Banishing 'Aunt Matilda'
Heavy, old-fashioned furnishings clash with a ranch's clean lines

THE OWNERS
Bruce and Joyce Maxwell

THE HOUSE
A 1960 ranch in Southwest Portland

THE PROBLEM
The Maxwells did a major kitchen remodel after buying their house about five years ago. They delight in how the renovation created not only a useful room, but also a comfortable and now well-used space.

Too bad they couldn't say the same for the home's living room and adjacent dining room.

Despite being architecturally flawless -- hardwood floors, open beam ceiling and large windows that look out on a parklike backyard complete with Fanno Creek running through it -- the living room made them shudder.

"Every time you entered the house, it was like, 'Ugh,' " Joyce says. "We never used the room."

It was, as Joyce is now comfortable saying, a place to store Aunt Matilda's things.

Who's Aunt Matilda? A fictional character who's getting the blame for the skirted couch, antique drop-leaf table, tufted velvet chair and old-fashioned dining table and chairs that occupied the Maxwells' home.

THE DESIGNER
Kim Jaynes of Kimberlee Jaynes Interior Designs Inc.

THE GOAL
Embrace the home's Eichler-esque architecture with appropriate furnishings and color.

"The reason you're agitated when you come in the front door," Kim told the Maxwells, "is you have this contemporary house and you have these antique furnishings. . . . It looks like Great-Aunt Matilda lives here."

THE PROCESS
"It all has to go," Kim bluntly told the couple. She could not transform the house using their furnishings.

But first she had the Maxwells fill out a set of questionnaires, telling her not only about color and texture preferences, but also about what they do in their spare time. Do they belong to groups or social organizations? Do they travel, work out, read, watch TV?

They also had homework. The designer sent them to several Web sites to learn about the architecture and history of their home's style.

It was her way of getting them to understand their home and the architecture they need to support. "If we don't, they won't be happy with whatever they do."

Although a bit shocked to learn that not even her own artwork would make the cut, Joyce let Kim go to work.

"Seriously, you want to be pushed a little," Joyce says.

BEGIN WITH COLOR
Both Bruce and Joyce liked the white trim they used in the kitchen but otherwise did not know what colors they wanted to work with.

Kim brought in design books and color groupings and took note of what caught their attention. She advised that rich wall colors and white trim would make the wood floors pop.

ON TO FURNISHINGS
After the Maxwells decided on colors and direction, Kim went into stores and pulled together sofas and chairs and tables and took the Maxwells on tour. Once materials, finishes and sizes were established, orders were placed.

"Kim was helping us find the right place and right shapes," says Joyce, who admits she would not have been happy doing this shopping on her own. "Kim steered us through that process. It was very collaborative."

BUDGET DECISIONS
"What I like to say is: 'A Volvo is a nice car; a Mercedes is a nice car; and a Bentley is a nice car. They are all good cars.' "

So when choosing between three good options, she says, your budget will determine which you will buy.

In the Maxwells' house, she mixed Bentleys and Volvos. The sofa was quite reasonable, but Joyce fell in love with a concrete coffee table that was more than she'd planned to spend. They made a cut somewhere else in the budget to make it work.

Although they went a bit over budget for the overall project, Joyce says, it was worth every penny.

THE RESULT
Bruce had a good chuckle recently when he looked at some "before" snapshots of the room. What a change.

The Maxwells use the dining room and living room all the time now.

The new furnishings and their arrangement make both rooms inviting. The sofa and chairs in the living room take in the view and are placed close together to create a comfortable environment. Joyce says she finds herself standing in the entry, marveling at the change.

The dining room, with its navy blue ceiling and walls just a shade darker than the living room, encourages diners to linger. The dark ceiling provides a canvas for the chandelier to sparkle.

"The room is perfect," Joyce says, "especially at night."

LESSONS LEARNED
"Together we have enjoyed the process of learning how not to have claw-foot tables in this house," Joyce says as Kim laughs with delight.

"That's good," Kim says. "That's right."

Article from The Oregonian's Homes & Gardens
"Banishing 'Aunt Matilda'"
Pages 10 - 13
July 26, 2007.