At the same time, the Pietros
installed track lighting in the
hall and living room to add a
soft warmth, to visually break up
the expansive ceilings, and to
highlight their art collection. Two
new decorative walnut soffits on
the ceiling – one in the entryway
nook and one where the bedroom
hallways meet the living spaces –
add an inviting, lived-in texture to
the mostly white space.
The art collection turns a
transitional hallway space into a
place to linger and look. Several
of the paintings are Kate’s; some
date from her college days as an
art major, and some date from
just the last few years, when Kate
resumed art classes in retirement.
Two others, by artist Carol
Summers, were a serendipitous
discovery. While puttering around
Kate’s hometown of Sylvania,
Ohio, the Pietros discovered that
the drugstore and soda fountain
where Kate had worked as a
teenager had been turned into an
art gallery. There, they discovered
Summers’ work and took home
two paintings – and a fun
anecdote about their provenance.
38 SUMMER 2022 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
/WWW.SHAKER.LIFE