Install of the Day !

Hi!

Long distance !  When you have such a laid back and trusting client as this one, it's pretty easy.  Love working with Eve and this is round two.  Having recently moved we decided to change it up.  The colors are softer at my pushing, but plugging in the punch was a must for Eve.  This main living space was my focus, though we had the whole 1st floor to do.

This room has such an open feeling into the kitchen, a breakfast area and side porch.  The heart of the house.  I really wanted a soothing feel with neutrals, light greys and whites.  I used the pop of navy to tie back to the dining room and front office.

Take a look at the finished product.

A few things about this space.  Rather than built in's on either side of the fireplace I found the perfect pieces with a brass mesh front.  Good to hide kid things, but even better to be able to access the electronics through the mesh.  With just 1 inch to fit, they are perfect.  Two large custom sofas, 100" each in a kid friendly fabric and one swivel.  I used my favorite coffee table and rug in this space, and added at the last minute a brass and blue velvet bench.

Clean and fresh feeling with a touch of navy in the ombre curtains and a custom art piece by Keith.  Love this space.

We also made a screen for the dead corner in a silver leaf tucked back by the windows.

Take a look at the details.

This dining room flows well with a hand painted black and white wall treatment and navy velvet chairs.  New art piece and show stopping chandelier, extra large.

We used her existing dining table I found a few years ago and added a sideboard in the same rustic wood, but with a marble top to dress it up.

art by keith keim

Now back in January when I delivered the bulk of Eve's things I took a few IG pics . . .

Love the foyer fixture and pop of color on the ceiling.

The dry bar has the most color !

And back in January it was too cold... Filling the porch with plants now !

Such a fresh new look for one of my favorite DC clients and her family !

A Snowy Week in D.C.

Hi There !

Just got back from a long week in snowy Bethesda.  It was all hands on deck to install a multi-room home of one of my favorite clients.  I worked with Eve and Greg Besant about 6 years ago and they recently moved to a new place.  Deciding to change it up quite a bit and having the trust of these fab clients to really make all the decisions, I started in the family room and worked my way around that.  I wanted a light, airy space using neutrals with a touch of navy, fresh and collected feeling.  They are color people so this was a big change from their previous place.  I did, however, give them their dose of color in other spaces visible throughout.   This living space is almost there and I can't wait to go back in a few weeks to receive the two key pieces on either side of the fireplace and dining room chairs to finish it all off and shoot .. for real.

Take a look a the design boards I created to give them an idea of the overall look.

I adore the pieces flanking the fireplace, totally worth the wait.  They fit perfectly and with the brass mesh fronts they are perfect for electronics.

I really love this new rug and coffee table...  so much so I added the same rug to our office space.  The coffee table is an amazing black and white marble stripe and so dramatic. 

One thing I love to do is an a folding screen in a dead corner.  Keith made this one for me adding silver leaf with a black pattern detail.  Kinda love it.  

So we put a major dent in the living room,  a few new pillows and those blasted sideboards I am still waiting for will complete the look.

The hall powder room was pretty blah, but had a good sink.  We added paper and big ole mirror and a drop pendant.  It's dramatic now.

This paper I brought in late in the game in a dry bar from the kitchen to the dining room.. It's loud and gorgeous and gives eve the color she wanted.  It's perfect in that it combines the navy of the dining room chairs and the teal of her existing chesterfield we placed in her home office.  Perfect way to combine the colors.

Moving into the dining room my challenge was to dress up their rustic wood dining table.  Adding a rustic sideboard with marble top did that as well as a new dramatic chandelier.  I also decided to have Keith paint a pattern on the walls.  Love the drama this will create.  The new upholstered navy dining chairs will complete the look as well as a splashy piece of art in all Eve's favorite colors.

I didn't ignore here love of this fabric and incorporated it in curtains and pillows in her office across the hall from the dining room !  

Keeping her teal velvet sofa the other nearby colors bring it all together and Eve can work in a space filled with her favorite colors.

Even though it never got above 30 outside we installed the back porch and come spring those french doors will be open wide for a little outdoor lounging.,

It was all about a more neutral palette this time with dollops of color in places here and there, just enough to get the color point across !

Stay tuned for our big shoot in a few weeks of all these rooms and a few others upstairs and down.. it was a big, big project.... 

Can't wait to take Mekenzie up to shoot.. 

Install of the Day !

Happy Monday

What a fun weekend - it was so, so nice, on Sunday to chill a bit after a crazy 3 weeks.  Installing a whole house in High Point, going to Market for three days, coming home to leave for this install in D.C. meanwhile getting my house ready for the Plaza Midwood Home Tour.  Needless to day I was in a bit of a fog on Sunday, thanks to the kids and Keith, I got to zone a bit !!

I wish I had had Mekenzie with me in D.C.  This Master Bedroom install turned out so pretty, I wish my photography skills could have captured it... not so much... but wanted to show you a bit of it.

Eve and Greg Besant.  I have been going up to D.C to help them with their home now for a little over a year I think?  We started downstairs in the Family Room, moved onto the Kitchen and Dining Room.  It was not time to do the Master Bedroom and touch on the Basement Man Cave.

They have been such a delight to work with.  Game for anything and open to all my design choices which I love.  This Master needed everything and it was time to get the paper off the windows and bed off the metal frame !!!  Why is it that we always leave our spaces to last?    I did as well.  My Master was the last thing I did and ... embarrassed to say still haven't touched my Master Bath !! Well the time had come.  I pulled the colors from the first floor, but instead of bold color, I used the teal as my pop color.  I wanted this Master be be soothing and grown up !

How much do I love this dresser wall.  The paper is killer as is the dresser.  When I came across this owl piece at Slate Interiors I had to have it !  I layered the all these pieces and so happy with how it turned out.

The bed, we had made to fit in the window and not be too high.  Loaded up with gorgeous pillows.

I love this room.  Moving the bed into the window with a wall of gorgeous curtains to pull across created quite the focal wall.   A lot of subtle texture and patterns.

Keith created a little art for me as well to give it a little pop !

D.C. is such a great city and this time I chose to stay at the Hotel Palomar in Dupont Circle.  Great place !  

The rooms are huge and beautiful - a must stay !

As well as the Master Bedroom, I ventured downstairs to start Greg's Man Cave !  We added an accent wall paper on two walls, filtered in a leather chair, lighting and a few side tables to compliment his existing sectional.  Gave it a little style !

And again.. pictures not so great.. miss you Mekenzie !

Have a few other fun installs kicking in this week ! Stay tuned.