Hey There . . .
The one thing I love about what I do is the simple fact nothing is the same. Every day is different, and every client is different. I have such a wide range of personalities and styles. Absolutely never a dull moment. This time of year it gets a little crazy, with the holidays coming we all want it done. Thought I'd show you just how different all these upcoming projects are, maybe you can snag an idea or two!
Our first client has a full first floor to work on as well as her daughter's room. This client wants to mix a few Restoration Hardware pieces in, but styled up to create a unique, personalized look - so it didn't scream Restoration Hardware. Maggie worked with our client to come up with a design that was rustic meet glamorous. Love all the details in these rooms !
The dining room has a Restoration Hardware table and chairs. We added everything else. The goal here was to dress it up. All tone on tone, grays, whites, sands and black (with a killer wall paper).
The great room opens into the dining room. A new long chesterfield, swivel chair, rug, accent tables and a subtle pop of color in the pillows. Coral and teal were her colors of choice.
Floor to ceiling curtains, to give the room a little drama, and all new seating. We are aiming for subtle glamor.
And lasted, her daughter's room - her big request... fashion glam. Here's our inspiration for that !
Another install we are working on all started with new rugs. A long time friend and client of mine, a huge art collector, very modern, very sleek in the style she is drawn to. Her amazing art pieces being the focal point of their home, it just needed a little pulling together. The main thing they needed help with were rugs in several rooms - family room, dining room, office and stairwell runner. With such a specific look in the house we chose to treat their "fifth wall," the floor, as another piece of art using Stark - David Hicks patterns. Check out a few options I suggested. We settled on two different patterns as well as two other amazing Stark carpets for two other rooms.
The family room's focal point is a large piece of art by artist Chris Hayman. Everything else in the space, was carmel and rather plain. I proposed adding a large, nubby teal area rug and two new teal graphic side chairs. We did, but now it's screaming for pillows and a few new accessories . . . baby steps with this husband . . . but so far so good!
Our next client, very different. Her master bedroom needs major help. I don't think a bed on a frame is quite enough as it stands. Now she has an artistic eye (check out her business JackieMcFee.com), but when it came to interiors, she needed help. Her style is "updated traditional." She likes a little punch. Her master has that with this wall paper. The room is long and large, we have a 20 foot rug going in there, so we have two "zones." Cannot wait to install this fun space !
Of course, with me, one thing lead to another, and while at her house measuring I noticed her dark, chocolate family room, sandwiched in between her new bedroom and airy kitchen with big floral curtains. Her family room has a new, large, double door opening to a huge sun porch. I explained to her that simply changing the wall color, recovering two chairs and adding a new coffee table would make that room look the way she really wanted it to, light and airy with a bit of whimsy. Last weekend I played around with these boards to give her a visual.
I pulled all the colors from this large floral in the kitchen / breakfast room. She already has two large green sofas that I love, so, a little paint, styling and accessories would transform that space. These boards really helped her see it and her response, "Wrap it up."
On to our tone-on-tone client. Maggie knocked it out of the park with her first floor design. I asked her to work on this space completely using shades of grey with a slight pop of cool blue. At our meeting at the studio we pulled up these images . . the smile (and slight tear) was all we needed to know we had achieved what she was looking for. Installing in November !
We all fell in love with this new marble paper (available in several colors) and a buffet new to this year's market. Mixing the silvers and gold, this room will be one to lounge in after dinner. It's my favorite.
Maggie went on to the great room adding more tone on tone pieces in creams, whites, and grays. Soothing, yet elegant.
Try adding an accent paper behind your TV focal wall for interest and keep the accessories at a minimum.
We have another empty master bedroom to finish off. Really loving all the elements she pulled into this space. Clean, crisp and calming. The "zone" by the bed has a rug and curtains that differ from the area where Maggie created seating. They all relate to each other but give the master real style.
This sofa is by far our favorite piece upstairs. The big graphic is so gorgeous. Different curtains and rugs on that area. Cannot wait to see this installed!
We had a client that wanted to move, then decided to stay after we installed her new front living room, turned office. We have since face lifted the kitchen, foyer and dining room and have now moved onto the family room. The sectional just arrived and we are installing next week - stay tuned.
