Taylor Spellman in a condominium in Glastonbury, Connecticut, that she decorated. (Photo: Mark Mirko, Hartford Courant)

How to Add Style to a Bachelor Pad

Wethersfield, Connecticut, native Taylor Spellman jokingly brags that she has it all when it comes to her relationships with men.

“Within 24 hours, I have his phone number, credit card and a key to his apartment,” she says, grinning.

Welcome to the world of interior design — ­bachelor-pad style.

Spellman is the founder and president of August Black, an interior-design company based in New York City that specializes in bachelor-pad makeovers.

“Most guys’ places are a combination of mismatched furniture, usually a leather couch and a very big television,” says Spellman, 25. “And it doesn’t necessarily have to do with their job or how much money they have. I had one client who was very wealthy. I walked into his place, and there were dirty clothes in his sink and his shower. His coffee table was a cardboard box.”

Featured in a recent Forbes magazine article on entrepreneurs who are successful despite the bad economy, Spellman says that part of her business style includes how she handles her male clients.

“I don’t lecture them, no matter how sloppy they are or what the place looks like, because they are the ones paying me,” says Spellman, who attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and Wethersfield High School and graduated from Fordham University.

“And every guy likes blue and wants it in his house. I let them have blue if they insist but gradually work them into other colors as well.”

Case in point: When Dan Zacchei, a former Wethersfield resident who now lives and works in New York City, and his roommates wanted an apartment makeover, they turned to Spellman. Her mission: to transform their frat-house living room into something that said “city sophisticated.” She did it using navy, beige and brown.

“You really don’t care what your place looks like when you are just out of college,” Zacchei says. “We were pretty happy with a place that had a couch and a television.”

After agreeing that it was time to fix things up a bit, they chipped in and hired Spellman to make it affordably stylish.

Hardwood floors were bared, giving the place a warmer look, and the walls were painted, including one accent wall in navy. Bamboo window blinds were hung, and hardwood and glass accent tables added. A brown area rug over the hardwood floors added more warmth.

“She repurposed a lot, so other than any furniture we decided to buy, the redo cost us only about $1,000,” Zacchei says.

Spellman has done makeovers for as much as $50,000 — her fee starts at $50 an hour.

“She added one big piece of artwork of Union Square for the wall, and bar stools to a bar area between our kitchen and living room, making it look better and adding seating when we have parties,” Zacchei says. “She connected everything together and made it feel a lot nicer. Before, we would have girls come in and say, ‘You have a nice place.’ Now they say, ‘Wow, you have great taste.’ ”

Spellman is well aware of the state of the economy and has slashed her consulting fees in half. Her shopping habits, including perusing discount outlets and flea markets to find affordable furniture, accessories and lighting, help keep clients’ costs down.

“It doesn’t have to cost a lot to look good,” she says. “Sometimes my clients have a lot of good furniture or accessories already in their homes. They just need someone to straighten it all out.”

Not all of her clients want people to know they have used a designer, such as the owner of a condominium in Glastonbury, Connecticut, she recently refurbished. “I think he tells people he did it all,” Spellman says, laughing.

In his living room, the 50-inch flat screen TV posed the biggest design challenge.

“I would have liked to get an entertainment unit with doors to hide the TV, but he wanted it to show,” she says. “He also had a black leather couch and a black and beige rug that he wanted to stay. It’s not a rug I would have used.”

Walls were kept a neutral color, and an open entertainment unit was added to surround the wall-hung television. Furniture was pulled away from the walls, with the couch floating in the center to delineate the dining area from the living room. Three pieces of contemporary art that provide bursts of bright color to the neutral room were hung. An assortment of throw pillows in metallic fabrics for the couch add even more color. The space is sleek, contemporary and very masculine.

“Men are very black and white when it comes to decorating. They want to see two, maybe three choices; they make their decision fast,” Spellman says. “Women want lots of choices, will take longer to make a design decision and will talk to you more about what it is they want.”

Advertising her business as a “male-friendly solution to the problem of a subpar apartment,” Spellman says her work is her passion and a joy.

“I think making your home look better is recession-proof,” she says. “Even in times like this, especially in times of economic turmoil, your home is your haven. Your home, and how it looks and feels, is that much more important.”


The Hartford Courant