Room of the Week: Harmony Weihs, Design Harmony

Category: Library

Design: Harmony Weihs, Design Harmony [Click HERE to see her own kitchen in the April/May issue of GRAY].

Location: Redmond, WA

Goal: A Canadian couple purchased this house in Redmond, Washington, with the idea that it would be their permanent home for the rest of their lives. A small corner niche in the living room was originally planned as a dining area, but during the design process, interior designer Harmony Weihs suggested the couple use it as an organized area to display their extensive collection of books and LPs.

Inspiration: The wife, who is a music teacher, is an avid reader, and the husband has a full LP collection and a standup bass. The couple is passionate about literature and music, eschewing digital content for “the real thing.”

Breakdown: “I wanted the color to come from the bookshelves,” says Weihs, explaining why she opted to paint the surrounding walls a neutral tan. “The clients wanted the bookshelves stained, to reveal the grain of the wood. It turned out to be stunning—more interesting than if we used semi-gloss lacquer paint. I wanted color, but not too bright, so I picked a dusty blue so the book colors would pop off it rather than compete.” Closed storage near the floor keeps the shelves from feeling too busy.

Rather than being confined to a stand, the prized bass gets pride of place in its own dedicated area in the shelving unit, easily accessible and as beautifully displayed as any art piece.

The custom shelving was designed by Weihs and fabricated by Cabinet Connection, based in Puyallup, Washington. The Dervish 3-light Pendant is from Eurofase Lighting; the custom round table, fabricated by Strand Woodworks, was designed by Weihs in collaboration with her clients.

Get the Look: “To me, it’s always a balance of having some exposed storage and some closed,” Weihs says. “If you have too much of either it can feel too busy or too dark and closed-off. Group like things, and be thoughtful of what you put on exposed shelves so it feels balanced.”

Images courtesy of Cory Holland.