O
ccasionally one encounters an interior so fresh, so
bold and yet so subtle that it defies all stylistic categories
and stands, simply, as a monument to the designer���s
talent and individuality. Such is the interior designed
by John Barman for a
wonderful 1890s beach
manor near Quogue,
Long Island, which he
designed for a family with
grandchildren.
White
painted woodwork and
sleek ebonized floors
throughout the house
form a sparkling yet
disciplined
backdrop
to furniture upholstered
in shimmering, colorful
fabrics together with
objects
from
many
lands, that harmonize so
perfectly as to make one
forget the word ���eclectic.���
In these rooms exotic objects and furniture are related by
their similar formal qualities���color, shape, proportion.
And these interiors are, above all, lively. They possess
what one might call a sunny elegance, and evince that
most elusive quality of all: taste. Barman himself modestly
describes the interior as ���traditional but updated���in that
way it may be sparse.���
HYLAND
