Getting my stencil on.

Sitting room resolved! After confirming that the "piano" I thought I saw was actually a desk with one of those white wire shelves on top (pictured here - soooo embarrassing), we opted for a floorplan that created a sitting area great for making small talk or reading a good book. The chaise was a little bigger than I originally had the plans but I think the two bookcases will help soften the edges that don't exactly fit within the bay window.

NOTE: The bare wall in the bottom righthand corner will be used to display floating shelves, kid's artwork and some additional accessories currently TBD.

Now for the fun stuff! Since majority of the walls are either comprised of large floor-to-ceiling windows, bookshelves or a floating shelf and picture arrangement, it's not too huge of a risk to incorporate pattern on not one, not two, but all four of the walls. I know awesome, right?

To do this, I'm choosing to use an all-over wall stencil (also seen here in Jen's house) because I  1) can't stand the seams you get with wallpaper, 2) feel like I have more control over color choices and 3) like stenciling WAY more than wallpapering.

The pattern will need to be a lighter monochromatic in palette, larger in size and well defined to:

• prevent the smaller space from seeming too closed in
• play off the symmetry that's now been added to the space
• avoid looking too busy and overly decorated

I have all the colors narrowed down to Simply White (Benjamin Moore) and a soon-to-be-determined khaki color also in one of the pillows chosen for the space (great job, Chris!).

That leaves the stencil pattern still TBD. Now, I've "narrowed" it down with an etsy search to 9 different choices but am having trouble condensing any further before talking things through with the homeowners. Here's where I'm at, in no particular order:

option 1: taller pattern adding height, more open pattern,

blances boxiness of the chairs and bookshelves

(@ royal design studios)

option 2: very geometric, smaller pattern,

a little more neutral in terms of shape

(@ royal design studios)

option 3: very regal looking, a little more formal

(@ cutting edge stencils)

option 4: adding new shape to the room

(@ royal design studios)

option 5: compliments chair form,

curved edges play to chaise headrest, more open pattern

(@ royal design studio)

option 6: complimentary pattern to all furniture styles, a little more floral

(@ royal design studios)

option 7: more depth to pattern, same complimentary shape

(@ cutting edge stencils)

option 8: adds tons of texture, gives balance between two wall colors,

(@ royal design studios)

option 9: much larger design, larger gap in pattern, mimics dots on pillows

(@ cutting edge stencils)

I can honestly say I have no idea which one to recommend. Turns out, with the room balanced in terms of layout and shape, there isn't necessarily a need for one type of pattern over the other. I think the final decision will come down to comfort level, actual contrast in paint color and what the homeowners consider most relaxing or calming. Stay tuned!

Chaise, you're driving me crazy.

chaise longue [sheyz lawng]: noun. A chair, with or without arms, for reclining, having a seat lengthened to form a complete leg rest and sometimes an adjustable back.

Basically a chair and ottoman combined, this piece of furniture is too cute not to be a focal point but just awkward enough to make for difficult placement.

Ok, let me explain.

I've been tasked with incorporating one of these bad boys into one of the secret project rooms (mentioned here). As mentioned earlier, it's a great piece with a great shape which is why it totally needs to stay. The problem I'm having is that I've never designed a room with one in it before which is why I think it's driving me insane.


To make things even more interesting, the room itself is full of obstacles - two entryways, a giant bay window, a narrow floorplan and half a wall that's being used for the upstairs railing. The room is located directly to the right of the front door, the space typically used for one of those formal living rooms your mom used to (or maybe still does) not let you walk through or go anywhere near. Instead of having one of those rooms, the family decided to use the space mainly for reading, relaxing and just vegging out after a long day - a function I can definitely relate to.
 
So per usual, I put on my little thinking cap and checked out google and pinterest, design books and magazine clippings, trying to find some inspiration or a way to turn madness into a gorgeous room. As you'll notice below, majority of the images I found were cropped photos of a chaise looking all cute and adorable but with no other inclination of what else is going on in the room. For example, is it part of a sitting area? Is it near a couch? IS THE ROOM ACTUALLY LARGER THAN A SMALL CORNER?

Bottom line: the search turned out to be not that helpful. Here is the recap.

looking cute in a corner (@ little green notebook)

and by a dresser (@ pawleys island posh)

and in an empty room (@ belle inspirations)

and by a door (link to pic)

So back to square one. What is this room supposed to do? Answer: provide a place to relax and enjoy good company, a good book or good glass of wine. While the chaise, in theory, may seem like the most perfect piece of furniture to accomplish this, I think the primary issues are 1) defining a focal point to keep the chaise from looking too lay-on-this-and-I'll-feed-you-grapes and 2) creating a balance in furniture arrangement to keep the room from looking too look-at-all-of-this-random-furniture.

