The Editor's Editor: Lindsay Bierman's Birmingham Home

I will happily rearrange a friend's furniture or give anyone advice on styles, colors, and fabrics, but at home I'm often paralyzed. As an editor, I see too much; I'm overexposed to the work of great designers, artists, architects, and many others with exquisite taste and am vulnerable to falling in love with a new color or pattern, which sparks a downward spiral of repainting and re-covering. After years of wasting money on bad ideas, I eventually realized that every editor needs an editor. That's when I called my longtime friend Phoebe Howard, a renowned decorator, to help me pare down my look and express my true style.

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Many of the furnishings are available through Mrs. Howard; 404/816-3830. Designer: Phoebe Howard; phoebehoward.net.
 

When I first saw this space, something felt off, besides the color. Aha! Cracks in the drywall revealed where previous owners had filled in a doorway to the left of the fireplace to create wallspace for a TV and related equipment. I immediately wanted a sledgehammer to restore the light and symmetry and figured I'd stash all the ugly cable boxes in the adjoining sunroom.

What I learned from Phoebe: As your budget allows, invest in at least one fine antique per room. I have none to inherit, so I started with a round French marble-topped gueridon table, the price of which gave me heart palpitations. But then I realized for all the sofas and chairs I've bought and sold over the years, I'll have and love this table forever. Amortized over the long term, that's a bargain. Phoebe introduced hits of black—in the coffee table, campaign chest, and oval mirrors—to add some richness and depth to an otherwise all off-white space.

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Drapery fabric: Redford River (JW 4951), Jasper by Michael S Smith, available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575. 

My go-to neutral: I love Benjamin Moore's Ivory White. Here, I doubled the formula on the walls for a warmer glow.

Shop the room: Sofa: Todd Hase (for a similar look, try Lee Industries). Chaise: Baker Furniture. Chairs, coffee table, and lighting: Max & Company. Painting: by Peter Roux

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Rug: fibreworks.com. Sofa fabric: P420/Sable; arabelfabrics.com. Lamps: E.F. Chapman Medium Chunky Urn Table Lamp in Antique-Burnished Brass; visualcomfortlightingstore.com. 

I much prefer cozy little dens to soaring spaces with TVs the size of a billboard, but I can say that because I don't have children and rarely watch sports or loud action movies. Because it's only 7 feet wide, this room was awkward to start with, ideally suited for an office. But I used it as a den because I just couldn't bear the thought of hanging a TV above the gracious living room mantel.

What we did: Ripped out a horrible bar and bookshelves, "paneled" the walls in an amazing faux-bois wallpaper by Nobilis, and flanked the existing French door with a pair of deep sectionals to face a TV (hung on the back of the chimney). I replaced white blinds with Roman shades that meld with the walls.

My secret source: Don't tell anyone else, but—surprise!—the botanicals over the sectionals came from art.com. (They're actually posters.)

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Sectional fabric: Tempo Natural; leeindustries.com. 

Important to note: I'm proposing a ban on all exposed bulbs in America's dining rooms. They're never flattering. You'll look and feel better when basking in the warm glow of lampshades. And please, install a dimmer switch, just for me.

I'll be honest: I rarely eat in here, but it's such a calming palette and so comfortable that I often write and/or power through a gazillion e-mails for hours at this table. Phoebe pushed me out of my comfort zone with the blue walls, but now I can't imagine having a home without them somewhere.

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Wallpaper: 4354 by Phillip Jeffries (phillipjeffries.com) and drapery fabric: DE11507 by Holland & Sherry (hollandandsherry.com), both available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575.

Shop the room: Danish Modern sideboard: Galaxie Modern, Lynchburg, VA. Blanc de Chine vase and pedestal: Parc Monceau, Atlanta. Charcoal: by Peter Roux. Table and chairs: Mrs. Howard, Atlanta. Rug: Stark. Grass cloth wallpaper: Phillip Jeffries

What we did: Covered the Pan-Cake makeup paint with grass cloth, replaced the chandelier, and hung some seriously heavy velvet curtains that I'll take to my grave. Phoebe found the amazing antique screen and then slip-covered the Chippendale chairs from my old house with a soft, quilted cotton. The bar is set up on a classic English dumbwaiter.

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Dining chairs: 1820-02; hickorychair.com. 

I hated this room the most—the garish wall color drawn from a drab tile floor, the black tile backsplash, and a piece of cabinetry (picture in the foreground) that cut the room in half. Fortunately, I loved the existing big-ticket items—the cabinets and range.

What we did: Installed hardwoods to match the rest of the house, swapped the dark black granite and tile for Carrara marble counters and backsplash tiles, changed the cabinet hardware, put in a movable island (designed by my friend, architect Jeremy Corkern), and painted just about everything.

Kitchen design secrets:

1. Think of your island as a piece of furniture, and either stain or paint it a different color than your cabinetry.
2. If you can afford it, upgrade your counters to 2-inch-thick slabs. 
3. Vary the lighting sources. I have recessed cans in the ceiling for bright light during cleanup, under-cabinet lighting for prep work, and wall sconces on dimmers for parties and late-night ambience. 
4. It's okay to paint everything all one color, but try this formula to add subtle depth and richness: Put the lightest color on the walls, go one shade darker on cabinets, and then go one shade darker than the cabinets on the ceiling. My colors—Benjamin Moore's Horizon, Alaskan Husky, and Sleigh Bells—are all from the same paint card. This approach works especially well with neutrals.

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Tray: Peltro Medium Rectangular Tray; arteitalica.com. 
 

Before, the master bedroom was in need of Phoebe's designer touch—and a timesaving linen tip!

Housekeeping tip: I used to iron my top sheet and pillowcases (Phoebe insisted!) until I discovered a much less labor-intensive way to make the bed. Cover the fitted sheet with a top sheet and duvet and tuck in on each side. Now add your coverlet (tucked in or not), hide wrinkly pillowcases behind a pair of Euro shams, add a few accent pillows in front, and lay a blanket at the foot. Done in two minutes!

I was going for a soft, gentleman-architect vibe in here with wool blackout curtains, cream walls, a tufted headboard, and a collection of sketches that I did years ago while traveling through Italy. I can't take credit for the big center drawing—it's a good antique.

Shop the room: Headboard: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. Nightstands: Max & Company. Antique lamps: B.D. Jeffries, Atlanta. Bedding: Sferra

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Trim and ceiling paint: New White (59); farrow-ball.com. Drapery fabric: 51531 by Schumacher (fschumacher.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575. Blanket: Avalon; hermes.com. 

Before, the ceiling felt low and closed in the space. 

What I learned from Phoebe: Hang Roman shades to align with the top of your curtain panels, a couple of inches down from the ceiling, to make the ceiling look higher. Add a contrasting band on the leading (inside) edge of your curtains for a more tailored look.

This is my man cave. Phoebe pulled together a rich palette of brown grass cloth walls, a corduroy-velvet club chair, a mohair daybed, and dark matchstick blinds. I recycled the curtains from my old house, which is easy enough to do if you leave yourself an extra foot or so of length in the hem to accommodate different ceiling and window heights in a possible future home. The daybed doubles as a twin bed for guests.

Shop the room: Daybed: Todd Hase (for a similar look, try roomandboard.com). Lamps: Bungalow 5. Grass cloth: Phillip Jeffries

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Side table with marble top: Bottoms Up Drinks Table; bunnywilliamshome.com. Ottoman: 2209; hickorychair.com for retailers.