Wednesday
Aug252010
Debra Cronin
Wed, 25 Aug 2010
Imperfect and aged, decrepit and beautiful. A house's history seems to be hot right now. Layers of life left not hidden, stripped but not shunned. Debra Cronin is creating spaces less ordinary. I love this crumbling home that she has brought back to life and where she now runs an underground dining experience Bite Club with partners David and Virginia. As they say on their website "Think Alice In Wonderland meets The Addam's Family". Dinner group anyone? More of Debra's work after the jump.
Reader Comments (18)
I am always amazed on how designers can create such beauty from scratch and, a lot of times, from, as you say, iImperfect and aged, decrepit" things. Especially the first picture of the living room is absolutely amazing. Imagination is human being's most powerful gift that allows them to turn nearly rubbish/trash into beauty. For me personally, most of the objects presented in these pictures are nothing but trash, but the way they are used / composed together with other new/contemporary objects make them pieces of art more than pieces of trash. I love thins new design trend of mixing new and old!
actually, i felt like i'm looking into one of our village houses' photos... and considering the life conditions in there - dust-mud-stinky rooms-..... , i didn't feel comfortable when i was looking at them.. sorry=(
buut i adored white the oven..
Beautiful photos! I love the worn out look put together with sophisticated furniture pieces - that's my favorite. The one I like the most out of all these amazing spaces is the fourth last photo with the red & white wallpaper and bedspread. It resonates with me SOOOOO well. *sighs & continues to dream* :)
like a movie set!
just love your blog! i do renovations now in two houses and you've been an mazing inspiration!
I love seeing the pictures of crumbleation (don't look that up! it's not a word). I am intrigued to be in a room designed with crumbleation, contrasted by beautiful furniture. It's so evocative.
But, when my own house started to crumble, wallpaper peeled in layers, paint falling off walls, and lathe showing, I couldn't wait to fix it, to make it all smooth and seamless (well, sort of seamless) and clean.
Go fig.
Still, thank you for showing these beautiful pictures.
I'm in love with these photos! Especially the first one...the aged walls and cabinets against the rich blue of the chairs. And that chandelier. Perfection!
XO Piper
I do agree with Priscilla. as I envision my house as mint, spotless perfection (not that I can do that as I have a 5 year old and two 19-month kids!) so I could not stand to live in a house with peeling wall paper or rusty walls, but this is all a fantasy; I believe that no one actually lives like this. I think in some cases interior designers are like fashion designers: what they put into a catwalk fashion show is exactly that, a show, a fantasy, not wearable; it's just to show their creativeness! Nonetheless it is fantastic to look at! Thanks for a great post.
Love a designer who goes too far!
It's a great idea to be in peace with the passage of time and its effects but it's taken to an extreme here. There is a happy medium between spotless-scratchless-ageless perfection and this. But while not exactly practical this is more beautiful, more interesting, and has a lot more character in my opinion. Your "desire to inspire" has been accomplished!
omg, yes. this is what i'm into lately. this space is quite wabi-sabi in concept. brilliant!
Absolutely beautiful work! Not one thing is out of place. The washroom with the different medicine cabinets is simply brilliant.
The imperfectnesses in the walls or furnitures add such character. Truely stunning.
Stunning. I love all of the contrasts and how well they flow together. Thank you for sharing your home with us.
That wall treatment is killer. I could totally see this in a study or powder room.
This is STUNNING! So, so inspiring, unique ideas. For starters, those bar stools... gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!
i just died and went to heaven with this post....
Gorgeous! I am right with you! I LOVE this look...it reeks of class, breeding, excellent taste, appreciation of quality, a healthy respect for the effects of time, and a somewhat laissez-faire approach to design and decoration...the implication, and sometimes assumption that these rooms are somehow dusty and dirty is absurd! As is the idea that these rooms are fantasy. Indeed great care is often taken to stabilize the cracking plaster, peeling wallpaper, etc. Our culture has become so youth and "new" oriented that even the slightest blemish must be erased...
Yes, ones mans trash is another's treasure, and given the current trend going of green and sustainable building and living, the reuse and re-purposing of the past is a brilliant scheme, not to mention truly elegant. Ms. Cronin I heartily applaud you and your work, and thank you "Desire to Inspire" for doing exactly that...
Patrick Landrum
You've got to be kidding me! Someone paid a "decorator" to do this house? Their money should be refunded by several times! This dwelling is the most depressing space I've ever seen. If this were a prison, the inmates could sue for "cruel and inhumane" punishment. I would commit suicide if I had to live there. And those of you who exclaim over the ambiance and beauty of this dump need to have your decorator licenses suspended -- either you have no taste whatsoever or you're just kissing someone's nether region. Why this shack merits space on a decorating web-site is beyond me, unless it was just about to be demolished.
I have never been able to put a finger onto my tastes until now, I love high quality, rustic, charming and character, however putting them together is beyond my abilities. I simply love your interiors! I can just imagine sitting down with a good book and a glass of port in one photo and then cooking up an old steak pie whilst using the finest quality Japanese knives in the kitchen.
How would you do the garden I wonder? I saw an old white cast iron bath with gold fish in the other day that looked great.