Text: Dana W. Todd
Photography: Caroline Sharpnack
When a homeowner first encountered designer Connie Vernich’s work, she was captivated by the way the designer successfully mixed the old with the new. It was exactly the design sensibility she had been searching for: someone who could combine her husband’s modern aesthetic with her personal collection of antiques and cherished family heirlooms.
Before they were married, she lived in a traditional home filled with antiques; his bachelor pad was modern with a dark color palette. They were struggling to merge their contrasting styles and found Vernich could solve their dilemma. “The husband disliked the curved arms and legs typically found on antique furniture,” says the designer. “He also wanted to shy away from florals and classically striped fabric.”
4. Designer Connie Vernich Transforms a House into a Harmonious Blend of Old and New
3. Designer Connie Vernich Transforms a House into a Harmonious Blend of Old and New
2. Designer Connie Vernich Transforms a House into a Harmonious Blend of Old and New
1. Designer Connie Vernich Transforms a House into a Harmonious Blend of Old and New
After tying the knot, it took the couple 18 months to find a home large enough to accommodate their blended family of seven children. “It wasn’t the home of our dreams,” says the homeowner. “But we wanted everyone to have their own bedroom, and it had potential with unfinished spaces for us to grow into.” Vernich developed a palette that revolved around the wife’s favorite shade of moss green, subdued enough to win over the husband with a neutral foundation of charcoal, black, and dove white.
She balanced the clean lines of modern furniture with existing antiques, helping them live happily together. The primary bedroom is a perfect case in point, where the wood tones of new Highland House nightstands harmonize with a vintage vanity’s finish. While the Century four-poster bed hints of a traditional Carolina rice bed, its straight lines and modern upholstered headboard bring the demeanor firmly back to center. Heirloom marble intaglio artwork hangs above the bed and reads as contemporary.
Vernich found that replacing the shades on antique bedside table lamps with modern drum shades further bridged the gap between the owners’ conflicting styles. The couple also asked the designer to create spaces dedicated to gathering their large family in one place. She responded by bringing in an oversized circular breakfast table that has since become the heart of the home.
“The table is the center of family activity; when expanded, it seats ten people,” the designer says. “Every time I visit, there are people sitting around it and talking, eating, or doing homework. It’s where everyone gravitates.” The breakfast area sits between the open kitchen and living room, ensuring the entirety of the space is apropos for multiple conversations and an easy flow of movement. Family-friendly finishes and performance fabrics stand the test of time.
“Everyone loves the tufted green leather ottoman in the living room,” Vernich explains. “Its 5-by-5-foot size provides a place for the kids to sit or put their feet up. Even the kitties lounge on it; scratches just add patina and make it prettier with age.” Vernich styled the dining room as a special treat for the wife, using a Thibaut botanical drapery fabric as the starting point and pulling out a moss green hue that she flowed onto the paneled focal wall. Covering the other three walls with dark grasscloth kept the room from leaning feminine, even after hanging a beloved heirloom crystal chandelier over the table. The homeowner loves it when she has an excuse to bring her family into the dining room for a formal dinner.
“The room gives me the traditional feel I’m accustomed to; it’s my formal escape, where I can pull out the china and have a special meal,” she says. She is thrilled about the whole-home transformation. “I really didn’t like this house when I first saw it,” she says. “I needed Connie to help me like it, and she did.”
