Vintage Furnishings

A designer has decorated his home with only his favorite furnishings for a definitive personalized look.

More from Kitty Bartholomew: You're Home
Filed under: Living Rooms, Dining Rooms, Design Style

Designer Steve Ross believes it's important to look past what the covering of furniture and accessories to the shape, form and style.

Each of us probably has a different idea about what makes a home comfortable. For designer Steve Ross, comfort means surrounding himself with things he loves. In his living room, he collected his favorite pieces and mixed them together to create a look that is all his own. He's combined Louis XV, Louis XVI and mid-century furniture with contemporary art just by following his own advice that good pieces from any era, style or period do work well together, as long as they're good examples of what they are.

He's drawn to eye-catching shapes that won't fade into the background, like a pair of white chairs opposite the sofa and a pair of red leather chairs at the end of the room. The red chairs are covered in their original leather, which has now aged to create a rich patina. Ross says he includes certain pieces and colors only because he feels strongly about them, which is why he's used red throughout the room. He says the vivid hue is not only a strong accent color, it also works well with other colors and can almost act as a neutral.

The adjacent dining room showcases a small twist on traditional style. Since Ross didn't intend on using it for dining everyday he included tall bookshelves so it could be used as a library during the day. The walls and bookshelves are covered in the same wallpaper, allowing the shelves to recede into the background during dinner parties. Natural Roman shades give a relaxed look to the room during daytime use; a crystal chandelier creates an elegant setting at night.

The office is also used as a guest room so many of the furnishings are dual function pieces. The credenza is not only used for workspace, it also accommodates baskets for extra storage and has room for a TV at one end. A cozy feeling was created by painting the walls a chocolate-chip brown color. The old linoleum floor was painted with a tan porch paint to hide the blemishes; a faux tiger rug on top adds an exotic touch and enhances the intimate design.