Rustic meets modern in the Ryan home, where industrial letters and a twig chandelier greet guests in the foyer, opposite. On the patio, this photo, pierced-tin lanterns supply the ambience. Blue benches and yellow chairs take the indoor palette out. Introducing... personality. Accessories speak to the style of the young family who lives here. Well, by paige porter fischer | photos edmund barr | styling michael walters SEAT SWAP Try a pair of upholstered benches in place of chairs for a versatile dining table seating. bet t er hom e s a n d g a r dens | j u ly 2 01 4 | bhg .com 25 A nn and Jeffrey Ryan’s house in Newport Beach, California, had all the right bones: an open floor plan, easy flow between indoors and out, great millwork, and wide-plank wood floors. What was missing? In a word, personality—those layers that turn a house into a reflection of who lives there. “I’ve always lived in very traditional houses full of toile,” Ann says. “For this one, I wanted to step outside my comfort zone and do something different, but I didn’t know how.” Designer Raili Clasen did. After interviewing the Ryans and their three sons, she got to work adding accessories—some sleek and modern, some vintage, all with a point of view. IN PLAIN SIGHT Binders and boxes that match the room are pretty and practical. “The best way to add personality to a house is to do at least one unexpected thing in every space,” Clasen says. “I love to see a room with all shades of one color and then, ‘Bam!’ an accent piece or art that is a big surprise.” In the otherwise formal white entry, the surprise is the black and red metal letters that spell out a greeting. In the family room, it’s the huge yellow rug that grounds the space. And in the master bedroom, hothouse floral pillows and a collage of artwork set off the crisp all-white bed. There’s plenty of personality in the kids’ spaces, too. Clasen gave each of the three Ryan boys (James, Anthony, and Nolan) a one-of-akind bedroom with his birth year stenciled on the door. For their shared hangout/homework room, Clasen went with spunky striped walls and a surfboard hung as art. “I recently ran into their somewhat quiet middle son at the baseball field and asked him how he liked his room,” Clasen says. “He set his equipment down and answered, ‘It is the coolest room in the entire universe.’ ” STORE MORE A two-tier table keeps books and magazines handy but tucked away. Backless benches—covered in indoor-outdoor fabric for ease—and low-back dining chairs, left, keep the view through the French doors free and clear. Soft greens and blues and leggy furniture lend a light and airy feel to the open family room, right. Bright yellow accessories and art—a lacquered tray, silhouettes, a small side table— energize the white and gray palette in Jeffrey’s Mad Men-inspired home office, above. bet t er hom e s a n d g a r dens | j u ly 2 01 4 | bhg .com 27 BOXED IN Hang art within a rectangle for a structured, modern look. Layering a rug on top of wall-to-wall carpeting creates a cozy, colorful setting for the bed, left. Orange trim on the bed skirt and a turquoise painted bench add even more color. The white artwork is a piece of handwoven paper that caught Ann’s eye. Designer Raili Clasen had fun filling the built-in niche near the tub with an assortment of hanging lanterns, below. “The funny thing about color is that it actually relaxes a space. Every new hit of color made each room feel more like home.” —Ann Ryan, homeowner 28 bet t er hom e s a n d g a r dens | j u ly 2 01 4 | bhg .com For buying information see page XXX. “I love stripes, and we went nuts with them in the boys’ spaces. Stripes never go out of style. They always look fresh.” —Raili Clasen, designer LIGHTBULB MOMENT Spray-paint an old-fashioned industrial lantern for a splash of whimsy. CUT A RUG In a spot where chairs are scooted in and out often, a bare floor is best. (Make sure they won’t scratch.) 30 bet t er hom e s a n d g a r dens | j u ly 2 01 4 | bhg .com AROUND THE ROOM Horizontal stripes keep the eye moving, making a space look bigger. A cherry red surfboard and vintage turquoise chair zing up all the grays and natural textures in the boys’ hangout room, right. Inspired by the vintage lockers in Anthony’s room, Clasen accessorized the boys’ bathroom, below, with a red rug and towels. TO THE LETTER Vintage sign letters are an easy way to personalize a kid’s room. Finding the right stuff Raili Clasen, known for sniffing out the perfect accessory that gives a space its wow factor, shares her favorite sources: 1 2 3 4 “For super unique, one-of-a-kind vintage items you won’t see in anybody else’s home, go to threepotatofour.com.” “I visit onekingslane.com every day for accessory furniture like side tables. (However, I don’t buy big, expensive pieces there because they can’t be returned.)” “Every house I decorate gets a few game-changers from etsy.com. I’ve found everything from a collection of vintage first-aid kits to old Army cots for sale.” “For instant gratification at bargain prices, you can’t beat Home Goods. I’ve bought entire accessory collections to fill bare shelves—collections that look thoughtfully curated.” n What goes with this? Find out how to work with what you have and pull your look together at BHG.com/WhatGoes. 32 bet t er hom e s a n d g a r dens | j u ly 2 01 4 | bhg .com For buying information see page 162.
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