Shades of Sky
Author:Lindsey ShookWhen Jennifer Jones, principal and founder at Niche Interiors, designed the living room of her personal home, she unconciously looked skyward for inspiration. The subtle shades in the space are inspired by the many colors of the Northern California sky which, depending on the day, can range from bright blue to light gray. “Honestly, it wasn’t a concious thought, but that’s how it turned out,” she says. “I was going for airy and open—and I ended up with the colors of the sky.”
Interior designer Jennifer Jones of Niche Interiors mixed a classic tufted sofa with midcentury-inspired chairs and brass tables.
A more intentional inspiration was the house itself, a traditional dwelling with French influences. “That was my starting point,” says Jones. “When I first saw the room, it was staged with the previous owners’ furniture, and it was much more traditional and formal. I wanted to mix it up a bit with vintage and midcentury-inspired pieces. I was looking for something that was more casual, sophisticated and not stuffy.”
Jones chose to accent the space with black, seen here in the legs of the chair, the cabinet hardware and the art.
The contemporary pieces include blue chairs from Cisco Home, and brass pieces from Noir Furniture (a trio of coffee tables in front of the sofa and a pair of mod sconces flanking the fireplace). The tufted sofa, linen drapes and custom ivory-and-white rug speak to the more classic lines of the house and molding.
One shelf is backed by mirrored squares and serves as a bar.
The past and present meet over the fireplace, where a refined mantel is topped by an assymetric art assemblage of black-and-white works. “The art provides a graphic element in the room and mixes it up in a way a big oil painting might not,” says Jones. “The way we styled the mantel with my collection of vintage pottery and added the slender sconces adds to the wabi-sabi nature of the space.”
The room’s new look is the backdrop for gatherings of all kinds and for all ages (Jones and her husband have a five-year-old son). “We use it for board games, cocktails with friends and a place to just hang out,” says Jones, who often retreats here to read a book. “The light changes throughout the day, but it’s always serene.”
