A do-it-yourself queen’s castle, with design salvaged in fine style
If you wonder why Carrie Carr would pull over her Lexus 330 and examine debris along streets and alleyways, take a look inside her house in L.A.’s Beverly Grove neighborhood. All those discards -- carefully refurbished -- have been given a second life amid flea market finds, EBay scores and fine art. Here, Carr surrenders to our request for a portrait by her Fornasetti plates. (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)
Mix found furniture with fine art? It’s risky, sure, but when Carrie Carr is done with her makeovers it’s a singular look.
The armchairs in the living room are Baker, found at a church garage sale and reupholstered in a tasteful stripe. The chairs and Carr’s “gangsta” coffee table take their place among limited edition Basquiat screen prints and Ralph Gibson photography. Adam Carr, a Gibson fan, got to know the photographer and even traded some of his art for some of Gibson’s work. The family dog, Pablo, fits in with the color scheme. (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)
Cane chairs in front of the living room window facing the street are from Carrie Carr’s parents’ house and have moved with her since she struck out on her own; Carr painted them black and added Jonathan Adler pillows. A lamp from the Rose Bowl Flea Market and a glass bird that once belonged to Adam Carr’s grandfather sit atop a music cabinet originally owned by Carrie’s grandmother. (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)
A shelf that Carrie Carr scooped up off a street corner now is a stage for a collection of McCoy pottery, of which Carr collects only white items. The singular color allows the collection to make a strong visual statement without looking busy. (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)
The drapes are $4-a-yard linen punched up with a fine Greek key trim from Kneedler-Fauchere that echoes the motif in the table. (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)
Mirrored closet doors and the chandelier brighten daughter Caroline’s room. The cowhide was dyed pink to match the decor. (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)
Warhol soup cans atop a glass cabinet. (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)
The dining room buffet is illuminated by lamps that Carr found while shopping with her sister in a Wisconsin antique mall. A golden bowl that once held flowers sent by Adam’s father as congratulation of his son’s engagement now cradles a dozen or so artichokes as an inexpensive sculpture. Two partridge figurines -- also golden -- were garage sale finds. “I saw those gold birds and I was like, ‘Really, honey?’ ” Adam says, wrinkling his nose. “But they somehow look right in that space.” (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)
The master bedroom. “It’s a creative thing,” Carrie Carr says of her penchant for turning nothing into something. “It’s making something so much better than it was.” Full article (Stefano Paltera / For The Times)