1 7 2

OCTOBF R2008 b e tte r h o m e s a n d g a r d e n s

Relaxing eating cooking playing—life happens in this

one open room. With durability a key factor, all the

seating is leather, including the living area’s brown

sectional sofa and the sleek dining chairs surrounding

the white oak dining table. The boys,

left

, haul their

boxes out to the coffee table during playtime, then

n

pack them up when they’re finished. “ Part of living in

a full house is figuring out how to prevent anyone’s

clutter from taking over a space,” says Christine.

Like a true modern woman,

C h r is tin e Z e llm e r s p o tte d h e r id e a l m a tc h o n th e

I n te r n e t. S h e im m e d ia te ly fell fo r th e L o n g Is la n d

b u n g a lo w ’s g la m o u r s h o t, b u t w o n d e r e d a b o u t th e

re s t. P r e p a r in g h e r s e lf fo r th e w o r s t, C h ris tin e re c a lls

th in k in g , “T h e h o u s e m u s t s tin k o n th e in s id e .” S o s h e

a n d h u s b a n d S te fa n w e r e n ’t s u r p r is e d w h e n th e y

to u r e d th e h o u s e a n d d is c o v e re d a g lo o m y in te r io r

g a rb e d in tr a d itio n a l s ty le —w h ic h w a s n ’t th e ir sty le .

B u t C h ris tin e c o u ld se e p a s t it. T h e fo r m e r in te r io r

d e s ig n e r h a d a v is io n o f a m o d e r n c o tta g e .

S h e e n lis te d O s k a r T o rre s , a d e s ig n s c h o o l frie n d , to

h e lp o p e n u p a n d b r ig h te n th e c lo y in g in te rio r s . T h e

te a m fo c u s e d o n s w e e p in g c o s m e tic c h a n g e s th a t

h e lp e d s tr e tc h th e h o m e ’s 2 ,0 0 0 s q u a r e fe e t, a s w e ll as

th e Z e llm e rs ’ lim ite d b u d g e t. S ta in in g th e y e llo w is h

w o o d flo o rs a d a rk b ro w n , w h ile lig h te n in g e v e r y th in g

e lse , c r e a te d a d y n a m ic b a c k d r o p fo r s tro k e s o f

C h r is tin e ’s fa v o rite c o lo rs : o ra n g e a n d re d .

W ith 5 -y e a r-o ld tw in h o y s, it w a s a lso im p o r ta n t

to k e e p th e h o u s e k id -frie n d ly . In e x p e n s iv e p ie c e s

fro m W e s t E lm , C B 2, a n d U rb a n O u tfitte r s w o u ld b e

e a s y to re p la c e if n e c e s sa ry . “A t th e s a m e tim e , I

w a n te d to th r o w in s o m e o rig in a l a r tw o r k a n d u n iq u e

p ie c e s so it d id n ’t lo o k c o o k ie -c u tte r,” sa y s C h ris tin e ,

w h o o u tfitte d h e r m a n te l w ith a q u irk y q u a r te t o f

p a p e r la n te r n s p u r c h a s e d fo r a p o o l p a rty . S c a tte re d

a ro u n d th e h o u s e a rc m o re p a r ty p r o p s th a t b e c a m e

p e r m a n e n t d e c o r—c a ll it a c c id e n ta l/o n - p u r p o s e

d e c o ra tin g . “T h e y ’r e fu n a n d p la y fu l,” s h e sa y s o f

th e h a n g e r s -o n , “a n d th e y r e m in d u s th a t life c a n

b e a p a rty .”