Front Room Rescue Project

This poor homeowner has violated several rules of great furniture layout and design. To start, all her furniture is pushed against the wall. There is no intimate conversation area, no balance of furniture, the scale is off and overall it just looks a bit sparse. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure she is a great person but she and her family deserve a good makeover, don't you think?! 

And, who better to give them some great advice than the very one who threw all of these misfits together in one room so very long ago! ...Yes, that's right, these rooms belong to me! I have never revealed this front room of our house on the blog because I have been meaning to "get to it" for like 6 straight years! It has housed the furniture we brought for our old houses waiting for some attention while the other rooms were priority. And if you come to my door this is why I always stand on your right side and talk you straight to the back of the house! 

No more excuses. After thinking about it many many times I have some plans in the works. After all, it is the first impression of our house and you never get a second chance to make a first impression, right?!

THE BEFORE... or I suppose I should say, "Right Now"

View from dining room looking into front room. (imagine front door and foyer to your right)

Below: front room, view coming in from main door....I know what you are thinking but this is not a dance floor... Although, there is a "kids" TV behind that black armoire and this sprawling open area has been know to be host to some Wii dance offs. Also, a tumbleweed crossing for Newman's hair poofs!

Up until a week ago there was a large rectangular leather ottoman that used to sit in front of the couch... SOLD, thank you Craig(slist). And now the couch above is also for sale on Craigslist. The armoire is one of the first pieces of furniture my husband and I purchased and I still love it even if it doesn't find a place in this house, we will store it until we can use it again.

So What's The Plan?!?!

My master plan for the room(s) is based around the art deco chairs my mom gave to us. I showed them to you a few months ago but just to remind you... They are black lacquered chairs...yes!! I have always loved the look of these chairs. I need to find new fabric to recover them in and a table as I am not using the glass rectangular one pictured here (too hazardous with the 6 small hands that I would have to degrease off it every night!)

Rather I have come across these possible table options...

via: Pinterest

Via: Pinterest 

 I am loving the ideas of having a big over sized round table. I love the teak looking wood in contrast to the shiny black lacquered chairs. I also love the one above with the white lacquered pedestal!! Decisions decisions...

For the walls in both rooms I am planning to paint everything white! But not just white, white lacquered painted walls! You may recall my post last month when I was obsessing over all white walls.
See below, just to give you an idea of the sheen check out this dining room with lacquered walls... glam o rama!!

Via: Pinterest

And of course I can't have this glam look and have a semi textured dull drywall ceiling so we may have to do a paper up there. I am thinking I like the look of this black so maybe a black grass cloth or another textured paper!!! Oh and I am obsessing over these unique ceiling medallions! I'm gonna have to drive myself nuts finding one of these too.

Via: Pinterest

I also found this paper below over the weekend and am thinking this would also look very cool on the ceiling if the black doesn't fare well with the hubster!

sorry phone photo, but you get the picture (no pun intended)?! Stunner....

 For the largest wall in the dining room I have a design in the works using trim. Lots of trim! I am really excited about this! It is one of the reasons I am using all white as I love allowing good trim work to stand on its own in white. It is very detailed so any color would draw away attention to the woodwork itself! GONNA MAKE YOU WAIT FOR THIS ONE!! hehehee

This also means that I may need to use this dining room buffet I bought at a thrift store in the front room instead of against my secret feature wall in the dining room. Here is a photo of it as it stands. I also plan to revamp this piece. Are you seeing the time commitment ahead of me because I certainly am!

lots of good storage in this bad boy...

My inspiration for this buffet makeover might have come to me this weekend in the form of a vintage bracelet my daughter Stella received in a a bag of "costume" jewels originally worn by her great great grandma. I love these colors striped together like this. Thinking I may be able to replicate this look somewhere in the refinishing of this buffet. Um, I think. Haven't figured that part out yet!

So in the front room I want to use the green velvet Ikea sofa that came out this year! Love the color, love the price and what better place to take a risk on a colorful sofa than in a sitting room you are not using every day.

Via: Ikea

And I am loving some of these pillow patterns as options for the couch

 

Via: Pinterest

These graphic pillows below are exceptional! Don't you think!?!

Via: Pinterest

I am also obsessed with these black and white chairs I found! I would love to be able to replicate this look on a reupholster job! Maybe even on two matching cain back armless chairs. Love love love!!!

Via: Pinterest

Even though I still love my teal drapes (see before and now pics above) in the rooms I think I am going to need to find another home for them. I love the idea of doing either simple black and white drapes or use a punch of color and do solid yellow panels like these below! What do you think?!?

