Show N' Tell — Historic Avenues Art Scene

Did you see us in the newest issue of Utah Style & Design? Here's an excerpt of the feature:

Love it or leave it? After seventeen years of living in their 1895 two-story Avenues home, owners Dean and Tiffani Peterson faced this dilemma. “I’ve lived in the Avenues for thirty years,” says Dean, CEO of Harmon’s Neighborhood Grocer. “I love that it’s close to the city and in a walkable neighborhood. At first, Tiffani and I thought, maybe we should fix up the house to sell. Then, we concluded: ‘No, let’s fix it up to stay.’”

Interior designer Jessica Bennett and her team at Alice Lane Home Collection tackled the project.“Tiffani and Dean love entertaining and have the best taste in food,” Bennett says. “They wanted a space that could accommodate their tremendous knowledge and taste level for all things delicious while honoring the home and all of its beautiful architectural strengths. Tiffani has amazing taste and was craving something bold and fashionable.”

Here, Jess details the process of design for this historic Avenues home.

Q: What did Tiffani and Dean want/need from the new design of their dining and living room?

Jess: Tiffani has great taste, and is an amazing hostess! They love entertaining, people and have the best taste in food! (Dean is the CEO of Harmon's Grocery stores- so he has tremendous knowledge and taste level for all things delicious!)

They wanted a space that could accommodate them and honor the home's beautiful architectural strengths. Tiffani has amazing taste and was craving something bold and fashionable!

One thing I love about Tiffani is that before she buys art, she wants to meet the artist! I love that—and it's changed the way I feel about the art I hang in my own home now!

Q: What were your challenges in designing a modern look for a 100+ year old home? What was the solution?

Jess: Tiffany wanted to honor her home's original finishes and features, including moldings and stain glass windows. She's a realtor by trade and has a love for homes. She's privileged to know homes before they ever hit the market. This was the one for her!! And we were lucky enough to be called on to honor its beauty!

I guess the challenge came in, how to make it modern? We answered that call through the furnishings ... we dressed each room with bold, beautiful, current and timeless silhouettes, and color, which surprisingly felt normal and even neutral in this home.

Q: How did you incorporate all their collected art without it looking cluttered and disjointed?

Jess: Each piece of art almost chose its home. It just belonged to a vignette once it was introduced to the scene. 

Tiffani has a gift of knowing where to buy art ... and what it will add to a space! We love that she wants her pieces to be originals—and that she wants to know the artist, and learn first hand what it is that she's buying.

Tiffany has a story for everything in her home. She's the kind of gal you want to stay in touch with to learn from and ask her to share new and more stories with. She lives so beautifully. She's a house whisperer!

Q: What’s your personal favorite aspect of the dining room? 

Jess: Oh man... that's like asking who your favorite child is. 

The blue chairs,  maybe? Their silhouette, their origin. We got these out of a furniture maker/designer that lives in the U.K., Juliann Chichester. He's a bold character with an offbeat fashion sense that is distinctly British.

It was like getting to play match maker—those chairs belong to a Tiffany and she to them!

And they seem so normal here, don't they?! I love it when worlds collide like that.

See more of this historic Avenues home here.