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The Flip: The Great Room, Then & Now

January 4, 2011 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 80 Comments

We did it!! We reached the finish line and our old pal the flip is now on the market and FOR SALE!! Cue the confetti and streamers. :)

Now that every inch of the flip has been fluffed and puffed beyond all measure, I think it’s high time to see how far it’s come over the past 3 months!

Without a doubt, the great room underwent the biggest transformation. It was a gigantic undertaking to figure out how to combine four different rooms (den, kitchen, breakfast room & enclosed patio), get the vaulted ceiling figured out, fix the flow of the kitchen, and a billion other things.

Here’s how the great room looks now:

And here’s a reminder of how these four rooms (that we combined) looked when we bought the house on September 29, 2010:

What do you think?

This room gave us the most headaches during the renovation, just trying to figure out how to make the most of this gigantic space, but in the end I think it’s the room that most buyers will fall in love with.

Maybe I’m being sentimental, but I can just imagine an entire family hanging out in this room, kids doing homework at the kitchen table while the dad reads his newspaper at the peninsula and the mom whips up something tasty for dinner. Can you see it?

Okay, now it’s time for a bunch of gratuitous great room shots. I got a little camera happy. Hope you don’t mind. :)

Whew, enough pictures – I’m ready to hear what you guys think!

Confetti image via Flickr.

Design Quickie: Sara’s Smokin’ Kitchen

June 14, 2010 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 5 Comments

This latest e-decorating design board was created for Sara, who was craving an updated kitchen that flowed seamlessly with the adjoining family room. Here’s what she had to say:

Love your blog and I am interested in one of your design quickies. I need help with my kitchen. My home was built in the mid nineties and has those awful oak {I think} cabinets. I want to paint them and need help with a color and possibly hardware. Also possibly a new paint color for the kitchen. We will probably be moving next year so unfortunately the countertops, backsplash and appliances will have to stay. I just need help making them look better – ha! It’s an open concept so the kitchen opens up to the family room. I like the color in the family room and don’t want to have to repaint. Sorry for the novel!!!! ~ Sara

Sara was already starting out with a fab kitchen, so updating it and making it flow with her family room will be a breeze. The wallpaper border will be gone in a flash and since Sara’s keeping the flooring, backsplash, countertop and appliances, we’re spiffing up this space with a little paint and fabric. Olive-y greens and rich browns are Sara’s favorite and will completely transform this kitchen and allow it to live happily next to the adjoining family room.

Here we go!

Option 1:

1. Wall Color. 2. Cabinet Stain (Walnut). 3. Fabric for drapes and valance over kitchen sink. 4. Knobs. 5. Pulls. 6. Artwork.

{ Keep in mind that on-screen color representations may vary from actual paint colors. }

Nothing gives a kitchen a warmer, richer feeling than stained cabinetry, and the cabinets will pop against the pale walls {painted 3 shades lighter than the family room} Updating the cabinets with this simple hardware will completely change their look. The graphic, olive-toned fabric will bring life and personality into the kitchen, and provides a great jumping off point for adding accessories {like candle holders, dish towels, akitchen rug, etc.} throughout the space. {Sara might want to add a few olive pillows in the family room to tie the two spaces together even more.} Make simple pelmet box like this {but without curves} for over the kitchen sink {and hang it just above the upper window to bring the scale more in line with the cabinetry} and hang a panel on either side of the bank of windows in the breakfast nook. Think about painting the entire kitchen table and chairs a deep black for a more modern feel, and spray paint the chandelier either silver or black. {Note: for all the plans, think about adding molding to the tops of the cabinets and accessorizing them like this. Also, adding a white or cream slipcover like one of these to the floral couch will instantly transform Sara’s family room into a much more modern and cohesive space.}

Option 2:

1. Wall Color. 2. Cabinet Paint. 3. Drapes. 4. Knobs. 5. Pulls. 6. Artwork.

Option 2 brings a little more opportunity to add color into the space, as the artwork has about a zillion different hues to pull from. The wall color is the same pale shade as in Option 1, but the cabinets are painted a gorgeous sage green and accented with classic hardware. In addition to the drapes, add a brown linen valance over the kitchen window for light control. The chandelier can be spray painted black, and I would paint the kitchen table and chairs a shade or two darker than the cabinets.

Option 3:

1. Wall Color. 2. Cabinet Paint (for cabinets against outer wall) = same as trim. 3. Cabinet Paint (wrapping around entire island). 4. Column Paint = same as trim. 5. Fabric. 6. Knobs. 7. Pulls. 8. DIY Artwork {tutorial}.

Option 3 is the most daring of the different plans because of the treatment the island will be getting. This is the look we’re going for, with stark white cabinets, backsplash and countertop on the back wall, and a dramatically dark island for contrast. Since the island has a column on the right-hand side, that column will be dressed a bit more formally and painted the same color as the trim with a strip of molding added to the top of the column. A bit of color will be brought in through the drapery fabric, and the table, chairs and chandelier will be painted a deep black. Back in the kitchen, think about removing the upper cabinet doors on either side of the sink and paint the back of the cabinet in the same olive-y tone as the drapes – then Sara can show off her favorite dishes in the shelves. The final touch is personalized artwork in the form of silhouettes representing each member of the family.

