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With our Book Club series, we hand over the proverbial mic to our Experts—letting them share their work, thought process, and best tips, all in their own words. The following is an excerpt from Sean Anderson's new book, Interior Narratives, published with Rizzoli.

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For a home of gracious scale, one of the most compelling design challenges is creating a sense of cohesion.

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How can I—through the power of color, form, materiality, and texture—establish continuity room to room? That was my mandate from a couple looking to update a contemporary Greek Revival residence they had just purchased. The house had great proportions but a pastiche of interior styles from former owners. (Think a little bit French country, a little bit hunting lodge.) The couple was not sure what to do with it. They just knew it needed a new youthful identity for them and their four children.

Initially, the project started small. My former client, a Memphis real-estate agent, introduced me to these owners who at first were looking just for help choosing wall colors. Having admired my past work, the couple thought I could refresh the house with some fresh coats of paint. Once we met, our conversations organically evolved into a full-scale transformation, spanning finishes and furnishings as well as gut renovations to the kitchen and primary bath.

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Following my lead, the clients did a lot of research into neoclassical architecture and American folk art in preparation for the renovation. When I introduced the husband to tramp art, a longtime passion of mine, he fell in love with the self-taught wood-carving tradition, originating in the late nineteenth-century South and defined by its allover notching and use of salvaged timber bits. To my delight, that became a leitmotif for the home, evident in the boxes and mirrors that the husband, now a fervent collector, placed throughout the space. The technique even became the basis for the kitchen, where we created bespoke walnut cabinets with fronts bearing intricately chiseled borders. They are complemented by faceted walls of Italian tile that emulate the movement and rhythm of historic brickwork. The same old-world spirit prevails in the primary bath, which we outfitted with an antique Italian mantelpiece, a copper soaking tub, and a vanity and double shower of richly figured stone.

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As for the couple’s original request for new paint colors, I ended up developing a saturated palette, with moody hues that run the gamut from warm grays to green blacks. We even custom mixed a deep brown to match the dining room’s textured wallpaper, deploying it on the ceiling and adjoining pantry.

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Throughout the house, this mix of neutrals sets the stage for choice antiques (the dining room’s nineteenth-century German cabinet, the stair hall’s rolltop desk) and contemporary pieces, including lighting by Andrea Claire, Allied Maker, and Apparatus.

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Complementing that mix are my own designs, like the narrow breakfast table. The clients came with nothing in the way of furniture, so we really started from scratch. But now you would never know it, judging from the layered design.

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I suppose tramp art, fittingly, offers the ultimate metaphor: Taking something unformed and, through craft, persistence, and attention to detail, creating something totally unified and special.

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Order Sean Anderson's new book for more inspiration, or book a consultation with Sean to get personalized advice for your space.

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