We have to admit- even we are tired of the ‘huntsman’ trend in design. Enough with the wild dusty game hanging from the wall! How many fake reclaimed wood fireplaces can we handle in new restaurants and bars? Cracker Barrel was hanging old farm equipment on their walls long before this trend erupted several years ago.
But design loving sisters Hollister and Porter Hovey of Hovey Design are showing us how to integrate the old with the new in a comfortable yet modern way with their first book, aptly named, Heirloom Modern. Although they only set up their design firm in 2011 they have had a cult following through their blog for years.
We asked Hollister how they got into the design field and she told us that, “ We were asked to do a penthouse for a music executive in Williamsburg and his only request was, ‘no chintz and no taxidermy’ so he was our ideal client.” Although the place was sold a year later the space was ballyhooed by the press and sold for nearly double the original value, thanks in part to their keen design.
The girls grew up surrounded by amazing antiques and interiors so working in this world comes naturally to them. “Our mom and dad had great taste and filled our home with an eclectic mix of classic European antiques and ethnic pieces. Our dad’s mom had a series of incredible Park Avenue apartments filled with equestrian art and beautiful rugs, art and furniture from her travels throughout India and Africa. Her daughter, my aunt, has many pieces from her father’s family in her loft in the South Bronx and Porter and I live in Brooklyn, so it is interesting to see how all of these generations share these family pieces yet incorporate them in their lives in different ways.”
The book brings together their family homes as well as the penthouse they designed and various friends’ homes that appeal to their nouveau nostalgia aesthetic.
Our favorite quote from our conversation was when Hollister was discussing their love of antiques, “It’s not about the money or value associated with the pieces, it’s the stories behind them that we treasure.”
