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Cabell and Patti Harris relax in their formal living room. The Designers Guild wallpaper, “Caprifoglio-Ecru,” from Williams & Sherrill is a recent addition to the home. The coffee table and sofas(re-covered in “Toasty Alu” fabric from Williams & Sherrill) are all from West End Antiques Mall.
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The Harrises embraced an unconventional layout in the kitchen/family room, where two sofas from Horchow sit side by side in separate dining and lounging areas. A wall of mismatched windows is disguised with generous drapery panels and matching Roman shades from Williams& Sherrill.
When you put three creatives together to design a space, the result is sure to be colorful and infused with personality. Such is the Monument Avenue home of ad agency owners Patti and Cabell Harris, decorated with the help of Patti Ryan of Williams & Sherrill.
When the couple moved here from Los Angeles in 1995, they sought a house where they could also run their agency, WORK Labs. The 1920s home they found — a true English townhouse — was formerly a doctor’s office separated into a variety of distinct spaces, making it a perfect fit. WORK Labs occupies the ground floor, accessible by a separate exterior entrance, and a carriage house out back provides even more space for work and play.
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Old meets new in the dining room, wallpapered in Harlequin “Aurelia”in Patti Harris’ signature blue. The traditional dining table, a family heirloom, is accented with chairs painted black with seats re-covered in cut velvet from Williams & Sherrill. A mirrored sideboard by Bernhardt, also available through Williams & Sherrill, and a portrait painted by John Shenk add contemporary flair.
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Visitors are welcomed by Harlequin’s subtly graphic “Medina” wallpaper, available through Williams & Sherrill. The console is by Jonathan Adler; the lamps are by Couture.
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The Harris’s 1920s Monument Avenue residence is also home to their creative brand agency, WORK Labs.
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The gracious living room features a pretty palette of mixed pastels. Two side chairs were recently re-covered in teal cut-velvet brocade from Williams & Sherrill. A mix of pastel pillows is from Yves Delorme. The lamps are by Jamie Young from Williams & Sherrill. Black velvet drapes, banded in green, and a black-and-white carpet keep the space from being too sweet.
Though they gutted and remodeled the home when they moved in, their latest design collaboration resulted from a recent inheritance of what the Harrises and Patti Ryan call “a whole lot of brown furniture.” Because such family pieces come with emotional attachment, the Harrises lived with them for a year, unsure what to do with it all. Then they came to a decision. “This isn’t my personality; it just wasn’t me,” Patti Harris says. So the couple called on Ryan to help with an update.
“Patti [Ryan] is great with mixing old and new, and she’s great with color,” says Patti Harris, also a self-professed lover of color and the eclectic, meaningful interiors that result when old and new elements are combined.
In all their updates over the years, Patti Harris says they’ve worked to maintain the home’s integrity. Painted black-and-white floors in the foyer and dining room evoke its original era, while the new addition of black-and-white chevron carpet on the main stairs and throughout the living room continues the vibe from a modern perspective. Oversized gold medallion wallpaper in the foyer adds another shot of modernity.
In the living room, they re-covered antique sofas and painted the brown legs white. Two antique French side chairs have been reimagined with a plush teal floral fabric. Luxe black velvet curtains were updated with green banding that Ryan says “wakes up the whole room.” Floral Designers Guild wallpaper on the fireplace wall and inside built-in bookcases adds an additional shot of color and interest. Artwork is another way the Harrises like to infuse color and drama; three Robert Rauschenberg lithographs keep company with Old Master-style oils.
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In the den, the walls, ceiling and trim are all painted in Valspar’s “Night Scape” to create a cozy space. A pair of Lillian August for Hickory White chairs in leopard print from Williams & Sherrill make a strong style statement.
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The powder room features Designers Guild wallpaper in a cheery shade of coral.
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A Robert Rauschenberg lithograph greets guests on the stair landing. Black railings and a black-and-white print carpet add graphic impact.
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Custom cabinetry housing a TV and wet bar was lacquered by H.J. Holtz & Son with Fine Paints of Europe’s Deep Saxe Blue. A Saarinen tulip table, a mix of traditional and modern chairs, and a West Elm chandelier complete the room’s eclectic mix.
Across the foyer, the dining room is wallpapered in Harlequin “Aurelia” in a deep shade of what Ryan calls Patti Harris’ signature blue. Here the traditional dining table is accented with side chairs painted black and seats recovered in a rich cut-velvet geometric. Where there were two brown sideboards, there’s now one, plus a new metallic piece by Bernhardt that holds a silver tea service — a great example of the old-new mix the two women have perfected here.
Just off the dining room, what used to be a sleeping porch is now a cozy reading room with a pair of sexy leopard-print chairs. The walls, trim and ceiling are all painted in more of “Patti’s blue.” Ryan says people tend to be wary of this bold, monochromatic move — but once they try it, they realize the effect is stunning.
Patti Harris wanted the kitchen/family room to be cozy, yet elegant. Recognizing that everyone ends up in the kitchen, she embraced a nontraditional layout. Two lush green couches line one wall, with a dining table in front of one and a coffee table the other. A mix of chairs complements the arrangement. “I wasn’t sold on the idea,” Cabell says, “but it worked out well.”
“We love things that have a sense of humor.” —Cabell Harris
Because the space originally comprised four distinct rooms, its windows are mismatched. To accommodate this quirk, Ryan hung one curtain rod along the length of the wall, with quietly patterned Roman shades on the windows and floral panels draped in between. Black-painted muntins frame the view to the outdoors.
The custom cabinetry on the facing wall, housing a TV and wet bar, is lacquered in Fine Paints of Europe’s Deep Saxe Blue. Patti Harris jokes this is her “spirit animal paint,” and it’s not hard to see why — the rich, glossy blue adds a major “wow” factor.
Also on the main floor is a powder room wallpapered in a bold, sophisticated floral. In it, Cabell points out a humorous piece of art. These creatives may be seriously talented, but they don’t take themselves too seriously. As Cabell puts it, “We love things that have a sense a humor, that make you take a second look.”
Patti Ryan of Williams & Sherrill shares her tips for infusing your home with color.
1. Go with mood and memory.
If you are having trouble deciding on a paint or fabric color, ask yourself how you want to feel when you walk into a room: calm, cheerful, peaceful, dramatic, glamorous? Still stumped? Look to your wardrobe for cues.
2. Bring in color with accessories.
Ryan suggests artwork as a great way to test the waters with color. “It can really wake up a room,” she says. Pillows and lamps can also add colorful accents without a big commitment. Ryan notes that pillow trends are moving toward vibrant, saturated colors.
3. Use bold color in defined spaces.
Small, distinct spaces are great places to inject color. Try the powder room, your home office (where a feel-good color can make a big impact on your productivity) or a small foyer.
4. It’s just paint.
Experimenting with color through paint is easy and inexpensive. Paint just one wall a bold color — the wall behind a bed, for example, or around a fireplace. Have a house full of brown furniture? Paint it!
5. Don’t forget about black and white.
These old faithfuls are anything but boring. Play with and combine various shades of white and cream.
