SPOTLIGHT
Reflections
of a Client
Edward R. Stough Inc., Stevenson MD
by Kathleen Stoehr
Since 1976,
Edward R. Stough, ASID, Edward R. Stough Inc., Stevenson, MD, has
been deeply involved in creating beautiful, livable residential
interiors. And after so many years, when asked what type of client
he considers a “dream” client, he says happily, “all
my clients are ‘dream’ clients.” This truly illustrates
that Stough genuinely understands what it takes to make his clients
happy (perhaps his minor in psychology helps!), which in turn, makes
his job easy and fulfilling.
It has been a busy life for Stough, who has received the highest
ASID Chapter award bestowed by the Society, the Medalist Award.
It is conferred upon those professional members in accordance with
guidelines adopted by the Board of Directors, and honors outstanding
and significant service to their Chapter and profession, as well
as contributions and participation with the Chapter and the profession.
Mainly involved in residential design (although he recently completed
several major commercial jobs), his installations can be seen principally
in Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; New York City; Southhampton; some
of Florida’s toniest cities; and the U.S. Virgin Islands. And
if you’re lucky, you may also have caught him on HGTV, where
he has appeared several times on a variety of programs, including
“Kitchens” and “Bed & Bath Design.”
‘I KNEW IT WOULD WORK’
His design challenge for this two-story Baltimore, family room was
to “warm it up.” It was very cold, tall and unwelcoming
with exposed windows from floor to ceiling, broken up by a large
expanse of wallboard midway in between. Using about 100 yards of
vertical and horizontal stripe, he first created tailored cornice
boards with braided accent trim from Robert Allen to anchor his
creation, then covered the wallboard with a shirred, vertical stripe
from Stout to soften and unify the area. Horizontally striped draperies
with 54-inch fabric from Robert Allen are the focal point, cascading
from ceiling to a puddle on the floor.
“It was a really easy job,” Stough admitted. “This
is the only fabric I showed them. I didn’t offer any choices.
I knew it would work, they loved it and we went for it.” Perhaps
it also helped that the two gentlemen who owned this lush home were
repeat clients, already comfortable with Stough’s impeccable
design sense.
Using existing furniture the gentlemen had from a previous home
and adding new items such as a pair of chairs, a pair of chests,
artwork and some lamps, a once cold family room has become a perfect
oasis for restful relaxation.
Kathleen Stoehr is president of Chemistry Creative, based in
Minneapolis, MN. She has more than nine years' experience covering
trends, window treatments and interior fashions, and is a former
editor-in-chief of Window Fashions magazine. Stoehr can be contacted
for comments, queries and trend information at kstoehr@chemistry
creative.com.
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