Home Office Gets Bright Makeover

My client, who works from home full time in Allentown Pennsylvania, asked us to give her an office space that functions well for a hard working accountant, AND would also be a retreat for her during off work hours.   

AFTER

Our Solution: Split the room down the middle; half office and half lounge area.  

We tied the spaces together through color (her obsession with teal and pink). A soft gray on the walls allows the pops of color to shine without being overwhelming.  

We refaced the fireplace and added a built in bookcase to house her love of books.  We hung the television on the wall.  Then outfitted the lounge area with soft and bright furnishings for a happy look!

AFTER 

For the office area we included a very capable L shaped desk that keeps my client organized.  It hides the miscellaneous but necessary office needs. Poppin was our 'go-to' place for the bold pink and teal bins and magazine/folder holders. 

We also gave her a creative way to display her kids artwork and medals from her triathlon competitions using chicken wire frames and clothes pins.  They allow her to add and remove items on a whim!

                         MORE PHOTOS

New wall sconces, comfortable furniture, and lots of fun accents bring juicy color in, even on the dreariest of days.  What a bright lovely office with lots of storage!

ADDED LENGTH TO SHORT DRAPES

We used drapes purchased from a store but they ended up a little too short.  To fix that we added length!  Heres How To Fix a Short Drape.

My Girls' Bedroom Gets A Makeover

I really enjoyed creating this pink-a-licous bedroom for my daughter when she was really little.   We would snuggle on the bed and read, and on Saturdays we could take a nap together (Mommies need to nap more!)

BEFORE

But six years later she is all pinked out and the room needs to function better for her age.   I have held off on re doing her room because I know it can be hard to compromise with a kid.  I was sure she would be my toughest client yet!  

In the end we actually had a lot of fun with the makeover, and I am sure she will write me a glowing letter of recommendation. 

AFTER

So let me tell you about this space: My kid loves art; anything crafty that she can get her hands on like the sketch she did of the zebra you see on the wall with the purple gem eyes.  It was done on newspaper!  So of course, color was a major theme in this room makeover.  

Instead of repainting the bedroom, we added more thin stripes to the pink stripes already there.  I think we used seven new colors.  I am a decorator by trade so I had so many quarts to choose from.  It was fun.  We painted it together while singing along with our favorite bands on the ipod.  

The new day bed was my gift to the room.  I fell in love with it the moment I saw it in a furniture catalog.  I have never seen anything like it.  I do love white leather!!  Also day beds with trundles allow a guest to sleep over so they are handy! 

I can't believe how much stuff my little one has collected, and of course, nothing can be thrown away, so we went to the ever popular IKEA Expedit bookcases for storage.  One doubles as a window bench for more toys (ahhhh!)

Although I have a really cute owl lamp in the room, we realized we needed better reading light so we added a wall light with a movable neck.  It is really great.  I thought choosing the bedding was going to be almost impossible but we did not even need to compromise.  She loved this purple velvet cheetah patterned comforter, and I had to agree that is was funky and soft.

tip: if you have a piece of homemade artwork you want to hang but it is rather small, go get an extra large mat and frame for it (we had to get this one custom made but it was not expensive). 

We kept the dresser (CLICK HERE to see how this dresser was refinished) and added a little desk.  The wall flowers were a fun gift from a friend.  We placed them all over the wall and at night they glow like stars! If you noticed I did not add more colorful stripes to a good chunk of this wall, the reason is that we grew tired-plain and simple!  And when I went back the next day to paint more on, I liked it the way it was.

A Man's Master Bedroom Re-design

I was hired to re-design a master bedroom for a gentleman in Allentown PA.  This was the first man's bedroom I had done and I did not want it to be overly monochromatic, and NO BROWN! I asked him "What inspires you?"  and he mentioned the Scottish painter Jack Vettriano.  Perfect jumping off board.  The great contemporary artist Vettriano (born Jack Hoggan) is also an inspiration to me for the romance he creates in his work, and for his belief in himself and his art.  He chose art; it didn't choose him.  

Jack Vettriano left school at sixteen to become a mining engineer. For his twenty-first birthday, a girlfriend gave him a set of water color paints and, from then on, he spent much of his spare time teaching himself to paint. He put his artwork out there, and it paid off!!

-For those who dream of taking a different path in life, think of Vettriano and go for it!

MY DESIGN PLAN AND FLAWS:

I didn't let the traditionally mission style furniture he already had stop our plan for a contemporary feel. We 'contempo'd' it up with steel grey walls, lots of chrome, including three new framed Vettriano's, deep 'manly' eggplant window treatments, and of course a bit of zebra and mink.  I also added a wall tattoo to cut the squareness of all the hard edges and add 'whimsy' and interest (the decal was bigger than me).  

When I presented my ideas to my manly client, he said 'Shosh, that's not eggplant, it is purple."  I said 'eggplant is the new purple'.  Then he said "Shosh, animal print?" I said "Grrrr...don't get me mad."  And he shook his head and rolled his eyes when I showed him the decal idea.  Design should be fun; there is no right or wrong-just opinions.  He gave me the green light and I went to work.

Here is the before and after:

BEFORE

AFTER

These drapery rods were a splurge but so worth it!!  To bring the budget back down I found the pillows on sale.  Changing the doors and door hardware made a HUGE difference.

BEFORE

Bye bye blue walls and doily sheers.....

AFTER

BEFORE

"Is that the sun rising from that faux stucco sconce?

