In the sitting room, upholstery fabrics blend with the soft tint on the walls, producing a more informal environment for relaxing and watching TV. The bedrooms, painted in cooler pistachio and blue-greens and accented with white, feel refreshing. Some designers might introduce a pop of contrasting color, but not Jack. “I believe in flow,” he says. To keep the monochromatic scheme in each room interesting, he includes a range of shades and uses the warmth of wood to add depth and contrast.
Only one room, a guest bedroom, departs from the green theme. A brown and white Mount Vernon toile launched Jack on a collecting spree of George and Martha Washington items, which netted an antique print of the first president. Its sepia-toned mat inspired a café au lait color for the walls in this room.
The three-quarter-size iron bed, found at a flea market, was another “Jack and the spray can project,” he says. Assorted mirrors in gilt frames decorate the walls. Over the bed, hung off center to give it more importance, is a tiny Victorian shadow box filled with bouquets of fabric flowers climbing a wooden fence.
Jack has residences in Manhattan and West Palm Beach, but this country home is “Jack in the woods—It’s me at my most relaxed,” he says. Originally a boarding house, the simple shingled structure suffered the indignities of various updates, including “the sins of the ‘70s and the bad vibes from the ‘80s,” he recalls. “It was a sad old house, in a way.”
While renovation was underway, the designer began collecting furniture and accessories specifically for the house. He chose 18th- and 19th-century English furniture for its clean, simple lines, which suits the unfussy, rectilinear style of the house. While some pieces had a pedigree, others were rescued from the curb or discovered at thrift shops and given a second life with paint and upholstery. Jack is a perfectionist when it comes to designing his own furniture line, but he embraces imperfection in his collections. “When I see a chipped plate or a dented, dinged piece of furniture, I say, ‘If only you could talk,’ he says. “It means more if it’s not perfect.”
Mixing fine antiques with salvaged finds evokes the “British bits-and-pieces” approach to decorating and gives a house comfortable, welcoming character—just what you’d want for a retreat in the country.
