It’s been awhile. But for good reason. Just last weekend I wrapped up a makeover project with a great friend. I am excited to share the results today. I can pretty much guarantee fewer posts in 2016 but when I do post, I hope to knock your socks off with reveals like this one.
Let’s start from the beginning. The beige, boring before. This room wasn’t given much attention nor was it used frequently. It was where all of the random pieces of furniture ended up. Some with great bones, others not so great and a few left behind by previous owners. The one thing all of these pieces seemed to have in common was that they were a shade of brown. The walls too! Beige and brown are almost always the default “safety” color when arranging a room. Am I right? We needed to inject color and personality into this space immediately!
When consulting with the couple, we discussed how they wanted to use the room and the feeling they wanted it to evoke. This space is going to be used, as intended, as a living room for hosting friends and family. No television, just conversation. We also determined that the adjacent space beyond the pocket doors needed to be defined. This would become the library anchored by wall-to-wall built in bookcases.
In our initial consultation the couple described their style as “minimalist modern” although I might argue that it’s “contemporary traditional” but who’s keeping track. In fact, let’s go with “organic modern”. I think that sums up the outcome. The project was a healthy dose of DIY, vintage, home store finds and shopping the house, my favorite. A full source list can be found at the end.
One specific influence kept surfacing when flushing out their style and it was Kimpton Hotels which is known for bold interiors. Specifically their use of contemporary patterns, intense color and often natural elements juxtaposed with metallic & reflective finishes. The most important element being “pops of color” as described by my friend.
We started with a relatively neutral color scheme by painting the walls a soft gray and then worked in the “pops of color” and texture. The sofa is gorgeous and so comfortable. It is a classic gray velvet Chesterfield accessorized with bold throw pillows that can always be changed out down the road or seasonally for a new look. Crown molding and windows were updated before we got to the fun stuff.
Nature is an important element to the couple since they are avid gardeners and Renee is a floral designer. The vintage botanical print above the sofa was a find that I’d been hoarding for just the right project. The set of wing chairs initially started out as a bird motif but after that pattern was discontinued we came across these butterflies which were a great consolation. The birds landed on the twiggy side table.
It was a no-brainer that the rug needed to be yellow, Renee’s favorite color. We cycled through a few choices, even sending one back, until we found this one with a simple over-sized pattern. I stumbled upon the perfect mirrored, coffee table with geometric cut outs mimicking the pattern on the area rug. We debated over pattern vs. solid panels for the windows but ultimately settled on navy and pulled that deep color onto the walls in the library.
Can we talk about the lamps and end tables? Two of my favorite elements in this room perhaps because each set is totally unique – a vintage treasure and a DIY. Would you believe those end tables were sourced on Craigslist in mint condition? When first reviewing the listing, we anticipated painting them white but lucked out. The natural wood is very pretty and didn’t need any updating. Check out the lattice-work on the bottom.
The lamps were hideously dated but the perfect shape, scale and a matching pair. At 5 bucks they were a steal. They even came complete with pleated shades which we ditched for ruched drum shades. A simple DIY with high gloss spray paint gave us the ginger jar shape lamps we were looking for and a fun pop of color.
Library
Turn your attention to the newly minted library. The couple took the momentum from the living room and ran with it in a series of DIY projects in the library. We flipped the color scheme just a bit with navy taking center stage on the walls and gray taking a backseat.
Bye bye beige! The bookcase is an Ikea hack. A set of five Billy bookcases were framed and painted to create a wall-to-wall bookcase. Signature pops of color, of course, are found stenciled across the back. The displaced books and mementos from the living room all found a new home organized on the shelves.
Vintage and contemporary pieces are right at home in this new space. The fantastic natural light doesn’t hurt to showcase all of their finds. 
Dining Room
It wouldn’t be a home project without a little project creep, naturally. In this case the dining room is adjacent to the living room which means the crown molding needed continuity as well as gray owl paint on the walls.
Changes in the dining room included updating the light fixture to reflect the organic modern direction as well as the bird art. I convinced them to anchor the dining table and chairs with an area rug which Renee did a great job of selecting. I enjoy the quiet simplicity of the dark stained Windsor chairs, trestle table and humble bench but I do think the room feels a bit warmer with the bold rug. Do I dare say that it adds a “pop of color”?
Well that sums up the entire makeover which is Olive approved…
Source List
Living Room
- Sofa – Macy’s Saybridge
- Paint – Behr Dolphin Fin
- End Tables – Vintage Craigslist
- Lamps – DIY via Craigslist
- Lamp Shades – Target
- Throw Pillows – Homegoods (patterned) & Vintage (solid)
- Area Rug – Wayfair
- Coffee Table – Homegoods
- Wing Chairs – Macy’s
- Pouf – Wayfair
- Twig Side Table – Pier 1
- Mirror – Vintage
- Botanical Print – Vintage
- Curtains – Boscov’s
- Top Down Cellular Window Shades – JCPenney
- Magazine Rack – Vintage
Library
- Bookcase – Ikea Billy Hack
- Paint – Behr Very Navy
- Chair – Ikea Poang
- Throw Pillows – Ikea (patterned) & Vintage (solid)
- Rocking Chair – Vintage
- Curtains – Wayfair
Dining Room
- Furniture – Vintage
- Rug – Ikea Vidstrup
- Bird Print – Ikea
- Light Fixture – Overstock
Circa Dee 