A Client's Living Room Design Plan

Recently, a local client contacted me, after she had already hired a previous designer to help her with her living room.  When she started to implement the design plan, the previous designer suggested, she slowly started to realize that she really didn't love the design and as a result, felt stuck.

That is when she called me to ask for help.

I think this happens more often than not.  People hire designers and many times it isn't a good fit.  The designer perhaps has a style that the client doesn't like OR the client has a style that designer just doesn't like.  It happens.

Below is the current state of her living room (all pieces the previous designer recommended).

BEFORE

When we met, we discussed her likes, dislikes and her budget.  She had already paid a previous designer and spent quite a bit of money on a partially finished room that she didn't love.  So, I had some non-negotiables I had to work with - namely, the contemporary tuxedo sofa, coffee table and abstract artwork.

The first thing I do when I start my decorative process is to focus on the floor plan.  Everything else comes later.

I didn't love how the previous designer used an abbreviated wall for the sofa wall.  You can't tell from the picture above, but there is an entry into the room to the left of the sofa.  Second, the layout felt so 'staged' to me.

You want the floor plan to be functional and natural.  So, I suggested she flip-flop the room to offer more balance and better traffic flow.  See below.

The sofa now sits in front of a window (on a full wall) allowing clear traffic flow from the entry hall into the family room (through french doors).  Moreover, the sofa is now centered utilizing the whole room.  The chest of drawers (with a mirror above it) sits on the opposite wall (where the sofa used to be) and the mirror will reflect light (from the opposite window) making the room brighter.

While my client liked most of my suggestions, she particularly liked the new floor plan.  After I got her buy-in, I then started working on the rest of the design.

Since this is the young couple's first home, I suggested the bulk of their budget go towards quality furniture pieces that are classic and timeless in nature.  They can always save later for the beautiful designer textiles.  I also wanted to keep the room 'fresh' and not too stale.  I tried to mix traditional with modern to help keep the room varied.

Last week I presented the final plan using their non-negotiable pieces.  My client's words were, " I love it.  This is exactly what I was hoping for!"  That made me happy.  I am looking forward to seeing this plan come to real life!

StyleBlueprint Feature and Interview!

Thank you all for the love regarding the StyleBlueprint feature!!  I am very flattered to say the least....

Photo Credit: Nicole Pullen

You can read the interview here!  Thank you Anna for the wonderful interview...it was so fun going down memory lane, reminiscing, talking about all things design and Louisville!

Photo Credit: Nicole Pullen

e-Design: A Young Girl's Bathroom

This has been such a FUN project and I am so excited to share this bathroom with you!  It's girly, it's fun, it's young and fresh!!  Perfect for an eight year old girl!!

The Lowmans, who live in Birmingham, emailed me seven months ago asking if I would be interested in helping them design their 8 year old daughter's bathroom.  Beth, the mom, and I knew of each other through instagram/blogging.   Needless to say,  I was completely flattered that she asked for my help.

She and John sent me pictures of their bathroom mid "tear down" and Beth basically said, "...whatever you think, Fran!"

I remember sending her an inspiration picture of a bathroom I found on pinterest with bright blue hexagonal floor tile and asked her if she liked it.  She wrote back and said her daughter, Elizabeth, loved it!

I knew her daughter, Elizabeth, and I would hit it off!!  And, while I know Beth and John, were a little reticent about the blue tile; in fact, Beth told me later, "we just tore out blue tile and now we're putting blue tile back in!?!?".....I knew it would be the right amount of 'fun' to make this bathroom perfect for a young girl!

Once the tile was selected, everything else just fell into place....

Look at all that beautiful subway tile and the bullnose chair rail!  Good-bye beadboard...hello subway tile!!

The blue hexagonal floor tile was a bit of a risk, but it paid off big time!  

Even subway tile on the top of the bath/shower you guys!!

Beth's husband, John, did ALL the installation himself!  ALL THAT TILE work - completely himself!   And, let me tell you, he did an AMAZING job.  My design was only 50% of this whole project, his execution was the other 50% if not more.   Tiling is so technical and difficult.  He installed everything so seamlessly.  

And, just to give you an idea of the where we started.  These are the pictures Beth and John sent me.  Here is where we started......

Thank you to Beth Hontzas who did an amazing job photographing the bathroom and was so much fun!!  If you live in Birmingham, she does excellent work.  And, a huge THANK YOU to the Lowman family.  You guys are a beautiful family and I'm so happy to call you friends!  I'm happy Elizabeth loves her bathroom!  

