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Design Consult: Updated Traditional Living Room

April 29, 2009 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 11 Comments

Remember that Gnarly Giveaway from awhile back? The one where Stephanie B. won a custom design plan for the room of her choosing? Well, I’m super excited to show you the design plan for Stephanie’s fab new living room!!

Stephanie and her new hubby just moved into their home a little over a month ago, and Stephanie is itching to transform their living room into a casual space that is perfect place for this duo to either entertain or just kick back and watch a little TV. Here’s a quick peek at the “before” of Stephanie’s living room:

As you can see, there’s tons of great features to work with in this room. Gorgeous hardwoods, oodles of space (12 x 18!) and a big, beautiful window provide the perfect foundation for a top-to-bottom transformation. Keeping their budget and preference for traditional-yet-streamlined furnishings in mind, I created this cozy and casual oasis for our newlywed pair and their friends:

Since Stephanie and her hubby love calming tones in blues and greens, the jumping off point for this design plan is a pale, blue-grey wall color like Glidden’s Stargazer (available at Home Depot). The light wall color will instantly brighten the room, making up for a lack of overhead lighting. Complemented by clean-lined furnishings in deep chocolate wood tones, this custom plan is sure to provide Stephanie with the living room she’s been longing for. Here’s how it all breaks down:

Furniture. Stephanie was open to a slew of new furniture, but she wanted to make sure that any new pieces would last her and her hubby a good long while. Here’s the 411 on the snazzy (yet sturdy) pieces that make up her new living room.

Sofa. Stephanie has two great options for her comfy leather sectional. Simply removing a few sections to create a 3-seater sofa and adding a neutral beige slipcover like this will instantly (and cheaply) update the sectional and allow it to fit right into Stephanie’s new space. On the other hand, Stephanie could replace the sectional altogether with this gorgeous sofa in an easy-to-care-for microfiber. With rolled arms and sleek wooden legs, this sofa is the perfect combo of hip and traditional – and at under $500, it’s an absolute steal. Whether Stephanie chooses to slipcover her existing sectional or replace it with a new sofa, this piece will look amazing centered in front of the big window about 6 inches out from the wall (and radiator).
Side Tables. Stephanie and her hubby want to embrace modern decor, but their hearts still lie with traditional furnishings. Although they’re torn between two design styles, they don’t have to choose – these side tables have the clean lines of modern design but are constructed out of dark wood, a hallmark of traditional style. Flanking either side of the sofa, these side tables will ensure that a drink, book or remote is never out of arm’s reach. And the shelving underneath provides a great place for baskets like these that can be used to store magazines, Stephanie’s knitting supplies, or anything else the couple might want nearby.
Coffee Table. Stephanie is not a big fan if their current coffee table, a slate-covered piece her husband bought awhile back. This switcheroo is a no-brainer – the coffee table has a sturdy surface that the couple’s guests can feel free to put their feet on, and the slatted shelf underneath the table top gives Stephanie great additional storage.
Media Cabinet. Stephanie and her husband are planning on buying a flat screen TV later this year, which will look dynamite on this chocolate media cabinet. The glass-front cabinets are perfect for storing DVDs, and the center console is just the right size for a DVR or cable box. The long wall across from the sofa and the window is the ideal place for the media cabinet, giving the couple a perfect view of the TV.
Console Table. Stephanie already owns a great console table that she currently uses as a mail center – as it is in a natural location near the stairs, the console table’s going to stay where it is. It’s deep wood-tones complement the furniture that’s being added to the space, so it will fit right in with all of the new goodies.
Slipcovered Chairs. Since this room is used both for lounging and entertaining, extra seating is a must. These chairs, slipcovered in bright white, will be awesome placed on an angle on either side of the media cabinet. The rounded back and arms are cozy and inviting, and the slipcovers couldn’t be easier to clean. The bright white of these chairs will really pop against the pale blue walls and contrast nicely against the dark wood tones of the media cabinet.

Here’s a quick look at the updated layout of Stephanie’s living room:

Rug. Stephanie was dying for a rug, and this 8 x 10 stunner is an ideal complement to the new design of Stephanie’s living room. This whimsical beauty is reminiscent of traditional floral patterns but is updated with a bold, graphic design – perfect for this young couple. The grey-blue tones in the pattern will play off of the new wall color, while the amber and bronze tones will look amazing with the honey-colored floors and chocolate wooden furniture.

Lighting. This room has no overhead lighting and very little natural light, so lighting plays a big part in this design plan. Stephanie’s existing silver floor lamp with the beige shade will go behind the slipcovered chair by the fireplace, creating a cozy reading nook. These unique, glass bubble lamps will give the room a hint of shine, and will look perfect on top of the new side tables. I’m in love with this hammered silver lamp, which will brighten up the mail center by the stairs – like the glass bubble lamps, this silver lamp will sparkle oh-so-nicely. Finally, this awesome star light is a fun, quirky addition to the room, and will add a touch of interest on top of the media cabinet – its shape also mimics the graphic pattern on the rug, tying things together in a subtle way.

