Interior designer and Swampscott resident Anita Clark.
Local designer embraces traditional patterns for timeless elegance
By MEAGHAN CASEY
Gingham may be fashion’s go-to print for spring for designers like Prada, House of Holland, Dolce & Gabbana and Carolina Herrera, but it’s a fabric that interior designer Anita Clark has embraced for years.
“I don’t believe in trendy design,” said Clark. “I believe in styles that are classic and timeless. I want your home to look as beautiful 10 or 20 years from now as it does today.”
For this project — for a young family who bought a newly-constructed home between Eisman’s and Phillips beaches — Clark took a blank canvas and transformed it into a warm, fully decorated seaside home with a calming color palette.
In the family room, she chose a “Sonoma Check” print in cornflower on a gorgeous wing chair and ottoman, and in the master bedroom, the grey “Jota Check” turns the upholstered bed and headboard into a statement piece.
Troughout the 3,600-square-foot home, Clark incorporated antique pieces, such as lamps from C’est la Vie Home & Garden in Marblehead, a sideboard table circa 1860 from Cupboard & Roses in Sheffield, an Oushak rug from Landry & Acari in Salem and reupholstered French arm chairs. She also expertly mixed in reproduction pieces, decorative lighting and sea-inspired artwork and accessories.
She completed the work between 2009 and 2011, proving that
timeless designs truly can resonate nearly a decade later.
Clark, a native Texan, moved to Massachusetts 30 years ago to pursue a career in hospitality design, met her husband and embraced life as a New Englander, eventually opening her own design firm in 1993.
Located on Loring Avenue in Salem, Anita Clark Design offers a full range of interior and architectural design services and project management. Clark approaches each project by focusing on the interior architecture of the home.
“It’s a very personal experience,” says Clark, adding that most of her clients become friends during the process.
Like many of her clients, Clark lives in Swampscott and finds inspiration in her natural surroundings.
“I love being by the water,” said Clark, who cherishes living in this seaside community.
“This is our life now, and I found it to be a very welcoming place.”
Photos: Michael Lee/courtesy of Anita Clark Design