Originally planned as an office, this space is more like a cozy living room. The sofa and chair are reproductions in the Adam style, upholstered in Kravet cotton. Silk drapery fabric by Brunschwig & Fils. Local artist Kimberly Jones-Carroll painted the ceiling.

After her husband died, she was drawn to its location and amenities. "It was in a neighborhood where my husband and I had always lived. I absolutely loved that it was one floor. I loved the size of it and the attached two-car garage."

Her designer's eye, though, was able to perceive something beyond the spanking-new, sterile setting. "I could see that this could be a really fabulous place. The unit itself, I thought, had good bones. It didn't have much icing on the cake, but I figured I could do that. It isn't very often that someone buys a house, closes on it, and then rips it all apart."

Karen Austin saw plenty of potential in her new town home. Behind her in a cabinet is her collection of Rose Medallion china.

Drawing upon her years of professional experience in the fields of antiques and interior design at both Apropos and at Willow Place Antiques, Austin transformed her 2,100-square-foot environment into a personal haven, a backdrop for her collections, and a home office. "My day is very hectic, and I wanted a retreat that was quiet."

Her preferences run to Italian and French as well as English furnishings. "I like combining. That's part of the excitement for me. I really enjoy pulling things together. I enjoy putting grandma's whatever with a current fabric or a current way to display it. I like to mix the new with the old," she says. With the help of local artist Kimberly Jones-Carroll, she has done just that.

Jones-Carroll was an enthusiastic partner in a faux-painting project. The painter's touches are everywhere, beginning with a marbleized entryway and extending into just about every room, and Austin has been thrilled with her work.

The master bedroom carries through Austin's mixing of old with new. An antique commode, used as a side table, is just one example of how she likes to use things in different ways. A settee, though new, evokes a timeworn look with its caning and painted finish.

Left: American and European antiques commingle in the kitchen. The "island" on the left was once used as a lectern in a church in North Carolina. The homeowner enjoys repurposing her acquisitions. Right: Antiques and clustered paintings of bucolic scenes lend Old World appeal to the open living room.

In the kitchen, a lectern from an old church in North Carolina was perfect as a kitchen island. Austin's passion for lions is carried through to the heraldic crest on the range hood — again masterfully painted by Jones-Carroll.

New wood beams accentuate the cathedral ceiling in the living room, giving it an Elizabethan look. A television hides behind a tapestry, which lifts by a pull cord. "This is what I love: you have the TV, but you don't have to have it visible."

Whether the end effect is classic or contemporary, Austin sees home design as a process.

"You need to live in a place to see how the sun comes in to see your light effect, to see these kinds of things that you don't know when you're building. It can't be done lickety-split. You need some time to let it soak in a while."