The Look For Less: Michael S. Smith's Montecito Quinta

If you haven't gotten a chance to read the lengthy post on the high end property toss I wrote a couple of days ago, read The Michael Smith Pass Off. This story started out of a sweet email I got from a long time reader, Monica. Monica had found a few photos of a gorgeous living room decorated in the late 90s by Michael S. Smith in Montecito, California. She hoped I'd be able to find a few things she could grab inexpensively to help create the same calming effect in her living room.

When a house is decorated with antiques, it's nearly impossible to find pieces that replicate the look exactly. And, when a house is decorated 20-years ago, even harder. What I have gathered here are items that have similar lines and shapes, and I've done my best to sort of break down the pieces of the puzzle to help pull a similar room together on a budget in today's world! Let's take a look:

This was the cover of Elle Decor in 1999, when the house was first shown to the public. A young and handsome Smith, holding the house telephone in front of an antique coromandel screen. The couple who commissioned the house initially wanted a Tuscan style home. Michael urged them to think broader, and together they traveled to Portugal to take a look at some of the beautiful manor homes (Quintas) there.

Buying a coromandel screen is expensive. And antiques like the one pictured above are SUPER pricey, and rare. This one is new, and much less expensive than an antique. But, still - not necessarily a "look for less" candidate. 

You could always look into wallpapers like these below and wallpaper an existing folding screen, or create one with hollow-core folding closet doors and hinges. 

I actually did this once with York papers for a Christmas show house I did in an old barn: 

I did a four panel screen using 24" bi-fold FLAT hollow core doors I found at a re-use store (Habitat For Humanity Re-Store) and one double roll of paper. The entire thing cost me about $100.00. 

Let's start this by breaking down the biggest parts of the room. 

THE TILE:

The tile in the house is from Portugal. Hand-painted in this pattern and applied by masons in Montecito. If you're shy to make such a huge commitment, don't have the money, or in my case permission, to tile your living room, check out these stencils:

All you need is a few tools, some paint, and a weekend - and you're on your way to creating the look for a lot less. 

If you are in the market for actual hand painted tiles, there are these Mexican Talavera tiles:

THE SLIPCOVERS:

The laid back feeling of this room is due in large part to the simplicity of the palette. White walls, blue and white Portuguese tiles on the wall, white slipcovered furniture, white curtains. Then you have the added sophistication that comes from the antiques and the art.

Reader Note: If you're in the market for slipcovers, these are options that are generally meant to fit a variety of sofas and chairs. Certainly, the only way to get a guaranteed tailored fit is to have custom slipcovers created for your existing pieces, but if you're taking this route - a two piece or separate cushion option is the way to go!

WHITE CURTAINS:

White walls and white curtains will always help to soften up a room and give it a laid back feeling. 

THE GILT:

Another beautiful thing you'll find throughout the space is the gilt frames on mirrors and paintings, the brass hurricane candle holders, the detail on the antique case pieces and brackets. Finding old beautiful gilt frames is hard. BUT, you can fake it! Rub 'n Buff Wax is a great thing for getting that antique gold finish without paying the antique gold price! 

You can use it on anything, even plastic. So if you find a great frame that you can alter a bit, don't shy away from this stuff. 

The gold finish that I achieved on the French bergere chairs I did in the barn came from using a can of gold spray paint: 

letting that fully dry, and then go back over it with the antique gold rub n' buff.

FABRICS:

So we talked about white slipcovers, that is obviously a huge component to this living room. Next would be the fabrics that are used elsewhere. Smith used damasks, leather, and some vaguely tribal feeling fabrics for the space. 

One of my favorite places to look for beautiful tribal prints and fabrics is Amazon's Eyes of India. They have very inexpensive handmade blankets and pillows. In fact, I think they're the best when it comes to blue and white fabrics. Yuvancrafts has beautiful pieces in a variety of colors, including those beautiful reds linked above, and found in the Smith room. If you've got a great work room or can sew yourself, check out Fabric Guru. They have great small cuts of fabrics at fantastic discounts.

LIGHTING:

Nearly every room in the Quinta has a lantern of some sort. Here are some lovely lanterns at FANTASTIC prices:

ACCESSORIES:

There are a lot of accessory pieces in here that really round out the room. Some of these are very similar to the accessories you'll see in the photos, and others are just pieces that I thought could easily fit in with the scheme:

I also thought it might be fun to do a little mock up of some of these pieces, it's rough - but gives you an idea of what some of these things could get ya!

And here are the things from above:

Hope you enjoyed! I'll be back soon with a before and after I think you're gonna love!