Like the jewelry she creates, Laurie Lenfestey’s Santa Fe home is a collage of texture, sparkle, magic, and sentiment that is as personal as it is peaceful.
This is another favorite home we photographed several years ago. I had admired Laurie’s beautiful jewelry designs and we flew to photograph her home, her shop (Bittersweet Designs) and her studio. Finding a New Mexico home without the traditional southwestern decor is a rarity. Other than having some of the best features of the vernacular Santa Fe’s architecture — smooth adobe walls, roughhewn vegas ( beams), Kivas (fireplaces), and courtyards, Laurie’s home is as remote as it can be from the decorating style that prevails in the region. The only patterns you’ll find in the Lenfestey home are the subtle kind, created by weathered finishes, natural elements, and the changing light as it makes its way across white walls and illuminates the many sparkling accents in its path. Color is also in short supply here, but while the interiors are fresh and clean, they are certainly not cold and sterile.
Laurie makes great use of architectural elements throughout her home. ““I’m fascinated by historical buildings,” she says, “and a lot of these are a nod to my New England roots. I love it here, but I’m not from here, so I didn’t want to all of a sudden get all Santa Fe furniture. Instead, I incorporated bits of the East Coast.” A cutout banister used as a screen solves the problem of the black hole when a fire isn’t blazing. Carved spindles are converted to charming candlesticks, and vintage mirrors capture the light.
Slender apothecary jars become lovely display cases for the family’s natural collections. Grouping the jars has a dramatic effect. “ Everything I do is a collage created with layers that become more interesting when you put them together.” Laurie explains
Laurie adds visual interest to the monochromatic color scheme with the quiet layering of textures with weathered finishes, woven fabrics, and grainy woods. The mix not only brings a timeless simplicity but it also creates a design continuity that visually knits together the spaces. The white-on-white scheme becomes luminescent when graced by the sunlight, offering a cool, pale contrast to the sometimes intense Southwestern climate.
The most precious collections in this house are personal, not pricey, and often not store-bought. Decorating with sentimental objects is an important part of creating Laurie’s comforting, one-of-a-kind design collage. Instead of expensive pieces, she accessorizes with priceless ones, like the collection of stones she found and painted with her children, William and Olivia, to mark time they’ve spent together. The rocks are set out front and center on the mantel.
In the family room, two trays are stacked on a coffee table to organize a smattering of simple votives. For Laurie, the antique cherub—one of a set of five—is a reminder of her siblings. Laurie sees the angels as a daily reminder of her family. To her, things like this are what makes a house a home, as she says: “It’s all about the blending of things that have meaning to us.”
Laurie’s style is a study in the beauty of contrasts: Shiny balances rough, and elegant touches temper the earthy elements. A case in point is the dining room table crafted from a weathered-wood base and a beveled-mirror top. Glass cloches and a crystal chandelier add sparkle to the setting day and night.
Laurie assembles textured tableaux like this console created from antique corbels topped with glass and flanked with intricate panels, probably from a floor screen. The arrangement relies on symmetry for a formal feeling.
To give small collectibles greater presence, Laurie serves them up under glass. Adding both sculpture and sparkle, clear glass cloches and jars become focal points.
Daughter Olivia’s room gets a graceful, romantic lift from a sheer canopy of mosquito netting. Blushes of color add soft, not jarring, contrast to the dreamy space.
Gleaming mirrors and cloud-soft bedding bring a lighthearted elegance to the master bedroom. As in the rest of the house, color and pattern take second place to textural interest.
The master bedroom fireplace corner invites cozy times with cushy pillows .
Laurie’s studio is a few steps from the main house. It brims with the numerous elements she uses to create a jewelry but everything is neatly and beautifully organized.
Laurie’s shop “Bittersweet Designs” is located on the quaint and famous Canyon Road in Santa Fe (https://bittersweetdesigns.com) The beautiful shop embodies Laurie’s spirit. Inspired by nature and handmade by artisans, Laurie’s creative process is guided by intuition and a desire to empower women everywhere to express their stylish, ethereal spirit with jewelry that caters to each individual.
Laurie’s exquisite jewelry is displayed in thoughtful and meaningful fashion.
I brought back not only wonderful memories of our shoots of the shop, studio and home but also one of these beautiful gold heart and beads as well as a couple of necklaces, thanks to Laurie’s kindness and generosity. The last time we saw each other was 4 years ago. We have remained friends and always will. Thank you Laurie for allowing us in your beautiful, thoughtful, and loving world. XOXOXOXO
ALL PHOTOS BY MARK LOHMAN- STYLING BY FIFI.
