Refreshing Green (continued)
"Cara is an exceptional woman," says interior designer John Chadwick of his client. "We'd send drawings back and forth a lot, and Cara and I were able to be so honest and up-front with each other. She is very open. I could say to her, 'I have a faux finisher I want to introduce you to.' She'd say, 'Great.' But if I needed someone, she said, 'I know just the person,' and it seemed to work every time."
Working with Chadwick (a longtime Oklahoma City acquaintance who is now based in New York), craftsman Eddie Myers of Austin, and Lost City Arts of New York, the couple had new furniture designed for most of the house. Myers's six-sided glass dining room table allows extra seating during busy holiday gatherings; its natural ash complements the extant cabinetry.
A low-slung living room of sofas and chairs are clad in earthy light taupe and cream tones that pick up on colors in the terrazzo floor. Chadwick prefers to work in color schemes tied to the surrounding local landscape. "Because of that huge expanse of windows and all the redwood trim, green was just a natural," he says. Eco-friendly cork, grass cloth and Venetian plaster add texture to the walls.
The couple's art collection reflects their travels. Overlooking the fireplace is a portrait Robert remembers buying in Prague shortly after the Iron Curtain fell. A chair in the bedroom came from Lima.
Removing the kitchen wall was cause for reflection. "George thought long and hard about this house," Cara says of the original architect, who still lives nearby, "but we just didn't want a wall around our kitchen." Ultimately, though, this renovation was all about embracing an architectural gem for what it is. "We said at the beginning that a midcentury modern house has clean lines and we want to respect that," Cara explains. "However, we're casual people and want it to feel warm, with comfortable couches to lie down and watch a movie on. That balance is what we're most grateful for."
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