Photography By Donovan Roberts Witmer
Seven years ago, designer David Lyall downsized from his modern “dream home” in the country to a smaller city row home in downtown Lancaster’s Old Town, where about 60 homes were redeveloped in the 80’s around an old brick cul de sac. The move suited his lifestyle, and the space suits his eye for style.
What sealed the deal on buying the house, he says, was the courtyard. A circular brick pattern nestled in between the neighboring houses and his garage (which are like gold in the city) offers just enough green space to enjoy gardening and entertaining. Before, at his woodland property, he felt like a slave to the landscaping. “Back here, I can still get my hands dirty, but [I] have a life.” An evergreen trained to grow along the wall offers a creative solution to space, while a Weeping Blue Atlas cedar lends to the intimate urban feeling, offering color and privacy through the winter. A graphic black and white umbrella adds a chic pop of pattern.
From the inside out, a neutral palette of black, white and browns with touches of natural shades of green and orange dominate this dwelling designed to the nines. “I love color, and I use it in people’s homes,” says Lyall, “But doing neutrals the right way is even harder than doing color; it’s more difficult to make neutral interesting.”
Textures from wood and tile to linen and a velvety sofa all work together.
He even uses animal print as a neutral–from leopard carpeting to zebra floor-length curtains. “Friends say, ‘Isn’t that feminine?’” But, Lyall says, “It’s quite the opposite when you think of hunting and safaris; it’s very masculine.”
Textures from wood and tile to linen and a velvety sofa all work together. Artwork covers almost every inch of wall space, adding interest around every corner: from hand colored antique insect and reptile drawings and paintings of horses and hunting dogs that feel very “Ralph Lauren” minus all the plaid, to exotic (but not endangered) insects in shadowboxes (like a Peruvian grasshopper with a 6-inch wing span). He found the antique insect and reptile drawings at a flea market in New York City and bought the whole lot. “I hate snakes, but I don’t even see [the artwork] as snakes; I see them for the beautiful form. A grouping of the insects behind his gray tufted sofa adds an ever so slight green and orange hint of color to the neutral sitting space. The exotic insect shadowboxes are from his store, Buck Home Furnishings (www.BuckHomeFurnishings.com). There’s a “walking stick” and tarantula too. “To me, it’s just fascinating that bugs like this exist in the
world.” Another collection, Lyall’s paperweights, which he’s been collecting since he was about 18, is partially displayed on a faux sharkskin sideboard, also from his store. “I’m like a raccoon; I like anything shiny,” he jokes about his collection.
Lyall bought his family’s business, Buck Home Furnishings, which was started in 1979, nine years ago. He went to the Philadelphia Art Institute, but his talent for design was also honed by growing up in the business.
The latest renovation to the 1897 home on the National Registry of Historic Places is the kitchen. The unique fireplace, original to the home, is the star of the space. Cabinets (and walls throughout the first floor) are all painted in Lyall’s “new go-to color, Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter.” He explains, “It has this
modern, fresh feel to it. It really makes the art scream.” Lyall adds, “Neutrals are moving away from yellow undertones [like beige].” One of the upcoming trends in kitchen cabinetry, his new gray cabinets are neutral yet interestingly different. Eileen Riddle of Kitchens by Eileen (www.KitchensByEileen.com) collaborated with Lyall to come up with a contemporary solution to the outdated cathedral style cherry cabinets, some of which were repurposed with new doors. Joe Kieley of Unwind
Design (www.UnwindDesign.com) added custom designed cabinet feet and also did all of the home's A/V work. He incorporates other big trends such as a bronzed fixture with exposed Edison bulb filaments, as well as mixed comfortable seating including a vintage wicker settee. Galebach’s Floor Refinishing (www.GalebachFloorRefinishing.com) refinished the original wood floors after tearing up outdated terra cotta tile. “They specialize in old homes and were meticulous,” Lyall says. Absolute black granite counters add sleek shine, while a white subway tile backsplash completes the kitchen’s modern yet timeless update. Both were done by Natural Stoneworks (www.NaturalStoneworks.com).
While the space may be smaller and not suited for large sit-down dinners, Lyall says that now he either goes out to dinner downtown with friends
and comes back for a nightcap or entertains differently. “The other house was larger and everyone gathered in the kitchen,” he says, but he didn’t use most of the space. “If I do have dinner parties here, I just do things that are smaller.” But he can still fit 30 to 40 people between the two sitting rooms and outdoor patio.
In addition, the basement hosts a lounge area and bar. There's a tiny first floor powder room where the kitchen stove was in the original home. Upstairs (one set of stairs is actually an old fire escape), David turned one room into a walk-in-closet to covet, and another sitting space just off his bedroom functions as his favorite place to relax and unwind and is where
the only TV in the house resides, nestled among antiques and tchotchkes. There’s a full bath there that features octagonal terra cotta tile Lyall left because the unique shape reminds him of France, where he saw it used everywhere. Another floor up is his home office, quietly perched above Lancaster city. “I do a lot of work from home.”
“I really use this house. I use every square inch, which I kind of like.”
