The dining room,

right

,features

a hutch made from recycled

barn wood, a m

ix of chairs, and

a $50 capiz-shell chandelier

found on sale at Target.

Although she wasn’t actually

looking for a new

house, Trenna

instantly fell in love w

ith the

cedar-shingled exterior of her

St. Louis home,

below.

She applies three simple steps to that editing. She grounds each room

with base pieces that remain the same throughout the year—a fantastic

sofa that fits a particular wall or a pair of chairs that anchor a sitting

room. She unites all the spaces in the house with a neutral palette—

from

the carpets and wall colors to the textiles on key pieces of furniture—

creating flow from room to room. And then she lets loose with bold

accents, enlivening each room with punches of color and personality

that might come and go with the changing seasons.

Reinvention is a big part of Trenna’s strategy for making pieces—even

rooms—work. She’ll give an antique chair a new attitude with a playful

pillow or a coat of paint, or reimagine a desk as a bedside table. When she

looked at the rooms in this house, she didn’t let their intended purpose

get in the way of what she and her family really needed. She transformed

the original small and somewhat isolated dining room into a cozy den.

And she turned the bigger living room into a dining room that accommo-

dates her large table and—central to her feeling of home—more people.

1 4 4

MAY

2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS