A Perfect Fit
as published in Decorating, a special edition for Better
Homes and Gardens
May/June 2001 pp. 98-103
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When Deena Edens was
born, her grandfather - a furniture maker in Asheville, North Carolina -
went to his shop and set aside boards of his best cherry wood. A couple of
decades later, he crafted the mellow lumber into an elegant bedroom suite
to celebrate her marriage to Barry Pryor.
Business took Barry and Deena to New Orleans. As finances allowed, the two splurged on treasures found in the city's many antiques shops. Two daughters joined the family, and Deena's grandfather, J. K. Buckner, figured the Pryors could use some proper dining room furniture. So he surprised his granddaughter with a walnut sideboard and graciously sized table that seats 12. "He had a stroke while working on it," Deena recalls, "but his assistant carried out the design |
| and finished it. I feel so fortunate that I'm able to have these pieces. It's wonderful furniture but also very sentimental to me." |
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But John Marrs, a designer and antiques dealer, got Deena to rethink traditional room labels and turned the ranch's living room into the dining room. The dining room became a formal sitting room. Even then, the new dining room wasn't big enough to put the |
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entire table together for a party of 12. (Deena's grandfather had designed the dining table with two detachable banquet ends, which could be used as console tables.) As Deena and Barry
prospered, their daughters got older, and the need to entertain
mushroomed, the ranch home turned into a giant bottleneck. It was time to
build the home that would fit their furnishings and their lifestyle. |
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left-Deena's
grandfather, J.K. Buckner, built the dining room table in
Hepplewhite style. He fashioned the saber-leg chairs from a design
book on New Orleans furniture. |
Marrs, with the help of architect Larry Boerder, once again encouraged Deena to think outside the box. The narrow lot she and Barry had chosen for their new home couldn't accommodate a grand entry, a gracious dining room, a first-floor master suite, a cozy den, and a formal sitting room. The solution: A romantic inglenook in the circular entry hall eliminated the need for a separate sitting room, and the plan was off and running.
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"In this house, there's never a bottleneck," Deena says. "Every room functions both for every day and entertaining. There's no wasted space. It's just a great floor plan." With its opulent Empire table, boldly stained floor, and carefully edited furnishings, the entry makes a dramatic first impression. Almost any number of guests can easily mingle or spill into the den and dining room. The den functions like a
family room or informal living room. Here, Barry can strum one of his
guitars, listen to music, or enjoy a board game with Deena and their
daughters. Simple, stained pine woodwork and salvaged bricks give the room
a feeling of age and character, while artwork emphasizes personal style.
On their travels, Deena and Barry keep a sharp lookout for interesting
works of art, especially ones painted by American Impressionists. |
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"Instead of buying souvenirs," Deena says, "we take a day to seek out a painting. It's taken us into some places we'd never have gone and allowed us to meet some of the most interesting people." The true focus of this home is the dining room. Marrs and Boerder worked with the precise measurements of the fully extended table, the buffet, and the comer cupboards. Once the builder's work was done, Marrs returned to lavish a rich Persian carpet on the floor and a stimulating striped paper on the walls. A pretty tree-of-life-pattern fabric at the windows, and other details--such as the ornate mirror and chandelier-also make their statements without overpowering the quiet strength of the furniture. "It's a room you can enjoy every day whether you're entertaining or not," Marrs says. "It's like a painting in itself." |
| Deena says her grandfather would be proud. "I think his furniture finally looks the way he envisioned it." |
