The Upbeat and Stylish Home of Ruthie Sommers

Ruthie Sommers is one of those rare talents of the decorating world:  Upbeat, chic yet unpretentious -- she is the anti-stuffy neotraditionalist.  Ruthie (please forgive me if refer to you by your first name) is one of my favorite decorators, not only for her bright and whimsical style, but also for her unpretentious attitude to decorating and respect for her clients.  She treats her clients like friends, adheres to a budget, and doesn't take her self too seriously.  A girl after my own heart!  Her bio states:

My car is filled with fabric samples, old coffee cups and crumbled up paint chips.  My office is not the beautiful neat organized office you may see on the pages of a magazine. The glossy white walls and perfectly p-touched folders are an illusion. I am proud of the homes I have decorated. I think they look wonderful on my website. But people live in them and there are stains on the ottoman and the peonies only make it to the mantel for the photo shoots and parties. I feel my success comes from something one can not photograph. The most fun I have aside designing sassy bars and cute powder rooms, is creating livable rooms and becoming part of someone’s family. I watch their purse carefully and in return I gain trust.  And a great house is the outcome. 

She calls her self "just a decorator",

 Big staff, great store or small garage office.. I have not changed. I have realized that my goal is not do so many things in this industry that I forget to decorate. I still schlep lampshades in my car and the highlight of my day is going downtown to check on carpentry in a old warehouse. Glamorous this job is not. However, I live and breathe to have a relationship with a home and the people that live in it. My goal is not have people remark at parties that Ruthie designed the most amazing aubergine lacquered room. But it is to hear that they were treated carefully, honestly and creatively. 

I think she is one of the great decorating talents of my generation -- with the best work yet to come (although it is hard to top her extensive body of work).  Here is a look inside her California home courtesy of House Beautiful and Lonny Magazine and it is interesting the way different lighting exposures affect the look of the rooms and the different ways that Lonny and House Beautiful have presented the rooms... I think different lighting can drastically impact the appearance of a room (with the exception of the red library photo below which I think was deliberately altered for dramatic effect), but there is quite the contrast between the two photo shoots of the entranceway (which is stunning no matter which way you slice it!).

Cheers! And it is good to be back after 9 long days without power....