Cozy Chic Family Room

When you get to start with a blank canvas like THIS 

you know it's going to be a great room!

My client's are a young couple with two dogs who want a casual but sophisticated space

to entertain and hang out with friends.  This family room spans the back half of the house with the kitchen being adjacent.  

We want to keep the space light and airy but also cozy.  

The inspiration photos (client provided) below demonstrate the feeling they were going for.

Transitional, elegant, calming, comfortable.

I started with this floor plan to allow maximum seating and a very big screen TV 

as my client is a huge cinema buff.

The room is a great size for entertaining and TV watching.

I gave them lots of seating with a large sofa, 2 swivel chairs, 1 chaise in front of the fireplace

to curl up with a book or a bevy.

TV is on the right side and two consoles flank the sides of the fireplace wall.  

They didn't want large built-in cabinetry and don't have lots of storage needs (yet).

Round end tables keep the space from feeling too boxy.

Here's some of the pieces that will go in the space.

Deep sofa with feather-filled back and seat cushions for maximum chillaxin'.

The low, square arms have just enough room to rest your head and take a nap.

This chair will have a swivel base that rotates 360 degrees

which is great to keep an eye on the happenings in the adjacent kitchen.

   

A chaise like this one is being made to fit perfectly in front of the fireplace. 

It's a great lounger for one person, or a place to perch for two when extra space is needed.

This coffee table ottoman will be custom made to fit the large space - 

a whopping 48"x 54"  allows for table top access from all seats in the room.

It will be covered in a fabulous cobalt blue weave fabric to add a punch of colour 

(and hide the dirt, really).

I love doing a soft top coffee table because it encourages people to put their feet up and relax when watching TV.  A large tray on top will enable a glass to put down with ease. 

The lower shelf is a great place to store books, games or just display some pretty storage boxes.

For the console tables, I wanted something sculptural with a light wood 

that would complement the dark floors but also work well with the stone.

I found this marble topped beauty and it fits perfectly.

All the upholstered pieces will be done in various coordinating, neutral fabrics 

with the exception of the blue ottoman.

so we're bringing in some colour and pattern on the window coverings, accessories and area rug.

Drapery panels and roman blinds will be made from this lovely printed linen.

Joanne Fabrics

For the rug, I want to introduce a muted blue tone 

that will also be picked up in the pillows and artwork & accessories.

Some of the options being considered:

 

  

The design concept overview

A light wood media cabinet (lower right), painted wood accent tables (round table shown above),

artwork and other little goodies to make the space come to life will be added in the 

finishing round.

Looking forward to getting this one all pulled together.

Masculine Chic Design

Who says guys don't want to have chic spaces too?

Have I got your attention?
If you thought Adam Levine was cool before, check out his LA home that he helped designed here!

One of my favourite bachelor clients contacted me recently to help him with his main floor renovation.
I did his spa bathroom a while back, and now the kitchen, living room and dining room needed updating too.

We will be taking down two main walls between the kitchen, dining room and living room for an open concept space - totaling about 23' x 18' including the foyer.  Not a huge space, but it has a lot of potential.

The look he wants includes clean lines but classic too; is modern but not stark;
and very functional but not overly stodgy... no problem!
He has NONE of this now by the way and, not a lot of furniture or storage either.

 The kitchen currently looks like this

I pulled some inspiration shots to get him thinking about the feel of the space. 

Here are some ideas for the kitchen

This kitchen feels very masculine - reclaimed wood beams, industrial lighting & hood vent,
stone backsplash, even the hardware on the cabinets is "manly"



We'll be doing something interesting on the end of the kitchen island
because it has a clear view from the front hall and living room.

We are going with a palette of light cabinetry (probably off-white or dove grey)
Dark quartz countertops
 Hardwood floors throughout the main floor

Cabinetry in a classic shaker style

Lighting and hardware aged bronze industrial, maybe forged iron

          

My client also wants to store his liquor somewhere in the kitchen....um, so not cool!