Curtains. While the room already has a set of blue curtains, the existing curtains are rather flimsy-looking and aren’t quite the right shade to work with Stephanie’s new color palette. These luxurious dupioni silk drapes will add a touch of formality to the room without being too stuffy. And since they’re on an awesome sale, Stephanie should be sure to snatch these 50 x 84 panels up fast! And these curtains will look amazing with the woven wooden blinds that are currently dressing the window.

Artwork. Stephanie currently has a colorful print of the Venice canals in the space, which will look fabulous to the left of the front door in the empty space between the front door and the curtains. This print and this print (both by Van Gogh) will be hung in dark frames above each armchair, on the left and right of the media cabinet. Each print adds touches of color to the space, and ties in nicely with Stephanie’s existing artwork.

Fireplace. Stephanie has a gorgeous fireplace – it will tie into the room beautifully just by painting over the red brick with a neutral beige, and spray painting the fireplace surround with a coat of glossy silver paint. (Here’s a quick tutorial on how to spray paint a fireplace surround). Now that the fireplace has been transformed, these three starburst mirrors will be a stunning focal point over the fireplace. Hung in a staggered, vertical pattern, these mirrors subtly mimic the graphic star/floral pattern that is repeated throughout the space.

Accessories. Two of these sky blue mosaic pillows will look amazing in the slipcovered chairs, and provide a quick hit of blue that will connect the chairs with the rest of the room. By adding two of these gorgeous, white pleated pillows to the sofa, these pillows will mirror the white of the slipcovers across the room. Subtle hints of white around the room, like with these bud vases, will keep the eye moving around the room. A shaggy green fern to the right of the fireplace will add a welcome touch of nature. Finally, the area to the right of the front door is begging to become a pulled-together mini-mudroom. By adding two pairs of these twig-inspired key hooks high above the magazine rack from Stephanie’s grandmother, Stephanie will have the perfect place to hang her purse and toss her shoes after a long day at work.

So there you have it – Stephanie’s fabulous new living room!!!! I hope you all love it (especially Stephanie!). And if you have a room in your house that is begging for a little TLC, just click here for a little design advice of your very own.

Something’s Afoot

April 27, 2009 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 12 Comments

We live in an older home (40 years old, to be exact) with equally old windows – so it can get pretty cold in here in the winter time. And you see, we have wood floors in our bedroom that we absolutely love, but they can give you quite a shock first thing in the morning when your bare feet hit those cold floors. If you’ve checked out our home tour then you know that our bedroom looks like this:

It was with memories of hardwood floors and freezing feet that the hubby and I hit up our local Home Depot with a mission – finding an area rug for our bedroom. We had an idea of what we wanted – something neutral that would go with our colorful duvet cover that we currently have on our bed, as well as our navy and cream quilt that sometimes makes an appearance and replaces the duvet. We definitely needed an 8 x 10 rug so that there would be enough rug to stick out from under three sides of our king-sized bed, and we wanted the new rug to be cozy – no more cold tootsies for us!!

And then we found it. Perfection. A cream-colored frieze rug that was just begging to go home with us:

Ain’t she a beauty? And a bargain to boot! (Although now we’re gnashing our teeth because it’s gone on sale!) We somehow managed to shove this ginormous rug into my car, took it home and finagled that rug under the bed as fast as we could. And let me tell you, lifting that bed is no joke! Here’s our awesome new rug, looking all cozy in our bedroom:

I love it! This rug has tons of texture and is super soft, so it feels great underfoot. And I love the way it breaks up all the wood in the room, but doesn’t steal the show away from the bed. And no more cold feet for us!

What’s the first thing your feet hit in the morning? Carpet? Wood? Tile? Rug on carpet? Do tell!

Design Consult: Freshly Fabulous

March 11, 2009 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 7 Comments

Ready for the first-ever Design Consult??? Here we go!!

Lauren’s cozy home is filled to the brim with her husband, beautiful baby girl and Chihuahua-mix pup, so it’s no surprise that Lauren and her fam are desperate to move to larger digs within the next few years. Lauren contacted me for a few inspired (and affordable) ideas for making her home both livable for her family and attractive to potential buyers.

