design kits
your living room (transitional style) (USA clients)
I loved working on your home and I think I’ve come up with the perfect solution for your space, based on the photos and comments you’ve given me as we’ve gone through. This custom Design Kit has all the information you should need to finish off your space, including a floor plan, colour palette, moodboard, furniture choices and more! And remember, you don’t need to feel limited by the ideas here. If you love them, go ahead and use them all! Or, simply use these as suggestions to help guide and inform your own decisions. Now, let’s take a closer look at your existing space and your style!
1
Colour Scheme. Currently, your room has a lot of warm tones such as tan and chocolate brown. While these colours are perfect to create a warm, inviting home I want to add some cooler and brighter tones into the mix to stop the room feeling too dark.
2
Window Treatments. You have beautiful big windows in this room that feel a bit hidden due to the window treatments. I’m going to suggest a new style which I think will lighten and brighten your space.
3
Style & Finish. Your have some beautiful pieces in your space but I feel like they need more room to ‘breathe’. I’m going to suggest some new vignettes and styling options around the room to give it that designer finish.
You already have tan walls and lots of chocolate brown furniture. These are perfect to create that inviting atmosphere but with only two tones used the room feels a bit one-dimensional. I love the idea of incorporating some more clean white to brighten up the warm tan colour scheme, and then adding a touch of a cool and cheerful apple green to contrast with the warm tones in the space, and tie the space in with your kitchen.
Your style is ‘Transitional’. You like a mix of classic and contemporary pieces, and interiors that feel warm and homely. Your favourite spaces use lots of natural textures and dark timber tones to create a space that feels timeless but still has a modern edge. Although you like a neutral colour palette with lots of warm creams and browns, you aren’t afraid to add a touch of colour through accessories and art.
IMAGE SOURCES: LEFT - Featured in Better Homes & Gardens (top); Designer Paolo Moschino (bottom). ABOVE: Young House Love (top), featured in BH&G Magazine (right) and Boxwood Interiors (bottom).
Your moodboard
You already have some great pieces which you’ve purchased together and want to keep. I have some suggested one new piece that I think will finish the room off beautifully.
You already have a good layout that suits the furniture pieces you already have. With the armchair on one side of the fireplace, I wanted to add an additional piece on the opposite side to create some symmetry in the room. I love this dresser for its ‘plantation’ vibe and think it is the perfect addition to your transitional style. I deliberately chose a piece in a different timber tone to the other elements in your room to create some variety, and stop your space feeling too one-dimensional.
Your current window treatments are in quite a traditional style. I wanted to suggest a new option which will freshen up your space. Long white curtains are perfect to bring a strong element of white into your space and will give your room a more modern style. Make sure you hang them ‘high and wide’; curtains should be hung on a rod well above the window frame and about 15” past the frame on either side. To cover the gap between the top of the window and the curtain rod I love the look of some simple bamboo or timber slat blinds. These will also bring a lovely textural element into your space. See the tutorial page for more information on how to hang your new curtains and blinds.
I wanted a larger piece above the armchair to balance the weight of the dresser on the opposite side of the fireplace. Since you’re so crafty I’m sure you can come up with a great painting which would be personalised especially for your space. I thought this piece was a great DIY idea, and would be easy to change up to suit you. I would use shades of apple green with just touches of brown and tan against a bright white backdrop. Lovely!
For above the dresser I wanted an interesting piece that had the ‘Pottery Barn’ vibe. I love a round mirror for its contrast against the geometric lines in the room, and thought this porthole style mirror was gorgeous! The antiqued bronzey tones will work perfectly with the darker tones in the space, and will contrast beautifully with the soft tan wall colour.
On the final wall in your space (the angled area between the doorways), I would suggest a gorgeous family photo gallery wall arranged in an eclectic arrangement around your large letter R. I would fill this space floor to ceiling and use it for family photos, favourite mementos and other small art pieces. These are some great examples, but check out the tutorials link page for advice on how to get the look.
I wanted to add some fun colour and pattern to your room with the pillows for your sofa.
When you are mixing patterns it’s important to make sure you choose patterns that have a variety of scales and styles. Here, I’ve suggested a large scale floral pillow as your base. This pillow is perfect as it brings together a variety of green and brown shades to tie the colour scheme together. A chocolate brown trellis adds a geometric pattern for contrast, while the deep brown contrasts with your soft coloured sofa and adds some depth to the arrangement. Finally, I would suggest a pop of bright apple green to finish off the look. This pattern uses a more organic shape to introduce another pattern style. For the armchair I suggested this gorgeous script pillow which features a bright green butterfly to tie in your colour scheme.
Your pillows and art are the feature here so I would suggest keeping your vignette clean and simple with a stack of pretty coffee tables and your handmade candle centerpiece. Top the books with a favourite ornament like a piece of coral or cute ceramic object.
Here I’ve suggested some simple accessories to add to your existing pieces to finish off this side of the room. Your lovely cabinet is the perfect place to display some pretty objects to give your room some personality.
I wanted a fairly tall lamp for this space to balance the height of the mirror. I thought this piece had a great vibe and was a good size for the price. The chocolate brown shade ties in perfectly with the pillows on the sofa.
I noticed you have a stack of family photos on a side table in your room. I love the look of small family photo frames grouped together in a pretty tray. The tray corrals the pieces together and makes them feel deliberate rather than cluttered. You could use any tray you like but here I’ve suggested a simple bronze one from Target.
To finish off the vignette I’ve added two interesting shape vases. The bright white brings some lightness into the arrangement, and provides the perfect place for some pretty ferns or flowers.
design kits
now the practical things (shopping & layout) (USA clients)
You already have a great layout for this room considering your furniture pieces. As I’ve mentioned before, the only addition I’ve made is to add a dresser to the other side of the fireplace to create a feeling of symmetry in the room.
Charleston Wooden Dresser $97.98 Target
Grayson Grommet Window Panel $34.99 each Target
Radiance Burnt Bamboo Shades $67.97 each Home Depot
Metal Porthole Mirror $89.99 Target
Floral throw pillow $53 incl shipping Etsy Seller CodyandCooperDesigns
Green Trellis Pillow Cover $34.50 incl shipping Etsy Seller PillowThrowDecor
Brown Trellis Pillow Cover $17.90 incl shipping Etsy Seller bisousrose
Green Butterfly Lumbar Pillow $41.53 incl shipping Etsy Seller WordGarden
Antique Ivory Lamp $49 Lowes
Bronze Vanity Tray $9.99 Target
Rustic White Vase (Small) $48.80 Pottery Barn
Sockerart Vase (12�) $19.99 Ikea
Hanging curtains & blinds How to hang curtains http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/01/hows-it-hangin/ General curtain and blind concepts http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/06/email-answer-its-curtains-for-you/
DIY Flower Art http://twogirlsbeingcrafty.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/painted-wall-art-for-nonartists.html
Creating a gallery wall http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-create-a-gallery-wall-164792 http://designformula.blogspot.com.au/2008/01/making-picture-wall-collage.html http://interiorsbykenz.com/gallery-wall/ http://abbeysoutherncharm.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/gallery-wallcompleted.html http://tatertotsandjello.com/2012/03/family-picture-gallery-wall-reveal.html http://gardenberger.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/gallery-wall.html