The One: Back in Black
Welcome to The One, where we hone in on a single, favorite element of a home—and explore how it pulls together an entire room.
Photo by Danielle Ossher
A bit of internet luck and a DIY touch gave Paige Pettit the one she’d been looking for: a dresser with just the right amount of glamor. The 25-year-old designer found a vintage Thomasville dresser posted on Craigslist one day, and immediately envisioned the end product. The faux-bamboo dresser was exactly the shape she’d been searching for, but its current white state was lackluster.
But it didn’t stay that way for long—Pettit lacquered the dresser black and finished it off with antique brass knobs to create the Hollywood Regency-style piece she craved. “It just has such a glamorous vibe,” said Pettit, who took no time in capitalizing on her new her favorite piece.
She elevated the dresser’s status to the focal point of her bedroom with a few stylish and functional touches. A collection of brass-framed prints casually lean against the wall, including a reproduction of Kate Moss’s ad for Supreme (“because she is everything”). A python tray, which pops against the lacquered black surface, holds a wooden dish and white porcelain ginger jars for her jewelry, and large piece of white coral mounted on a Lucite base. “A tray is a great way to group all of your things to make it look like a complete vignette.”
Pettit blends styles together with ease to create a wonderfully balanced look—nothing too sweet, too feminine, too opulent. That uniquely personal mix is what gives the lacquered dresser, and the rest of her apartment, such a captivating air. White and black, mirror and porcelain, mod and glam all blend to perfection. The unifying factor: they’re all pieces that Pettit loves—because she won’t put a single thing into her Washington Square apartment otherwise.
“My style is really all about opposites, and the mix of masculine and feminine,” Pettit said. “I really gravitate toward an eclectic mix of pieces, with roots in traditional styles with a luxurious edge and a modern twist. I love starting with a neutral palette and playing with textures and reflective elements to add that touch of glamor.”
Photo by Danielle Ossher
Photo by Danielle Ossher
Photo by Danielle Ossher
Photo by Danielle Ossher
Paige Pettit spends her days creating cleverly stylish spaces as a Junior Designer at Liz Caan Interiors LLC. She holds a BDS from Boston Architectural College, and is always on the lookout for timeless pieces she’ll love for decades.
