Interior Designer Kay Douglass

I've always loved Belgian interiors. Light wooden floors and ceilings, lots of linen, grey and earth colours, Belgian bluestone, antique lamps and repurposed items all make up this serene and inviting southern home designed by Kay Douglass.



In the foyer, the juxtaposition of an oversize honey-coloured antique table and pale walls against dark bluestone floors. Douglass found the table, which often doubles as a buffet for the dining room beyond, in Belgium. Walls, molding, and ceiling are all in Benjamin Moore's Seapearl.


In the living room, an unstained concrete fireplace surround highlights the golden patina of natural wood. White tufted chairs, creamy linen window treatments, and an abaca carpet present a neutral backdrop for red slipcovered wing chairs. A black Yuan Dynasty glazed urn and antique cutting boards are displayed on a French console.


In the dining room, raw wood ceiling and timeworn Belgian dining table. Mirrors are custom-made to seem "crusty and old," says Douglass, and curtains are crisp oyster-coloured silk.


The dining room table looks best set for a casual meal.


The kitchen design embodies the Belgian penchant for simplification, with its clean-lined gray-green cabinets and untreated pecky cypress ceiling. Counters are Calcutta Gold marble, and the breakfast area's farm table and Chinese chairs are antiques. An old southern door serves as both picturesque focal point and family photo album.


The steely severity of industrial materials played against warm wood tones is something Douglass often sees in Belgian interiors. That aesthetic inspired her placement of industrial pendant lamps over the kitchen island and her use of metal tiles for the backsplashes.


In the sunroom, stone-brown slipcovered chaises are backlit by rows of windows dressed in Belgian linen. A bright yellow metal antique table provides a handy place for a glass of wine or cup of coffee.


At the stairway landing, outdoor-style half shutters dress the windows, as in a European house.


True to the Belgian stylebook, the family room is comfortable and inviting but without a lot of furniture. Ancient French doors open into a custom media cabinet and provide the room's startling focus. A high-backed sofa is upholstered in linen, and walls are paneled in wide horizontal planking.


In the master bedroom, an antique door is the headboard. A pair of Earl chairs at the end of the bed. Walls are Seapearl by Benjamin Moore.


The master bathroom's dark floor tiles, "has those Belgian grays and browns I am drawn to," says Douglass.


Antique botanicals on a master bedroom wall are German, "but I found them in Belgium!" she says.

All images and information from House Beautiful.

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