Pittsburgh Loft Living Gets a Jolt of Artful Eclectic Style
Pittsburgh native Stacy Weiss, proprietor retailer Weisshouse, had just sold her renovated home when she stumbled upon a converted attic space in the ultrahip area of Shadyside. “I was looking for a rental while attempting to find something new to renovate,” she explains. This open area with tall ceilings and whitewashed bricks checked off everything on her wish list and enabled her to carry over everything out of her previous home.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Stacy Weiss
Location: Shadyside area of Pittsburgh
Size: 1,500 square feet; two bedrooms, 2 baths
Adrienne DeRosa
The feature wall in the living area sets the tone to the flat.
Weiss took advantage of the huge empty wall by producing a gallery display of artwork. Spanning the variety of styles and origins, the pieces are hung asymmetrically, giving a natural feel. While the notion of fitting all her artwork was initially daunting, this is currently Weiss’ favorite spot in her property. “I somehow managed to fit it and actually add to it from time to time,” she says.
Sofa: Charles Series, B&B Italia
Adrienne DeRosa
Oversize accessories, such as this aptly named Grande Hand Bowl from Global Views, suit the expansive quantity of the attic, while soft green botanicals ground the coffee table arrangement.
Adrienne DeRosa
An intimate dining area is just off the living room. Even though Weiss has many favorite places where she shops for her home, she gains from firsthand exposure to amazing finds. The classic Dakota Jackson dining seats were initially purchased for the store, but she loved them , she chose to keep them. Its wood-and-rod composition complements the form of the Eero Saarinen Tulip Table.
Adrienne DeRosa
Even though a common challenge of attic dwelling is producing an inviting environment, Weiss fulfilled this obstacle head on. “You must put lots of pieces in place so it doesn’t appear chilly,” she says.
Rather than working with a wish list of items and furnishings, Weiss takes a more emotive approach to picking what she brings home. By loving every bit she buys and then finding a place for it, she has created a relaxed environment where just about everything has a story.
For instance, Weiss’ parents bought the leather chair and ottoman from the’70s. “I was young, and I thought it was so awful,” Weiss shares. “Eventually I fell in love with it” She inherited the set about a decade back and still has not lost appreciation for it.
Adrienne DeRosa
An enthusiastic collector, Weiss displays items in classes frequently unified by a common topic, like female characters.
Adrienne DeRosa
By producing areas inside an open plan, Weiss made the most of the 1,500 square feet. A classic Turkish rug defines the seating area and produces a comfortable spot where she can relax or entertain. The set of self portraits with an artist named Liptiez, painted within a 20-year span, creates a contemplative backdrop.
Lamp: Noguchi Akari Floor Lamp, Weisshouse; armchairs: B&B Italia, Weisshouse
Adrienne DeRosa
Industrial meets classic from the guest bedroom with this Speedrail mattress from Area.
Maintaining consistency with the remainder of the attic, Weiss attracts the walls to life with lively and compelling artwork. The large scale paintings balance the room’s proportions and create movement among the furnishings.
Adrienne DeRosa
A fantastic feature to the attic is a wall breaking the guest room from the main living room. Being open round the top means that organic light from the living area pours over the wall to the otherwise living room.
Much of Weiss’ art set comes from musicians she knows or has worked with, and oftentimes they are represented in Weisshouse. The large-format photo shown here, by Chris Karavaugh, is a purchase from the local Mendelson Gallery. The scale of the piece stands up to the spacious quantity, while tailored black armchairs and a classic Karabagh rug round out the region.
Armchairs: Rietveld Chairs, Cassina
Adrienne DeRosa
In the master bedroom, Weiss strikes a balance between serenity and eye-popping colour.
Much like the remaining furnishings across the attic, Weiss transported these pieces over from her previous house and regrouped themletting their arrangement be ordered from the new area. “At this stage I am not actually searching for anything [new] specifically,” she says. “When I respond to something, I usually wind up keeping it indefinitely.”
Bed: habit by Cisco Brothers, Weisshouse; oversize poster: Ross Vintage Posters
Adrienne DeRosa
A bedside table from the master bedroom is adorned with hyacinth clippings in antique chemist bottles. These tiny natural details interrupts the geometry of the classic mod lamp and donate to the room’s feminine allure.
Adrienne DeRosa
A sculptural apparel form made by Weiss’ ex-husband, artist Karl Mullen, marks the passing in the dressing area. Weiss also represents Mullen in Weisshouse and holds a lot of his paintings in her personal collection.
Though the dressing area is out of the path of natural light, it doesn’t lack brightness. Cadmium yellow accents echo from elsewhere in the bedroom, lightening the nook and tying it in with the remainder of the area.
Adrienne DeRosa
This classic Broyhill desk functions as a dressing table outside the master tub. Weiss discovered the chair at Tri-State Antiques, among the favorite resources for unique products.
Lamp: Nautical Lights, Go Home
Adrienne DeRosa
A doll provides an otherwise formal wingback chair a lively disposition. “Her title is Funny,” Weiss says. She’s an exact replica of a doll which Weiss carried as a young kid. “I slept with the original into my teens till she awakens. My parents found this one in a flea market about 15 decades back,” she says. Although Funny came with a relatively large price tag, Weiss’ mother convinced her father to purchase it anyhow. Weiss says, laughing,”She twisted his arm I believe literally!”
In addition to providing the white chair a punch of colour, Funny imbues the area with a private connection which goes beyond cautious choice. Reinforcing the sentimental connection is a precious crocheted throw, knitted for Weiss with her daughter.
Wingback chair: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
Adrienne DeRosa
Clean lines and white slipcovered seating allow colorful accessories to take visual priority in this bedroom seating area.
Following a friend’s proposal, Weiss utilizes a painter’s easel as a TV stand. This not only makes a statement, but it also allows the tv to be placed just about anywhere.
Adrienne DeRosa
Sunlight washes across the space via a huge bank of windows. The combination of furnishings offers the tranquility of a living space but with solitude that just a bedroom can offer.
Bringing this corner of the room together is a one-of-a-kind rug by Pittsburgh artist Virgil Cantini. Both a painter and a sculptor, Cantini had traveled to Ecuador in 1969 to design an assortment of rugs and also have them woven. Weiss purchased this one, in addition to some of his artwork, from his estate market.
Slipcovered chair and couch: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
Adrienne DeRosa
Showing an elegant layering of textures, white coral is displayed in addition to a Chinese antique table. Similar tables are offered through Weisshouse; each slice is a handmade original.
Adrienne DeRosa
Stacy Weiss takes a seat on her favorite spot in the attic. She says of her fashion,”I have been fairly consistent over time, but my eye has changed.” She credits the designers she works together:”We are always on the lookout for new ideas. It is a very creative environment — it leaves my creative juices”
Weiss acquired her layout start working for her family’s business selling blinds. While the business then was primarily involved with rugs and window treatments, she has spent the past 30 years enlarging the range of it as a destination for new and classic high-end furnishings, kitchens and sustainably sourced flooring materials.
Now two decades later, her carefully curated attic is evidence that there are times when bringing your work home definitely has its advantages.
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