Install of the Day !

Hi There !!!

Yesterday was so fun.  I have loved working with the Crowder's.  I especially love that both Maggie and I have help turn a home they were ready to leave to a place they have decided to stay in.  It has evolved and evolved from one space to the entire downstairs.  It's amazing what a little paint, paper and updated furniture can do to add new life !  The investment in a whole first floor re-do  - probably a lot less than moving, so call in the creatives to turn it around for a fresh look and stay put !  We felt a little like HGTV's Love it or List it.  So happy they chose to love it.

We installed the family room yesterday.  A room, literally used by three small children, a big black dog, mom and dad and the nanny, constantly.   It really needed a little pulling together with more comfortable, updated furniture.  A light and airy feel and a splash of our first floor pop color - purple! We also brought in a few new pieces for the foyer and transformed the kitchen breakfast area.  All the colors and style paid a nod to what we recently installing in the office/lounge, but with a slightly lighter take.  

Take a look at our color palette and original design boards.

But let's start at the front door . . . Thanks to my other half for creating such a beautiful piece for the entry foyer.  It sets the tone.  I love it's size and vibrancy.  Atop this gorgeous graphic wall paper that runs up the stairswell.  Perfect, bravo Keith Keim.

A new chocolate and white occasional chair I recently found at Slate, with a touch of lavender in the pillow and this amazing side table.  A great little venue right as you enter the house.

The family room really needed a sectional for all to watch that big new TV that made an appearance on the wall one day !  We mixed in more light and whimsical fabrics in this space yet in the same color palette as the front room I recently finished installing (see below).

A new paint job and brighter lighting, a large graphic rug, new side chairs and one of my favorite entertainment units.  I have used it numerous times, but love seeing how different it looks in each space we design.  I love the sea glass ottoman and artwork, it turned out be be an interesting color combination !

The gorgeous embroidered window treatments on a large scale were, what I thought, the perfect choice for such a tall wall.  

Fun and modern pillows on a neutral sofa.

Art is key in any space.  The lower left piece by Heather LaHaise (recent post here) and two smaller scale pieces by Gretta Hord, both showing at Slate, when grouped together with a simple mirror turn a dead corner into something eye catching.

I also came across this piece by Laura Parks at Cotswold Marketplace yesterday and thought it was perfect.  Love the soft colors and it's tie to the ottoman and fabrics.  It's dreamy.

Another part of yesterday's install was the kitchen.  When we started the project we decided to paint all the cabinets and island and add new hardware.  We also changed the back splash to a more updated white tile in a subway pattern and added large overhead lighting. Such a bright and clean space now.

This banquet, new table and chairs turned out amazing.  My upholster created our banquet in a grey pleather to perfection.  I love it, so cozy.  Josh Utsey  - thank you, thank you for the new table with it's sleek, inset metal base and wood top.  This base will keep the chair leg banging to a minimum.  We added side chairs, a new over sized drum light, pretty pillows and art by Beth Weintraub  I love this sunny spot which was screaming for a banquet!

Clean details.

New paint and new hardware does wonders.

It was such a fun install.  

Maggie and I carried their color scheme throughout the first floor, gradually getting lighter in the back half of the house.  We started up front with this combination of fabrics and walls papers.

And created these boards for the office / lounge.

I love this space and feel it's transition to the kitchen and family room works so well.

The powder room was updated as well using the blues in our color scheme, new lighting and a new cabinet base.

So, what's next?  Finishing the Dining Room.  We worked around the curtains and paint color - from the very beginning of the project actually.  We brought in a new dining table yesterday to add to the rug we ordering during our early "tweaking to put on the market phase."  Now that these five are staying put, we are changing out the rest of the dining room for an updated look.  Take a look at the direction we are headed.  Lori saw this sideboard on a recent post  and fell in love, we decided to add it in along with a new mirror and lamps we found at Market.

A new oyster shell chandelier and new end chairs with a beautiful fabric added to the back.

And lastly, the master bedroom.  Excited!  Maggie pulled together a beautiful space, not too girly for him and her and more calming and updated.  On our trip to Market we found a new upholstered bed vendor who also had a gorgeous selection of side tables and dressers, we snagged them! 

Our starting point?  This embroidered fabric.  It brings in the off whites, taupes and blues from downstairs with a bit of the acid greenish/yellow in the family room fabrics.

Using that color in just one pillow on the bed with neutrals surrounding.

I really wanted this fabric on the windows.  Embroidered as well, just love it's scale.

So here you have it.  The upcoming master bedroom. Great new details from Brimar hardware, Mr. Brown, Bungalow 5 and Made Goods.

Such a pretty house, very cohesive, updated and fun. Just so happy they are staying !

Happy Friday !!

New Look

Hey . . .

I love a re-design, I love a new look, new colors, new feel.  At the beginning of the year I changed almost everything in our showroom.  I sold off all the navy and kelly greens and embraced my current love of plums, blacks, golds with a dose of fuchsia and a splash of metallic.  One fabric started it all, the most gorgeous Designers Guild floral.  I can't believe the time has flown by, I have wanted Mekenzie to take a few new pictures, but I am forever adding and taking away things.  It's really constantly transforming, but yesterday it was looking pretty full and clean so we took a few pictures.

I am drawn to really saturated colors at the moment.  I love a good mix of old and new, I love vintage mid-century, mixed with lacquer, mixed with leather.  Warm, collected, unique.  I messed around with a few images early in the year, take a look at where we are now . . .

The Showroom is a place to get inspired, and as my home away from home, I have filled it with things I love.  Comfortable, unique and a bit splashy.

Our front window sets the tone for sure.

I love a good chesterfield and had this one made by one of my favorite vendors in the most delicious yellow leather.  With many of my clients wanting to touch and feel, both this piece and a larger sectional allow them to do just that.  While their styles (and color choices!)  may be different, feeling the quality is important.

Wander through some of my favorite things.

Visual overload . . . we love it.

photos by mekenzie france

Come by some time and check it out !