My "A-HA" moment!

My " A-HA" Moment

My moment has to be 16 years ago while driving around Richmond Virginia with fiancé looking at houses. He is 6'5' and I'm 5'4"; he's from a South Caroline beach town and I like older historic homes; he likes big open spaces and I like charm. We were starting to wonder if we would ever agree on a house. 

While driving we happened upon this Greek Revival stucco with an open house sign. It is in a historic neighborhood of RIchmond which appealed to me.  The house was not yellow at the time but white. We walked in the front door and both of us knew this was OUR house! 

When I showed my mother pictures of the inside of the house, she was horrified. Navy trim, peach wall to wall carpet, red moire wallpaper.... It was all very 80's but I could see the beautiful moldings, gorgeous Carrera fireplace covered in soot, and prefect proportions. This was my A-HA moment, a chance to turn a house back into something classic and beautiful. 

By mixing my grandmothers Empire sofa with Barbara Barry chairs, I was able to create a room that evoked a sense of past and present. A custom designed coffee table, snake skin mirror and fire screen give the room a contrast of textures and materials. They are the perfect offset to the quilted ball gown draperies that accentuate the tall windows.   

This house brought together everything we loved: our family antiques, room for our modern art collection, a showcase for my design work, and a sense of restoring history. We have tweaked and changed things throughout the years but this house will always represent my A-Ha moment because it was vision of what could be! It is my studio, my laboratory for  Bridget Beari Colors, and my LOVE! 

I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into my life and thoughts! Until tomorrow......