The Times

12 TIMES/GUIDE Weekend of November 6/7, 1976

Designer lives in her own dream world

By DOROTHY STEIN Correspondent As a child Shelley Greenberg claims she used to while away hours "dreaming up beautiful rooms." Years later, having acquired a degree in Sociology, Barry Greenberg, two children and her own home in the Sunset Park area, Shelley decided she wanted to "dream up beautiful rooms" for a living. Now an active interior decorator, Shelley has her own philosophies and approach to decorating. "I view a room as a painting, in terms of composition, design and color," she said, "and I try to educate my clients, to develop their visual awareness at all times." Shelley's major emphasis as a professional is reflected in her own home, in a style which is known throughout architectural and artistic circles as the "Bauhaus" look in design — a pure, totally contemporary look, devoid of excessive ornamentation. She uses natural materials wherever possible, and avoids overburdening a room with furniture, on the theory that "Jess is sometimes more." She also believes that every room should have a focal point, and where none exists, one must be created through the use of strong accent colors. The focal point of the Greenbergs' livingroom is an eight-by-six-foot abstract oil, which was painted by Shelley's sister-in-law, a local artist. 'The mood of the Greenbergs' living room is one of understated elegance. Although the room is very spacious. A cocoa velvet sofa and love seat, and two Marcel Breuer "Wassily" chairs — sleek, tubular chrome and leather constructions which are on permanent exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art — form a seating cluster around a slightly ornate Florentine gold and glass coffee table, a remnant from a former livingroom. ("I don't believe in throwing everything the times/guide visits ... shelley greenberg Two white Parsons tables on either side of the sofa complete the furniture for that side of the room. The opposite wall is almost completely covered by a modular wall system, white lacquer on wood, with narrow chrome dividers. This versatile unit can be changed around, added onto, or broken up into smaller units to fit different space, the unit serves a function other than just a place to display the family's books and objets d'art. Except for a single chrome lamp next to the sofa, the room's entire lighting consists of overhead track lights, and the indirect lights which are incorporated into the wall system. The livingroom, originally L-shaped, had let onto the dining area, which Shelley decided to close off, as well as the pass-through from the dining area to the kitchen, to create a formal dining room. This room is starkly simple and thoroughly sophisticated. The walls, which Shelley designed as a "wood graphic," are completely covered in natural cypress planks, meeting at an angle about two-thirds of the way up. No paintings or other decoration distract the eye, as she believes "wood should speak for itself." out and starting from scratch," Shelly explains. "I prefer to work with what people already have, as long as it's good.") The only furniture in the room are an 80"x42" steel and tinted glass table, flanked by six Marcel Breuer "Cesca" chairs, beautiful cane constructions which seem to "float" on artfully balanced tubular chrome bases. Unable to find a light fixture that was "just right"' for the room, Shelly opted for subtle recessed lighting above the table. The house originally had a narrow screened porch off of the dining room, which was rarely used. They removed the screens and pushed back the glass doors, thereby creating space for their less "formal" meals, and a place for children Craig and Blythe to do their "busy work."

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