I'll make space for it in the living or dining room so that it can be displayed nicely 

and be easily accessible when needed...kind of like this!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the living room/family room/everything room, he needs shelves for books, storage and minimal display - there would probably be only books if he had his way, but as a designer, I can't let that happen;
we need some styled shelves for this open plan space.

The living room's wood-burning fireplace isn't working so it will be replaced with a new gas insert and flanked with shelving & storage and a place for a new TV.  

Of course, the first question he asks me is "how big of a TV can I put in here?".   

My reply,  "let's see what works in the plan first".  

Good thing he's actually not a huge TV watcher, so I don't have to decorate around a 60-inch screen.

I love the warmth of the caramel, tufted leather with the dark walls and velvety teal (or navy) pillows.  

This may be the start of a very chic colour scheme for the living & dining room!

The contrasting textures make this desk area really interesting:

grasscloth walls

lacquer & chrome desk

leather chair

wooden accents on wall and desk

black glossy paint on mirror and lamp

So Delicious Dahling!

as Martyn Lawrence Bullard would say!

Here's the living room now... dark & dated, no lighting and no personality!

I've got my work cut out for me but I love a challenge.

Sourcing for fireplaces, fixtures and tiles - then the dining room next.  

Stay tuned!

All images via my Pinterest Boards - Masculine Spaces & Kitchens

Live-Edge Dining Room

It's been a while since I've posted project updates so here's the latest on one of the spaces I've been working on.  

This project is updating living, dining and family room with new furniture, lighting, accessories and  paint colours for the homeowners who moved into the space this past summer.

The clients wanted a "showpiece" dining table that would be the main statement piece of the open plan living/dining room.

current wall colour to be changed

This 8-foot custom made live-edge dining table was created by Urban Tree Salvage, who I discovered at the Interior Design Show last year.  The custom salvaged table top is reclaimed silver maple slabs that have been coated with a hand-rubbed oil finish to bring out the beauty of the wood.  The base is industrial steel.

I love the natural raw edge, the variation in colour throughout and the curves of the grain - just stunning!

Once this table was chosen, I sourced several options for the dining chairs to complement the table.  The client wanted comfort first because this is a dining room that will get a lot of use.  Secondly, and as important, was to have a streamlined chair that would not compete with the "star of the show" table but still be able to handle itself in the best-supporting role!  We decided the end chairs should be a bit different from the side chairs so we added a curved arm to the end chair to contrast with the sleek lines of the side chairs.

I selected the elegant and sleek solid wood Flame chair (top) by Jamco Wood, a Canadian company that custom makes Italian designed products for commercial and residential use.  We chose a dark espresso finish for the wood to contrast with the table (it's also the same wood tone of the sideboard near by) and the seats are done in a commercial grade camel coloured faux leather for easy clean up.   The end chairs (bottom pic) didn't arrive before the holidays (which we knew ahead of time) will add a bit of glamour to the industrial look.

The art behind the table is the client's own and is the foundation for some of the other colours in the room.

The adjacent living room will have this fabric and colour scheme - the patterned fabric is going on two occasional chairs, the taupe weave is on a chaise and the yummy charcoal grey luxe fabric is for pillows that will go on the client's existing sand coloured sofa.  The creamy grey paint swatch will be the main wall colour, the darker taupe/grey is for the wall behind the dining table, and the pop of deep orange will be painted over the fireplace to draw the eye over to that corner of the room.  Which incidentally was selected over one month ago before it was announced as Pantone's 2012 colour of the year - Tangerine Tango. 

We are still selecting new tile and hearth for the fireplace but will likely do a dark stone base with copper metal & light stone mosaic surround like the one above.  

The dining room now needs a very awesome light fixture (or two!) - which I have some ideas for.  

The living room still needs a rug and side tables, accessories and art... but that's all in the new year.  

I'm really happy with the mix of clean-lined furnishings with the raw-edge industrial look of the dining room so far - and so is the client...  I know there's a great bottle of Australian Shiraz waiting for me next time we meet - so that's a great sign!

I'd love to hear how you have used this combination of industrial and elegant pieces in your space?