H4 Thursday, July 16, 2009

The Washington Post

Decorator Phoebe Howard on Her Soft, Southern Style

By Terri Sapienza

Washington Post Staff Writer

Phoebe Howard was a 38-year-old stay- at-home mother when she decided to start decorating. Years later, she began taking private clients, and her first project landed on the September 2006 cover of House Beautiful magazine. Today, Howard’s name is widely recog- nized in the design world, and her work has become synonymous with Southern style: rooms so comfortable and inviting they make you want to sit down and stay awhile. She has been featured in countless shelter publications, including Elle Decor, South- ern Accents and Traditional Home, and im- ages of her soft, pretty spaces turn up al- most weekly on design blogs. She and her husband, Jim, also an interior decorator, are owners of eight home furnishings stores in four Southern cities: Jacksonville and Jacksonville

Beach, Fla.; At- lanta; and, as of next month, Charlotte. The next place they set up shop just may be Washing- ton, Howard says. It all started when Howard, now 51, suggest-

Phoebe Howard

ed to her husband that they open a store. Her idea was a place to showcase Jim’s de- sign work (he designs the spaces, lays out the rooms, and selects the flooring and lighting) and to show customers how to properly place furniture (the shops are ar- ranged in a series of room vignettes). “It’s all about helping customers figure out the mysteries of scale, proportion and balance,” Howard says. The result was a high-end home furnishings shop that opened in 1996 in their home town, Jack- sonville. They named the store Mrs. How- ard (www.phoebehoward.net). “It was an instant hit,” she says. Five years later they opened a more modern and moderately priced shop, Max & Company (named after Phoebe’s son). While Mrs. Howard is more classic and tra- ditional,with upscale furniture, upholstery, rugs and antiques, the offerings at Max & Company are more casual and affordable to appeal to a younger crowd. “Max & Com- pany is like walking through a beach house,” says Howard, who is the buyer, decorator, stylist and manager for the stores. “Mrs. Howard is like walking through a grand Southern home.” For nine years the self-taught decorator used the stores as a training ground, and the experience eventually led to her taking on clients of her own. “That’s how I taught myself how to decorate,” Howard says. “When you sell off the floor, you have to fill that space fast.” Howard spoke to us by phone from Jack-

sonville about decorating and her favorite paint colors, palettes and furniture pieces.

How would you describe your style?

It has a timeless quality, because I mix antiques with modern pieces. A hallmark of my style is that I use color in a monochro- matic way. When you limit color contrast, it brings a sense of calm, order and serenity to a room, even if the colors are vibrant.

What is your decorating philosophy?

Keep it pretty. I want people to love the

way they feel when they walk into a room, rather than have their eye drawn to one thing in a room. If someone walks in a room as says, “Oh, I love that painting,” I think I’ve failed. I’d rather they say, “I love that room. I love being in there.”

What is the simplest way to update a space?

Paint. That’s the easiest. It’s inexpen-

sive, it only takes a day, and it’s guaranteed to bring about a big impact.

What colors are you most drawn to when decorating?

Paint Picks

Here are Phoebe Howard’s choices for paint combinations by room, by Benjamin Moore unless otherwise noted. (Pictured are the wall colors.)

Living Room

Walls: Cream Fleece Trim: Atrium White Ceiling: Blue Veil

Bedroom

Walls: Glass Slipper Trim: White Dove Ceiling: Ivory White

Dining Room

Walls: Vale Mist Trim: Ivory White Ceiling: Winter Wheat

PHOTOS BY JOSH GIBSON

Top, a Florida client’s living room includes a pair of Bridgewater club chairs, a favorite of Howard’s. Bottom row, the dining area and guest bedroom in Howard’s Atlanta apartment. “When you limit color contrast,” she says, “it brings a sense of calm, order and serenity to a room.”

LIVE CHAT AND MORE PHOTOS ONLINE

Phoebe Howard will take your questions today at 11 a.m. Plus, see more of her designs at

www.washingtonpost.com/home.

I’m personally drawn to a soft, neutral palette of blues, greens and sands. This kind of palette is something that’s soothing and calming to me, I think because I grew up on the beach and those colors always make me feel at home. I like to say: I’m mar- ried to beige, but I have affairs with color.

Do you have favorite paint colors?

Glass Slipper, Healing Aloe, Vale Mist, Cream Fleece, Winter Wheat — all Benja- min Moore.

What are some easy ways to freshen up a home for the summer?

The first thing you should do every sum- mer is give your house a really good clean- ing. The second thing is to add fresh, live greenery, like pots of ivy, orchids — they last forever and are easy to maintain. In the

bedroom, you could update your bedding. In the dining room, take a look at your chairs and make sure they’re comfortable. Do you need new ones? Can your existing ones be slipcovered? In the living room, add pillows or lamps. A new coffee table can usually greatly improve a living room.

Are there furniture pieces and accessories you turn to again and again?

My signature favorites are starburst mir- rors (I dig around for antiques), Bridge- water club chairs (English arms, delicately turned legs and a high, tight back), modern coffee tables, painted beds, upholstered dining room chairs, antiques that have a modern silhouette. For accessories: glass hurricanes (they’re very versatile; you can use them on a dining table, coffee table, a mantel), glass lamps with colored shades,

brass accessories, and I always love antique boxes and books. With accessories, it’s im- portant that they aren’t cluttered. I like col- lections, but collections need to be con- trolled. Most people buy too many picture frames.

