The cover of House Beautiful magazine February 2017 showed up today, with an unusual cover image. Instead of the perfectly finished space they typically feature, this one shows the bones of a room filled with an antique dining table surrounded by mid-century acrylic chairs and a jewel toned color scheme the magazine touted would be "in" in 2017.
Who does this mid-construction space belong to? None other than Martha Stewart veteran, Top Design contestant, blogger, designer, author, magazine editor, stylist, and professional vintage and antique shopper Eddie Ross. He and partner Jaithan Kochar purchased a sweet little colonial in Pennsylvania a year or so ago, and have been working on a total gut job of the place, along with an addition to include a family room and office/laundry room. When they bought the house, Eddie posted a blog about the space and his general ideas for the space
here.
Nearly 7-months later Eddie teased with pictures of the shoot in the home they're calling Edgewood Hall a few months ago on
his Instagram page:
There was no indication of which magazine was featuring the space mid-renovation, let alone that it would be their cover, so seeing it on the cover of House Beautiful was a wonderful surprise for those of us who follow along with Eddie. When the pair bought the house, Eddie took a photo of the living room which looked like this:
A little digging revealed the photos from the realtor:
The house was filled with dated wallpaper and needed some attention, but it had wonderful bones, large rooms for entertaining, and great light, something I am sure that both Eddie and Jaithan were thinking when they walked through the house almost a year ago. Shortly after purchasing the house, they held a christening of the space, naming it Edgewood Hall. This photo of Eddie on
his Instagram page showed how the wheels were turning in his head already:
Just before demolition began the room looked like this:
And then the work began:
First, the two had their friend (an architect) come out to the house and help with creating a plan for their vision.
Remember those bookcases from the realtor photos? Well they came out in one piece and will be used in the flower potting and arranging area of the barn. Then the real demo started:
Out came the plaster ceilings and walls, built ins, old radiator, and then it was prepped ... apparently for the House Beautiful feature!
I will be the first to say that I think Eddie Ross is an incredible talent and he has a wonderful eye for finding treasure. Even his ability to style this space to this:
Well, it's just an incredible feat. Whether or not you're a fan of the things, or the colors - you have to admit that House Beautiful knew what they were doing when they put it on the cover. Not only is it eye catching to say the least, it begs the viewer to pick up the magazine and see what's happening in this staged space.
And what is happening? Well - right now the house is still in the construction phase, and it's a big one. They have a ton of things happening all at once. Apart from the renovations inside of the existing floorplan, the couple are adding on! When they bought their new home, the back of the house looked like this:
And if you're thinking that Garden window and bad 1970's salt box addition didn't really suit what we all know of Eddie, well you're right. It didn't take them long to pull together this plan:
And bing, bam, boom:
Eddie has used the hashtag "next book" on some of
his Instagram posts of Edgewood Hall, so I'm sure that they are cataloging a lot more of the process than they're showing online right now. He has shown enough though to whet the appetite, with pictures of plans:
The butler's pantry here, and with a collection like Eddie and Jaithan have - I'm sure that even this space will be overflowing. Remember the pantry in their first house?
Even the pharmacy cabinet in his first apartment:
The rest of the house is just as customized for the way that Eddie and Jaithan want to live:
You can see at the back of the house on the first floor plan that the couple plans on having a large open floor plan kitchen/family room with a large center island. Upstairs, the addition includes a large office and new laundry room.
Eddie also has been shopping for the house, already finding outstanding pieces of furniture, art, and fabrics for Edgewood Hall.
This pair of Tole Lanterns he scored in Des Moines, Iowa. Where do you think he'll use these? Over that massive island perhaps?
This needlepoint chair he scored while thrifting in the Hamptons is going in the garden room.
These massive tree of life pattern panels may end up on either side of the bed in the Master Bedroom at Edgewood Hall, according to Eddie.
This set of 6 chrome and upholstered stools may be getting repholstered in Mary McDonald's Chinois Palais for the island.
And finally, these two chairs he found for $100 each, that he's having reupholstered for the new family room adjacent to the kitchen at Edgewood Hall. Eddie has really been praised for his eclectic style and masterful styling. He has an ability to pair a lot of things you'd otherwise never consider.
Like here, in the living room featured on the cover of his book
Modern Mix antique brass with mid-century acrylic, Native American rugs with Chinoiserie screens and color galore. For those of you who love color and look for pairing suggestions or solutions,
Modern Mix could be a great resource book for you!
A huge congratulations to Eddie, and if the House Beautiful feature, or this post have piqued your interest in Edgewood Hall, follow along on Instagram:
I'm looking forward to the new book!
