It’s been a while and yet things are happening behind the scenes, I promise. This is one of my best friend’s homes that they moved into last year (we did her basement/family room, mudroom, guest bath, and tween bedroom of their old home before they moved). She lives nearby and I knew I could help so I took it on, thinking that it could be fast and fun. While it has been fun, nothing is fast anymore (design takes time y’all) but today I’ll show you where we are at (and if all goes as planned, we’ll be shooting in less than a month). There is still 25- 30% left to do, mostly all the stuff that I love (i.e. styling). I’ll walk you all through it now.
As a reminder, this is what it looked like when they moved in – great bones, but needed a point of view that reflected their style. They had mostly starter furniture that they had had for over a decade. They were ready for more high-quality pieces. At the time I had a few pieces of furniture from Rejuvenation leftover from my house that I couldn’t make work in my home so I pitched them this partnership in hopes of making it a win/win for all. Here is where we are at:
Chandelier | Leather Sofa | Swivel Chairs
We replaced the lighting which was a HUGE change in the room. The chandelier in the dining room made that room so much better (and it comes in dark red shades, too). We painted the built-ins this dark color, Mount Etna, and it’s absolute perfection (thank god). It was a bit of an investment – $3k to paint so I was so relieved to come over and see that it was PERFECT (we got multiple quotes, some as much as $4,200- WILD).
Facing the fireplace (which is also their TV room) we have the pretty leather tufted sofa which feels so classic and cool. Above it I want to put a gallery wall with an articulating sconce. The rug is perfect – so big, cozy, and forgiving (they have two sons and dogs, so we wanted a busier rug and we ordered it before our first rug line came out).
While the paint color is perfect, the shutters are still my biggest problem. Functionally they love them, but I don’t think they are right for the house. So I finally ordered some readymade ones that we’ll try to turn into curtains – either cafe curtains or a DIY Roman shade. Wish us luck!
Chair | Ottoman
We tried out this Article chair and ottoman that we had from another project and sadly it doesn’t work.
This chair and ottoman is so big and comfy but I think it’s a bit low and long for the space. Plus now that the fireplace is painted dark it’s not working. It was never intended for this project, I just had it from another project and it wasn’t being used so I brought it over to try out. It’s a GREAT chair, btw.
We are letting the paint cure for a bit to make sure it doesn’t get pulled up with books and frames, and then we’ll style it all out.
The Dining Room
This room has just come alive – it was pretty darn boring before – just neutral walls and white built-in. We wallpapered it in this William Morris Snakeshead and it’s just so good.
Wallpaper (Indigo/Cumin) | Pulls | Knobs | Rug
The wallpaper with the paint color and the new hardware. The dining table is a family heirloom and the chairs are a nice contrast (in both shape, color and style). I’m debating getting cushions for them…
We have a lot of styling to do, but that’s all easy for me. The rug in here looks SO GOOD and that chandelier could not be more perfect. I want to get pretty accessories (photo frames, a mirror, some lamps, better pillows, etc) and then figure out this curtain instead of the shutter situation.
We have it on the calendar to shoot in a month so coming at you really really soon 🙂