CREATING A COLORFUL 'HOME BASE'

This couple centered the redesign of their home around the art they’ve collected while traveling.

Jayme Trott and Bud Johnson have traveled throughout the world, including Vietnam, Machu Picchu, Scandinavia, and Greece. But Mexico is where they’ve traveled most extensively, appreciating its scenic landscapes, culture and beautiful art. The couple brought a touch of Mexico home with them when it was time for a renovation.

“After 17 years, we wanted a more contemporary look,” said Trott, of their over-55 community carriage house in Holland. The 2,800-square-foot, two-story home includes three bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, and a full, unfinished basement.

They hired designer Shila Griffith who used one of their favorite paintings from a trip to Mexico as the centerpiece for a complete redesign. Griffith used the colorful tones of the painting as inspiration, so the work of art, hanging above the living room fireplace, could remain the focal point.

“We love when clients want to design around their art collection,” said Griffith, founder and principal designer of SG23 Design in Riverton. “It presents a challenge for us because we never want to take a design concept literally — it makes spaces look too theatrical. As designers, this allowed us to curate and throw out any cabinetry, furniture, or material and finish options that didn’t fit a Mexican-inspired aesthetic.”

That painting came from a trip to Oaxaca in the late ’90s. The couple was enjoying dinner at a restaurant where the artist, Crispin Perez Montez, was hanging his work.

“We just loved his work,” said Trott. “The colors of this piece and the woman carrying the straw reminded us of what we would see and experience when we were in Mexico.”

With the Mexican painting as the focal point, they hung a woven rug with the same reds, yellows, and blues above the couch. They chose a neutral fabric for the sofa and used the pillows to bring in color.

The dining room features a series of Aboriginal-style paintings the couple bought during a trip to Australia. Art quilts hanging in Johnson’s office and in a hallway — “Joseph’s Coat” and “Time @ Hand” — were designed by Susan Bradley and purchased in San Antonio, Texas.

The kitchen renovation has been a game changer for Trott. An avid cook and baker, her old kitchen had very little working space to maneuver.

“I wanted a large island where we could eat, include storage, and I could use for cooking space,” Trott said. “The most fun thing I’ve done to utilize the island was giving a croissant baking class as a church auction item.”

There was enough room to set up six separate stations where baking enthusiasts could roll and cut the dough and put the croissants on baking trays, something her old kitchen could never have accommodated.

She now has dedicated vertical storage cabinet for baking pans, pull-out drawers for pots and pans, a LeMans blind corner organizer, and a built-in lift for her KitchenAid mixer. She also has a built-in pantry with lots of storage space.

“It’s makes it so much easier to lift things out and put them away and not struggle to figure out what cabinet something will fit into,” she said.

A year earlier, the couple renovated their primary bathroom. Trott had been caring for her elderly aunt and noticed the importance of safety features in the bathroom. They replaced the giant spa tub with a tiled shower, complete with a safety rail and corner seat. In addition to the overhead rain shower, they installed a hand-held showerhead.

Trott and Johnson especially enjoy their home’s two outdoor spaces. On the stone patio off the basement, they have a smoker to cook meat and an adjacent garden bed where Johnson grows native plants. On the deck off their living room, they enjoy the morning sunrise and having cocktails or dinner in the shady afternoon and evening.

The pair fell in love with Mexico while living in San Antonio, traveling there every year to different coastal towns and colonial villages in the mountains. Now that the couple is retired, they are able to spend more time visiting fascinating new places and collecting more artwork to fill their home. But they are always happy to come back home.

“The house is home base and the place we feel very comfortable,” Trott said. “It’s our very happy place.”

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