Making Room for a Crowd - My Thanksgiving Table

Happy November!  Recently, StyleBlueprint Louisville contacted me for some tips on successful holiday entertaining.  I thought what a great opportunity, as I recently had to dust off a folding table stored in our attic a couple of weekends ago, when we invited a few friends over very last minute for an impromptu dinner.

Aren't we all having to do the same thing?  Trying to accommodate a large number of guests or even last minute company during the holidays??

Below I share how to entertain for a crowd 'stylishly' this season using a folding table and mismatched chairs!  Hop over to StyleBlueprint Louisville to read more about this here.

To hide my ugly folding table I bought two yards of burlap fabric for under $10 from Joann's to act as the tablecloth and then layered my monogrammed linen hemstitch runner I already owned on top of it.  I almost always use chargers when it comes to setting my holiday tables (instead of placemats) as they always make for easy clean-up.  Besides, it mixes up your china which lightens the mood.

Another no-fail tip is to always use greenery as your centerpiece.  Here, I bought a couple of bunches of seeded eucalyptus from Trader Joe's for $3/bunch and combined it with a dozen of coral colored spray roses from Kroger.  The resin antlers holiday ornaments, I picked up from Digs Home and Garden for $15, make for a nice addition to my centerpiece.  I also picked up some fallen magnolia leaves (with sprigs of winterberries) from my backyard and used them as an embellishment on each of the guest's plates.

Lots of layers and texture!

Don't worry about mixing your chairs during the holidays.  Here I used my upholstered parson chairs (from Ikea) as the host and hostess chairs and then used my bamboo kitchen chairs for the rest of the seating around the table.  

Lighting is so important when decorating your table and setting the mood.  Candles and table lamps (instead of recessed canned lighting) make your home feel cozy and look more festive.  Use pillar, tapered and tea light candles.  Any vessel will work!  I love the look of mercury glass or iridescent votive candle holders when decorating for the holidays.  

I hope you enjoyed my thanksgiving table and tips on entertaining! Thank you to Styleblueprint Louisville for sharing my ideas!

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A Dining Room Refresh

I recently completed a design for a client's dining room who I have been very lucky to work with for a while now!  She wanted to update her dining room and wasn't sure where to start. We initially talked about just changing the paint color and well, one thing led to the next, and you know how that goes! :)

Here is a breakdown of how her space will get a new look:

1) The things that couldn't change were the aqua colored window treatments and her mahogany chippendale dining room set.  To start, I wanted to break-up the all the brown in the furniture and so my client boldly agreed to PAINT her dining room chairs a creamy off-white!  The dining room table and chairs pictured above in the design board are actually hers (after she painted the chairs)!!

2) My clients LOVES audubon artwork.  I suggested a large framed audubon print over her buffet table.  It's the perfect spot for something dramatic because you immediately see it in when you enter through the front door.  The audubon's colors are fantastic and determined the rest of the color palette for the space.  Below is a more detailed shot of what I was envisioning....

3) We decided to go bold and paint the walls a beautiful blue green teal.  

4) She also has a beautiful hutch I suggested that she re-paint in a chalky, plaster like off-white color with distressed edges.  The hutch will be flanked with two Ballard Designs Louis chairs upholstered in green velvet with some contrasting welt.  

5) I suggested the Brunschswig and Fils Les Touches fabric for the pillows on her Louis chairs and a warm peacock hue check for the seats of her dining room chairs.  

6) Lastly, we will be accessorizing with a lot of blue and white accessories and bamboo accents as a nod to the hollywood regency look!  

Painted Built-ins

I am so embarrassed at how long it has been since I've last blogged.  I hate to say it, but instagram is just so much easier.  I promise (hope) to get better!

One of the projects I've been working on is an office design for a local client here in Louisville who recently moved into a new home over the summer.  When discussing ideas for their home office, we agreed that built-ins were a great way to increase the cozy factor and inject a sophisticated library feel!

My client also wanted the office to have a slight masculine feel since her husband will most likely be using the office, so we ended up painting the built-ins a beautiful, rich navy color.  See below.

It was a bit of struggle for her to agree to shaker style cabinetry because she wanted a more traditional look, but I'm so happy she went along with my suggestion.  They look great and we will be installing brass hardware pulls and knobs.

We plan on painting the walls a light sage green and we will be using her current desk and club chair.  The plan now is to install new window treatments and an area rug.  Below is the design board.

I think we are down to selecting the final choice of the rug (different from what is pictured), but stop by tomorrow and I'll share some of my top finds for modern vintage rugs.  

Before and After: A Client's Family Room

I started working with my client from Philadelphia last year and we recently progressed from working on her family room to working on her kitchen.

