Julia's collection of tall candlesticks, many of which she repurposed from other objects such as planters and even a Chinese fireworks launcher, loom over the mid-century mirrored Italian coffee table as organically as a forest to create a one-of-a-kind focal point in the living room's conversation area. At the left, a metal gate with a distinctly Moorish feel leads to the dining room. To the right, the living room opens onto the paneled library. The living room sofa and armchairs are circa-1850 Swedish. "My taste leans to European country with a touch of funk," Julia explains.

After buying the house, Julia promptly repurposed its rooms, turning the original sunroom with its funky Moroccan-style gate and fountain into her family's dining room, and the original porch into a sunroom. The "new" sunroom is invested with all the elements that make Julia's personal style buzz with energy-a mix of a Romanian wedding trunk repurposed as a coffee table, a 1960s-vintage outdoor sofa commandeered for use indoors, and an old olive jar that stands by the door as sculpture.