Is there a design trend that you dislike?

People are too caught up in mid-century furniture. I like it in small doses, but I don’t know if it has staying power. People ran- domly make purchases without careful con- sideration and thought, then call the look “eclectic.” Furniture and decorating is an expensive investment, and I think it should be treated with a great deal of importance. I think people should do as much research when they buy furniture as they do when they buy a car.

Little Girl’s Room

Walls: White Dogwood by Sherwin-Williams Trim: Atrium White Ceiling: Edgecomb Gray

Little Boy’s Room

Walls: Decatur Buff Trim: Seashell Ceiling: Horizon

Best Paint Finishes

For walls: flat or eggshell

For trim: semi-gloss For ceilings: flat

Do you have favorite design blogs?

Things That Inspire [freshpalette. blogspot.com], the Peak of Chic [thepeakof chic.blogspot.com], Eddie Ross [www. eddieross.com], Style Court [stylecourt. blogspot.com], All the Best [www.all thebestblog.com], Habitually Chic [habituallychic.blogspot.com] and Absolutely Beautiful Things [absolutely

beautifulthings.blogspot.com].

What’s next?

Once we open the new store, getting back on our feet will take a few months, but then we’ll be keeping the stores up and keeping them going. Based on the perform- ance of the Charlotte location, I would open more. In our plans for future expan- sion, we definitely have D.C. on our radar.

In Lean Times, Many Try DIY Chores

CHORES, From Page H1

we won’t go back to spending all that mon- ey.” Trend forecaster A.J. Riedel, author of the Housewares TrendTracker report, says 55 percent of respondents to a recent poll said they would not go back to old spend- ing habits should the economy perk up. “The main reason is because they have found out that they can do just fine using less,” she says. “They realize they had got- ten a little out of control in spending, and now they want to replenish their nest eggs. Life is uncertain.”

Businesses are also adjusting to the new frugality.

Mia Gallina, owner of the Green Mop, an eco-friendly cleaning company in Ar- lington, has lost about 10 percent of her 1,000 clients since the fall. Remaining cus- tomers have slashed the frequency of cleanings, or are scheduling only when things are a total mess or for a SWAT-team cleaning blitz before a big event. Some customers who canceled are still

employed. “In many cases, it was driven by fear and a new awareness of their purse strings,” Gallina says of her business downturn. “People are upfront and not em- barrassed about it.” Ann Hargrove, a spokeswoman for the National Cleaners Association, says that with more people out of work, many of her group’s 3,000 members are seeing busi- ness slide. More consumers spend their

days in shorts and T-shirts, she says, and others squeeze an additional wear or two out of clothing before getting it profession- ally cleaned. Still, there are plenty who draw the line at washing and ironing dress shirts. “People have to look good more than ever now,” she says. Meanwhile, companies that help people do their own chores are seeing a spurt in business.

Sales of Kansas City, Mo.-based Fault- less Starch’s signature product were de- clining until the economy ground to a halt. Now they are up 5 percent over last year, says Ben Stark, vice president of Faultless, whose biggest customer is Wal-Mart. “A lot of young people who have never ironed before are discovering that starch makes ironing clothes easier,” he says. “Spray starch can make an old shirt look new and nice for an interview.”

At Rug Doctor, an international com- pany whose products are available at 28,000 retail locations nationally, includ- ing Lowe’s, Home Depot and Giant, the business of renting DIY carpet-cleaning machines is up double digits over last year, says Tim Wall, president and CEO. “We’ve heard people are trading down from using a professional to do it themselves. And we have heard that fewer people are replacing their carpets and trying to get more life out of them by cleaning it themselves.” Some changes are not just for frugality, but also for the environment. Cutting back on paper towels, using cloth napkins in-

stead of paper and refilling water bottles are habits likely to stick should the Dow ever go back over 12,000. “I ask myself, ‘Do I really need the Boun- ty 15-pack?’ ” says Ed McAllister, who was laid off from his customer relations job in November. McAllister is wearing shirts twice before taking them to the cleaners and mowing his lawn in the District’s American University Park neighborhood. “I am reevaluating the whole need-and- want factor in my life.” For some families, the downturn is a chance to put every member back to work to keep up the home. “I glanced over to see an array of lazy teenagers on my sofa in my rec room,” says Lesley Parker, a hospital fundraiser from Arlington and mother of three. “I picked up the phone and canceled the lawn service.” Coleen Edwards of Clinton says her fam- ily of five has had to scale back. She and her husband, who both work at Washing- ton’s Fairmont hotel, have gotten their 12- year-old twins to clean their rooms, vacu- um, even dust baseboards. “I grew up in Ja- maica, and we had to do everything. I no- ticed my children were getting kind of spoiled,” she says. The Edwardses are also increasing their

rainy-day savings because of the economy. “We still have fun as a family, but we do more things that go back to the old times,” she says. “You don’t have to watch TV and get the latest game. We go outside and play.”

BY MARK FINKENSTAEDT FOR THE WASHINGTON POST

In Clinton, Mykenna, left, and Natalya Edwards help with the housecleaning. Mom Coleen used to hire a professional occasionally but realized her kids “were getting kind of spoiled.” Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66