The Magnolia Story(60)
ON USING ANTIQUE PIECES, AND THE BEAUTY OF STICKING TO THE BASICS>>>
Joanna: A piece of well-worn antique furniture in almost any room is just gonna connect with people. I don’t think a lot of people realize that it’s in all of us, in some way. There is a piece of history that we all kind of long to go back to. A simpler time. I think that’s where I’m hoping these pieces really speak to people. They don’t even really know it, but they’ll ask, “Why do I love that piece?” Well that piece is one hundred years old, and there’s something about that. There’s history, and that speaks to them.
Chip: Even the idea that the inspiration for a piece could be from something that’s one hundred years old.
Joanna: Exactly. Even that. I think with our designs and trying to do these brand-new renovations, we’re always incorporating interesting antiques and unique pieces so that these homes don’t feel like brand-new spec houses.
Chip: Even subway tile. Subway tile, in its most basic idea, is really the cheapest product in the world. It’s not a high-end type of product.
Mark: No, not at all. That’s why it’s all over New York.
Chip: That’s what I’m saying. You go to any bakery that ever inspired you. You go to France, and you see some guy making bread, even in cool restaurants, you see their kitchens filled with the stuff.
Joanna: That’s why I love it, because of the timelessness . . . you’re not seeing chevron tile patterns from one hundred years ago.
Chip: Or even the glass mosaic stuff. Again, done in a way that really reminds you of the classics is awesome. But at the end of the day, if you’re doing something very “current” or “trendy,” two years from now, you’re gonna freaking hate that stuff. It’s gonna drive you nuts! It’s almost like the shag carpet thing in the ’70s. People that did it weren’t like, “Hey, let’s go be dumb.” They were like, “This stuff is great! It’s gorgeous!” Big picture, it held nasty dust in there. It was just bad for your health. It was a bad design. It was bad for everybody. People go with these trends, despite their rationale behind it. We almost want to set some kind of a standard that’s almost opposite of that. A buddy of mine told me, “There’s nothing special about y’all. I think the idea is that you’re normal. When people watch you they literally think, I could go drink a beer with that guy. I could go hang out with that couple. They look fun. You know? Sort of everybody’s best friend. The real breakdown of that is the idea that we’re not doing anything drastic. It’s pretty simple, almost . . . girl-next-door kind of concepts.
Mark: Well, again, it gets back to this taking inspiration from the past, rather than . . .
Chip: . . . rather than whatever the hottest trend is.
Mark: Right. The hot new color. Every season, it seems, it’s just like the fashion industry.
Joanna: As renovators, we know that costs money. Why would I want to encourage my client to do the new hot color? Then in a year, she’s painting the walls again.
Mark: Were you ever that person, grabbing the hot new color, in your own life?
Joanna: I feel like with fashion I’m a creature of habit. I’ve done my makeup the same way since I was twelve—since I was allowed to wear makeup.
Chip: Except for that red lipstick you wore.
Joanna: I did that for two weeks. I just think I’ve just always liked classic. So I would always rather go the classic route. I’ve always had long hair. It’s like I find something I like, and I stick with it. Ironically, that’s how Chip is too. He’s had the same pair of boots since we’ve been married, same pair of jeans since we’ve been married, same stupid white shirt since we’ve been married. We are creatures of habit. We find something we like, and we . . . you really look at me from twelve—my eyebrows have changed, but really I look kind of the same.
Chip: Oh, I agree with that.
Joanna: These jeans I’ve had for eight years. You know what? Right now, these jeans aren’t really in because they’re flare, and they’re not skinny jeans, but I guarantee in a year, these are back. But I think that’s the point. We spend too much of our lives like, “Okay! Here’s a trend!” We all know the feeling of that. But we finally came to a place of . . .
Chip: “Hey. I’m kind of tired of chasing that trend.”
Joanna: We realized it costs money. It costs time. It really creates a sense of discontentment. We were finally like, “Hey. You know what? These boots work. I don’t need the newest, hottest for the season.” Same goes for design.
FINDING INSPIRATION IN YOUR SPACE>>>
Chip: You’re on a farm. So there’s a farm lifestyle. There are things that you’re inspired by there. But then somebody with an apartment in New York City could be inspired by the same thing, building around his or her sensibility. The idea that a guy in New York literally takes his little potted plant and walks out on his balcony and . . .
Joanna: He gets the same reward and inspiration that I get planting a whole greenhouse full on my farm.
Chip: He’s still doing this thing. It’s in this city that never sleeps, the concrete jungle, New York. He doesn’t have forty acres, of course. We get that. He doesn’t have any cows. He doesn’t have any chickens. But he goes to the farmers’ market, and he appreciates the idea that he’s getting his stuff organically from some local producer. He’s got his little potted plant that might be a tomato plant. He pops those things out and throws them in his salad, and he gets a feeling, similar to the accomplishment we get here on our property.