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Patience Makes Perfect: Part Three

November 9, 2022

Back again today with Part Three of this lovely home’s transformation. In case you missed them, here are links to Part One and Part Two … the Kitchen and Family Room.

Today we are heading into the Master Bedroom! This room started out with pink walls. The bedding was a pale blue with shades of pink and sage green in a kind of Chinoiserie pattern that featured Chinese lanterns. Drapes were sage green, and there were two bergère chairs in off white against the windows. One side of the bed had an antique pine chest and the other side was a skirted table. On top were two large Cornflower blue lamps. While I don’t have a Before photo of the whole room, below is a picture my client had on Chairish to sell the existing bed, It gives you some idea of where we started.

And here it is today!

It feels so elegant and serene. With all of the bold colors and patterns of the original design, the goal here was to keep things soft and quiet and I think we achieved just that.

With tray ceilings like this, my preference is to take the paint color all the way up and to the ceiling to avoid a harsh line as in the first photo. We painted this room Sherwin Williams Alabaster.

This shot shows a few of my favorite elements. First, the bedside lamps from Circa Lighting … that shape is so good! Next, the lovely rattan and wicker bench at the end of the bed adds some warmth and texture.

Also, the gorgeous rug from Loloi (one of the first things we got and the colors were really our jumping off point for the room. Sadly it is no longer available.)

And let’s talk about these dressers we used as nightstands …

From Noir Furniture, the Daryl dresser is just gorgeous with the reeded fronts and vintage-inspired brass pulls. The white-washed finish was perfect for our soft breezy look while still leaning traditional which was important because we wanted to keep this beautiful traditional armoire that my client already owned …

I just love this corner vignette. The chair and ottoman are from Highland House. The fan is the Maverick from Circa Lighting. We were so happy to find a BEAUTIFUL fan!

The gorgeous abstract landscape is by Jacquie Gouveia and brings our soft color palette to this corner perfectly. The pharmacy lamp is from Circa and the side table is from Wisteria (no longer available). We loved the basket weave texture.

artwork by Jacquie Gouveia Pillow from Jolie Marche

The lovely sheer drapery panels you see in the background were custom-made by Karen Flanagan of Sew Special Designs.

Here you can see how they flank the windows and soften that far side of the room.

The bedding we selected is from Pom Pom Home – a beautiful white linen with subtle frayed edges and one of their lovely throws to add some color at the end of the bed.

We decided on a fun combo of decorative pillows from Chloe and Olive on Etsy and Jolie Marche. I love this set up of three large pillows in front of the sleeping pillows with one long lumbar. It feels special but not excessive.

The bed is the Lawson Shelter bed from RH and was chosen for it’s extra tall height, eliminating the need to hang anything over the bed.

Instead we hung this fun abstract entitled “Swirls” by Kristin Blakeney on the large wall next to the bed. My client is hoping to secure another piece by her to hang with it – but her new releases go fast!

So that’s the Master Bedroom! Such a calm and soothing place to retire at the end of the day. That was the goal! Thank you for following along on this three day journey of this beautiful home. And thank you once again to Marina Storm of Picture Perfect House for her wonderful photography.

Patience Makes Perfect: Part One

November 7, 2022

A beautiful transformation years in the making …

I am so excited to share photographs of this project with you today. I first started working with this client exactly five years ago. When we first met, she walked me through the house they had built 20 years ago. It was a beautiful traditional home on a grand scale filled with lot of antiques and furniture they had invested in. As in so many homes built and decorated at that time, there was lots of red and gold, formal custom draperies, honey oak floors and overstuffed upholstered furniture.

She explained to me that they wanted to start updating things. But in a house of this scale, they knew it would not be an overnight process. They weren’t interested in “quick fixes” and changes. She wanted to take time to make the right selections, save for pieces she really wanted, invest in custom pieces, sell many of the investment pieces she had collected but no longer fit her style, and have fun in the process.

I am kicking myself that I did not take more “Before” pictures – but at the time, it didn’t feel like a typical Before & After project. We were on a journey and the destination seemed far off. Throw in a worldwide pandemic and the resulting product and shipping delays, and the years stretched on.

