In her new book, “The Soul of a House” (Rizzoli, $45), celebrity interior designer Chris Madden explores the notion of homes having a persona. Or as she explains it, that “indescribable yet tantalizing quality that I instantly can sense when I’m stepping into a home.”
Many of Madden’s examples (family photographs, heirloom antiques, vacation souvenirs, etc.) are obvious. Others, less so. Storage, for instance — something most homeowners look at as a mere practical necessity — Madden suggests can be chock-full of soul. “Many people consider soul ephemeral,” Madden says. “I don’t.”
Curious to hear more on this storage-as-soul theory, we selected four examples from Madden’s new book and asked her to discuss what makes each of them soulful.
1 Dog house banquette Madden modeled this L-shaped banquette in her kitchen after a banquette she had photographed for a previous book. What might have been a straightforward seating piece became soulful when she carved out cubby holes on both ends to shelter her beloved Westies, Lola and Winnie. “The dog-bone cutouts and comfy pillows let our pooches know that this is their space,” Madden says. Making space for a beloved pet creates an automatic emotional connection, and incorporating pets into decor recognizes their place in the family. To make it work for you, look for places to tuck in a cozy nook for your favorite animal and then choose pet beds or crates that coordinate rather than clash with your interior.
2 CD/DVD closet A closet just off a family game room was the perfect nook for installing custom-made DVD and CD shelves. Each shelf is labeled with its corresponding music or movie genre, and “each CD or DVD has been brought home from trips over the years and represents a certain memory,” Madden says. The lesson? Collections stored in out-of-the-way locations can still provide the thrill of memory and recognition. Keeping them organized and curated is the key to making them cherished possessions, not a secret shame. (A thousand CDs crammed willy-nilly into a closet conjures another image altogether.)
3 Man cave bookshelves All bookshelves reveal the personality of their owner in the titles they hold. But Madden took that concept a step further when stocking the shelves of her husband’s “man cave,” a small sanctuary beneath the slanted eaves of their early-1900s carriage house. Propped and mounted among the rows of paperbacks are pictures of their sons, certificates and diplomas from Kevin’s college sports days, and a flat-screen TV for evening football games. “For me, it’s always amusing to see how many of our male friends gravitate upstairs to this room,” Madden says. If you’re the decorator in your home, personalizing a space for someone you love can be the ultimate gift. Stay away from whole-room themes and consider the family member’s comfort, how he’ll use the room and which personal touchstones — framed photos, trophies, favorite souvenirs and collections are just a few examples — can fit within that framework.
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4 Bedroom breakfast bar Behind the doors of a white armoire in her master bedroom, Madden tucked a mini microwave, refrigerator, coffeemaker, a cherished creamware tea set and gourmet breakfast sundries. Aside from serving as a convenient hub for rushed mornings and midnight munchies, the homemade wet bar also illustrates how the combination of luxury plus favorite things equals instant soul. Madden points out that this setup could easily be interpreted in any bedroom, guest room or dorm — armoires that housed TVs in the days before flat screens can easily be repurposed for this use, or if you’re blessed with ample closet space, a spare shelf can hold little luxuries to share with your partner.
‘Come on in,’ Chris says
Although glimpses of it have been featured on “Oprah,” CBS News “Sunday Morning” and in “House Beautiful” magazine, “The Soul of a House” marks the first time Chris Madden’s fans are getting a complete room-by-room tour of both her full-time house in southern Westchester County, New York, and her family’s weekend getaway in the mountains of Vermont.
Not a corner is skipped, neither the stairway of her Tudor carriage house nor the bathroom of her midcentury summer cabin, and in every space shines Madden’s hallmark style: personal, comfortable, attainable.