The living room features the client’s favorite color, aqua. A painting bought after the project was complete features the bold hue, as do the silk curtains. “Silk communicates a subtle elegance more grounded than, say, an opulent brocade,” says Phillips.
A pair of white tufted sofas, along with an ottoman and armchair covered in compatible prints, surrounds a mirrored table. In one corner of the living room, a grand piano sits under an arrangement of framed sheet music of the homeowner’s favorite musicals.
As a child, Phillips raised and showed American quarter horses and fell in love with the colors of the hides. “The library in the house reflects my love for chestnut, sorrel, and bay,” she says, “along with a myriad of foliage greens that are meaningful in my life.” A set of botanicals hung in a grid over the sofa gives the cozy room impact. Though the paneling is painted a rich brown, the light fabrics and glass accents keep the room light and bright.
The kitchen and adjacent sitting room repeat the blues of the living room. Here, though, fabrics are more casual and the furniture, more flexible. A pair of rectangular coffee tables pushed together adds versatility. The kitchen itself is polished and replete with conveniences. “Both the husband and wife enjoy cooking, so it is equipped with everything they might possibly need,” says Phillips.
In the bedroom, the designer intensified the blue and cream palette of the house. A vivid blue headboard rests against walls the color of creamy coffee. Slightly oversized furniture comfortably fits the large room. “The tall headboard supports the size of the room,” she says. “Then again, we are in the midst of an upholstered headboard revival.”
Phillips had the bedside chests custom built slightly taller than standard to match the height of the bed. The striped rug adds a note of casual flair. That deft mingling of traditional and contemporary illustrates Phillips’s abiding design principle—“moving forward while looking back.”
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