Having moved through their home updating we were just asked to do something with the master. I kind of knew that was coming and had a few ideas already in my head. Maggie loves to do master bedrooms and it wasn't long before she had a design pulled together that resembled what was in my head already. We have really started rubbing off on each other.
Jill Pleune !!! Front living room . . . love love love working with Jill. After finishing the family room, sun porch, dining room and foyer, I have been wanting to jump into this front "piano" room for a while. The time has come. Jill's style - black and white and all about style. Jill's MO . . . letting me do what I want (just like I let her team completely dress me when I go to Sloan - they are way better than I !!) She's always game. Going for the "collected, moody, drama - drama room. Black lacquered walls, lightened up with lots of white, lots of art and lots of cool "found" objects.
We have a new artist among us, Ashton Nichols. She's creating this amazing elephant piece for over the fireplace. She is also very, very good at nudes. Want to incorporate one in the space as well. Jill and I decided (with all the boys in the house), to keep it focused on the "back!" We laughed that those boys may never leave the room otherwise.
So many pretty textures - love !!!
Another very cool design, I am most excited about. I have been dying to get into The Metropolitan for years ! The floor to ceiling windows and tall ceilings are so amazing and the open floor plan make you feel you are in cool city digs.
New custom cabinets to flank the TV with a manly natural tree console to warm up what can be a sleek, sleek lacquer look. The wing back is a combination of linen and leather, all atop a vintage blue and grey rug.
The biggest focal point, windows, big, dramatic ones. A new sectional with console and lamps.
Modern dining table and upholstered chairs.
In the office I am bring back the marble paper, but in a different color way. A Josh Utsey table top desk and pop of color in the ottoman. Love this space.
Then there's Carla Fuller who has just moved into her dream home in Myers Park. When I saw the sun room in the back I could see why !!! Gorgeous. She called me two weeks before closing to pick paint colors. Normally I would say.. "um, what furniture and fabrics are we doing," but in this case, she found a design out there on Pinterest and she wanted the same colors - so that was easy. We picked a wall color for her new lounge to cover the walls and all the built ins. I am helping to give her the "look" of this inspiration space, with our own spin on it - Yummy.
Moving into that back sun room, new sofas, rug, chairs and accessories. All tone on tone with a pop of orange.
I chose all tone on tone, as the view is all about the great outdoors. The style of the ceiling and walls is very mid-century, so rather than tearing things out to "update" I would embrace it and design around that in an updated way.
I would, right off the bat, change the floors to a wood like tile in this large space. I also wouldn't do a bunch of window treatments. Just a simple natural fiber blind would keep it clean and sleek, not fussy and distracting.
A large, wide room, there are two zones for two seating spaces, but with all the windows, one would say "where do I put the TV?"
That was my thought as well. I designed a thin floating bookcase to separate the zones. Open on top to see though and keep light. The TV would be incorporated on one side, on the flip side, art to look at. The cabinet doors and drawers would open on both sides.
Also working on updating her living space, the wood paneling in there dates it a bit, so plan is to take it out and paint, adding a new mantle piece. Pulling the grays, tans and slate blues from the proposed sun room, I would create a slightly more elegant space up in the front of the house. My favorite element in this space, these large mirrors flanking the new fireplace ! Love those.
The Egan's are back as well. We installed the family room of their newly built home not too long ago. We are now moving to the front of the house - foyer and dining room.
With the back of the house using the grays and yellows, my advise to these two was to continue that, but introduce a new color. I worked to two directions - either a touch of Merlot, or a dose of navy . . . which is your favorite?
This is another "marble" paper, different that the other on a larger scale. Loving this look. This foyer will now create a mood when you enter the house.
My second option for the Egan's was using navy as our new color. Grass cloth in the foyer in the blues and a different mirror.
In the dining room, all white and bright with the pop of the floral curtains. Hum . . . love them both.
This Fall should be really busy, but fun. I love that all these projects are so, so different. Cross your fingers all goes well. Hope some of these inspiration boards gave you an idea or two.
Happy Sunday !!!
