Colourful Rooms

As much as I love my neutrals, there's nothing like a blast of colour in a room to really make it come alive.   And, I don't mean just throwing a few colourful pillows on the sofa or putting up a bold piece of art in a beige or gray room, I mean colour like you mean it... in commitment pieces!

A large sofa, floor tiles, kitchen cabinets, 

massive rugs and glorious wallpaper!

See what colour can do to impart drama, infuse energy, create interest and establish a sense of mystery in these rooms,  and then see how it stacks up to plain old neutrals.

via Apartment Therapy

Better Homes & Gardens

Amanda Nisbet

Ellie Cashman wallpaper

Geremia Design via Rue Magazine

Kelly Wearstler

Second Wind Interior Design

Miles Redd

Ok, so pink silk walls and high gloss navy kitchen cabinets may not be for the faint of heart, 

but it's what makes designer's like Kelly Wearstler and Miles Redd legendary artists.

Consider all the many ways that colour can make any room feel really special, and go for it.  

Decorating your home should be fun, not scary, and certainly not something that gives you angst when it comes to choosing the right colour.   

Start with at least one new colour on a piece of furniture

 (a painted cabinet or an upholstered chair) and go from there.

You may just find it lifts your spirits when you walk into the room and makes you smile.  

Don't be afraid to colour your world!

Check out more colourful spaces on my Colour Blast pinboard

Living Room for Entertaining

When I first met this client at her midtown home in Toronto I knew that her space was not a reflection of her personality at all.  She's a busy family physician who loves to golf, travel and entertain regularly.  But, her living room was lackluster and hardly being used. She also loves art ... which is why she called me.

She was looking at making a major purchase in original art and wanted to know how to decorate her space not only to show off her colourful 40"x60"purchase, but to make the space more inviting, more interesting and definitely more sophisticated.

Here's what the living/dining room looked like BEFORE:

 

beige walls

bad furniture proportions

poor layout

dismal lighting

no pizzazz!!

I knew what to do with the layout right away, but the colour scheme was going to come from the diverse selection of ART

The original horses and east coast red farmhouse paintings were destined for the living room.

Marilyn was going to be in the glamorous dining room, already decked out with a modern crystal chandelier.

There was also a series of nautical photographs of my client's east coast home town that were grouped together in the family room.   Artwork all sorted out, on to the furniture.

We decided to keep the fairly new slipper chairs and have them recovered.  

I also took the black striped side cabinet to get a fresh coat of paint and some new blingy hardware.  

Here's the before shots of both with the client's mirrored coffee table that was also staying.

I wanted a streamlined sofa to be placed on the longest wall that would accommodate the two largest pieces of art.  So I selected this piece with a cushion back and a narrow sculpted arm in a navy blue chenille fabric.

Now I had the opportunity to bring in two more chairs that were a bit more sculptural and add some sophistication to the space.   

 I chose a dark peppercorn finish for the wood with a powder blue velvet for the fabric and pewter nailheads.  This chair is one of my favourite pieces in the room - and there are two of them! 

I wanted the pillows to bring in the colours from the artwork... pumpkin, gold, turquoise and cobalt.  So I came up with a fabric scheme to complement the upholstery fabrics selected.

It started with this textile festival ...

and was narrowed down to this final selection of 50 shades of blue, 

golds, and a bold hit of pumpkin orange in a floral medallion pattern. 

A geometric art silk rug sits in the background.

Once all the main piece were selected and fabrics for pillows and drapery chosen, we moved on to the accessories and I found some fun pieces that my client loved

Here's a closer look at the custom drapery in a luxe silvery chenille fabric with 6" fabric banding 

to match the pillows on the chair... so yummy!  

Client already had the custom roman blinds in a graphic silver & gold pattern, 

so I worked with them when choosing drapery fabric.

The final reveal comes in two parts

Part one - without drapery 

(note to self: don't order them so close to the holidays!)

It's amazing what a bit of paint and some new hardware can do for your dated furniture!

Part two - some new pillows added but without the rug 

- it was accidentally soiled by the family dog the night before I arrived for the photo!

Love ending the post with these gorgeous chairs!

My client has been entertaining a lot more since this room was completed.

Just goes to show that living rooms can be transformed for contemporary, real-life living!

Family Room Makeover

I recently completed a project for a client who had been renovating her main floor for some time.  After months of major renovations, this couple had run out of steam and didn't know how to pull together a cohesive decorating scheme that would make the most of their new open floor plan kitchen, dining room and living room. 

We had a long, narrow space with limited furniture, insufficient lighting and new light hardwood throughout, but it was run over by two young children's toys leaving little room for entertaining, which was long overdue now that the house was no longer under construction.



The inspiration for the room was a piece of art that the client loved.  The soft tones of this painting were the starting point for the colour scheme for the whole space. 

I worked on a floor plan that would allow for maximum seating when entertaining, additional needed storage and kid-friendly design and fabrics.  The initial presentation to the client looked like this:

We wanted to stay with a casual and earthy colour palette, but the client said "let's bring in some funky fabric somehow".  I love it when a client will take some chances!  We left the fabric showroom with the client shedding happy tears over the coordinated fabric scheme that was coming together.

For lighting, I wanted to bring in a light fixture for the dining room that would fit in with the casual mood of the home but still had some "bling" since it would be visible from the front door and throughout the space.  We brought in a modern 21 inch wide crystal and satin nickle chandelier that was hung over the dining table, centered on the main floor.  It's now the "star of the show" with matching pendants over the adjacent kitchen island.

We chose a custom, modern sofa in a tone-on-tone herringbone striped fabric and had an additional set of seat cushion covers made that can easily be replaced when one set needs cleaning (a great idea when you have small children and light fabric).

The slipper chairs are great in a small space.  We chose them in a neutral, linen fabric and made them child friendly for everyday use with slipcovers in a fun pattern that hides little messy fingerprints.  They sit on the edge of the family room rug and help delineate the two spaces without the bulk of a loveseat, and they can be easily moved into the dining room for larger dinner parties, as needed.

The window bench was constructed by the talented homeowner and I added another coordinating fabric for the custom made seat cushion. We then brought in some rectangular pillows with more pattern to make the seating extra comfy.  Large baskets under the bench and an oversized ottoman/coffee table add much needed storage.  A new larger rug pulls the scheme together while making the whole space feel bigger yet still cozy.

Here's the AFTER:

We are still looking for a dark framed picture to hang on the left of the sofa to balance off the tall shelf on the right and sconces for task lighting when reading will be added on either end of the sofa wall later on.

The room was completed just before the holidays and the clients have had four parties since then, stating "the room works just the way we envisioned it and easily accommodates 10-12 people which it didn't before". 

I love a happy client!