Marcia Sherrill
Marcia Asks
Marcia cuts the chaos by amassing local talents’ tricks for establishing a calming home
BY
Marcia Sherrill
PHOTOGRAPHY
Illustration by Christina Payne

The only thing I can do to create calm in my home is to immediately leave it, as I am the source of so much chaos! But in this, our smallest house by far, we have avoided all of my Broadway-style decorating flourishes of the past—no murals of downtown Port-au-Prince or the harum scarum of walls painted to conjure up artist Gustav Klimt or festooned with ribbons and gilt fleur-de-lis. This time, we opted for white and off-white walls in a subtle Venetian plaster finish. Our neutral space is accented with leftover decorators’ show house camel taffeta window treatments and, as a result, is serene for once in over a decade! Here’s how local tastemakers create their own senses of Zen.

LIZ LAPIDUS
“The first thing I do to create calm is to turn off the TV. In my business, I’m glued to the news, so turning it off kick-starts the calm. I dim the lights, light candles, uncork a bottle of red wine and grab the cashmere blanket!” —Lapidus is the owner of her own public relations firm, Liz Lapidus Public Relations. LizLapidusPR.com

MARGARET BOSBYSHELL
“To create calm and serenity at home, I give away items from my past that serve no purpose. I have luminous paint colors and enjoy the sound of water from the courtyard fountain, as well as my comfortable upholstery for sitting to read, muse and meditate. I love to be surrounded by sacred objects and treasures from nature, as well as a few inspirational books that are helping me on my path. And always, a cup of quality tea to savor.” —Bosbyshell is the principal designer of Margaux Interiors, her interior design firm.

PETER BLOCK
 “As an architect, I try to discover how we live our lives in a way to create flexible living environments that can quickly be adapted to allow for all manner of rituals, whether that’s through the careful control of natural and artificial light, by creating views (inside and out) or by using ‘real’ materials scaled to human size and to the space. ‘Dialing things down’ can be as simple as picking a place to sit with one another, lighting some candles and getting the sense that the ceiling disappears.” —Block is the principal architect of Peter Block & Associates Architects. PeterBlockArchitects.com

INSIDE STORY
Ah, serenity! I’ve harbored a secret fear of candles ever since I burned an oil painting with a wandering taper whose flames threatened to engulf the entire room. I’ve since overcome this aversion by using candles sheltered behind glass, and am now using them with abandon. I have dared to start the unending cycle of fresh flowers at home since my grocer bestowed giant blooms on me after Valentine’s as I raced in from a waiting cab to borrow some money; they keep my charge card on file like some old-timey country A & P. With 50 bucks and some luscious lilies, I have not been able to resist a fresh flower since. And having turned all of my old, wretched fur coats into throws, we can inhale the heady florals cocooned in mink and fox as our old French bulldog snuggles up close, not offended in the least.