Designer Profile:
Marvin Dyer Designs
3250 Lexington Road, 896-0663
Business:
Dyer founded his full-time design firm in 2002 as a part-time venture. Since Dyer has no retail shop (he works in a home studio), he handpicks every fabric, furnishing, piece of art and accessory he buys for his clients and is known for his creative use of color in unexpected combinations. Open Monday-Friday by appointment only.Education
Associates Degree., Interior Design, Interior Design Institute (Louisville), 1994Experience:
12 yearsProfessional Appointments:
Instructor, Interior Design Institute, 1994-1999; current president, Louisville Design Community of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID)Project: Revamped Dining Room
The owners of a half-century-old Federal-style home on Alta Vista Road hired Marvin Dyer to redecorate the room to reflect their personal style — glamorous, romantic and oh, so California. The only remnant left of the formerly traditional decor: the stone floor.
"I started by having the walls faux-finished in a vibrant lacquer red. To make the architectural details recede and emphasize the beauty of the furnishings and fabrics, the window muntins, crown molding and trim were faux-finished the same color."
"The unusual bronze-finished French chandelier is made from rock crystal, a crystalline form of quartz that resembles ice cubes. I chose rock crystal, instead of traditional cut-crystal prisms, because it has more presence and the dining room does not get enough natural light to make prisms twinkle."
"For the seating, we started with Fortuny fabric in silvery gold metallic and apricot and selected Regency-style, fully upholstered chairs that would allow us to showcase its beauty."
"The matching crotch mahogany cabinets flanking the front window are Louis XV style with decorative ormolu. Venetian glass Bollicini lamps from Donghia add an unexpected modern twist to the decor."
"The very tall hand-painted porcelain vase in the center of the table is an antique French Gien, circa 1840. It picks up the apricots and golds in the fabrics and furnishings."
"For the window coverings, I chose simple panels made of a chinoiserie-style Delfini fabric woven in Italy for Cowtan & Tout. No valances or sheers were used, so the look is uncluttered. Hanging the panels about a foot above the headers makes the windows seem larger."
