Joanna Goddard, Cup of Jo
Six years ago, New Yorker Jeana Bartroff was fed up with Manhattan's cold, grey winter, so she took a vacation to Miami Beach. "I was seduced by the beautiful beaches, palm trees and pastel Art Deco buildings," she tells us. Within a month, she had flown back to New York, packed up her belongings and driven down in a U-Haul. Here, we talk to Jeana about her new Floridian life--with a beautiful baby girl.
Tell us about Carolyn. She is lovely! Carolyn Ava is my 1 1/2-year-old daughter. I'm American, and her father is South American. Carolyn was born at an alternative birth center in Miami after twenty-six hours of un-medicated, old-fashioned labor.
What's Miami like as a place to raise a child? Miami Beach isn't a terribly family-oriented place. The reason we stay here is the wonderful beach, where my daughter plays and swims almost every day of the year.
What look and feel do you want your home to have? A tropical mid-century look. Miami has a really humid climate, so I want our apartment to feel bright and fresh.
Describe where you found these pieces. Ready, set, go! The 1940's chest of drawers was bought at an auction; the 1950's lamp was thrifted. The Japanese mid-century earthenware pottery was from the NYC Armory Show. The white pottery is from ebay. The coconut was found on the beach. The abstract painting was a "parting gift" from an old boyfriend. The pop-art painting on the floor is my original work; the cute baby is also my original work!
You have a great curatorial sense. When did you first learn about design?
My mother, an interior designer, was my greatest influence. We redecorated my childhood bedroom many times, and she always welcomed my ideas.
Your home has lots of white walls with splashes of color. How did this come about? It's a reaction to Miami's climate with white walls and furnishings. Nothing feels as refreshing to me in this heat.
Is white hard to keep clean with a child? My walls are painted with high gloss paint, which is easy to clean. My daughter uses washable crayons, which wipe right off the walls when she is inspired to create "murals." For her bed, I chose white sheets: Bleach keeps them white, and I don't have to worry about faded prints.
Does your husband help decorate, or is that your realm? How lucky I am to have married someone who is absolutely neutral when it comes to decorating decisions. (That issue has caused major feuding in past relationships!) However, he's very helpful at execution. He has a cache of power tools.
Where did you find the table, chairs and lamp in this dining area? The table base is a Saarinen tulip base, which I purchased on ebay. The round glass top was bought separately. The dining chairs are vintage Marcel Breuer. The pendant lamp is from Ikea; it's especially beautiful when lit.
Did you make the wall plates? Yes, I painted different silhouettes on ceramic plates using white acrylic. One is my daughter's profile. But I'm always pulling them down and adding new ones; I'm doing a series in robin's egg blue right now.
Your art is fantastic. Do you have an art background?
I studied fine art at Pratt--I'm inspired by the photographer Andreas Gursky and the painter Lucian Freud--but I sometimes wish I'd studied interior design. I'd love to be working in that field now.
Can you tell us about your home office? (I love the desk knobs.) My husband pulled this desk from our neighbor's garbage! It's a 1950's piece with great lines. I painted it white but left the original hardware, which has wonderful sculptural designs.
What ambiance did you want? My desk is right off the living room, so I wanted it to look more like an art display space than a home office. I have a white laptop, keep the printer stored away and adapted a Le Klint pendant lamp into a desk lamp.
Carolyn has a gorgeous crib.
I wanted a simple streamlined crib, but I didn't want to spend a huge amount of money. This crib was less than $200 from a local baby boutique.
That's a good deal.
I learned that all cribs sold in the United States must conform to the same safety standards; therefore I couldn't justify buying a $2000 Italian crib, when the $150 Target model was arguably just as safe.
How did you decide on the artwork?
The wall above her crib is big, so the obvious thing would be to hang a large piece of art or a group of objects. However, I like the surprise of the tiny frame and even tinier bird and branches in the collage, which I made from Color-Aid paper.
Does Carolyn like her crib?
Well, she loves to jump in it! But I must say that Carolyn hasn't spent one night in it.
Where does she sleep instead?
Sandwiched between Mom and Dad in our queen-sized bed. Yes, it's getting tight.
Did you paint this, as well?
Yes. I fell in love with a Marimekko fabric, but the colors were wrong for my space; so I reproduced it on a large canvas using my own colors.
Where did you find that oh-so-bold rug and table set?
The woven plastic rug is from KoKo Company; I found it at a fabulous store in Miami Beach called Jeffrey Lamb Home. The table and chair set is from KMart or Target (I forget which); it was covered with images of Spiderman, but I painted it white!
What are Carolyn's hobbies?
Carolyn loves combing the beach for shells with her father. Her favorite indoor activity is coloring; the little table and chair set is her favorite spot. She also loves the paper lanterns I strung from the ceiling at various lengths.
Your artwork adds a cohesive thread throughout your home.
Thank you! These six paintings are on brown paper bags. I used white wall paint and framed them in inexpensive Pearl Paint frames. I think they look especially good because they're grouped tightly.
Did your style change after becoming a mother?
Definitely; I've moved toward a warmer, more cluttered, almost "cottage" look in Carolyn's spaces. I find myself using pink, while conscious to keep it from looking generic or juvenile. The starkness that usually appeals to me doesn't seem as appropriate in a little girl's realm.
The bathroom looks like a lovely hotel.
Funnily enough, our building was originally a 1950's hotel catering to vacationing northerners. The bathroom has its original gray and burgundy tile; I added chrome shelving that was being discarded during a neighboring hotel's renovation. I'm happy with the way the room turned out.
What advice would you give people who are just starting to decorate?
Edit your belongings constantly. Keep the television hidden or out of the living room completely. Buy original artwork. Don't succumb to the urge to decorate every wall; sometimes it's nice to just see the wall.
What's the best decorating tip you ever got?
Avoid pushing furniture up against walls. My mom taught me to arrange furniture groupings on a diagonal, which creates visual interest and flow.
Do you have any decorating fantasies?
Oh, yes, lots! One fantasy is to create a very 1980's look. I adore Richard Gere's LA apartment in American Gigolo. I love the short pile gray carpet and metal blinds. I've watched that movie countless times, just trying to memorize every detail in that apartment.
8:38 AM,
October 31, 2007