Lauren requested that the TV, leather furniture and large bookshelf stay in the room and said that she would love a rug and curtains with a traditional, Pottery Barn-feel with splashes of color. Here’s the “before” of Lauren’s living room:

Lauren’s living room already has very traditional bones with a brick fireplace, beautiful crown molding and warm wood floors, so that was a great jumping off point for this project. After taking Lauren’s requests into account, here is her custom design plan:

As you can see, the foundation of the design plan is a neutral, beige wall color with fresh and inviting splashes of a bright, mossy green. This color palette will give Lauren’s living room an updated and welcoming feel, while still staying neutral enough to appeal to those potential buyers.

Here’s the plan for putting this custom design into action:

Layout. The layout of Lauren’s living room is begging for an easy switcheroo. I’d love to see the chair moved from the bay window to in front of the window where the couch is now – the little side table will stay right where it is, the perfect place to set a drink while reclining in that comfy leather chair. The couch will then slide in front of the bay window, facing the fireplace and leaving enough room to walk between the sofa and the bay window. That glass-topped coffee table’s new home is centered in front of the couch, in line with the leather chair. The bookshelf by the front door will disappear, while the bigger bookshelf next to the fireplace will relocate to the left of the chair, near the bay window. The console table is already in the perfect spot, so it’s staying right where it is. Here’s a little visual of the new layout:

That recessed area in front of the bay window will serve as the new home for all of the baby’s goodies – toys, rocking chair, etc. One or two woven chests like this one would be perfect for storing loose toys and books for a clutter-free look. When the house is ready to go on the market, switch out the kiddie toys for a simple wooden desk and chair with a table lamp to show potential buyers that this living room can also function as a home office.

Rug. I love, love, LOVE this rug. It is unbelievably priced for its size (8 x 10), and its simple geometric pattern and jute fibers are new and fresh-looking, while the pattern of light and dark fibers will look amazing with Lauren’s dark wood floors and leather furniture. This rug is neutral in color, so it will work even when Lauren decides to move. And as the mom of a young one, Lauren will love that this rug is fully reversible so spills and scuffs are no big deal. The rug should be positioned so that the front legs of the couch and chair are resting on the rug.

Windows. Lauren hates the mini-blinds that were left by the former homeowner, so I’m bringing in bamboo roman shades. The warm wood tones of these blinds will look beautiful with Lauren’s wood floors and leather furniture, and will bring a natural, cozy feeling into the room that you just can’t get with mini-blinds. Some of the windows in Lauren’s room are at varying heights, so the blinds should be hung at a consistent height throughout the room to give the appearance of uniformity. This means that the blinds over the shorter bay window will be “cheated” up just a bit, but you won’t even be able to tell once the blinds are hung.

These white sheers are ridiculously inexpensive and will really pop from Lauren’s tan walls and warm wooden blinds. The curtains will look amazing hung with the curtain rod at the same height as the top of the blinds, with about 12 inches of curtain on either side of each window. The bay window is a little pesky, but I would recommend hanging a curtain panel on either side of the large bay window, and only one curtain panel next to the two smaller windows in the bay window. This will give that little nook a cohesive and unified look. This curtain rod is a great black/brown that goes with Lauren’s color scheme, and can be shortened to any length with a cheapo tool.

Throw pillows. These pillows (1, 2 & 3) are really what brings this whole room together – the punchy, summery green is the perfect balance to the rich, dark leather of Lauren’s couch and chair. TIP: when shopping online for pillows, keep an eye out for whether the price of the pillow includes the pillow as well as the pillow cover.

Accessories. Bright, mossy green is the accent color for this room, and beautiful little accents like this vase can typically be picked up for a steal. I would love to see the tan lampshades on Lauren’s three lamps switched out for new ones in either bright white or green to match the pillows. And while we’re talking about lamps, let’s take that floor lamp that was near the couch over to the left side of the fireplace – the wooden piece of furniture that’s there right now can switch on over to the right side of the fireplace. And all of those books and movies that are in the bookcase would look amazing with this simple trick – just organize them by size and color. Now Lauren’s books and movies will make a visual statement and have an element of both style and function.

Artwork and photographs. Lauren has really beautiful artwork and photos. I would love to see the floral painting that is currently above the console moved to the right of the leather chair, centered between the edge of the curtains and the doorway. The Paris photos that are currently to the right of the sofa would look amazing hung in a vertical line (with only about two inches between them) on the right of the fireplace. The photograph that is currently to the right of the couch near the bay window would look great to the immediate right of the front door. Finally, Lauren’s photos on the console table would have awesome impact if they were hung in an abstract grid pattern above the console table. This collection can be supplemented with other framed photos, and mismatched frames can be spraypainted on the cheap for an easy, cohesive look.

That’s it!! Lauren, I hope you love it and I can’t wait to hear what you guys think! (And don’t be shy with those “after” pictures when you’ve put the plan into action!!) Click here for your very own custom design plan.

Images courtesy of West Elm, Crate & Barrel, Pier 1, Target, Ikea, and Pottery Barn.