Via: Pinterest

A couple black and white options....

Via: The Yellow Cape Cod Blog

Via: Pinterest

I came across this cain back settee on a search for a bench or settee to go across from the couch and found this lover. Can you imagine the cain painted a black lacquer?!? Yes, that is just what I would do!

Via: Pinterest and Uptown Modern

So in my experimentation with some collage sites I have put together a little preview with the colors & style I want to convey in the room. Obviously, not exact picks but it still gives you an idea, yes?! Like I said, I am experimenting in hopes of getting better with these! No really... you would be AMAZED at how computer illiterate I am. 

The ball is rolling (Dana!!!) on this! It may take some time and pacing of the funds to support it but it is exciting nonetheless, at least for me anyways. I will be giving updates as they come. 

Also coming down the line is my client dining room reveal we are wrapping up in the next couple weeks! And Tuesday I met with a girl to revamp her bedroom. She is a Interior Therapy nut like I am so I think we are kindred spirits! If you are not watching this show on Bravo you are missing out! Hands down, funniest interior design reality show I have ever seen! Thank you Kelly Rees for making me a addict! 

Here they are:)

Cheers!! {Laura}

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Update! My Sister's Remodel

I posted a few weeks ago that I was helping my sister re-invent the front room of her Chicago walk-up from a formal dining room & sitting room into a cozy family room & foyer. See my post Design Challenge: Decorating with Bold Colored Furniture. The painters have been called and her color choices for rugs, fabrics and accessories will be revealed soon! 

What I didn't mention at the time was that we have also been re-inventing her kitchen as well! Here's a look at her "before" kitchen and a sneak peak at the progress to date. Stay tuned, it's about to get fabulous in Chi-town! {Erin}

Before

Post Cabinet Removal 

 The Cabinets Have Arrived. . . 

 

My Fall DIY Tablescape!!!

Listen, I love a good tablescape. I really love when you can put one together for fall that is understated enough to last you through the holidays with some minor tweaking (and who knows, maybe some twerking depending on how your holiday party festivities go:) This year I decided to go big! I have a huge chandy above my table. It is much much bigger than the size they recommend when you look up the desired size for your fixture above your table size. I have never been a rule follower on that one. Anyway, centerpieces can be tricky. Sometimes too many things going on under a big chandelier can look busy. And something small on a large table can look dinky and unintentional. 

For this DIY project I needed a big round urn looking planter. You know the big stone saucer looking ones you see with the short squatty pedestal bottom? I mean I feel like I see them everywhere! Well, until I was looking for one! I looked everywhere and even went to Pottery Barn!! Those who know me know I am not a fan of Pottery Barn. I feel like I could nod off looking in there... same stuff reinvented every year in different shades of beige! I never did find one exactly like I was looking for but did find a sale planter at a local nursery that was black stone and was a good size for the project!

To add some interest I decided to use some Martha Stewart gold pearl paint and give the bottom that dipped look that you have seen recently. I thought it would also make the planter look more "indoor friendly" and less like it belonged out on the porch. Here is the painting in the progress. To give it that dipped look I applied the paint thicker on the edge and let it run down a little as to not have a solid straight line. 

Once the painting was finished I filled the pot with indoor planting soil to the top. I purchased 2 bundles of the curling branches that you can find at any craft store (Hobby Lobby, in this case) and arranged them in the center of the pot. Then I planted 7 small moss plants, I found in 2 inch containers from a garden shop, in a circle around the branches. I then used some flat moss like the one pictured below from Hobby Lobby to fill and cover the dirt around the edge of the planter. 

This is how it looks thus far with the steps above completed. 

Then I decided to add some pine cones to give it some dimension and to break up the green a tad around the edge. Regular old pine cones won't do when you have left over gold paint from the pot!! I decided to try to roll the pine cones in the paint so that just the edges were dipped. They turned out pretty cool!

The final result..... 

What do you think?! I think it could make its way through fall, Thanksgiving and Christmas, no?!

Hope you enjoyed! Cheers!
{Laura}

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Knock Me Down and Roll Me Up! Serena and Lily Wallpaper!

Serena and Lily have expanded their catalog of original patterns and fresh colors to wallpaper! Samples are available to order online for $10 and each double roll is $88. If you haven't received your Early Fall 2013 catalog or visited their website lately, here is a sneak peak! Happy Shopping! {Erin}