A Simple Sofa Makeover

This sweet little sofa is part of a makeover project that is nearing completion.

I'm a big advocate of using pieces that my clients already have if the pieces work with the design. It's cost effective by freeing up some of the overall project budget to apply to new pieces. This can be tricky though, because you could spend more money redoing something than you would if you just purchased a new piece, so make sure you weigh the options of redoing versus buying new before you spend the time or money. When the piece is worth revamping and when done right, the results can be very rewarding to your design and your wallet.

Here you can see my drawing for the new design of the sofa. It's all in the details! Small changes to this very traditional piece have transformed it into a transitional delight. I removed the skirt and heavy bullion fringe. These two things, alone, cleaned up the lines dramatically. Then I selected new fabric and sent this little baby off to the upholsterer. I changed the traditional pleating on the arms to a classic nailhead detail and replaced the oversized brush fringe pillows with an extra long kidney pillow with contrasting French cord. These details also aided in cleaning up the lines.

The value in redoing existing pieces extends further than just saving money, you will also have a custom piece of furniture that no one else has.

Don't skimp on the details. Here you can see a close up of the nailhead work. Adding custom touches like this make all the difference in the world!

You might have a really cool piece of furniture hiding under ugly fabric, dated finishes or boring details, so, take a look around at your old pieces and try to envision them in a new light.

Once this project is complete I will proudly show you the makeover...it is fantastic!

Here is another little sneak peek of this project.

Check back soon!

*click on images for a closer look*

A Lovely Little Redo

I recently received a couple requests to show more before & after rooms. I love to look at before & afters as well, so I completely understand the draw. Here is a recent project that I have completed and would love to share with you.
This is the formal living room of one of my lovely clients. You can see in the before photos that the room was needing some attention. The family wanted to use this room but it was sad and didn't have any direction.

The client inherited a piano from a family member and wanted this room to be it's new home.
We were able to use many of the pieces that the client already owned by giving them a new life with fresh paint and luxurious new fabrics.

On the far wall, I removed the dated tapestry, that was too small for the space, and installed a collage of art. We reupholstered the bench that was in front of the window in a fresh geometric and pulled it up to the piano for a chic new life. The bergere chairs were originally upholstered in a beautiful olivey leather that looked fabulous with the new color palette. However, the dated oak finish made the leather look dull, so we had the chairs painted a sharp satin black and added custom pillows in a gorgeous Robert Allen fabric trimmed with a contrasting French cord.

Notice the old bench in front of the window and the bergere chair not looking quite as fabulous as it does now. The red silk drapes with tassel trim were dark and dated and, frankly, didn't do much for this room.

Simple panels in creamy linen, banded in chocolate linen, adorn the windows and draw the eye up, visually maximizing the wonderful ceiling height in this space. We also added a beautiful hand knotted Persian rug in gold, cream and black. This particular rug, with it's muted colors and soft, worn look, could easily pass as an heirloom. It adds a little patina to the space, which I think every room needs!

This is a closer look at some of the details. The new bench fabric, the bergere chair and new pillow, the fabulous hand knotted rug and just a glimpse of our gallery wall.

You can see how minimal changes to this space have completely transformed it! The client loves her new space and they actually use this room now.
It is a lovely little redo!

Kate Spade on One Kings Lane

The always elegant and classic Kate Spade is on One Kings Lane today. Look at some of these timeless dinnerware pieces that are on sale for half the price!

I am seriously loving this quilted flatware!

How amazing is this dragonfly motif? I absolutely love this!

Beautiful bar accessories for a swanky cocktail hour.

She also has New York Gifts on sale as well, like this striking bowl from the Marlborough collection.

Go on over to OKL and check it out. Go quickly though if you are interested, these kind of pieces never last long on there.

If you aren't already a member of OKL, tell 'em I sent you when you are signing up, and hook me up with some referral credits :-)

Williams Sonoma Home...Yes Please!

I was over at Williams Sonoma Home, keeping tabs on their inventory, and I found some lovely pieces that I just had to share.

I was instantly dreaming up spaces that I could use these pieces in...which is what I do when see something that I love. I immediately try to connect it to a client that I think would love it as much as I do.

This darling accent chair would be perfect cozied up to this secretary. Picture some antique maps of Paris flanking the sides of the secretary and a seagrass rug underfoot. I would fill the rich, stained shelves with the antique leather books that I collect and my special milkglass collection...perfection!

This cabinet would be fabulous in a kitchen nook filled with my white everyday plates. I would pull two of these benches up to a gray distressed Louis style table like this one, on each side, and pair them with some interesting upholstered host and hostess chairs. Custom cut seagrass would be underfoot, an antique brass lantern overhead and then the only thing missing would be my friends, my favorite chardonnay and my delicious pasta carbonara.

Williams Sonoma has some great things going on for the retail market, you should check them out!

Artfully Worded

I saw this incredible piece of art over at Elements of Style today and I am positively smitten! This space is by Kishani Perera. Erin, at EofS, has a fabulous and more in depth post about this designer and her old Hollywood vintage, glam, eclectic style, so check out that post here.

I grabbed this piece of art out of her post and saved it in my favorites. Two things make me swoon over this idea. First, I love typographical art! Second, if you love 80's monster ballads as much as I do, you would have read the first 3 words of this art and realized that these are the lyrics to Bryan Adams Heaven. I love this art so much and this would be easy to recreate for your own space.

Typography is so much more than just graphic design. By combining text, font styles, artful placement, thoughtful context and expression, you can have a brilliant piece of art with a message that can be straightforward or subtle. Check out some of these other pieces of typographical art that I dug up online...

This style of art looks perfect with contemporary and transitional spaces but can be interesting and thought provoking when placed in a traditional space. Juxtaposition works, try it!

Add a little artful wording to your space and let your walls do the talking ;-)

**click on images for a closer look**