Black and White and Red All Over

Since my rug purchase at Scott's, I've really been thinking and rethinking the direction of my front foyer/ living room.  It's funny how one simple addition to a space can do that for you.  Here is a reminder of the rug in my foyer (the new guy).  

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And here is a close up of the Heriz in my living room (hard to see, but this rug has black, red, green, gray, blue, orange in it).  Also, the space is formal and I really want to keep it that way.  I know lots of people are getting rid of their formal spaces.  We love to entertain and I like having two different spots depending on the type of party we are having at the moment. 

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All the upholstered pieces in the space are very neutral.  As for the window treatments, they were fine before, but now with the new rug, they are just not working.  Also notice I have not be able to commit to pillows in here either.  The main problem is that I see so many beautiful fabrics, that I don't want to pick just one, so I have refrained from picking any!  But things are about to change. 

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So here are a few of my musings on the room.  

First, an inspiration picture for the idea of neutral with a pop.  This room is more gray than mine, and the pop is pink (rather than red/orange).  But the idea of neutral upholstered pieces with a color pop is the idea.  

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I'm thinking -
1. The room needs more black.  The baby grand piano, the drum shades and the pair of prints on the wall is helping, but I need black fabrics on the sofa and chairs to carry the color through the rest of the space and tie the rugs, make them feel more purposeful.
2. I need to edit the window treatments.  They came with the house and served a purpose for awhile; but it's time to move on.  I'm thinking about a smokey gray silk with a fabulous tape on the lead edge of the panels.  Maybe like these . . . 

or these that are a bit warmer, yet still grey.

Then, I would add a neutral tone on tone tape to them just for interest.  Something like this would be pretty.

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Now for some accent pillows.  Since the Heriz if very busy, I'm thinking I need at least one (maybe two) accent fabric in a black/grey yet a simple pattern (to contrast the busy rug).  I think this would go a long way in neutralizing the space and allowing the two rugs to be the feature.  Here are a few fabrics that have caught my eye as accent pillows.  Not sure which ones yet or even where they would go, but there are lots of fabric opportunities in the space -  on the sofa, in the bergere' chairs, the accent chairs in the foyer, and maybe even on the piano bench.  

Some texture would be good in the way of a linen.

Option One

Option Two

Option Three

Option Four

And possibly a silk just to tie in the window treatments.

Option Five

Lu Huv this one.  It is oh so yummy!  It's got the creams, greys, blacks and warm beiges in it.  could really pull things together in there.

Option Six

Since my sofa is light, a saturated black might be just the thing for a long sofa pillow.  The trick to making black work in a formal space with neutrals is to pick patterns that do not include a stark white, rather a creamy background is the way to go.

Option Seven

Really like the idea of this one too. 

Option Eight

3. Lastly, the sofa, chairs, etc. needs a small dose of red.  Since both rugs are screaming red, a small shot of it coupled with cream should do the trick.  I love both of these for a sophisticated feeling. This one is topstitched for some added texture (which I love on pillows).

Option One

This one also gets me.  It has a mid century modern thing going on and I think it would really look great with the rugs.

Option Two  

Then, once I've added some pop in this space, I'm thinking my den could use an even more vibrant pop of red.  I will have to share those fabrics with you later this week! In case you were wondering, fabrics are one of the main reasons I love interior design.  Textiles add personality to a space.  So, don't under estimate their power to shape a room!   Hope your week gets off to a great start! M.

Pairs are Good

In honor of Valentine's day, here are a few examples of couples of a different kind.

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Have an excellent weekend! M.  

Project - Before and Afters

Sometimes it's hard to get motivated this time of year - with the holidays over and several cold months still ahead of us.  The great news is this is the perfect time of year to restyle your rooms.  Just to give you a little inspiration, I thought I would share a project I've been working on over the last few months.  

I've shared a few pictures of this project with you here earlier, but this week we worked on finishing up. And just in time since the couple is hosting an engagement party this weekend! 

I have restyled almost every room in this house and it has been a ton of fun for me.  But what I wanted to show you today is their family room/den.  I did not take pictures of where this room began (sorry), but here is the initial "After" of the space (btw, the walls were red, so we picked this warm vanilla color to lightened up the space). 

Here is a view of the opposite direction.  These are all items the couple already had in their home - just moved from other rooms for a fresh look.  

Once we finished the restyle, I sourced some additional items should she choose to enhance the space in the future. 

So, a couple of weeks ago, my client called to tell me her husband was taking the leather chair to his office (yeah!!) and that she wanted to purchase the new pieces for the space. 

So, here's the Second After . . .  new chairs.  The slipper chairs moved to the basement/media room; and with the large leather recliner out of the picture, we were able to select a pair of larger scale chairs to fill this space.

And this is the wall with the leather chair.

So what's new you ask?  The console table (found at a consignment shop for a deal) here in town.  I love that this piece visually fills this large wall while it's narrow profile keeps the path to the door clear.  The chairs are from Bernhardt and are a very high quality chair for the money.    Lastly, we purchased the crackle finished plates.  These are a clever way to give you an entire wall of artwork without breaking the bank.  All the rest - lamps, mirror, wall brackets, etc. were pulled from other areas of the home. 

Notice the coffee table is different, we traded the coffee tables with the living room for a change.  I think the glass top makes the space feel bigger.  So, by purchasing a few key pieces, the space has been completely transformed.  

Hopefully, this will encourage you to move some furniture this weekend?!  Have a great one.  M.

It's Monday

Since life is feeling a bit like this for me at the moment . . . 

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I thought some eye candy was in order - just to get our week started on the right foot!  These are just a few of the images I've saved for some heart stoppin' goodness.   They are random rooms from many different sources; but each one makes me pause and sigh.  

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Now get out there and seize your day! M.