Finding Your Niche
Turning a
Design Dilemma
into an Architectural Asset
Months after
Linda’s clients moved into their new home in Tiburon, California
overlooking the San Francisco Bay, they still didn't know what to do
with the existing niche in their living room. They tried different ways to take advantage of the possiblities a niche might
offer, but its low height, shallow depth and horizontal aspect were
incongruous to the room’s high ceilings and angled architecture. Plus,
it was dwarfed by the adjacent fireplace.
Linda's solution was to give the niche
visual height and interest with an architectural element such as a
pediment that would emulate the lines in the ceiling. Then things
started to fall into place.
So where do you
find the perfect pediment? “We made it,” explains Linda. “It’s a
combination of old and new. The moulding and back of the pediment are
old wood that we stained and faux painted, but the cross is
new. My clients love funky old rustic things, and they have an extensive
collection of crosses, so I wanted to incorporate those elements.
Ancient Greek and Roman pediments often featured religious sculpture in
the center, which is called the tympanum. When I found this carved
Romanesque cross on the internet, I knew it was perfect. We fauxed it to match the wood and installed it. Now the niche
looks like it belongs there. The pediment draws the eye up, giving the
illusion of height, and its angled shape repeats the lines of the
exposed rafters above it.”
Next, Linda and artisan painter Shawn Man Roland enhanced the back and sides of the niche with a faux finish called strié - a
technique that uses glaze and soft brushes to create a soft, natural
striped texture. The shimmery pale blue finish echoes the home's endless
water views, and the faux-painted baseboard further distinguishes the recess from the rest of the wall, making it look purposeful instead of accidental.
With the scale
and architectural problems addressed, they now needed to give the space a
purpose. It was too shallow to accommodate a buffet or table, so Linda
and her client browsed the home for objets to showcase in the new niche,
which already had overhead lighting. Two items caught Linda’s eye: a
European antique wheeled carnival cart and a treasured heirloom
painting.
“These two
pieces just complement each other beautifully,” said Linda about the new
vignette. “The ornate frame and refined style of the artwork provide a
contrast to the aged and earthy cart below, yet the two pieces relate to
each other through the colors and textures that are present in both.”
Taking another cue from her clients’ passion for crosses, Linda accessorized the niche
with more crosses, giving it the feel of an altar. Since the cart
wasn’t quite long enough to fill the width of the niche, tall wrought
iron candlesticks were custom designed and placed on either side. Note
how the round medallion in the candlesticks repeats the shapes of both
the curves on the cart and the cross on the pediment. “You know my
favorite motto,” Linda reminds us. “Good design repeats itself.
“What we did
here is exactly what I talk about in my book. We used decorative
architectural elements that emulate the home’s structural elements to
create drama and harmony in the décor. What was once an ill-conceived
space is now an artful and functional focal point.”
Do you have a built-in “mistake” in your home? A what-were-they-thinking
moment? If so, embrace the challenge, think outside the box, and
consider using an architectural element to repeat a line, a color, a
shape or all three. You can buy it, find it or make it, and the
potential is almost limitless for creating a unique solution for your
design dilemma. Remember, good design repeats itself.
Good luck and have fun!
