Designer Snapshot: Playing Tag

By Paula M. Bodah

Julianne Stirling knows everybody loves a bargain. The Fairfield, Connecticut, designer also knows that no one wants to sacrifice style and quality, either.

Julianne, who designed one of the beautiful houses featured in the fall 2011 edition of New England Home’s Connecticut, wants to share a not-so-secret weapon for getting fabulous home furnishings for a song: the ASID Connecticut Tag Sale, being held at Christ Church in Greenwich, Connecticut, this Saturday, October 29.

“Mostly you go to a tag sale and you pick around a lot of junk,†Julianne says. “Here we’ll have high-end things at prices you’d never guess.†Many pieces are new–from showrooms or from designers who bought pieces that for one reason or another never got used in a decorating project. Others, like some of the things Julianne contributed, are gently used. “There’s nothing scrappy here,†the designer says.

“I did a house for a client that was on the cover of Renovation Style,†she says. “It was a real jewel of a house; we did the best of everything.†When the homeowner decided to downsize, she left some of her furniture and accessories behind, and now lucky buyers can find them at the tag sale. The tag sale is a fundraiser for ASID Connecticut. “It’s a win-win–for ASID and for shoppers,†Julianne says.

Here’s a sneak preview of some of the items Julianne has contributed.

This Otley mirror from Dessin Fournir, 36 inches in diameter, is made with mahogany and rosewood veneer and trimmed with antiqued 22-karat gold leaf.

Photo courtesy of Dessin Fournir Collections

A queen-sized Michael Taylor bed from Italy.

Photo courtesy of Michael Taylor Designs

A queen-size bed from the Elysee Collection. The one at the tag sale comes with a custom silk canopy and matching bed skirt.

Photo courtesy of Elysee Collection

Julianne contributed a version of this Louis XVI armchair from Dessin Fournir. This one shows an antique silver-leaf finish; the one at the tag sale has an antiqued gold finish.

Photo courtesy of Dessin Fournir Collections