A Naturalist is one who studies the natural world, so we'll find in the room many examples of nature's shapes, colors, creatures and artifacts, mainly colorful and sculptural examples of minerals, shells, insects, plant and animal forms. In keeping with the Arts and Crafts tradition of hand crafted furniture and accessories, most of the accessories were hand made or made by nature. Some of the room's major pieces included a solid cherry, hand made Shaker style arm chair, a three-panel oriental floor screen with handmade paper and natural artifacts sewn onto it; an Art Nouveau style antique bird cage; hand painted exotic birds done by an unknown artist; a trompe l'oeil door panel painted by a local decorative artist, Pat McWhorter of Madison, NJ; floral and bird prints printed from antique plates and hand painted in Italy; hand made sconces designed by the Artful Eye; a fabric hanging made from an antique kimono and various silks, plus some aboriginal art!
Underlying the design concept was a passion for and reverence of nature, plus an acknowledgment of how intertwined our lives are with the natural world, especially in art and design. What is illustrated in the room's décor is how closely related art, science and nature really are and how strongly influenced our lives are by the colors, shapes, sounds and artifacts of the natural world.
Interior Designer's notes
Room color and overall room décor: The designer's intention was to create a light, bright, airy room to compensate for the room's small size, made smaller by an imposing dormer. The color used in the room was meant to suggest the glow of soft, golden summer sunlight shimmering through an umbrella of green leaves. This room doubled as the Designer Sales room and needed to accommodate the needs of an intensely busy sales office, showing that aesthetic form and practicality can coexist!