Color, Pattern Feature Prominently in Savannah Home
With subtle pops of color and bold use of patterns, this home set on the banks of the Herb River is designed for a family with fun personalities.
Gray Contemporary Sitting Room With Pink Sofa
This sitting room gets a big, bold personality thanks to a mix of striking patterns and pops of hot pink. The white rug and clear coffee tables help anchor the flights of fancy around them.
Photo by: Rethink Design Studio
Rethink Design Studio
It takes only one step inside this home on the banks of the Herb River in Savannah, Ga., for the personality of the family who lives there to reveal itself.
The four walls and ceiling of the foyer are clad in a playful trellis wallpaper, a herringbone-patterned rug covers the floor and a funky contemporary chandelier lights the space. This is a room that is pulled together without taking itself too seriously.
That's exactly what the homeowners wanted, says Joel Snayd, principal at Rethink Design Studio, who helped the family of four remodel the home over a 10-year period.
"They really wanted to make sure we were showing each of their personalities rather than designing it for the masses," Joel says. "(The homeowner) was like, 'This is our home. I want it to be for us.'"
But to get the finished look right, the team at Rethink Design had to get the bones and the basics correct first.
Snayd and his team selected an ebony-stained pine floor to tie all of the first-floor spaces together and helped the owners select cabinetry, lighting, doors and windows.
"The house is sort of a hybrid of a Spanish Mediterranean home meets contemporary with weird Colonial windows," Joel says. "The first phase was really about getting it to the architectural level where they could build from there."
After a hiatus from the project, the homeowners and Rethink Design Studio team were ready to have fun with the finishes.
"It was like a painter's canvas. Everything was taut on the frame. Everything was ready to go," Joel says.
Among the most eye-catching design choices are the wallpapers that cloak several rooms. The team then gave the classic trellis, floral and damask wallcoverings unexpected twists by pairing them with bright colors or differently patterned accessories.
The master suite proved to be the piece de resistance. A flat ceiling was vaulted into the open attic space above, and a new six-foot-wide was created to lead into a dressing room with thoughtfully designed storage and finishes.
The master suite includes a newly redone modern bathroom that substitutes a wall of windows with a view of the Herb River where a vanity mirror is expected. The shower and vanity run on parallel lines for an understated look of elegance.
The daughters' bathroom was updated as well. The team raised the ceiling and added skylights to transform what was a dark, unpleasant room into a bright, contemporary space.
For Snayd and team, making a home comfortable for and custom to each client is what being a design professional is all about.
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"That's what we enjoy," Snayd says. "It's the difference between being designers and decorators."
