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Online Design
Suzy Dunn, our good friend and PaperDoll founder, has a knack for finding the perfect design elements online— she is also a DIY pro. She painted the front hall herself. “When I saw a beautiful Osborne and Little striped wallpaper in a friend’s hallway, I was inspired. The width of the stripes and thin gold stripe are a direct copy,” she says. Suzy ordered the Greek key runner from the Jonathan Adler store in New York.
Den of Inspiration
Suzy’s den pops with color and pattern— the vibe is casual, the seating user-friendly for her four kids, Betsy and Charlie (college-aged) and Molly and Owen (in lower school), husband Eddie and two dogs.
“The den’s a fun room where I felt okay about trying a lot of different colors. I really love Jonathan Adler, especially his humor and how he incorporates it into his style. The standing lamp in the den is Jonathan Adler and so are the pillows.” She found the cabinet at local consignment shop Belle Cose and painted it bright yellow. Suzy redoes her den every other year because family life brings so much wear and tear.
Lantern is from Chapman Radcliff in Los Angeles, Suzy’s hometown.
Cheers to Good Trends!
“I asked Los Angeles designer Coleen Rider of Coleen and Co. to have the panels made for me in robin’s egg blue with orange blossoms and apple green leaves (colors I am currently obsessing over). When the sample arrived, the orange looked too frumpy. We went with white blossoms, which made all the difference.”
The adorable couch in the dining room comes from Berkeley, California’s Oly Studio. Suzy’s best friend from college, a designer in San Francisco, ordered the piece for her.
“I love the raffia on the frame,” Suzy says. “Oly is a favorite brand that really mixes the old with the new. It’s a shame you can’t buy the line in Baltimore.”
Monologue in Orange
“When Eddie’s grandma’s settees started to fray, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to put a traditional piece in a punchy color. It went from light peach to orange.”
“Those pillows on the couch were made from a vintage suzani that I got online and had made into pillows. A risk but worth it,” Suzy says, noting that she splurges on small items designed to make a big impact.
On the larger couch, perky pillows are by ABC Carpet and Home’s Madeleine Weinrib; sconces above mantel are Alexa Hampton for Circa Lighting, both found via the net, the silk fabric on the side table is by Kelly Werstler. The great patio furniture she bought for a steal at the Restoration Hardware warehouse in Edgewood. Curtains are silk (Calico Corners).
Artist Lat Naylor, former PaperDoll men’s editor, painted the striking work above the mantel.
Sugar and Spice
Atop Molly’s ornate canopy bed is a fluffy monogrammed pillow from Linens and Lingerie. The classic portrait painting is of Molly’s great-aunt, Anneen Dunn. Owen meanwhile has a portrait of his grandfather as a child in his bedroom.
Molly’s pink bedspread is from John Robshaw.com. “John Robshaw sells at a few local stores, but his online store has a larger selection. I love his bed and table linens.”
“Molly’s room has very light-pink walls, which I think is cute for a little girl’s room. I did pink walls with brown carpet from Carpet Works. It’s perfect for a kid’s room because it hides stains. Pink and brown are a great combo.”
Double Shift
Suzy’s eldest child, Betsy, who just graduated from college, turns over her room to little brother Owen when she’s out of town. Suzy decorated the space so that it would be fun for young adult Betsy, with wall-to-wall zebra carpeting, but versatile, too, for later when Owen moves in.
“This was and is a room that wears two hats. One of Betsy’s posters is a platform shoe from a 1997 exhibit from the Victoria and Albert Museum that came to the BMA. That goes up when she’s in the room and Owen’s bunking with his brother. When she leaves, Owen’s vintage Corsair air show poster goes up in its place.”