Room of the Day: Cherished Objects Personalize a Living Room

“I’m from Louisiana, so I love to tell stories,” says interior designer Lynne Parker. Her life has taken her to many places far from the bayou, including Amsterdam, where she and her family lived for 13 years. They also traveled throughout Europe, Kenya and South Africa before they landed in their current home in Portland, Oregon. The living room in their Craftsman home reflects their shared history while respecting the history of the more-than-100-year-old house. The room — which includes pieces picked up around the world, locally made items and meaningful gifts from friends met along the way — is teeming with tales.

Photos by David Papazian Photography

One of the most special pieces in the room is the painting over the fireplace, of Parker’s twin daughters. A beloved artist neighbor in Amsterdam asked if she could have the girls over to her home. Working from a little bit of posing, a photograph of them and knowledge of historic Dutch costumes, and using layering painting techniques of the Dutch masters, the neighbor painted the wonderful portrait of them and gave it to the family. The painting incorporates special symbols — for instance, the first-born daughter is holding one bird, while the second born is holding two.

The family collected the masks on trips to Kenya and South Africa, as well as many of the objects seen on the bookshelves. The large gold vase was a going-away gift from Parker’s company in the Netherlands. The Buddha was given to the family by a beloved Amsterdam neighbor. “You are only supposed to get a Buddha as a gift,” Parker says, not buy one for yourself. The didgeridoo is from Australia. Parker worked for years in fashion and visual merchandising, and her fashion, art, travel and design books are some of her favorite things to have close by.


Because the Pacific Northwest is gray a lot of the time, Parker used bright gallery-white walls and trim to brighten up the house. She added contrast and personality by using dark charcoal gray on the doors. She then tied the fireplace to the dark accents by using tiles and a granite hearth in a similar hue. “I like to bring in local elements whenever I can to pay homage to the location,” she says. The black tile is handmade and was fired in Portland by artisans.

She also paid homage to her immediate location, reusing every material she possibly could during the renovations. When more pieces of molding than were available onsite were needed, she had exact replicas milled locally. “This attention to small details helps preserve the integrity of a historic home,” Parker says.

Wall and trim paint: Super White, charcoal trim paint: custom, both by Benjamin Moore; chairs: Bedford Brown, pillows on chairs: Anthropologie; side table, lamp: West Elm; tiles: Circa, Ann Sacks

What defines a Craftsman home


The chandelier, mantel and built-ins are original to the house. So are the floors; leaving them bare of rugs keeps the room open and light. The shutters are a new addition. “I love plantation shutters. They add architecture and function,” Parker says.

A Noguchi coffee table and sectional sofa are more modern touches, while an array of playful throw pillows adds bright color and eclectic personality. Also adding personality are the dynamic black and white swivel chairs. “I love to put swivel chairs in a living room. You don’t have to move furniture around; you can just turn in them,” Parker says. There is a TV just out of view in these photos, to the left of the fireplace. The print above the swivel chairs is a Chagall picked up in Amsterdam.

The sculptural work in front of the painting is a visual merchandising piece from a local 1950s department store. Since Parker spent a good chunk of her career as a visual merchandiser, the piece was a fun find.

Sofa: Gus* Modern; pillows on chairs and bird pillows on sofa; Anthropologie; blue patterned pillows: custom; side table, table lamp: West Elm



Connected to the living room via 8-foot-wide pocket doors, the dining room continues the palette of gallery-white walls and trim with doses of charcoal. A farm table, Eames Eiffel chairs and an Asian sideboard continue the eclectic mix. The family bought the sideboard in the Netherlands. It can transform from a buffet into a bar, with bottles corralled on a woven textured tray.

They lugged the chandelier from a French flea market to their home in Amsterdam, then brought it with them to the States. “When we moved back to the States, none of our lamps worked with the electricity here,” Parker says. So she picked up a handful of great lamps from West Elm, including the blue ceramic table lamps seen here. The mix of pieces brought from far away, new purchases and respect for the house’s history combine to create a special place that feels like home to the family.

Table lamps: West Elm (discontinued); table: Crate & Barrel; window treatments: linen, custom

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