Interior designer Rita Konig infused this spare bedroom with a lively freshness. She explained the process to Arabella Youens.
Set in the leafy neighbourhood of Riverdale, just north of Manhattan in the US, this house is home to designer and editor Dara Caponigro and her family. She bought it 10 years ago as a wreck with no plumbing, electricity or internal doors and only half of its original windows still in situ.
This room was previously used by the couple’s daughter, but has now been reimagined as a guest room, with the help of London-based decorator Rita Konig. ‘I’ve known Dara since we both worked on the magazine Domino together, but this is the first decoration project I’ve done for her,’ says Ms Konig. The starting point was the wallpaper, Olive, which is part of her debut collection for Schumacher (020–4532 0960; www.schumacher.com). It has a small-scale multidirectional leaf motif. ‘Dara quite likes things that are calm and not too fussy, so this was perfect. Small-print wallpapers are like a hug; they make a room feel more intimate than those with painted walls.’
The tester bed is lined in Margot Linen, a sheer with a delicate pattern of polka dots and wiggles, which is also from the new collection. The border in leaf green lends a cheerful finish. It’s a small double made up as a single. ‘I really like doing this for guests. It feels such a luxurious treat to hop into a bed and have it all to yourself. Being inside a four poster is instantly calming and soothing.’
Other pieces of furniture in the room were the family’s own, including the pictures, which are framed fashion illustrations.
The yellow blanket on the bed is from Peter Dunham (001 310 432 0944; www.peterdunhamtextiles.com). A chequer-board pattern on the floor was painted in Farrow & Ball hues of white and stone.
Rita Konig — 020–3735 7280; www.ritakonig.com
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