THEIR STYLE IS A GREY ZONE
2 BarnsBarn Owls blend old and new
What do you call a look that marries old and new, urban and rural, rough and smooth?
It’s a question that Nancy Farnum and Mavis Martin have been grappling with.
Is it urban farmhouse or faded elegance? Or maybe “luxe patiné”?
However they call it, their style resonates with a new breed of homeowners and apartment dwellers who want to pare down and stop buying cheap, poorly made “throwaway decor.” The artist duo behind the decor line 2 Barn Owls say their clients are looking to create harmony from rooms full of disparate stuff, some bought, some inherited. All are drawn to their subtle, muted tones and spare, curated esthetic.
“Increasingly, people are living in smaller spaces,” says Farnum. “They want things to be beautiful, but also multi- functional. And they want to find new ways of looking at the old things that they already own.”
Farnum and Martin are masters at unifying furniture of many epochs and styles by painting it in a tightly edited palette of matte greys and blacks and off- whites and then adding a modern flourish — a stencilled word on a burlap cushion, for example, or an abstract motif painted on barnboard. Their constantly changing collection includes vintage furniture restored and remade using durable limebased paint and bee’s wax, as well as original paintings by Martin and sculptures by Farnum. And then there are the “objets” they find here and there — tarnished silver trays, glass decanters, wroughtiron finials and old wooden boxes — with which they create vignettes, or “homescapes,” to give their look warmth and history.
Farnum and Martin began working together years ago doing faux finishes even before the distressed shabby- chic look came into vogue. A few years, ago they opened a shop and atelier on Main Rd. in Hudson, where they refinished furniture and vintage lamps in a workshop fronted by a shop.
They’ve given up the retail space to dedicate more time to their projects and to working with designers and cabinet makers. In summertime, they take up residence in an old barn behind their former shop. And this winter they’ve partnered with - 40, a fine- food emporium on Laurier Ave. W., where they’ve set up a “pop- up shop” that’s open until the end of April.
“We hunt around the countryside for old pieces that we love, things with character or beautiful curvy legs or exquisite detailing. Then we remake them into something new
and different,” said Martin.
They add to the mix their own original art: chandeliers made of twigs and branches, handmade concrete bowls, muted paintings on canvas and barn board of roosters, sheep and other barnyard characters.
Here’s some advice from 2 Barn Owls for pulling together a room.
Edit, edit, edit. Get rid of visual clutter by packing away knickknacks and odds-and-ends. Remove cushions and throw pillows from sofas and chairs. Take mismatched picture frames off the wall. It’s the only way to oxygenate a room. ( Don’t worry, you can bring a few things back later.)
“If you have eight objects on a table, you have a kind of visual chaos,” says Farnum. “Whittle it down to three and you’ve created a vignette. You actually begin to see things.”
Now, take stock. Make sure you have the basics: a coffee table and comfy chairs with side tables beside them, lamps for adequate lighting. Don’t keep anything that you don’t really love or absolutely need. Or as Farnum puts it: “Surround yourself with the things you love — just fewer of them.”
Find your palette. To help unify a room, keep the walls and furniture neutral. A neutral colour palette updates many old things. It cleans them up and modernizes them.
In their own homes and in their professional projects, Farnam and Martin stick to grey, from pale smoky whites to soft greys, charcoals and almost- blacks. The restricted colour field, they say, makes a neutral backdrop against which to juxtapose different shapes and textures.
They like greys that are not on the cool, blue side, but warmer greys that have the faintest hints of green or brown, which gives them a muted look.
Among their favourite whites and greys are Benjamin Moore’s Abingdon Putty ( HC- 99), which is a green- hued putty colour. Para Paints has many muted neutrals that they find appealing. Among them are: charcoal- toned Weathervane ( P2139- 03); a soft grey called Coin Silver ( P2146- 04) and a mid- grey called Old Sterling ( P2105- 02); Whitewash White ( P2089- 00) and the black called Molten ( P5205- 85).
“Even people who love colour seem to find comfort in these tones,” Martin says.
To avoid cacophony, use colour sparingly. In the orange and yellow of a bowl of citrus, for example. Or the foliage of a tropical plant or a flash of red in a painting.
Treat your room like a painting: Make the canvas 95 per cent neutral and fill in the rest with colour. Or skip the colour altogether and let different textures and shapes provide interest.
Tell a story. Even if you gravitate toward modern, look for at least a few old pieces to give a room a sense of history. They bring character to a room full of new things.
“I know that some people like things to be ordered and new. But to me, if everything in a room is brand new, it looks kind of cold,” said Farnum.
Don’t be matchy- matchy. Mix it up. Juxtapose different and seemingly discordant textures and finishes: rough and smooth; old and new; polished and worn; urban and country. As Farnum puts it: “A little tension in a room adds interest.”
For example, place a rough- hewn bench next to a chair with dainty curves. Set crystal glasses on a tarnished silver tray.
Antiques alone can look stodgy. And modern can be too minimalist. But place a trio of painted farmhouse chairs around a mid- century- modern Saarinen tulip table and both look good. Set a vintage silver vase on a modern marble countertop.
Use natural materials, such as linen and wool and wood and cement and silver and stone. They feel good to touch and to sit on. But they also provide texture and nuance. Think of the smokiness of tarnished silver or the frayed look of a snippet of jute twine wrapped around the neck of a glass bottle.
“We love painted finishes, but still we always leave a little bit of weathered wood or unfinished metal in a room,” says Martin.
Don’t be afraid to paint. Except for priceless antiques, most old furniture looks better with a coat of paint. Just be sure surfaces are properly prepared for painting. And use matte paint rather than shiny finishes.
But resist the temptation to paint all the pieces in one room the same colour. Instead try two or three shades of the same tone.
Think in threes. Three is a lucky number in the design world. A trio of elements displayed together is pleasing to the eye, whether it’s three bottles on a tray or a grouping of three items on a tabletop. To add dimension, choose items of varying heights. The 2 Barns Owls collection is in its winter location now. On Friday, May 6, it moves to its summer quarters, a gallery boutique in a rustic barn at 422 Main Rd., Hudson. It will be open every Friday and Saturday from 10 a. m. to 5 p. m. until Oct. 29. This summer, the barn will also f eature an atelier where people can learn to transform their own furniture. For more inf ormation, visit www.2barnowls.com or call 514 795 4361.