Upscale Downsizing

Designer tips for making a stylish transition from a house to a condo.

- MERYL SCHOENBAUM

FLOW BLUE. “The family room is completely open to the breakfast room, so we used the same Schumacher wallcovering to connect the spaces: a deep Mediterranean teal with a geometric pattern and glass beads,” designer Pamela Harvey says. “We used a mix of blues and sand in this space, and each piece was carefully chosen for function. The pair of chairs both swivel, so they work well for TV watching and conversation in the family room or kitchen area. We had an ottoman custom made to nest inside the cocktail table.”

SPACE STATION. Pamela used the same wallpaper here in the breakfast room as in the family room. “To conserve space, we added a built-in banquette with an upholstered bench seat along the window wall,” she says. “We had a local furniture maker make a custom table in a narrow width. Chinese Chippendale chairs in a warm taupe with a velvet performance fabric tie in our wallcovering color.”

“We used the blues found in the Mediterranean Sea—deep, rich aqua and navy blue—and contrasted them with white and sand.”

When the kids have gone off to college and your large home is more “house” than you need, you may decide to downsize to a more practical living situation. But does leaving your larger home mean leaving great style and comfort behind? That is the question homeowners Lisa and Erick Finley pondered when they decided to downsize from their home to a townhome as empty nesters. They enlisted Pamela Harvey, principal at Pamela Harvey Interiors (pamelaharveyinteriors.com), who had designed their previous home, to ensure the same level of style and quality in their new townhome.