My client is also an avid art collector – and she had already purchased quite a few pieces she had fallen in love with. Many were abstracts, modern, light and airy with bold and fun colors. These certainly didn’t fit in with the traditional Red, Gold, French Country vibe of the rest of the house, but they became a jumping off point for our overall vision.

So floors were refinished, walls were painted shades of white, things started to be sold on Chairish, we decided what pieces could be incorporated into the new design (I still love a mix of vintage and modern) and started searching for the perfect … sofas, tables, lamps, rugs, nightstands, bedding … each and every item was very thoughtfully selected.

Of course, paint and furniture can only take you so far … what about an outdated kitchen? Well, of course, we brought my favorite kitchen designer, Stephanie Frees of Plain & Posh in for that!

And so that is where I will start with the photographs. I am going to break this up into three posts of my three favorite rooms. Part One today is the Kitchen. We did take photos right before demo started and this is what it looked like.

And here it is today …

Can you believe it? And this was not a full gut remodel. The perimeter cabinetry mostly stayed but got new doors and height added at the top. The island and tall wood stained cabinet to the left of the sink are new and custom built and Stephanie hand-drew the design of the new range hood. Isn’t it gorgeous?

The beautiful reeded detail came from our idea to add this special element to the new island and cabinetry. Bringing it over to the hood just tied everything together, don’t you agree?

Here is that same view before …

Lets talk about that sink, shall we?

We were so in love with this stunning Quartzite we chose for the countertops we wanted to feature it further in a custom apron-front sink.

We scoured Etsy for vintage runners and this one was our favorite for pulling in colors from some of the artwork we commissioned for these spaces … such as this whimsical piece by Marissa Voytenko.

After falling in love with her work, we realized Marissa is local to the Chicago area. She graciously hand-delivered this piece to my client, saying it isn’t often she gets to see in person where her art will hang in someone’s home.

This area used to be a small desk – common in so many kitchens for many years, but no longer needed or practical in a modern kitchen.

The new cabinetry by Plain & Posh is a beautiful replacement, don’t you agree?

Some other special features of this kitchen – the lighting. That picture light above (a favorite), the pendants over the island and all sconces are from Circa. (I actually have those same Goodman pendants in my own kitchen – I love them so!)

Styling this new kitchen was such a treat!

Of course, I must talk about this backsplash! There were so many times in the design of this house that my client and I could almost agree on things telepathically. We were both in love with the look of Zellige tile and it seemed that all of our favorite kitchens we had Pinned or saved pictures of used Zellige tiles … so it was just one of those … “Well obviously we are going to do Zellige!” moments.

Zellige Tile is a variety of glazed terracotta tile originally handmade in Morocco. It is kiln-fired over olive-branches, giving each tile a unique glaze, color and texture. No two tiles are exactly alike, so every application ends up being a unique tapestry of color and texture.

Once again, rather than make a quick decision, we got samples from a few different companies. And then, because there is inherently so much color variation, we ordered more samples over time to get an overall feel for the variation. Ultimately, we chose Clé Tile’s Zellige in Weathered White.

Installation of this tile, especially in the herringbone pattern we wanted, is not for the faint of heart! It took 5 days of labor and many hours of going through boxes to mix the colors. But definitely worth it!

Another way we added texture … these beautiful stools from Restoration Hardware.

As we get ready to head into the family room in tomorrow’s post, these shots below give a good example of how we were able to incorporate the old with the new …

The dining table and chairs were custom well-loved pieces my client had invested a lot into years ago and wanted to see if they could still work.

The chairs were so unique I definitely wanted to be able to keep them. We had new cushions made of faux ostrich leather by Sew Special Designs and a custom rug made by Carpet Showcase to break up the wood-on-wood. I think the setup ads a lot of unique character to the space.

A huge thank you to Marina Storm of Picture Perfect House for capturing this space so beautifully. Be sure to come back tomorrow to see the Family Room. It’s a beauty!

Airy Sanctuary: Before & After

March 11, 2019

I’m so excited to share a two-part reveal with you this week! Especially during these gray, dreary “pre-spring” days, I think you’ll enjoy the bright and airy feel of these two rooms. First up, the Master Bedroom!

These clients are SO fun to work with. We really didn’t change much from my original design board and they were so ready for a completely different look and style than they had had in the past. Here is a picture of the master bedroom when I first saw it:

And here is the after …

The only thing we kept were the drapery panels as they were fairly new, and I knew I could incorporate the classic pattern into my design.

