Stan Adamik weaves a transitional modern design style through a magnificent West Virginia manse.
By Victoria Bradley
Photography by Megan Wylie Ruffing
Stan Adamik was on the design team for a penthouse for Elton John. “That was my one big celebrity client,” he says, laughing. It was during the designer’s stint at a commercial design firm in Atlanta, just after his graduation from Georgia State University. He moved back to Pittsburgh seven years ago — “I’m one of the boomerangs,” he says, having grown up in Pittsburgh — and sent Stacy Weiss his résumé. “At that point, Weisshouse was looking for an in-house designer, and it’s been fun to be a part of the store’s growth,” Adamik says.
The designer addresses a common misconception: Weisshouse is not just a home furnishing company. “We’re a full-service design company.” And, Adamik plays host to lots of repeat customers. When he met the client for the West Virginia home featured here, there was an instant chemistry. The homeowner literally came in with her blueprints, and the two went to work sharing ideas, shopping, and swapping different pieces in and out of the rooms.
Adamik advises homeowners to hire a designer because “they can help you to incorporate your ideas more successfully. People tend to gravitate toward things, but a designer can help to pull a room together as a whole.” He also advises to choose good foundation pieces and to change out smaller things and accent with the revolving trends. “Think of it like buying a great black dress — and then adding cool jewelry.” @
Stan Adamik
Above: Radiant heating was installed under the marble to keep the family room, which is surrounded by windows, warm. The sofa pulls some of the gray out of the rug, while the chairs accent the browns. Leather was chosen for the chairs because the kids use them, and the material can take some abuse. They also swivel so that they can turn from the TV, back into the room. All of the tables are custom-made from reclaimed teak wood, a tropical hardwood that is both beautiful and durable. The lacquered piece under the TV is cabinetry usually used in kitchens. The designer used it here to strike a balance with the antique Chinese armoire. “The top of the piece is the dark wood, so it ties two together.” ”Red is such a strong color. Because it’s used so much in this room, the textures are better translated: lacquer on the cabinets, wool on the drapery, soft paint on the walls, and even accents in the paintings. When you use enough of it, it’s not so shocking, and in a room this size, with 20-foot ceilings, the color helps to pull everything down and warm the space up.” Lamps keep the light and the warmth lower. Incorporate texture in a room this size: Leather chairs next to a mohair sofa, a handmade rug and a rabbit hair throw. Compose them all for a successful room.
The lounge is the centerpiece for the room. It’s considered a daybed for napping and a seating area for the fireplace on the other side of the sofa. This is similar to a design of daybeds in the 1920s. The scale of it helps to break up the room.
“Every piece of furniture should function — especially if you’re spending a lot of money. Buy pieces you’re really going to use.”
Large, opal-colored urns accent the archways on either side of the dining room. “It’s important to decorate with proportion. The pieces have to fit the space.”
The media room features acoustic wall paneling, a large Italian sofa, and funky accent pillows. The movie posters were added for charm.
“It’s cozy to do carpet in the bedroom. It adds warmth. This carpet is wool, and the subtle pattern helps to break it up a bit.”
These modern chairs from B&B Italia add a sitting space to the bedroom. “The homeowner is a physician. He needs a place to lean back and rest his head at the end of the day and put his feet up.” The drapes in the bedroom are so heavy that, when closed, the room is void of all natural light.
Pièce de résistance: Looming over the sitting room is an antique Sirian mirror with camel bone and mother of pearl inlay. Adding chrome accents brightens things up and makes sense with the blue color scheme.
“One of the homeowner’s favorite places is Mexico. She loves the blue water. That’s where we went with the blue.”
This custom-made chandelier is comprised of antique mirrors that reflect natural light. This was the first piece chosen for the room. The rest was built from this inspiration.
Which came first? We were so enamored with the decorative branch and wirey drawing by Pittsburgh artist Robert Robertson in the hallway. Surprisingly, the art was installed first, and the sculpture was found later.
“This is one of my favorite rugs of all time. It’s made of antique rugs that were cut up and stitched together. To get the browns and grays and beiges and have it all work like this is wonderful. You really can’t say, ‘Send me a patchwork.’ You have to see it and then see how it works with your room.”
The fireplace is so big that it speaks for itself. You don’t have to do anything with it. There’s no “rule” that says you need to accent with a large piece of art.
A custom-made chandelier hangs over the large dining room table. The geometry of the chain complements the shape of the leather chairs and accents their grommets. Ethereal blue curtains were chosen to blend with the light outside. The rug was made to look like an antique, but was actually pieced together from two of the homeowner’s favorite modern carpets.