When we started on her family room, her budget was tight.  We had to work with her existing furniture and there was not a huge allowance for new fabrics, pillows and such.

We've also changed directions in regards to the design of this room……in the end, she found her style and knew what she wanted.

The biggest impact areas I saw were changing the wall color and investing in window treatments.  She did both.

She painted her entire great room a new color and actually sewed the window treatments for her large window wall.  Can you believe that??

She wasn't sure about installing woven shades, but after some convincing, I'm glad she did, because they make all the difference.  She loves how finished and cozy the room now feels.

Client's Photo (not professional)

Above, you can see how the room looks like today.

She recently told her husband that she finally feels comfortable in their home and how much she truly loves it.  They are a young family with two toddler boys.

As part of my design consult, I recommended that she:

1. Invest in a new media console
2. Hang her flatscreen on the wall
3. Place a sofa table behind the sofa (against the window) to add some depth/interest to the window wall
4. Purchase large gourd lamps to go on sofa table
5. Add a round end table to connect the two sofas and break up the hard lines.
6. Lots of light colored pillows to break up the leather sofas which she did and chose all by herself
7. Paint walls lighter and brighter color
8. Add window treatments and woven shades

She has done an amazing job!!  And, just to emphasize where we started.  Below is the before picture when we started working together.  Notice the large blue painted window wall - so happy that no longer  looks like that!

She has come such a long way and has been such an incredible client.  I can't wait to show updates on her kitchen when it is all said and done!!  They say the greatest form of flattery is when a client you love working with asks you again to help them with a new space! I couldn't agree more and am certainly grateful!!

If you need help decorating a room, feel free to contact me!

Mixing It Up

It's funny how certain things that you are currently loving can be randomly thrown together and work quite effortlessly in a room.  Kinda like a blender drink, no?  Throw all the things you love in a blender and bam, you got one fabulous smoothie or a great frozen cocktail!

I realize that isn't always the case and editing is involved, but I was playing around with things I am currently loving lately and this is what I came up with.

Paint: Happy St. Patrick's Day! Loving emerald green lately probably because I used a darker hue in a client's living room, but I want to use this color more.  So classic.  I would love to paint a den or study in this rich, classic color.  It has me questioning my own LR and DR color schemes! Ugh!

Drapes: I've been a long-time lover of Brunschwig & Fils classic print, Les Touches and would love to use it in a project.  It's SO classic but fresh at the same time.  I can see them in a dining room as drapes - they would make such an impact.  And, if, that isn't in your budget, buy a yard or two for your chairs or as a tablecloth!

Rug: I guess I've been hiding under a rock, but just recently found out that Fibreworks is based in Louisville.  I recently met with a representative to get some of their Bakari samples.   Love this oversized graphic diamond pattern and it would look super chic in a dining or living room.  It keeps the room from feeling too formal or stuffy.

Pillow: Another fabric I'm just dying (DYING) to use and I might need to get it for my own home.  Brunshwig & Fils Chevron Bar silk warp print.  They have a beautiful blue colorway too!

Tortoise:  I NEED more tortoise in my home.  I realized I don't own a single piece.  What is wrong with me?

Lamps:  While I love me a beautiful gourd, these super chic lamps are so gorgeous, no?  They have a beautiful crackle finish.

Lastly, I apologize for the absence from this blog and IG.  Both my kiddos got hit with the flu these past two weeks and when that happens you go into survival mode.  Thankfully, we have a healthy family again and this will be our first week back to school!

Kitchen Command Central Continues

Our kitchen has two external entry points - (one from our garage) and (one from the backyard) - which translates into high traffic areas with no room for a mud-room.  You might remember this project, where we converted a regular hanging closet to a mini-mudroom.

I am so happy we did this - it has helped with the clutter of jackets, coats, shoes and backpacks.  

Since now we are painting our kitchen, I can move to phase two, where I plan to use vertical wallspace to create a command central spot.  Unfortunately, there is no counter space in our kitchen for this so I have to think vertical and use wall space.  See inspiration below.

I desperately need a letter bin of sort to control the mail, school papers, magazines, bills, etc. I also need a bulletin board to hold important numbers, tickets, coupons, etc.  I need a couple of hooks for the kids backpacks and lastly, a tote or basket to hold random items.

I found both the cork board and the magazine holder (which I'll use for mail, papers, etc.) for an incredible price - both for $60.  They are part of the Marta Stewart Living collection from Home Decorators and I bought them when they had an additional 40% off their outlet prices (MLK weekend).  I actually bought them in the ugly cornflower color to get the outlet price plus the 40% off discount (I guess nobody wants that color).   I plan to paint both white.  See here and here.  And, let me just say, I am so impressed with this magazine holder - very heavy and the slats are removable!  Top notch!