Because this room does not get a ton of light despite the wall of windows, my goal was to keep everything as light as possible. We painted the walls my favorite Classic Gray by Benjamin Moore. It creates the illusion of a white room, without feeling too stark or cold. This room is a great example of how you can mix light neutrals: white, gray, ivory, taupe. Navy lamps and a soft blue rug injected a fun pop of color. And I specifically asked my photographer to capture the fan in this shot. There is often a debate about whether to go with a gorgeous chandelier in a bedroom or a fan. Oftentimes the husband wants a fan and the wife wants a chandelier. In this case, both husband and wife agreed that they love having a fan in their room but wanted to replace the ugly existing one. We found this sleek modern fan and I think it looks great. Form AND Function for the win!

How pretty are these nightstands?

I love how much storage they provide while also giving ample space for pretty styling.

I love doing over-sized mirrors above a nightstand to reflect more light around the room and I find that it usually makes hanging anything over the bed unnecessary.

This room is huge and my clients weren’t sure what to do with this long wall …

I knew it could be a pretty spot for art with a console beneath.

I love the details on this one.

On a king-size bed, I like to use three large shams and one long lumbar pillow. I love the block print fabric on these shams mixed with the graphic pattern and color of the lumbar.

On the other side of the room is their TV, so we added a pretty dresser with a textured shagreen finish below.

And for the other “what-should-we-put-here?” space next to the bathroom door …

We simplified things with a pretty ladder to hold blankets and a fun little basket, as you can see in the mirror’s reflection.

While we talked about adding 2 chairs and a little table at the foot of the bed (they definitely had the space for it), we ultimately decided a new bench was all they really needed, and this was a great spot to bring in some more texture.

And how about this beautiful vintage inspired rug? The darker color makes it very …

Pet-friendly!

My clients are thrilled with their new room, which now feels more like a peaceful sanctuary. Check back tomorrow for the Before & After of their Living Room makeover.

Photography by Marina Storm: Picture Perfect Photography

Fresh picks for a New Year

January 12, 2017

Happy New Year readers! Wow – can’t believe we are already 1/3 of the way into January! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday break – I know I did. A little downtime is so good for the soul, isn’t it? And my boys must be approaching the teen years because they were sleeping in like they never have before! I remember many a cold winter Sunday morning at 5:30 am trying to entertain a toddler when it was still pitch black outside. (Hang in there moms of little early risers! Your time will come!)

Anyway, one of the (few) things I love about January are all the new product launches by my favorite stores and companies. Everyone seems to want to turn over a new leaf in the New Year. I thought I’d share a few new things that have caught my eye from some of my favorite sources.

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10

Mix’n’Match marble shelves from World Market.
How pretty are these? And so on-trend with the mix of marble and brass. Would be pretty in a powder room …

Also from World Market, a super-chic table lamp! Hello … acrylic and brass … always a great combo!

I’m always on the hunt for interesting planters and vases. Especially this time of year, it’s nice to have a little greenery around. These planters from Wisteria are so unique. Alone on a console or pair the two sizes for a pretty centerpiece.

Also from Wisteria, I love the clean lines and foot detail on this rustic console table.

Natural fiber rugs are always a great addition to any home. I love that this new one from Serena & Lily has a little pizzaz to it with its gingham pattern. Would be fun in front of a kitchen sink.

New from Terrain, these iron votives are so pretty. The punched metal gives them an industrial flair.

I usually shop Currey & Company for lighting, but I sometimes forget they have great furniture pieces too. I love this tiered side table with its cast aluminum top.

Isn’t this the best Bin Pull from Rejuvenation?

I’m always excited to see the new collections from Loloi rugs. This rug from their Delphi Collection is so pretty. It’s muted colors would work in a variety of spaces.

Have you all started watching the new season of Fixer Upper? These wood grain chargers from Magnolia Market are so cute. A fun addition to the dining table.

I didn’t realize until I put all the pieces together in a collage how well they work together. Can you tell I am drawn to neutral pieces, metal and natural wood? I think after the holidays everyone is craving a little more simplicity – but things like these can still help warm up your space once all of the decorations are put away.

What changes will you make to your home this month?