AFTER

 

A sleek Zylinder satin black with chrome wall sconce fits in like a long lost friend.

 BEFORE

This dresser was actually against the closet wall first. I recommend placing a high piece of furniture under a high window to conceal the awkwardness, then ditch the doily window treatments!  Also what you can't see is an unorganized closet that we quickly addressed. And are those doors or shutters?

AFTER

Roman shades are more functional on a high window.  And for this long and narrow window, they add height and fullness.

Bring on more glitz with this mirror and chair from Pier 1.

I found this decal at www.walltat.com and thought it was beautiful.  It is called‘Graphic Floral 3-Wall Decal’ and is 63" x 40".  I played with the positioning of it using painters tape, and I have to say, it was easy to put up (just took an hour to make sure I didn't rip it and to get all the bubbles out).

So how is my manly client enjoying his bedroom?  He chuckles and nods which is his way of saying 'he digs his new 'diggs'.  Actually we just made changes to his upstairs bathroom and he was all for more purple-

Master Bedroom Becomes A Lodge Retreat

When my clients, Scott and Karen, asked me to design a master bedroom that brought in their love of lodge style, full of warm colors and rustic pieces, I was up for the challenge.  I wanted them to feel like they were at a resort in the woods that included luxurious bedding and fun natural accents.  The space is in a cape style home so it includes a number of angled walls and entrances to the eaves.  I had so much fun on this project and was very excited to present my design plan to them.  I had to use an extra big board to hold all the ideas and products I included.  Here are some of my ideas:

To erase wall angles, I will paint it all one color, so a warm golden yellow will go on all walls and ceiling, except the two end walls, which will be painted in a barn red.  And what lodge wouldn't be complete without a fireplace.  This one is electric so it is simple to set up, not requiring structural changes, and really adds to our look.

The windows and sliding glass door will get striped drapes which bring in greens, golds, browns, and reds, and two comfy chairs will be covered in this beautiful rich pattern.

Although the bed had a headboard and footboard made of rod iron and wood, I wanted to create more texture and drama. I proposed framing out the wall behind the bed using 1x3s and painting it in a deep dark chocolate (all the trim and doors will also be painted in this chocolate color -yum!). The grasscloth wallpaper you see below, which contains lots of reds, golds, and tans, will fill the center of the frame.  Dark brown bamboo wall arm sconces will be hung above either end table leaving the table tops free for lots of woodsy novels.

I didn't just want Scott and Karen to have that lodge feel around them.  I wanted them to lye in bed and feel it above them, so I included 2 fans with antler chandeliers.

And of course, faux wood beams, which are so easy to put up. 

I will share the Before and After photos of this soon-to-be romantic lodge getaway bedroom suite!

Update Your Candle Wall Sconce

The candle wall sconce.  Everyone has at least one.  The quickest accent you can nail into your wall, light up, and get instant romantic ambiance.  Raise your hand if you have one of these.  Now raise your hand if your candles are dustier than the tops of your kitchen cabinets.  Although your sconce is a nice accent, it is time to update it.  Try spraying it a bold color, try replacing the candle with something else.  Here are some simple ideas:

-In a kids space, prop up a small stuffed animal;

-In a kitchen, use fake or real fruit;

-In bathroom, use decorative sea grass ball;

-For holiday sparkle, use an ornament, and hang more from it;

-Flowers work well also!

For this family, I used a plump artificial succulent.

My Split Personality - A Tropical Eclectic Living Room & Modern Glam Bath

I have a split personality lately and loving it! I began work on two totally different spaces, two totally different clients, who want two totally different looks.  One is a living room in Bethlehem and one is a bathroom in Allentown.  I thought I would share the progress so far.

A TROPICAL LIVING ROOM WITH A TWIST OF ECLECTIC WORLDLY PERSONALITY

Aren't these fabrics fun-so full of texture and curves! This couple's design style is truly a reflection of their passion for life and bright personalities.  Their living room, which opens into their dining room, will get a creamy coat of Convivial Yellow (SW6393) on the walls.  A nice warm backdrop glow for introducing the tropical flavored fabrics above on the windows and furniture.  We bring on deep finished woods and furniture pieces, which are, to say the least,  one-of-a-kind and shapely!!  And the lighting will make you 'EEEP'.  We've just begun and I can't wait to see the vision in my head-in person!

 

MODERN GLAM BATH

This full bathroom is the size of a six foot person in length and five foot person in width.  It is tiny, to say the least.  BUT the new reno will make it feel big and G-E-O-R-G-O-U-S!  This space does not represent my contemporary client at all.  The bathroom has a stand up shower that takes up way too much space, little room for anything else, dark wood paneling everywhere, and a vanity, that has me shutting one eye in distress.  We will be replacing it all!

  

We will install a smaller shower that is all glass and add built-in shelves on one side to hold towels and essentials. We will wrap pure white subway tiles around the space, halfway up the walls and completly around the shower. It will be very minimal- then comes the bling! Adding sleek and sexy tile down the center of the floor and all the way up the shower wall. Yes, like a runway. And also around the walls as a border above the subway tiles. With the Hep Green (SW6704) paint, new lighting, new vanity, niche, and accents I have planned-it will be a show stopper!

I will show the before and after pics when I have finished the projects so stay tuned! I am also working on a very cool master bedroom with a rustic lodge theme, a fun library, and contemporary asian style family room.