Molster’s pink den was inspired by an image of a Parisian salon in electric hot pink with ’70s design elements she really loved.
From afar, Janie Molster’s West End home appears just as one might expect a 113-year-old farmhouse to look, with traditional white clapboard siding, white columns and a wide, welcoming front porch. But in place of the expected heavy, paneled wooden door, a glass-and-powder-coated-steel front door alludes to the surprises within.
“A lot of clients have asked how I could have replaced the [traditional] door with such a modern element,” the designer says. “As long as you replace simple with simple, it works. The steel-and-glass door is a very straightforward, simple design. It fits in the same space as the old transom, sidelights and door. I love it — it brings in a lot of light and really transforms the space.”
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The antique japanned secretary desk in the foyer is one of the first pieces Molster collected.
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A painting by Richmond artist Frankie Slaughter adds pattern in the dining room.
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Designer Janie Molster
The interesting juxtaposition of the modern glass door and vintage white clapboard facade speaks to Molster’s unique design sense. It is at once inviting and intriguing. Throughout her 25-year career, her designs have been celebrated for their inventive combinations of materials and textures; a striking use of color; an eclectic mix of old and new, as well as luxe and low furnishings; and a touch of Southern charm. Her own home is no exception.
Inside the front door, you’re greeted with a wonderful mélange of vintage and contemporary furnishings — a sculptural console, unique handcrafted vessels, an oversized mirror with a lacy, mirrored golden frame, and an antique japanned secretary desk — complemented by a collection of black-and-white art on neutral walls. A doorway provides a glimpse into a den that’s painted hot pink in “Potpourri 1312” by Benjamin Moore.
“I’ve found that the colors I gravitate to haven’t changed over time,” says Molster, who is known for her love of pink. “I have experimented with the intensity of color in different spaces. Color tolerance is what you can handle at the time. I’ll have my house painted, and several years later, I’ll change deep saturated color to something else. Sometimes you want a lot of saturated color, sometimes only a touch.”
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Molster used reverse painted tempered glass behind the stove because it felt clean and set off the striped wallpaper, which also covers the refrigerator.
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Overscale furnishings mix with carefully curated antiques in the foyer.
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In the green library the designer mixed traditional antiques with sleek midcentury seating, a handcrafted bronze chandelier and hand-gilded lamp. A diamond-patterned Tulu rug adds a touch of pink.
Balance is key to Molster’s designs. Timeworn antiques paired with transitional upholstery pieces, luxe accents of gold, oversized mirrors, quirky sculptures, stripes, and contemporary artwork keep her color palette of coral, blush, watermelon and fuchsia from being too sweet.
“I’m very fickle about pattern,” Molster says. “In my house I play with stripes and paint as a way of adding pattern.” In the living room, she experimented with pots of pink paints, painting a window niche in one color, and stripes in different widths and pinks on another wall. “[Paint] is so fun and so rewarding because you can do a transformation with relative ease,” she says.
Molster is comfortable, as she says, “walking off the color ledge.” An image of a Parisian salon in electric hot pink with ’70s design elements like shaggy rugs inspired her hot pink den, which came together after she returned from a buying trip to Morocco with a marvelous collection of Moroccan rugs. In the library, the walls are lacquered pistachio green. “I wanted a lacquered room,” Molster says. “Green is a color that looks good in saturation, and it’s a great foil for pink.”
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Multiple seating areas feature sofas and chairs chosen so that a large man — several of Molster’s sons are over 6 feet tall — will fit comfortably in every chair.
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Molster had the Giacometti-like figural floor lamps flanking the gilded settee made from a pair of sculptures.
Molster’s fondness for paint extends to the dining room, where the neutral walls are crowned with a crazy patterned ceiling. She had the ceiling painted pink and added the free-form pattern later. “I worked with my decorative painter from H.J. Holtz & Son on the white glaze pattern. He would draw free-form patterns on the ceiling, and we would lie on the table and look at it. It is a free-form pattern with no repeat.”
“I’m very fickle about pattern. ... I play with stripes and paint as a way of adding pattern.” —Janie Molster
Comfort is central to all of Molster’s designs. In her own home, durability is also important, as she often has a full house when her five children, their spouses and her grandchildren visit. “In my house we have a lot of loungers,” Molster says. “We also like to spend a lot of time around a table. The need for comfortable seating definitely informed my decisions for each space.”
The living room is neutral except for the chandeliers and pillows. Around the room, pillows in a mixed palette of pinks and antique textiles inject pops of color. Soft stripes continue from the walls to the linen-and-velvet drapes. Molster mixes color with the type of abandon that comes from years of experience. “I haven’t always gotten it right,” she says. “It’s not organically created, it’s calculated and thoughtful.”
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Molster designed the velvet headboard and bedding in the master bedroom. A coral suzani hangs behind the bed.
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Contemporary black-and-white furnishings form a welcoming seating area on the front porch.
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Molster’s dog Junebug enjoys the back patio.
Molster says she is constantly rearranging, rehanging and repainting the rooms in her house to make them seem fresh. “My home is a mix of old and new, all things I’ve collected,” she says. “Rarely are there things that I’ve bought for a specific place. If it speaks to me, I’ll buy it. So if you see something you love, buy it. Don’t buy it to fit a room.”
