Designer Profile: Ron Robinson
President, Robinson Morrow Associates
1355 Bardstown Road, 500-6399
Business: Robinson started Washington, D.C.-based Robinson Morrow Associates in the 1990s, then opened a Louisville branch three years ago upon returning to his home state. Robinson believes in using only top industry craftsmen, from drapery workrooms and cabinetmakers to faux painters and upholsterers, to implement his unique designs.
Education: B.A., Interior Design, University of Kentucky, 1988
Experience: 18 years
Awards: 2006 Bellarmine University Women’s Council Designers’ Show House
Project: Nursery
How do you decorate a nursery for a client who adores chic and abhors cute? Robinson’s solution: create a calming, spa-like effect with a sophisticated off-white, beige and black palette. The /files/storyimages/result is not your typical nursery.
"To add a playful quality to the room, I had the walls painted in large squares using three different shades of beige: Porter White Wheat, Indian Ivory and Sea Sand."
"Black bamboo shades from Spindletop Draperies add casual, subtle texture to the windows, while full-length, black silk drapes embroidered with beige circles add dramatic dressy punch. The drapes can be closed completely to darken the nursery at nap time."
"A Japanese lantern-like, sculpted paper light fixture adds a tranquil, modern touch to the tableau."
"The furnishings are a nice balance of antique and transitional. Antique-looking pieces include the occasional pedestal table, the faux-finished chest of drawers now being used as a changing table, and the carved mirror from Red Tree that hangs above it. On the transitional side are the cozy, off-white glider, the glossy black iron crib and the white wall-hung book rack."
"The rug is actually a two-toned frieze carpet, which I had cut and bound. Frieze is a wonderful choice for children’s rooms, especially in lighter colors, because it’s easy to clean and can withstand abuse without showing wear-and-tear."
"Three original paintings of whimsically dressed bunnies on black backgrounds add a soupcon of color without spoiling the room’s soothing neutral color scheme."