It's Great To Be Home

I hope you’ll enjoy this new series called “Steal This Look!” With each installment of the Steal This Look series, a fabulous designer room will be recreated (by yours truly) using a combination of DIY techniques and decor available online so that you can easily recreate these designer looks in your own home . . . and for a lot less!

For the first installment, I’m focusing on this flirty, feminine room that was first published in Ideal Home in July of 2008. I was instantly drawn to the sassy pops of fuschia throughout the space that keep the design looking fresh and modern (instead of potentially prissy and country).

Here’s how you can recreate this look in your own living room in a jiffy (and without breaking the bank!) with a few DIY projects and lovely store-bought pieces:

1. white sofa: $799

2. floral rug: $113.99

3. white end table: $139;

4. DIY upholstered coffee table: less than $20 (MDF), less than $5 each (legs), $3.49/yard (hot pink fabric). Have the MDF cut to size at the store, then use spray adhesive to attach a layer of foam to the top of the MDF. Next, wrap batting and the hot pink fabric over the top of the batting/MDF and staple the layers underneath to secure. Finally, use screws to attach the four legs to the underside of the MDF (after spraypainting them a glossy white).

5. DIY quatrefoil stencil: $25. While the original design uses wallpaper, this quatrefoil stencil is a beautiful and budget-friendly alternative to wallpapering that will achieve a similar look. I chose the quatrefoil pattern just because I love it and think it will be a chic update to the space, but you could alternatively use this stencil to stay a bit closer to the original design. Use kelly green paint to stencil the pattern on the walls.

6. DIY drop cloth drapes: $19.97 (+ lining with hot pink fabric). Talk about bang for your buck! Just line these drop cloths with the hot pink fabric (also used on the ottoman) for a touch of understated sass.

7. pillows: $24.99 for 2 (green), $18.99 (hot pink), $29.49 for 2 (striped), $20 for 2 (floral).

8. white bookcase: $59.99 (white bookcase), $25 each (glass door, in white, in 15.75 x 38.62 size), $25 each (solid door, white). To keep this bookcase affordable, I decided to go with a mix-and-match option from Ikea.

Total: less than $1,500

Have a designer room in mind that you’d like me to recreate? Just shoot me an email or link to it in the Comments section (it must be in quotes to be visible) and I’ll add it to the list!

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.