Wish me luck!!  Can't wait to get this completed!  

A Living Room's New Look

A new client from the Palmetto State recently contacted me because she wanted to spruce up her formal living room.  If I remember correctly, the subject of her email was titled, 'Design Help' and then preceded to say, "I know you are the person for the job!' which made me laugh.

She had all the furniture in place and was happy with her layout, but she needed help pulling it all together with new fabric selections and accessories.   In her words, she wanted 'styled', but cozy and approachable!

She ended the email saying, "Please help me as I am going crazy thinking about this room and on the verge of divorce if I can't finish this room!"  Ha!  A Southern girl with a sense of humor - my kind of girl! :)

Here is the final scheme!!

I really feel attached to this project because I adore every detail that will go into this room and selfishly want it for my own home! I can't wait to see it all come together - it is going to be beautiful!

And, now I can sleep better at night knowing my client will be married happily ever after! Wink! Wink!

A Kitchen Refresh

I am working with a client who is looking to update her kitchen.  I actually started working with this client last year when she wanted to re-do her family room and has now moved onto her kitchen.

On the bucket list for her kitchen refresh is new white cabinets, new wall paint, new window treatments, new quartz counters, subway tile backsplash and polished nickel fixtures.  This is all on a budget as this is not her forever home, but she doesn't want to wait forever to enjoy it.  Here are some of her inspiration pictures:

Do you see a theme here?  White, white, white, nickel hardware with touches of blue!  Dreamy!!  I love working with clients whose personal aesthetic is so pretty.   

First phase (happening the end of this month) is new wall color, installation of cabinets, temporary butcher block counters and window treatments.   Here is the current design board…

It feels good to start off the New Year with such a fresh, clean and crisp palette!!

E- Design: A Stylish Entry for a Starter Home

A couple of months ago, a reader contacted me who wanted help with her entry.  She recently got married and she and her husband just bought their first home in Connecticut.

Like many starter homes, space is limited and trying to make a good first impression in a very small entryway can be challenging.  Fortunately, when space is limited, it allows you to stretch your budget because the number of items needed is less.

It was important to this young and stylish reader, that there be some sort of table to house keys, mail and a pretty lamp.  To accomplish this, I picked a demilune table that is perfect for small spaces.  It provides a usable surface, but it's shallow enough to be tucked away.

My reader also wanted the space to be chic, feminine, but also sophisticated.  She loves hints of colors especially pastels.  I knew a decorative rug was key to infusing the color she wanted and a vintage rug fit the bill.  The scalloped flush mount, mirror and table all play to the feminine side while the gray paint and ceramic lamp keep it sophisticated and grounded.  

So, there you have it!!  She loves it and can't wait to start implementing it.  If you need help designing a room, please feel free to contact me! 

ORC: Week Six - Final Reveal

I can officially say that I have completed Linda's One Room Challenge and survived to tell about it!!!  I might've neglected my family, our pet fish and the house for the past week, but I am very, very happy with the outcome!!  AND I can also officially say (and my husband will agree) that our guest room is soooo much nicer than our master bedroom - and there is something completely not right with that!

I am happy to share it with you.  Here is my guest room reveal….

Those beautiful brass nailheads caused a couple of gray hairs and took so painstakingly long.  For every one I got right, I ruined about twenty.  No joke.  But, it worth the hundreds I saved from buying a new headboard.  

If you remember, below is a picture of our guest room BEFORE:

And, this is our guest room (and which also pulls double duty as my office) AFTER:

Below is a snapshot of my huge homasote DIY bulletin board that also serves as my catch all inspiration and design planing board. 

And, my little desk below surrounded by all the many things I love and treasure.  

For those of you who have followed along, thank you so much for sticking with me!  This was a great challenge for me personally and professionally!  If there is enough interest, I'd be happy to put a blog post together about my DIY headboard.  I think I spent approximately $180 in materials and supplies at the end of the day. 

If you are just tuning in, I've just spent the past six weeks participating in Linda's One Room Challenge and you are welcome to read more about my guest room's transformation during the previous weeks here.   Thank you Linda for hosting my first ever ORC.  Hop over here to see the other participants and their crazy transformations. 

Also, I'd like to thank Nicole Pullen who helped me with the photography! She is based in Louisville.

Sources are listed below.

Paint // Euro Fabric // Lumbar Pillow // Coverlet // Scalloped Sheets // Bed Skirt // Sconces // Headboard Fabric // Headboard Nailhead // Bench // Bench Pillows // Desk // Desk Chair // Mirror // Desk lamp //