For the careful restoration of her 1921 Foursquare house in West Virginia, Carrie Russell had been inspired by Arts and Crafts-era designers including Morris, Stickley, Lambert, and Voysey. She knew nothing about Charles Rennie Mackintosh, though, until she came across a bolt of fabric designed by him, on eBay. She studied his architecture and decorative arts, and decided that her kitchen—then an unappealing cubbyhole with avocado walls and greasy nicotine stains—should reflect the designer's vocabulary. Mackintosh's Hill House, the avant-garde villa for publisher Walter Blackie outside of Glasgow, became the model.
Striking wardrobes in the Blackie bedroom provided central motifs. Handles and pulls were incorporated into the stylized tulips carved across each drawer and cabinet front. Judy Soccio, a custom drapery designer, re-created the Mackintosh-designed curtains. Her husband, Juan Rodriguez, is the stained-glass artist. [Judy Soccio: (724) 344-4174, wedowindowstoo.com and Juan Rodriguez: (724) 258-5787] Patterns were digitally sized and printed onto the fabric.
Carrie picked up the light palette from the Hill House parlor; a bookcase-lined bench also inspired the window seat with tall columns. [Cabinetmaker Pat Herforth (724) 929-9834, pch-fumiture.com]
This new kitchen incorporates the colors, motifs, and textile designs of Scots architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
The door handle on the built-in refrigerator was taken from abstracted floral ornament on the wardrobe doors at Hill House 119031, shown at left.
Old-House Interiors Design Center:
http://www.designcentersourcebook.com/blindsshades
