Press Stories
IDEAS
Bring the outdoors in: In this refurbished farm house an old park bench, an Adriondack love seat and a community of early-20th-century homemade birdhouses blur the lines between living room and the adjoining porch. White - and - rust colored pumpkins, ripe Bosc pears, and a seasonal bouquet of leaves and hydrangeas contribute autumn color. wall and trim paint throughout: Benjamin Moore. landscape paintings: David Ryan, Sara Biscaye. blankets: White on White. white tramp-art frame, mirror, Laura Fisher/Antique Quilts and Americana.
 IDEAS
Large landsacape paintings are natural focal points, but utilitarian collections can also make a decorative statement. Randy created a composition in white with an array of enamelware; placing these pieces in the dining room - rather than the kitchen, where such items are expected - gives them added prominence. *Colors from the lavender family - in napkins, place mats, and ornamental cabbage (opposite page, bottom) - create soft accents against a white table. * This Jeffersonville, N.Y., house (next page, top) reflects Randy Florke's preference for simple, honest architecture. landscape painting: David Ryan. table linens: Paula Rubenstein, LTD.
 Keeping it Simple
Contributing editor Randy Florke has a gift for renovating humble houses. You might recall his work on the farmhouse in "Rural Renaissance",in our September 1999 issue. Where some might gut such unpretentious homes to remake the interior, Randy works hard to maintain what the spaces were originally about. But he's not a slave to any period - he modernizes what is needed, keeps what he can, and enhances what's already there. Randy, who grew up in Iowa, has never abandoned that rural connection in favor of any affectation of "high style." The simple, inexpensive changes he makes to a space require little more than paint and whatever furniture happens to be available. The look he achieved in this Jerrersonville, N.Y., house is readily attainable: Unrelated furnishings, many salvaged from abandoned buildings, are made to work together merely by painting them white.
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