Cool, Calm, and Collected Decorating

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From: HGTV Magazine

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Find Your Personal Style

Just about everything in Laura Jayson’s Rowayton, CT, home is either a shade of blue ("What’s cooler than turquoise and aqua?"), neutral ("Plenty of white and natural materials help a space feel laid-back"), or old ("My house is a collection of things I’ve picked up at flea markets").

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Soothing Neutrals

In the two years since the light-filled three-bedroom house was built, Laura has been on the hunt for carefully chosen picks that get a place in her home or find their way to Rowayton Flea, the nearby vintage shop she co-owns with her friend Laura Grabe. "I have a lot of interesting pieces tucked around every room," she says. "The overall look is relaxed, and that’s how I want people to feel when they walk in my house."

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Living Room

The airy living room is almost all white and weathered wood. Laura chose stucco for the walls and added rough-hewn wood beams (salvaged from old barns) to the ceiling. The seating area includes a secondhand pine coffee table, an overstuffed sofa, and a settee Laura "borrowed" from her parents.

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Calm

A white slipcovered sofa from Lillian August is a great backdrop for patterned pillows.

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Cool

This 1960s double rocker from eBay is reupholstered in a Kelly Wearstler fabric.

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Collected

A sail from a boat in the America’s Cup race makes great wall art. It’s from a Boston flea market.

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Cool Living Room Accents

The paint on the vintage medical cabinet in the living room was chipped, but Laura left it as is. These clear and turquoise antique wine jugs have the delicate look of sea glass.

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Kitchen

Thanks to stone walls and a wood ceiling, a visit to the kitchen feels like a trip back in time. Since she likes to keep her dishes (mostly in shades of blue, of course) easily accessible, Laura chose open teak shelving. The natural-stone-top island has an apron-front sink with the kind of faucet you’d find in a commercial kitchen (for a similar look, try overstock.com).

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Cool

The bentwood bistro stools were imported from France.

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Collected

Laura paid $100 for this pair of pendants at the Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts.

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Dining Room

Although Laura admits the table serves more as a landing spot for clutter than a place to eat dinner, she loves its rugged texture. It came from a Connecticut antiques store and so did the chairs, which were originally cream. They needed some freshening up, so Laura painted them glossy white (try Polar Bear by Behr).

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Calm

You can see every knot in the Brazilian hardwood table.

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Cool

This room’s pop of blue is a beachscape, painted by Laura’s sister.

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Collected

The shelves on this vintage mirror are stocked with bottles and oyster plates.

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Master Bedroom

The woven seagrass bed from Ralph Lauren Home is one of the few furniture pieces that’s not vintage. "I love its beachy vibe," says Laura. The white sheets are from Sferra, and the five-foot-long bolster pillow is covered in flea market fabric. Wall color: Moonshine by Benjamin Moore

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Calm + Collected

The oak floors are coated in white epoxy paint meant for concrete and garage floors. An old wood ladder found at a flea market serves as storage for extra blankets. Laura says, "sometimes I think, Ugh, I'm so boring—I should throw in another color. But a neutral bedroom is just so serene."

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Cool

Wave photos Laura picked up in Long Island, NY, give the room a subtle splash of blue and gray.

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Master Bathroom

The room’s pale tiles and raw teak create a setting that feels very zen. "It’s so relaxing, sometimes I just hang out in here," Laura says. She chose shiny chrome fixtures, including marine-style sconces from a local home store and cross-handle faucets that jut out from the wall.

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Cool

The backsplash’s glass tiles have a pale blue tint.

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Guest Bathroom

Who needs one mirror when you can have 18? Laura painted most of them with white semigloss spray paint, then mounted them all on painted wood planks that were once floorboards. The sink top is Carrara marble—a little luxury in an otherwise simple space.

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Collected

Not one of these thrift store and flea market mirrors cost more than $15. The copper fixture came from an antiques store that sells vintage boat lighting.

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Mudroom

Laura found this bench at an antiques store—it's actually an old church pew. Laura made the coatrack from a strip of wood and vintage hooks, then perched an oar on top.

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Spare Bedroom

A funky tree stump nightstand is a fun contrast against the white walls. Antique headboards were painted Platinum Gray by Benjamin Moore and reupholstered.

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Calm

Nearby, Laura painted a dresser in a chalky white hue to bring out its details. Laura’s mom updated an old mirror by gluing oyster shells onto the frame.

Cool, Calm, and Collected Decorating

Find Your Personal Style

Soothing Neutrals

Living Room

Calm

Cool

Collected

Cool Living Room Accents

Kitchen

Cool

Collected

Dining Room

Calm

Cool

Collected

Master Bedroom

Calm + Collected

Cool

Master Bathroom

Cool

Guest Bathroom

Collected

Mudroom

Spare Bedroom

Calm

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