Cumberland Drive Recommendations

Design Recommendations Cumberland Way, Detroit MI

THE GOAL

My goal is to help you complete your library, living room, bedroom and foyer in a way that is comfortable, casual, and eclectic while still paying homage to the history and style of your home. I’ll recommend a variety of shapes, textures, and styles to create well-balanced, intentional living spaces.

Foyer

One of the biggest challenges in your foyer is getting some additional light. My first recommendation would be to consider adding a horizontal style mirror above your entry console. By doing something horizontal, you open up room on both side of the mirror to install two brass sconces. Consider installing sconces on either side of the mirror that will add the most light (each sconce having two bulbs or at the very least having a white/bright cover).

On the right side of your console table, add 3-5 focal books stacked with a small bowl on top (for guests to toss keys in). On the left side, consider adding a vase or some type of greenery that can survive in low to no light for some height.

For warmth, pattern, and visual interest, you should add a Persian-style vintage rug to the space. You have two options for rugs. You can either get a wide runner from the door to the end of the stairs (centered with your console) or you can get something large scale that will fill the area in front of the storage closets. The rugs would have to be sourced online or locally as they are individual/unique/vintage.

Across from the console (on the stair wall), add a bench for function and balance. For a more casual look, consider something woven. For a more formal look, consider something tufted. Upholstery color would depend on rug selection.

For the ceiling light, again, the goal is to choose something with the most light potential due to the lack of windows. You will need to choose something with a width not exceeding 39�. I recommend something lightweight and open (black or brass). It should also not have a cover so as to allow light to pass to the second floor as well as the first.

On the second floor, I recommend a large scale console table (perhaps the one I saw stored in your dining room) on the main wall with a large scale piece of art above it. Minted is a great source for large-scale art prints as you can buy them framed. This might also be a great place to put 2-4 blueprints (depending on size) from your house as a grouping. If you want to go this route, let me know. We can talk framing/sizes. In front of the console add another Persian-style runner, and on top add two lamps on the right and left. This will anchor the wall upstairs and make it feel more complete. Depending on how the scale feels, you may also consider adding a house plant to the right and the left for more full-ness and balance.

Library

In terms of layout, your library is in pretty great shape in regards for function to space ratio.

Mostly I have recommendations for finishing elements and styling. I’d like to make it feel more moody, cozy and a little bit masculine.

First, I would recommend removing the existing pillows, blankets, and rugs. I think the textiles in here should definitely be cozy, but in a more muted pallet.

Keep your Eames chair & ottoman where it is.

On the opposite side, replace the existing chair with something more substantial in scale. This will allow you to entertain more in the space, adds comfort, and balances the size of the Eames chair. See two examples here. The chair can be in the gray, black, or blue family.

To offset the boxy shapes in the room and add some more balance, I recommend replacing the existing coffee table with a round coffee table. It doesn’t have to be anything too intricate or large, just large enough for function. It’s not the focal point of the room, so its okay if it fades away.

Consider one with glass, even, so as to not compete with the wood on the walls. Add a round, drum style brass side table to the side of the couch along with a modern floor lamp (that takes up less visual space than one with a shade).

Add a new large scale area rug in either gray or blue tones. This should have a little plush for comfort and at least an 8x10 in size so that your sofa and all furniture can rest at least partially on top.

To the left and right of the door to the foyer, add artwork to the wall (size to be determined together). It should mostly be white to contrast against the wood wall. These charcoal drawings are an excellent example of what would look modern and classic at the same time in the space. Move the small cart you are using as a side table to the wall you have your “bar� on now and move over your bar elements to the cart. The scale will fit better in the space than the piece you have currently.

Accessories should include some throw pillows and blankets in the neutral family. Additionally, add more books (including tan and white ones to keep the colors light) and decorative items to the shelves. My specialty is styling, so when the time comes, I can come and style them with modern and vintage smaller elements on site. Consider also adding some smaller house plants to the shelf and smaller framed art pieces to break up the shelving as well.

In an effort to keep the room feeling c lean and comfortable, I recommend keeping the window treatments simple as well. Since you have the plantation shutters throughout the house (and no formal window treatments), I think it would be best not to do anything too drastic in here.

The other elements in the space add a level of class that might feel overboard with heavy drapes.

Living Room

Fireplace, Hearth, TV

Coffee Table Artwork

Deep Club Chair

Piano

Mirror or Artwork

Deep Club Chair

Long, Deep Sofa

Mirror or Artwork

Desk Chair Rolltop Vintage Desk

Leather Chair

Bookcase

Bookcase

Artwork

Your living room should fit the style of your home in addition to feeling approachable and lived in. The layout here creates the best feeling of “openness” while providing a substantial amount of seating and functional elements (desk, bookcases, etc. I didn’t have the exact size of your piano, so we might have to adjust just a little bit; however, this layout feels the most natural. I purposely chose large, oversize chairs facing the sofa for comfort and relaxation; however, you could also get two smaller ones with a table in the middle. It’s all about balancing out the sofa. Remove all existing window treatments and replace with the plantation shutters you have upstairs for style and consistency.

