Vibrant Hues Color A Village of Golf Bungalow

A sunny and sophisticated bungalow in South Florida’s Village of Golf dazzles with originality, bold statements and vibrant color

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interior designer Janie Molster delights in working with couples who know their own minds and can only bolster the creative impact of the ultimate design. With owners Tom and Mary Horton, that potential was compounded. Armed with notebooks of color swatches, furniture designs, and fabric choices that Mary presented to Molster, an initial consult quickly became the third and perhaps most delightful collaboration with this client. And as a former model and actress, Mary has always been comfortable with color and bold statements.

Yet, to make a really big statement you must have the right foundation. Though nestled in the idyllic setting of Village of Golf in sunny South Florida, this serene, 40-year-old house necessitated a structural gutting. “It’s not a big house,” says Molster of the 3,500-square-foot home.

First, the kitchen and baths were completely redone and a third bedroom’s space was added to the master suite. The owners were scaling down from a large Virginia home and wanted this to be a light-filled locus for entertaining — a place where every day would be “sweet.”

“No wicker. No fish prints on the walls. Definitely not beachy,” says Horton of her vision. But color there would be. Eschewing seascape blues, she was attracted by shades of lime, peach, pink and brilliant turquoise. In the living room, wide swaths of Schumacher’s faux silk taffeta draperies in bands of butterscotch and salmon appear like frosting against pale walls. White wood frames Klismos-style chairs dressed in a fresh marigold velvet linen, while an antiqued mirror cocktail table sits atop a Moroccan rug that dances in pinks and peach. However, what became the lynchpin of the home’s entire design sits grandly in a corner. “I threw my car into reverse when I caught sight of it in an antique store,” Molster says. “My client loves chinoiserie, and here was a stunning peach and gold secretary that combined whimsy and elegance that set the tone for everything else.”

The dining room combines a seeming abandon to color with aristocratic detail. Here, a custom-designed dining table is surrounded by vintage Chippendale-style chairs in soft gray upholstery. Overhead, an Italian fragment chandelier feels right at home, while wide-plank wood flooring anchors the space in warmth.

Like a painter with a palette, Molster turned to the abstract by artist Lindsay Cowles for inspiration to color the family room and breakfast area. The open spaces are simply curtained in woven shades, while pink, green and turquoise hues splash across accent pillows and elegant seating. Leaving nothing to chance, even book covers are chosen for their complementary colors.

The master bath is a color respite from the joyous intensity elsewhere. But it too is not without design. Imposing a wooden grid across a wide expanse of mirroring suddenly gives the sense of depth. The crystal prisms of the wall sconces and the addition of the owners’ porcelain elephant table are subtle touches of elegance.

But entering the master bedroom is like watching a curtain go up on the stage set of a much-anticipated play. Here, the designer’s deft handling of form and mass is seen. Using the magnitude of the sweeping pink linen velvet headboard, anchored by a gray silk and gilded bench, Molster covers the wall with mirrors and gilded sculpture. In a simple but inspired treatment for draperies, the designer added a vertical band of scalloping curves. Circular mirrors repeat the smaller spheres in the glass table lamps, while the owners’ sculptural candelabra mounted above the bed brings a sense of peace.

Outside, the lime greens and fuchsias from Mother Nature’s hand echo the vibrant hues inside. And then there are the natural woven textures. “I don’t like sets,” Molster says. Instead, she styled the loggia with sisals, weaves, rope and other substances that appear to have been acquired lovingly over time. Here, the rug is styled with woven abaca — a strong Manila hemp. The midnight-blue cocktail table is of twisted rope. Most charming of the area’s accoutrements is the nod to the owners’ love of Chinoiserie. Propped at a jaunty angle, a tall parasol topped with a turquoise shade seems a statuesque reminder that the sweet serenity of the sun-filled tropics is only a step away.

Story Credits: 

Interior Design by Janie Molster, Janie Molster Designs, Richmond, VA

Builder Mouw Associates, Inc., Delray Beach, FL

Photography by Gordon Gregory, Henrico, VA

Text by Marina Brown

Open to see Interior Design Sources:

SOURCES
Living Room
Sofa and lounge chairs – Lee Industries, Conover, NC
Accent pillow fabrics – Christopher Farr Cloth,
Holland & Sherry, New York, NY
Klismos-style chairs – Century Furniture, Atlanta, GA
Antique secretary and cocktail table – Janie Molster Designs, Richmond, VA
Table lamps and vases – Jonathan Adler, Miami, FL
Chandelier – John-Richard, Greenwood, MS
Abstract art – Lucky Fish Gallery, Madison, NC
Drapery fabric – F. Schumacher, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FL
Area rug – J&D Oriental Rugs Co., New York, NY
Dining Room
Dining table – Tritter Feefer, LaGrange, GA
Vintage dining chairs – Janie Molster Designs, Richmond, VA
Chandelier – Yorkshire House Antiques, High Point, NC
Red console – Custom designed by Janie Molster
Designs, Richmond, VA
Table lamp – HomeGoods, Delray Beach, FL
Mirror – Carver’s Guild, West Groton, MA
Wall covering – Brunschwig & Fils, Hollywood, FL
Drapery fabric – Romo, DCOTA, Dania Beach, FL
Breakfast Area
Table – Custom designed by Janie Molster Designs, Richmond, VA
Klismos-style side chairs – Palecek, Richmond, CA
Banquette – Lee Industries, Conover, NC
Fabric – Pindler, Hollywood, FL
Accent pillows – Orientalist Home, North Bergen, NJ
Small abstract art – Addison Gallery, Delray Beach, FL
Chandelier – Arteriors, Carrollton, TX
Window shade – Remus Shutters, Shades & Blinds, Inc, Delray Beach, FL
Family Room
Sofa and lounge chairs – Lee Industries, Conover, NC
Green pillow fabric – F. Schumacher, DCOTA,
Dania Beach, FL
Multi-color pillow fabric – GP&J Baker, DCOTA,
Dania Beach, FL
Cocktail table and occasional tables – World’s Away, Memphis, TN
Vintage table lamps – Janie Molster Designs, Richmond, VA
Abstract art – Lindsey Cowles, Richmond, VA
Window shades – Horizons Window Fashions, Waukegan, IL
Area rug – Stanton Carpet, Woodbury, NY
Master Bedroom
Bed headboard – Custom designed by Janie Molster Designs, Richmond, VA
Bedside chests – Bernhardt, Lenoir, NC
Table lamps – Global Views, Dallas, TX
Circle mirrors – World Market, Alameda, CA
Bench, armchairs and candleabra – Owners’ Collection
Fabric – Kravet, Inc., Bethpage, NY
Throw – Yves Delorme, Charlottesville, VA
Reading lamps – Visual Comfort & Co., Houston, TX
Drapery fabric – Kasmir Fabrics and Furnishings, Dallas, TX
Carpet – Masland Carpet, Saraland, AL
Master Bath
Vanity and mirror -The Workshop Inc, Boynton Beach, FL
Tub – Ferguson Enterprises LLC, Boca Raton, FL
Loggia
Sofa and armchairs – Kingsley Bate, Manassas, VA
Accent pillows – Elaine Smith, Lake Park, FL
Cocktail table – Mecox Gardens, West Palm Beach, FL
Area rug – Wayfair, wayfair.com
Throughout
Flooring – Mirage Hardwood Floors, Quebec, Canada

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