The perfect mix The perfect mix (March 25, 2005)

Antiques can make a room really pop

by Carol Blitzer

"Every room needs a visual surprise. It's the great old brooch on the good jacket -- it lifts it all."

Interior designer Doug Dolezal will be passing on such pearls of design wisdom at an upcoming lecture on decorating with antiques, part of the "BeExtraordinary Lifestyle Series" offered at the Portola Valley office of the Miller/Dolezal Design Group.

"Very few people today want period rooms," he said, such as a complete Empire-style room. "The formality doesn't translate."

Instead, Dolezal's clients are seeking something unique, different, that reflects their sophisticated taste. "Antiques ground something in history. ...The best rooms are a mix," he said.

Sometimes it's how you mix things up that create that visual surprise. In a large room with traditional furnishings, he points to 30-inch Asian jars that have been randomly stacked on the wall. Formerly they were lined up on the mantel, but now they draw the eye.

In a contemporary setting with bold colors, a large, inherited Regency chest becomes "a big piece of art," he said.

What makes a good mix? According to Dolezal, "all good pieces go together." That doesn't mean one can ignore scale or quality. He suggested putting a couple of small Edwardian stools under a chunky Asian waterfall table, or adding an Ikea lamp to a beautiful table. "Quality does not equal cost, but quality of design," he added, noting that "you want to find things that are complementary."

Sometimes creativity comes with using what you've got in a new way. Dolezal took a large painted screen, for example, and split it and hung it on either side of a large French cabinet. Visually, one's eye travels from the floral sofas up the wall.

"On the floor, (the screen) looked like Barbara Cartland was coming to tea. On the wall, it's that surprise element," he said.

"You've got to try to think of things not as they are, but what they could be," he added, noting that "when you can reframe, re-hang, use it in a different way, it comes alive."

Most of Dolezal's design clients tend to gravitate to specific types of antiques, such as Dutch, or the larger Italian or Portuguese pieces. Many like Craftsman, but "you lose something when you see it everywhere," he said.

Dolezal encourages them to think outside the box -- maybe paint an old, dark piece, create a surprise with new knobs, hang a big, modern painting above a tufted, velvet sofa. Or, pair a Mediterranean-style fuchsia sofa with an Asian box table. A column with a jar in front adds a classic element.

He's not suggesting destroying museum-quality antiques, but rather modifying less-than-perfect artifacts.

"The reason people are attracted to old pieces is they feel warm, have organic lines," he said.

Rarely does Dolezal encounter clients who are unhappy with the end result, he said. If they have a negative first response, he suggests they live with it for a few days. "We try to do homework so thoroughly, those are very rare. The client isn't a bystander. What makes my job intricate and fun is getting to know people."

Dolezal, who grew up in a small town in Washington, has always been attracted to design and colors. "The first thing I appreciated were flowers, their shape. I always pulled flowers apart and studied them," he said. Later he decorated Christmas trees. But, mostly, he waited tables while training for triathlons.

He talked Bob Miller into hiring him at Flegel's in Menlo Park -- for free. Soon he was working full time, and became Miller's partner at Miller/Dolezal in 1995. Today he splits his time between Portola Valley and Rancho Santa Fe (near San Diego).

"I've always been pretty fearless. Nothing seems impossible," he said, plus he said he's been blessed with a really good color memory. In his spare time, he shows jumpers, finding the competition "the right combination of exhilaration and fear."

He applies his personal philosophy to his work. "Life is short. It's a quick spin. If you don't love it, change it," he said, explaining how a client hated a pine table. He suggested cutting down the legs and turning it into a coffee table. The client loved the new piece.

Many of the clients who want to incorporate antiques in their décor have inherited family pieces. For others, he suggests a field trip to San Francisco to visit Swallowtail on Polk Street, Evelyn's Antique Chinese Furniture on Hayes Street, or Jackson Square. Things change often, so it's a good plan to make multiple trips.

And for those who already decorated their houses, Dolezal advises that "nothing's going to last forever. What keeps houses from looking like one era is a mix. We are in an area where people travel, are educated, affluent," he said.

How can one keep a house from looking dated? Good original art, a pile of books, a sculpture, a big plant -- green and blooming, or maybe, just five vases of tulips. "That looks brand new," he said.

Assistant editor Carol Blitzer can be reached at cblitzer@paweekly.com.

What: "The Perfect Mix: Decorating with Antiques," by Doug Dolezal.

When: Wednesday, April 6, 6 to 8 p.m.

Where: Miller/Dolezal Design Group, 3000 Alpine Road, Portola Valley.

Cost: Free.

Info: Call (650) 529-2700 to RSVP; space is limited.

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