indoors
L
IFE
AT
HOME
TRADITIONAL TOUCH
Paneled wainscoting finished w
ith display ledges
brings a layer of interest to the dining room,
left,
where the Bergers like to host their dinner club.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
A built-in coatrack detailed w
ith beaded board
makes smart use of the small entry,
below.
“It’s a
simple architectural detail that represents what
this house is all about,” Josh says.
The layout takes a modern turn at the back of the house with a kitchen, breakfast area, and
family room that are one big space. There, a large island where the couple, avid cooks, prep
meals and Ian,
7
, learned to roll out crusts for Thanksgiving pies provides the separation. For
Rachel, the bonus is the ease in keeping tabs on Ian, Tryg,
3
, and Rhys,
4
months. “With three kids,
all bets are off,” she says. “But the open layout lets me be in the kitchen more. The times we really
love it are when the kids wake up in the morning or from a nap and they’re groggy. We turn on the
TV and they’re content as we get breakfast or dinner ready”
Similar good sense spills over to decorating. “Things have to work with how we live,”
Rachel says. “Just because something is functional doesn’t mean it has to lack aesthetics.”
(That theory is behind the couple’s business, Daub & Bauble, which has won awards for the
designs on its dish soaps and other products.) Furniture is classic and sturdy, especially the
table in the breakfast area. “We needed a table that could take a beating,” Rachel says. “It’s
been forked by the kids and roughed up, but we’ll hang on to it for the memories.” She could
just as well be talking about her house. “It has the character that comes with an old house but
with the conveniences for a modern family,” Rachel says. “We have the best of both worlds.”
40
NOVEMBER 2009 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS
