House of Antiques

Designer: Jenna Smith
Scope of Work: Architectural and Interior Design
Builder: Benchmark Construction 
Photographer: Kaylan Robinson / Erin Lutz / Morgan Woodward

What was your inspiration for this project?
There is always one project that will stick out to every designer because of the oddities of it. This specific client came to us with a rock from the desert and said, “Make my house look like this. Also, I have an unhealthy relationship with antiques.” The client did not want to live in a rock per say, he just really liked the colors of the rock! Okay, we can work with this! Now let's base the house on these colors while showcasing a vast collection of antiques.

What was your greatest challenge?
Did I mention this client had a storage unit full of antiques he wanted in his house? Space planning around these MASSIVE antiques posed a little bit of a challenge but nothing we couldn't handle. Our greatest challenge was incorporating some doors circa 1890 to the butlers pantry. This involved custom trim that needed to be made to look like it was as old as the door. Of course, the carpenter pulled through and you’d have no idea the trim didn't come with the door.

What were you most proud of / excited about?
This whole house was something to be proud of. Down to colors that were specified to all the antique lights that we spent hours tracking down. This house tells many stories, some of our favorites are the staircase railing that was salvaged from an old high school the client's father went to and the chandelier that came from Slovenia circa 1920. Our favorite surprise was finding paw prints in the Saltillo tile that was installed throughout the entire house.