Sun Valley Home and Design / Spring 2007 / Colors and Collections

Colors and Collections

Create a Unique vision of a country home

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Architect: Michael Bulls
Construction: Fritz Hoffman

Most people would be thrilled with a beautifully designed home fashioned after conventional styles. Then there are those who dare to venture a little off the beaten path, adding dashes of personality and originality that surprise and delight.

Eclectic treasures garnered from all corners of the world make Eric and Susan Seder’s home a beautiful and fascinating place to visit. The joy of collecting permeates every cozy nook and cranny of this special residence.

The Seders’ East Fork home is a unique reflection and blend of both their personalities and passions. “I wanted more of a farmhouse and Eric wanted a barn style, so it’s a little bit of both,” explains Susan. “It was a compromise between the two of us.”

The difference between a farmhouse or a barn style is not that great when you consider it—these two would seem to have been born for each other. They, in fact, were brought together in a way almost guaranteed to turn out a bad evening for most couples. Eric Seder explains: “We met on a blind date (believe it or not) in San Francisco when I was an investment banker in New York and Susan was a restaurateur in Boise.”

Now they work together in a totally different field and they knew what they wanted when they went to create their dream house together.
Eric and Susan walked through acres of old timber in Carey (at IGL Recycled Timbers & Millwork), selecting just the right vintage wood. The result is a handsome, dark brown, weathered-wood house accented by white-framed, red-shuttered windows, both large and small. The smaller character windows are reminiscent of peephole windows in barns. On the front porch, red rocking chairs and red window boxes full of red carnations add even more charm.

Walking through the welcoming red doorway, you are greeted by the warm colors of the living room leading to a beautiful view through the trees and down to the Big Wood River. Inside this post-and-beam home, a 21-foot-high living room ceiling creates the loftiness of a barn and makes the 2,900-square-foot home seem much larger. French doors with a row of windows above bring in lots of light and afford a transparency, opening the home to the outdoors.

An impressive wood living room fireplace soars from floor to ceiling. One of the family’s collected treasures, an antique Indonesian carving, decorates the mantel like an exotic piece of lace, adding unique artistry and beauty.

Some of the interesting ideas that make this home such a special place were inspired during the Seders’ frequent treasure hunts through peddlers’ fairs, including the local antique fairs on July 4th and Labor Day weekends. “You have to have a purpose when you go to art fairs,” says Susan, smiling. Discovering and collecting things for their home is definitely one of their shared passions. They love to travel together and wherever they go, part of the fun is finding something exciting to bring home. 

One innovative idea was to take a weathered door found at a crafts fair, cut it in two, and hang it sideways on the cream-colored living room wall, creating a hayloft effect complete with hoisting hook for hay bales. Antique wooden farm tools hang on another beam-crossed wall, more rustic reminders of the farmhouse.

A lower woven-wood ceiling makes part of the great room into an intimate dining area. Lights glow warmly through the wood, creating just the right atmosphere for a cozy dinner party. A red china cabinet next to the alder dining table features hand-painted designs and the wooden floor has been worn down to create a classic country look. Antique wooden church doors, another crafts fair discovery, make an elegant curved opening between the dining area and kitchen.

One of the collections that literally lights up almost every room of the house is their unique accumulation of chandeliers. They may be made of transparent crystals, adding a graceful touch to the bathroom, or topped in red silk, illuminating the kitchen. Some have been collected from as far away as Venice or as nearby as the local Hailey store, Vintage Gypsy.

Though you wouldn’t think chandeliers would work in a country-style home, they do. The basic homey flavor of a farmhouse is balanced and bejeweled by a bit of magic and elegance. The chandeliers create a shimmer of style during the day and a glowing ambiance in the evening, especially combined with the collection of candles appearing in almost every room.

Color is another element that has been used imaginatively. “I always start with the rug and build from there,” says Susan, describing the initial inspiration for the interior color design. In this case, the color palette was inspired by the interwoven colors of their Pakistani living room rug from the Davies-Reid Gallery. Rich reds reverberate through the house, along with blues and golds. A coffee table, crafted by Eric Seder from an antique Indonesian headboard, is hand-painted with the same swirling colors. Their friend, local artist Judith Whitmyre, painted a picture in similar hues to hang over the piano.

The most distinctive color here is blue. “I wanted a lot of gray and a little bit of green in the blue. It was an important color. And not that easy to find,” adds Susan. This soft yet rich blue appears on the living room cabinets, sofa and window frames as well as in the kitchen, master bedroom and bath. Rustic reds and golds warm up the blues in the main area of the house. >>>