Issue: Nov/Dec 2000 (Vol. 4, Num. 5), Page: 79-89 

Mentor and student.  Friends.  Partners.  All are words that describe Sherry Stein and Albert Janz, IIDA, and CID.  “Not only was Albert my design teacher in school, but we shared an affinity of taste,” Sherry explains.

Ten years ago they founded Henry Johnstone & Co. in Pasadena.  Although their work for clients spans the design spectrum from very contemporary to traditional, Sherry admits to having a personal affection for the charms of English cottage style.  “About five years ago, Albert and I were working on the Pasadena Showcase House of Design.  I was driving through the neighborhood around it when I saw a two-story brick home with a ‘For Sale’ sign on it.  At the time I lived in a 1950s ranch house, a place I didn’t like very much and almost never invited anyone to visit.  I traded that for an English cottage built in 1927 by Beverly Hills architect Royal Dana.”

Because of the age of the residence, Sherry’s first priority had to be the infrastructure such as plumbing, wiring and air-conditioning.  “Eventually, over nearly two years, I redid every inch of what is here.  I wanted my home to be snug, cozy and enveloping, the opposite of so much Southern California architecture with large window and light-filled rooms.  I get enough sunlight and open spaces driving around Los Angeles.”

What the designer achieved is a haven not only for herself and friends, but for assorted pets: a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Papillon, plus two pampered cats.  “Friends accuse me of taking color swatches to the Humane Society so I can pick out cats who match the upholstery.  It’s a joke, of course, but I do seem to find ones in ‘old gold.’”

Despite all of the upgrades to the house, its architecture was left unchanged.  “We added millwork such as moldings, dados and wainscoting where these elements were appropriate, but we wanted everything to look as if it had always been here.  Some people have been fooled into thinking all I had to do was move in my furniture!”

The living room is a perfect case in point.  Beams, lintels and mullion windows are original elements.  “The oak-leaf and acorn motif above the doorway isn’t.  It repeats patterning that I added in other rooms as well.  The fireplace was black marble with pink veining, obviously a bad idea added at a later time, and one I replaced.  The walls are painted and washed to look like they have been subjected to years of cigar smoke.”

With the frame finished, the picture was filled in.  “When it comes to antiques, I have a lot of historical reference and practical buying experience.  I purchased things to complete the house that look as if they have been collected over time.  I just did the collecting over the years not generations.”

The result is eclectic–the essence of English cottage style–and is embodied in the 13-by-22-foot living room.  “I used two harmonizing Oriental rugs to describe two seating areas in the room.”  Flanking the fireplace are a high-back, high-arm sofa from Mulberry at Lee Jofa, and two inviting chairs.  “The wing chair is my grandmother’s from the 1950s, updated with Lee Jofa tapestry.”  Next to it is a distinctive 19^th century Venetian blackamoor side table topped in marble.  “When I bought it, it was such an extravagance that I put it in the passenger seat of my car and fastened the seat belt around it to bring it home.

“At the other end of the room is an Elijah Slocum club-arm sofa upholstered in chenille, material echoed in the draperies.  “I wanted the draperies to have weight and heaviness to enhance the cozy feeling of the room, so I used Corragio chenille, interlined and backed with Lee Jofa upholstery-weight fabric that shows from the street.  Talk about heavy!  The man who hung them said he felt like he was balancing a sofa on each end of the curtain rod.”

To the side of the room is a vignette that summarizes the designer and her style.  An antique Flemish painting of a lady, with three small landscapes beside it, shares the space with a reproduction William and Mary table, side chair in toile and small chair with carved wood frame upholstered in leopard print.  “I love to add surpises to interiors.  People come into the living room, get comfortable, then look around and spot something like a painted Victorian tray where they didn’t expect it. 

Or in my library there is an entertainment center the Albert and I designed with a sense of humor.  Topped with a Greek pediment and enclosed with red velvet curtains, the unit makes guest think it is the stage for puppet shows.  All it does is hide the television.”

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