Condo benefits from designer’s magical eye for textiles
By: Catherine Brooke Eastman
Photo by David Dietrich
Krista Washam LaBlue rules the land of soft goods. Pulling from her former career in luxury retail merchandising — Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s — she appoints wallpapers, custom window treatments, and rugs from elite production lines. But she’s hands-on, too, designing and sewing everything from throw pillows to duvet covers. “It all goes back to my love of textiles,” she says.
It all goes forward, too: the times, that is. And the trends. “COVID,” says LaBlue, “changed everything.”
The era’s sustained upheaval, both economic and emotional, means people are relocating more than usual: selling to take advantage of the hot real-estate market or departing dream homes in popular retirement cities to move closer to cherished grandchildren, wherever they may be. Some seasoned homeowners are staying put but downsizing in droves — and that means LaBlue has been outfitting a lot of condos lately.
“So many condos,” she remarks, listing projects on the boards at Ardmion Park Condos near downtown Asheville, in the imposing Arras building on Pack Square, at the lofty Fitzgerald Condominiums at the Grove Park Inn, and down state at the Outer Banks. She’s helping couples reconfigure their lifetimes of collected pieces, leaving grand residences of 5,000 to 7,000 square feet for condos that might encompass two bedroom suites and land between 1,500 and 3,500 square feet.
Navigating other people’s sea changes, an interior designer is cast into alternative roles: something close to an editor, or even a therapist. “You have to guide your clients through the emotional roller coaster of deciding which furniture and collectibles to keep among all that they need to let go,” LaBlue explains.
And those “keeper” items need to fit into a united scheme. “Unlike in a big home, in a condo you can’t get away with different [looks] in different rooms. You may only have four or five rooms total, and wherever you are in the [main living space], you can generally see most of the other rooms from at least one angle.”
What that means, she says, is that “everything in the residence has to talk to the same color palette. You have to connect all the fabrics, even the rugs. You can’t break off a wing and have one room [visually depart] from the rest.”
The challenge is nailing that aesthetic unity while also giving the condo’s spaces unique touches. “The rooms have to feel special,” she acknowledges, “or people get bored.”
There’s little chance of that in this condo at 12 South Lexington. LaBlue designed it for a musical, art-collecting couple who moved into the ultra-bright, high-ceilinged space, where even the exposed ductwork is painted white, and realized that their fine-art collection, including colorful, antique textile pieces, was swallowed up in an echoey blandness.
The space had sunshine in abundance, which is usually desirable — but, in this case, it was almost too much. The glare snuffed out nuance, and thus “the place had no personality,” says LaBlue. So she brought in textured, earthy window shades and lively wallpapers in shades of champagne, celadon, and sage. Chairs were upholstered and lighting gained glow and ambience. Rugs and draperies bloomed with mythical animals and tropical flowers, acknowledging the influence of some of the owners’ international antiques. Applications of coral and rose brought out the best in all the blondwood furniture, for example a bookcase that magically turns into a Murphy bed.
The designer worked her own magic from the very beginning. “I immediately knew what this home needed,” says LaBlue. “It was one of those spaces that came together lickety-split.”
Puff the Magic Drapery
The homeowners’ instruments and collectibles — including a lucite/glass “Lion in Frost” table and framed antique textiles from Uzbekistan — are visually complemented by Krista Washam LaBlue’s hand-sewn throw pillows pairing Nina Campbell and Texture velvets. New muslin-prepped chair frames are energized with Zinc velvet (Stephens Upholstery). The handsome rug is from Sisal Stark, with stores in Asheville and Charlotte. Local ceramic pieces include a black-and-white bird vase by Karen Newgard Pottery of Asheville and, on the Saarinen side table, a colorfully glazed pictoral flat vase by Eric Pardue (Blue Spiral 1 Fine Art + Craft Gallery). The Danish-design “Currant” table, far left, under the framed textile piece, is from Mobilia Contemporary Furnishings in Asheville. The color draw, per LaBlue, is the watercolor dragon drapery panels, right, from Carlton V’s magical “Puff” line.
Photo by David Dietrich
A Gold Reflection
In the primary bath, an Osborne & Little fern-and-gold wallpaper, Fuelle D’or, is reflected in a bold Carvers’ Guild Tempo mirror by Carol Canner. The vintage-collected cabinet doors are enhanced by gold fixtures and hardware from Bella Hardware & Bath. Overhead LED lights are from Visual Comfort. A late-19th-century Indonesian hand carved and painted shuttered window frame reinforces color and antiquity.
Photo by David Dietrich
Sanctuary of Sleep
A matelassé coverlet from Oriole Mill of Hendersonville — an heirloom textile company that flourished in the mid-2000s — gives pride of place to the primary bedroom. The interior designer hand sewed the throw pillows from elite fabric lines Hodsoll McKenzie and Zoffany; she also created the custom, goblet-pleated embroidered drapery (again with fabric from Zoffany) in her Kenilworth workroom.
Pattern Play
Once the condo at South Lex gained texture and sophistication through color play and patterning within ottomans, chairs, and pillows, it became a fitting backdrop to the homeowners’ various collections, including Asian antiques, Southwestern pottery, and valuable vintage furniture. “They’re a very eclectic couple,” notes interior designer Krista Washam LaBlue, “fun and free in their tastes.” One of her first calls to action was replacing the flat, modern UV shades with ones she calls “beautiful and organic, in handwoven grass weaves,” from Hartmann & Forbes.
In the Mix
A lustrous metallic Farrow & Ball wallpaper, “Tourbillon” in a sage spiral, offsets a thoroughly modern bookcase that multitasks as a Murphy bed. A brass-domed pharmacy lamp from Visual Comfort goes well with two very different chairs: an antique Midwestern twig rocker and a Mid Century Mod leather lounger. LaBlue chose the unforgettable Aves rug, a tropical scheme in 1920s colors.
Resources
Interior Designer: Krista Washam LaBlue Design & Décor
Architect: Peter Alberice (MHAworks in Asheville and Durham)
Custom Upholstery: Stephens Upholstery (Woodfin)
Fixtures and Cabinet Hardware: Bella Hardware & Bath (Asheville)
Rugs: Stark Sisal (Asheville and Charlotte)
Local art: Eric Pardue via Blue Spiral 1 Fine Art + Craft, Susan Marie Designs, Karen Newgard Pottery (Asheville)
Local furniture: Mobilia Contemporary Furnishings (Asheville)