So there you have it! One open plan kitchen, whipped into shape. Which option would you choose?

Click on the following link to snag some design advice of your very own – Interior Design Services.

Design Advice: A Family’s Room

November 4, 2009 By Liz - It's Great To Be Home 7 Comments

While they’re super impressive, decorating a 2-story living room can drive you bonkers. That’s what happened to one of my lovely clients who asked for some design advice when the frustration with her soaring ceilings became too much – as she said . . .

“We don’t like hanging out in our great room. The TV is above the fireplace, so we have to crane our necks to see it, and it has open, vaulted ceilings, so it isn’t cozy or inviting.”

Say no more, let’s whip that living room into shape! Here’s how the living room looked when my client wrote in:

By incorporating my client’s wish for fresh and simple design with a Pottery Barn feel, I whipped up this cozy yet elegant living room that will be perfect for both family game night and evenings with guests:

Crisp white is a gorgeous contrast against the soothing blues in this space, while natural elements add warmth and character. Now let’s see how this new living room will all come together!

~ Floor plan. Nailing the floor plan can be the trickiest part of designing a room. In my client’s living room, placing the sofa so that it faces the fireplace instantly gives her a ton of freedom in how she can arrange the room – and now she even has space to add a media center so that the TV is at a watchable level and her kids can manage changing DVDs on their own (a complaint with the previous arrangement). And while I’ve chosen to place two armchairs flanking the fireplace, my client could just as easily slide the armchairs side by side opposite the media center (with their backs to the adjacent dining room) and add a bench in front of the fireplace for extra seating. Tons of options!!

~ Rug. This beautiful rug was the inspiration for the color palette in this room. With steely blues and sage greens, it’s the perfect foundation for this new living room – and it’s soft enough that the little kids can still play on the floor as they please.

~ Accent Wall. In this two-story living room, I think it’s fab that my client chose to do an accent wall to provide a dramatic focal point to the space. I know she are ready to say goodbye to that red, however, so we’re making it a bit more subtle with a gorgeous stormy blue (available at Home Depot). (And if she has any leftover beige paint from when she painted the main walls, I would recommend painting over the white air vents on the wall above the media center, just to help them blend in a bit).

~ Furniture.

Media Center. Oh happy day – my client already owned the perfect media center for this room! (here and here) I think she’ll love having the media center in this room, and it brings in extra storage to boot! And filling the lower shelves with these woven baskets will make it easy to corral smaller toys in a jiffy.

Armchairs. Since we’re keeping the existing sofa, mixing it up with two slipcovered armchairs instead of the matching leather love seat will both increase the visual interest in this room and give my client more flexible seating. And with slipcovers, she can throw these babies in the laundry or switch them out whenever her heart desires. The woven basket that is currently sitting next to the fireplace will act as a side table next to the armchair, the perfect place to place a drink or book.

Coffee Table. This coffee table is oh so fun, and will give this family tons of surface area to kick thier feet up, for display or for a child-sized dance floor. And it doesn’t hurt that the woven circles are pretty to look at.

~ Curtains. These crisp white curtains will pop against the new accent wall and add a little extra drama. I would love to see them hung high, at the top of the curved windows – just one on the left side of the room and one on the right (hanging a panel on both sides of each window would make things feel a little cluttered against the fireplace). And while these panels are almost 10 feet long, I would buy an extra panel in case a little extra length is needed.

~ Lighting. When positioned next to the armchair, this swing-arm lamp will provide the perfect light for cozying up with a good book. Across the room on the console table, a pair of these fun and funky lamps will bring the natural vibe over to that side of the space, and layering the top of the console with this striped runner will really make those lamps pop.

~ Accessories.

Fireplace Art. Who says ceiling medallions can only be used on the ceiling? After receiving a coat of shiny white spray paint, this architectural piece will look amazing centered in the inset above the fireplace.

Woven Stools. Since this room needs to function for both kids and adults, these woven stools can be scattered around for extra lounging space but then stacked up and stored away when company comes over.

Pillows. Pillows are the perfect way to bring the color palette onto the seating pieces (which are typically a single, neutral color). When paired together, the jute-trimmed rectangular pillow and cozy blue chenille pillow add splashes of color to the leather sofa. And my client can spice up the white armchairs in a flash with the bold stripes of these pillows.

Framed Photos. The empty wall on the left side of the media center is a great place to display family photos. Just blow up some great pics of the kiddos and place them in these oversized frames, which will look fab hung in a vertical line.

So there you have it!! A comfortable, stylish space that the whole family can enjoy. What do you guys think?

Have a room that’s driving you bananas? Click on the following link to snag some design advice of your very own – Interior Design Services.