Design Post Interiors

by Beth Barden

South Hill View Project

We get asked certain questions a lot, like when are designers pulled into renovation projects? The honest answer: It depends on the project. Our South Hill View clients pulled us in toward the end of their renovation. They completely gutted their townhome, opening up walls and changing the feel of the space. When we joined the project, they had selected the kitchen finishes, lighting, floor stain – the foundation of the design. We came in to help it feel like home.

The star of the kitchen is the huge island, jokingly referred to as “Australia” by our clients. They loved the size but were unsure how to style it without feeling cluttered. We sourced a (very large) antique dough bowl and had the amazing Laura at City Stems do an easy-to-care-for moss arrangement. We added a pop of color with a Turkish runner from Rug Lords and filled the open wall with a grid of photos from our clients’ travels.

The townhouse was renovated to have two areas off the kitchen. In a more traditional setup, you could use these as a breakfast nook and more formal dining space. Our client didn’t feel like they needed either, so we reimagined these areas as a cozy keeping room for morning coffee or evening cocktails and a home office. It was important to our clients to have a space that felt like them, incorporating some vintage pieces and a casual living vibe.

This area (dubbed in our notes as “open space off kitchen”) felt like a natural place for a keeping room. We pulled in some texture to contrast with the steel railing in a pair of chairs and turned an existing console into a bar area. The oversized, framed art was a local find that really completed the space.

Who knew their dining-room-turned-home-office would be so ahead of its time? Even pre-Covid, our clients knew what they wanted out of their house – and swapping this formal space for a more usable home office was an easy decision. We pulled in color with a new rug and custom drapery and found a desk to coordinate with a family heirloom cabinet.

Similarly, our clients knew what they wanted for their living area – a comfortable, cozy space for movie nights and tv watching. We continued the pops of blue from the upper level with a navy sofa and pulled in a new pair of swivels to maximize tv-viewing space in the living room. We brought in pattern with the rug and ottomans and incorporated more personal touches with framed topical maps of their favorite place.

This project is a great example of making your home and layout work for you – a lesson we think we’ll see even more of in the design world as we move into 2021.

Photos By: Laura Sumrak

McDonald Ave Boys Bedrooms

Hello from quarantine! This week definitely feels like one when we could all use something cheerful and fun.

Our McDonald Avenue client is one of our favorites, and we were thrilled to help them with another project. After designing their sunroom, living and dining areas, and guest bedroom, we pulled together bedrooms for their two older boys.

Our client was ready to move their sons from their quasi-nursery rooms to “big kid” rooms that would last. Our favorite way to design a room for kids is to start with timeless pieces of furniture that can grow with them into teen years – and add a little whimsy and fun with pattern, color and accessories.

Once you layer in their toys and books, you don’t need much more to make the design look kid-friendly. Here’s where we show you how…

BEFORE (Room 1)

AFTER

Their younger son wanted a car or truck theme, so we incorporated these sweet vintage-looking prints.  Mixing patterns is a great way to go bolder! We loved mixing this indigo stripe headboard with the rust-colored pattern in the drapery.

A pile of books and a pretty wooden toy, like this car, is all this dresser needs to look styled. You can keep it simple and keep it in line with what your son or daughter likes too!

BEFORE (Room 2)

Both of the boys’ rooms needed a cohesive design. A lot of the furniture was from their nurseries and didn’t fit the boys’ style or age. We needed to exchange gliders for desks for homework! The rooms were painted dark blue tones, and we needed to find a way to brighten them up but keep pops of bold colors that the boys liked.

AFTER

A few coats of Benjamin Moore China White (OC-141), new furniture, patterned curtains and layered rugs brought a fresh feel to these rooms.

Their oldest son loves maps and books, so we put a fun, graphic map of Charlotte over his bed along with a pair of brass sconces for nighttime reading.  We also made sure he had lots of storage for books and toys with a pair of bookcases, topped with a collection of vintage and new globes.  We were able to keep the bedding neutral and add pops of blue with navy shibori curtains.

Photography by Laura Sumrak

These rooms are a great example of filling your kid’s space with things that your child loves, without giving in to a Disney character comforter (stay strong, parents!) By giving these rooms a timeless foundation, we’ve also given our client the option to swap out accessories or art as their sons grow, without needing to do a full redesign.

What are your biggest hurdles in decorating your kids’ rooms? If you need help creating a space that can grow with your child, let us know! We can help – and we’ll make it easier to say no to those race car beds too.

Brandon Circle Playroom

Today we are sharing the last room in our Brandon Circle project.  We loved working with these clients and were so happy that we were able to stretch their budget across three rooms.  This room serves as an additional living room as well as a play space for their two kids so it needed to look and be kid-friendly while also allowing adults to hang out without being overwhelmed by toys.  We set out to bring in light, playfulness, and functionality!

BEFORE

IN PROGRESS

We added these wall-mounted shelves and painted them all one color to achieve a more modern and custom look.  The wall color is Benjamin Moore Collingwood OC-28.

This was post-light install and pre-wallpaper install…

We worked with the existing fireplace surround and couch and brought in lots of book/toy storage, a new light, new coffee table, additional seating, and some fun accessories to liven things up!

We wanted to spotlight some of the kids original art since this room is mainly for them.  We also wanted it to feel fun even if it doesn’t look like a traditional “playroom”.  You may remember that rug that we saved from their dining room!  It has so many good colors and I love how the formality of the vintage rug mixes with the more modern playful pieces.

 

The Cole & Sons woodgrain wallpaper is the highlight of this room!  We wanted to find a wallpaper that would add texture and fun without needing to be changed out in a couple years when the kids get older. We settled on this pattern because it works in both a study/library setting as well as a kid space.  It also draws the eye up without feeling like overkill with the rest of the rooms elements.

And a Be Nice reminder that we can all use!

We let go a little on this design and just had fun!  We chose pieces that can function now and later.  For example the cabinet houses toys now but could be used as a bar later.  We didn’t stick to a lot of rules and ended up with a multi-layered room that looks collected over time…one of my favorite looks!

If you missed the living room or dining room reveal in this house make sure to check those out!  We lucked out with some really great clients on this project and couldn’t be more grateful!

Photography by Laura Sumrak