At just over roughly 2,000 square feet, Alaina Ralph channeled her young client’s bold and fun interior design vision into a smart home, ripe for hosting.
Ralph previously worked on this client’s parents’ home several years before and was excited to orient her in Charleston, where the client had been assigned a medical residency. The central location made for an easy commute to the hospital, but Ralph was the ideal designer to bring youthful whimsy to the otherwise stoic bones of this brick townhouse. “She’s lively… definitely eclectic, and she has a modern aesthetic where she loves bright colors and maybe some more sculptural pieces,” says Ralph about her client’s strong direction towards inspiring textiles and colorful finishes. “She likes the more exuberant, pattern on pattern, color and I love that about her,” Ralph acknowledged. Together, they had a lot to work with and the goal was to blend it all together in a seamless, but intentionally dissonant aesthetic.
Contrasting with the white walls and sterile metals of the hospital, Ralph’s client wanted to come home to inspiring materials and wallpaper. They began with fabric ideas and anchored each room to window treatments and rugs that they both agreed upon. Thereafter, upholstered vintage furniture was paired with accent pillows and glass and metal lighting. Ralph included a lot of chinoiserie, grand family heirloom furniture, Brunschwig & Fils trimmings, and Jonathan Adler touches to achieve this ambitious dual vision. “On the whole, I loved how all the rooms were so different but really played well together,” Ralph says. “It was such a dramatic transformation from a more traditional looking, downtown Charleston house to really reflecting her in every room. I feel like that is a success.”
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Entry
As soon as you enter the house, the client’s love for chinoiserie is most visible in the vintage mirror and table in front of the window. Ralph combines locally-sourced vintage items, family heirlooms, and shades of pink to introduce guests to the home’s eclectic vibe.
Curtains: Soane Britain fabric & Stout trim. West Indies Settee: Antique. Settee cushions: Soane Britain fabric & Samuel & sons trim. Lantern: Vintage. Chinoiserie table in front of window: Antique. Console by door: Family heirloom. Mirror: Vintage chinoiserie.
Living Room
The living room is a showpiece, where Ralph achieved an eclectic yet modern aesthetic. In front of the functional fireplace are two hot pink chairs the client brought from her college apartment, mixed with the eye-catching family heirloom desk piece. The beautiful pink rug was an early decision, around which the design process solidified. Paired with a rusty orange curtain fabric, Ralph describes this space as channeling a “a really fun, bright, fabulous color combination.”
Art over Mantle: Frida by Ashley Longshore. Equestrian art: Scout Design Studio. Sofa fabric: Sabina Fay Braxton. Skirted table fabric: Texture. Bench fabric: Christopher Hyland. Curtain fabric: Intex silk. Lamps: Vintage. Desk: Family heirloom. Coffee table: Vintage chinoiserie.
Dining Room
Though it’s hard to choose just one favorite room, this fabulous dining room excellently blends high style with Charleston antiques. Ralph loves how the dining room is “very atmospheric, has a moody and light quality.” Simple, yet bold, wallpaper contrasts with the stunning vintage chandelier set above a welcoming wooden round table.
Wallpaper: Andrew Martin Mythical Land. Curtains: Vintage silk. Chairs & vases: Jonathan Adler. Chandelier: Antique. Table and sideboard: Family Heirlooms. Turkish Rug: Antique. Portrait over mantle: Antique.
Kitchen
Ralph obliges the client’s love of color and pattern in the kitchen to give it a light and fresh feel through skirted cabinets and display decor.
Window treatment & skirt fabric: Schumacher. Cabinet door fabric: Chelsea textiles. Art over counter: Hayley Keeton Mitchell. Turkish rug: Antique.
Family Room
Ralph turned up the maximalism in her client’s family room. From the leopard print chairs to the Brunschwig & Fils fabric on the blue and white speckled couch, Ralph mixed textiles, textures, and patterns to achieve a funky and bold vision. As the finishing touch, Ralph included an antique Turkish rug to tie together the look.
Art over skirted table: Slim Aarons. Fabric for skirted table: Rogers & goffigon fabric & antique tapestry. Painting: Anne Darby Parker. Curtain fabric: Quadrille Bali Hai. Floor Lamp: Jonathan Adler. Brass lamp: Vintage Marbro. Sofa fabric: Brunschwig & Fils. Pillows on sofa: Fortuny. Turkish rug: Antique
Bedroom
The master bedroom has a light, refreshing feel, as your eyes are immediately drawn to the bronzed, bare bed frame. Ralph noted that they decided not to incorporate any draping to the bed, in order to foreground the shared pattern on the curtain and on the bench. Ralph explains that she was mindful of pattern placement in rooms of this size. “In some places it’s nice to pair down, so that it doesn’t feel so overwhelming.” She completes the room with delicate vintage Murano glass lamps on the bedside tables.
Curtain & bench fabric: Brunschwig & Fils. Lamps: Vintage Murano glass. Bed: Front Gate. Bench: Antique Sheraton settee. Hand Painted Decorative pillow: Alderman Arts. Turkish rug: Antique. Bed throw: Lumia (local to Charleston).
Bathroom
Ralph keeps the colors lighter in the bathroom, using an elegant green trim to frame the room and match the custom window covering, cut from the homeowner’s tablecloth.
Sconces on mirror: Circa Lighting. Chandelier: Circa lighting. Window shade: Cut from client's table cloth. Bench: Antique.
Guest Bedroom
The guest bedroom continues the trend of vintage lighting and chinoiserie. Ralph loves vintage lighting. She describes finding antique lamps “like finding old jewelry.” She continued to reflect the owner’s love of unique color combinations, while preserving the vintage curtains that remained in the home from the previous owners. The contrasting shades of pink and green offer a welcome connection between the interior spaces and the exterior foliage, just out of view in the corner side windows.
Curtains: Vintage chintz curtains (came with the house). Bolster: Soane Britain. Bed throw: Vintage Indian textile. Bedside tables: Mid-century brass. Chinoiserie lamps: vintage.
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