While I don't have an answer to the space just yet, I thought I'd share my progress (using floorplanner of course) on finding the perfect arrangement for a relaxing room that contains an adorable piece of furniture.

original: the current furniture arrangement consisting of a chair, chaise,

bookshelf (in corner) and glass top side table (in bay window)

option 1: make a more defined seating arrangement with circular coffee table,

treating the chaise like a couch and featuring it in the bay window, 

adding consistency with another bookshelf and another chair,

leaving the back wall for artwork, shelves, etc.

option 2: more open, less defined but anchored by the addition of another chair,

adding a small side table and moving the bookshelf behind chaise to create reading area

option 3: saw a piano in their garage that could maybe use for focal point,

added an additional chair for consistency and kept same reading area

option 4: created small seating area, making the piano the focal point,

moved bookshelf to open wall but kept at close proximity to chaise

Keep calm and carry on.

I have been one busy girl these days I'll-tell-you-what. With traveling to Puerto Rico, then to Cleveland for part of the weekend, THEN to a new design project this week, I have been non-stop. And on top of all of that, I can't forget about the Jen and Chad redecorating project, my parent's new beachhouse decorating and a refinishing project that's due mid-August. But you know what? I am LOVING it. Every. Single. Minute.

So about this new project... while I can't give away any of the details just yet - thanks to the homeowner's love for suprise and need to unveil - I can offer some things to keep in mind when dealing with what seem like an overwhelming redecoration project.

THE PROJECT
Repainting and recommending design choices for an entire downstairs home (kitchen, dining room, family room, living room, half bath and hallway).

THE CHALLENGE
An open(ish) floorplan that needs to be modern yet traditional, relaxing yet polished, cozy yet sleek, colorful yet not over-the-top and kid-friendly yet grownup. I know, I know, deep breaths.

THE TIPS
Keep it simple. When choosing paint color for an open floorplan, stick with 2-3 colors that compliment and enhance each other. Keep it neutral at the center of the space and have the color branch off depending on how the floorplan is. For rooms you'd like to have a little color but are nervous it may look too over-the-top, choose walls that aren't seen from other rooms and incorporate one of the other colors into the motif to maintain continuity.

Having trouble picking out colors? Check out colour lovers and take note of what palettes your eye tends to gravitate towards.

Color doesn't always have to be on the wall. Even if you are a bright color lover, take a step back before deciding to paint all your walls bright yellow and purple. In my opinion, wall color should be used to either portray a certain tone, define a section of space or complement a function of the room. In other words, think about what you will be doing in the space and then try to illustrate the mood or what you would like to accomplish in a color.

Using a room to hangout, chillax and watch some tube? Opt for more earthy, grounding colors to keep things at a slower pace. Then, use accessories to incorporate the vibrant colors you know and love.

eclectic revisited

handycrafuniqe

Try to keep one focal point per room. When thinking about space design, pick one piece you love or one task you need to have within the room, use it as inspiration and design around it. It's a lot easier to make choices when they are surrounding something stationary.

Can't seem to narrow the focal points down? See if you can combine or cluster into one area (i.e. couch + kid's artwork). It helps balance the room, allowing the eye to begin browsing at a specific point and roam freely and easily around the space.

homeklondike

homeklondike

Always aim to fix at least one functional issue. When you're at the point of redecorating, chances are something aside from the colors isn't quite working the way you'd like in the space. Think of all of the functionally annoying issues within the space and give yourself a goal of minimizing or (better yet) alleviating at least one. And it doesn't always (or ever) have to be "I need more space" or "I need a bigger TV". Challenge yourself to think of the daily annoyances you've been living with over the years that  small tweaks can avoid. For example, "I don't have a place to read" or "there's always a glare on the TV". That way, the solutions are easier and more economical to accomplish.

Consider this living room feng shui-ed.

So this is what I ended up going with. I decided to add a bookcase (compliments of my mother) next to the entertainment unit to keep from floating. I am also planning to hang a couple of shelves to box in the TV and make the separate pieces look more like a unit. Putting the bookcase next to the door will also create a little entryway, which is important as mentioned in an earlier post. I actually ended up removing a side table am planning on adding another lamp to create more light. The current placement of artwork needs tweaking based on the new furniture positioning but all in all, I am pretty happy with the new arrangement. The color palette I'm moving forward with is green (harmony, beginnings, growth, healing), yellow (optimism, communication, inspiration, focus) and either orange (enthusiasm, joy, interaction, fun) or navy blue (imagination, calm, relaxation, serenity) depending on the patterns I find to accessorize with. I'll take a final picture once I complete the decor (should be by Friday, next week).

The lazy man's floorplan.

I'm trying to figure out a great floor plan for my living room but would rather not move the furniture around a billion times before finding something that works. According to feng shui, sofas and chairs should be facing the doorway or at least without their backs to it. As luck would have it, my sofa is on the same wall as the door and my chair doesn't face the door either. 

To help resolve this challenge in the laziest way possible, I came across a great site that allows you to build your floor plan and play around with the furniture inside each room. It offers standard furniture sizes along with the ability to change based on your own furniture. Below is my living room as it stands (design definitely not included - for placement only). Looks like I have my work cut out for me!