A nearly photorealistic painting by Isabel Bigelow that hangs over the sofa adds modern flair to a spacious room filled with ikat club chairs and a velvet sofa. The painting is just one in a large collection of contemporary works that Howard wove into her design. The collection provides a bold counterpoint to English and Italian furniture. In the entry, a black and white painting by Cecil Touchon hangs over an Italian carved, gilt console. In the dining room, a contemporary seascape mingles comfortably with a 1940s Italian buffet, and a classic dining table sits beneath a modern chandelier of gilded branches and large crystal teardrops.
In the music room, a glassed-in porch overlooking the St. Johns River, a modern canvas by Michael Abrams hangs behind a grand piano and sets the scene for touches of blue in the Oushak rug and velvet-seated dining chairs. The breakfast room takes its red direction from a crimson canvas, and a new table and chairs strike a note of midcentury glamour.
