gray matter

look at these gorgeous pictures i found on the house beautiful website...it's a pennsylvania home by architect william dohe with interiors designed by jeffrey bilhuber. it's described as a modern barn with a monochromatic, soothing color story - all in grays, and it is gorg.







i love the way this house combines slate and wood with more industrial materials like steel and glass, and combines old and new textiles, artifacts and furniture. i also love how bilhuber uses mostly grays but isn't afraid to introduce browns as well - gray and brown is a combination i've stayed away from for fear that the blend of cool and warm wouldn't work. clearly, though, it works.







mimi read's interview with bilhuber is a very good one - i always love to hear the reasoning behind the design choices, as it's good food for thought even when thinking on a smaller scale about my own home. for example, he talks about dividing the house into pieces when he decorated, and how he designed one element of the home to "force a moment of intimacy." i love that. it underscores how important it is to have places in our homes that are their own moment, even in the midst of everything surrounding - could be a perfectly situated key table, a lovely entryway or a reading nook that is it's own piece of perfection. i love elements like that...they're really what makes a house a home and each home unique.

all photos from www.housebeautiful.com