The Olcott cheat sheet
With eight previous remodels under his belt, Chad Olcott is an old hand at creating an unfussy home for his family of five — plus two dogs, a hamster and a tortoise — with fascinating twists at every turn. His tips: Take a field trip: “I love the Alchemy Bottle Shop on Grand Avenue in Oakland, a boutique liquor store that inspires great design. It’s taken the liquor bottle store and turned it into a museum; so beautiful with unique vodkas all grouped together. Wingtip in San Francisco, a men’s clothing store, has a fantastic sensibility — Old World with a twist.” (www.alchemybottleshop.com; www. wingtip.com) Be brave: “Find an over-the-top fabric or rug that you love in order to guide the design of your entire space. Don’t be shy. I found a large-scale floral by Martyn Lawrence Bullard for some old wing chairs. The fabric wasn’t cheap but I only needed 9 yards. I pulled the blues, greens and purples from the pattern, and it helped drive all my decisions.” Interest through contrast: “Old/traditional next to new, subdued next to brightly colored. The floral fabric on the wing chairs could have looked dowdy, but surrounded by things like the green table with gold stand prevent that. The Alameda flea market is a great resource for fabulous finds. Vintage looks even better next to fresh, new pieces.” Embrace color: “Don’t be afraid of color! I’ve never seen a color combination (even orange and purple and pink and red) that I don’t find gorgeous.” Say goodbye to precious: “It’s OK to frame your kids’ art, and it’s also OK to display it next to original ‘professional’ pieces. A lot of our art is from coffee shops that I’ve sat in.”