Since you have a variety of colors chosen for the walls in the other rooms, I recommend painting this room Simply White by Benjamin Moore and let the furniture and art colors do the talking.

The white will make the space feel bright and open (especially since you have such great light pouring through the windows).

I recommend replacing the current ceiling light fixture with something that has both modern and vintage elements. I love how classic, yet clean the pictured ones are. Additionally, replace the sconces with something somewhat coordinating. It is important that the main f ixture you pick has brass, black, or white elements and is of a relatively substantial scale in regards to size.

Anchor the floor with a large scale area rug (at least 12x10) with a little bit of plush. Keep the rugs neutral (pattern is fine) in a gray or tan color to again, let the furniture do more of the talking. Under the piano, add a rug, too, so that it fits completely on top and breaks up the amount of wood happening (needs to be warmed up with some color or texture). Again, keep it neutral.

For style and comfort, centered around the fireplace, add a large, deep sofa across from two deep, matching plush chairs with your existing coffee table in between for comfort. Exact colors would be dependent on the rug; however, the sofa should be the one that stands out more color-wise.

On the wall to the left and right of the fireplace, add either two large scale mirrors or 4 framed maps (two on each side top and bottom) to add a focal point that balances out the television.

On the smaller wall by the entry, add a vintage desk in a similar wood tone to your piano. This will add the right amount of modern-vintage in the space in addition to balanc ing out the piano’s size and color on the opposing side of the room.

On the long wall, in black or white, center two bookcases on the wall for storage and balance of height. On the left side, add a round, leather (or any type of unique) chair. This would be c lose enough to be pulled up for guests when hosting, but out of the way/balancing the wall otherwise.

Add additional large scale artwork to the right of the bookcase and between the matching windows on the wall with the current bookcase.

Finally, add two large scale house plants for an air of freshness, life, and final styling.

Bedroom

Your bedroom is so close, we just need to do a few things to make it feel finished and complete. First, due to the awkward placement of the window and layout, as we talked about in our consultation, I recommend pulling the bed about 6”-8” off the wall and center everything on that wall from left to right.

Although it will be slightly in front of the window, since it’s off the wall it will feel less clunky than the way it is now. Having that balance will make a huge difference. Also, for further anchoring of the room, consider installing a unique chandelier centered above the bed.

This is not a necessity, but will add a nice “wow” factor and additional lighting.

Add a pair of large-scale light color lamps to each side table. On the side of the bed without the window, add two pieces of travel photography art to balance out the scale of the window. This will also add a pop of interest/color to the wall. In the bottom cove of your side tables, add some clean books and unique items for styling and visual interest (again, this is something I can help with on site).

Your bed should remain calm and clean, so I recommend white sheets and bedspread (at least 4 pillows) with a light, but contrasting coverlet or blanket styled on the bed halfway to the foot/floor (see mood board page for good examples).

On the large wall where your dresser used to be, add a large-scale floor mirror with a plant to the right. This fills the vertical/horizontal space there and adds function, but doesn’t cut off the visual lines of the focal wall space like the dresser did.

We have two options for the wall in your bedroom that is currently empty.

One is to right align the 5drawer higher dresser from the same RH line with a unique , woven chair on the left. Add a sconce to the right of the window to provide lighting for the chair in addition to a cozy Turkish-style navy blanket and round mirror above the dresser. This creates a cozy little reading nook and a lot of visual interest.

The other option is to add one large-scale piece (like the armoire from the same RH line) that would take up a lot of visual space & add a ton of storage. It really depends on the function you are going for. Would you like more storage or a space to read/relax? Either way, balanc ing that wall is key to making the room feel complete.

So, what’s next?

Whew! That was a lot of information. Now that you have seen the inspiration/recommendations, soak it all in.

Let me know if you have any questions. After processing the information, you have a couple of options. ü Call or e-mail to set up an appointment to discuss your likes/dislikes of the design and how we can move forward together with Hunt & Gather managing the project (we would discuss what items you would like to purchase yourself, what we should be hunting for, budget, and timeline). ü Start working on the room on your own (purchasing items, hunting for things, etc.) and only call me when you need clarification, recommendations, or final styling. Remember, the WHY is more important than the WHAT, so if you don’t like a pillow/lamp/etc. that we recommended, find something with similar lines or a similar purpose (or a cheaper price) and consider purchasing that instead! ü Nothing. This wasn’t what you were looking for, and you would like to discontinue working together.

Additional pricing for services would be given at the follow-up meeting that fit your specific needs. Hope you love the design concepts! Can’t wait to hear from you!

THANK YOU Kelley Howley Hunt & Gather 740 Curve St. SW design@huntandgatherGR.com