plans taped in strategic places all over the walls. I think the decorating gene has kicked in. I now know exactly what I want my home to look like, and with Jayne's help, I know just how to achieve it.