Historic Glendale Refresh
Consultation Notes Lizzie and her dog live in a historic home on the edge of East Grand Rapids and Eastown (Grand Rapids). She manages communications for a tech firm and has studied and worked in Design and Communications. She likes to read, entertain, and spend time outside. She is very social and involved in a number of community groups. Lizzie wants her home to be a balance between modern and traditional. It’s also important to her that her space exude positivity. She’d like to utilize all of her art and as many furnishings that she currently owns, but move some items around/purchase ones that will really utilize the space well and take it to the next level in terms of design. She is drawn to blues, creams, black and white and natural surfaces. In general, she is not drawn to oranges/reds (although it is accented throughout many of her paintings). Lizzie enjoys art from people she knows locally or has worked with, and as a daughter of a familyowned business, she is committed to the local economy. Outside of that she likes the style and personalities of West Elm, Etsy, Pottery Barn, etc. For this initial round of recommendations, we are focusing on what Lizzie can do to really elevate the style of the living room, dining room, TV room, and guest room. She has a strong sense of style/what she likes, but none of the rooms feel “finished”. We will provide both long and short-term fixes to some of the issues at hand, recommend how to utilize pieces she already has in new ways, and items to add to her repertoire. For final art/styling, we recommend having us come in for about 2 hours to do on site as much is dependent on size and trial/error.
MOOD BOARD:
Since we were working with existing furniture/artwork, we are considering this more of a “refresh�. The mood board embodies a traditionalmodern blend.
Living Room Recommendations: Hang large piece of art above the fireplace (as opposed to leaning). This will draw your eye up (make the room seem taller) and will create a cleaner line/landscape to work with on the fireplace. Purchase a new couch and love seat. Your current ones are functional, but they don’t add much in terms of style or color. We recommend something with modern lines, textured or linen upholstery (as opposed to leather- since we’ll be using a leather-like chair), and a neutral color in the gray family. West Elm has some great options. We know you like using used/vintage pieces, but this new set will really elevate the style/quality without buying everything new. It will help the space to feel “modern-vintage” as opposed to just “vintage”.
Move the couches away from the wall and window about 1-2 feet. This will make the space feel more intimate/conducive to conversations. It will also make the sitting area feel more a part of the rest of the room.
Pull in the orange-leathery chair from your dining room to the living room. This will be a fun pop of color and will play on some of the orange hues you have in the artwork in there. Add a large-scale area rug to anchor the space (even before you get new couches). This will add a level of comfort and coziness that you are currently lacking due to all the hard/leathery surfaces. It will give you more room to use even on the floor for entertaining/lounging. Homegoods, Overstock, and RugsUSA are excellent resources for largescale area rugs. Make sure your furniture fits ON the rug (not inside). You want it to anchor the space, not make your furniture feel like its floating. Another source for large rugs is Sullivan’s on 28th St. You can have carpet remnants bound into rugs for custom sizes and for a fraction of the cost.
Long-term, consider adding a round coffee table with glass surface. This will break up the boxy shapes in the room and will be “barely there” in obstructing views since it’s a see-through material. Consider painting the fireplace (or at least re-tile the bottom). The current tile greatly dates the look and is not truly representative to the style of the house. Something neutral to match the fireplace face or walls would be best.
Remove the large-scale mirror and consider moving it up to a bedroom. Due to its large scale/size it really has too much presence (almost the size of a window, but not quite), so it creates an odd sight line. Move the desk/china cabinet from your TV room to where the large mirror was. This pulls the dishes closer to the dining room and adds some height to that wall without taking over the sight line like the mirror did. Move the Eames chair/ottoman to TV room and in its place add a credenza. This will give you some a casegood for extra storage/function and will make the chair feel less “floaty”. It will also add a standout piece for the TV room (moving the chair/ottoman). On top of the credenza would be that sculptural piece of art you have in addition to some of your smaller pieces. You could also add a tray and vase for function/design. Remove the sleepy-hollow leather chair. This is due to the fact that we moved in the orange chair. Instead, move this chair to the guest bedroom. It is comfortable, classic, and would photograph well for a potential rental room on Airbnb (the leather will also balance well with cozy textiles and bed linens.
Add a house plant to the left of the china cabinet to add some light.
Consider adding two lamps on each of your side tables. Although you have ample lighting with your sconces, it would add some height and help visually balance the room. In the lamps, consider pulling some color from the Reb painting above the fireplace. Add functional accessories as needed. Blankets, dog bed, throws, etc. Keep them neutral due to the amount of art you have hanging.
Dining Room Recommendations: Add an area rug under your dining table. This will anchor the room so that your furniture doesn’t feel like its floating. It will also make the space feel more substantial/finished. A navy or blue overdyed rug would add some depth/color to the floor. Go easy on the pattern due to the amount of artwork in the space.
Replace the light fixture. Since your furniture is more traditional, to balance with the art and the rest of the house, consider adding something that is more sculptural/visually interesting (almost Calder-esque). This might be a good opportunity to work with a local artist to design a one-of-akind piece (and could possibly save you some money, too).
Long-term, consider replacing your dining table and chairs. These pieces you have now are quality/functional, but we don’t feel like they truly represent you or your style. Whatever you decide, try to do a mix. Either a modern table with wooden/vintage chairs. Or consider a traditional-style table with ultra-modern chairs. Again, this will help balance the style of your vintage home with the modern art that you love. Remove the orange chair. Although you do sit in and use the chair, its function doesn’t necessarily relate well to a dining space. We already recommended moving it to the living room to capitalize on its pop of color. Consider adding a bar cart where the orange chair used to be. Maintain the art placement and curtains. Your choices of art/layout looks great.
Television Room Recommendations: Remove both chairs and ottoman and add the Eames/chair ottoman in its place. This will create a strong, modern visual as soon as you walk in the room and elevates the level of quality. Add a confortable area rug (perhaps something with shag). This will anchor the room so nothing feels floaty and will add a new level of softness/comfort that is lacking. Move the couch to the basement and get a new loveseat in its place. The leather material of the chair needs to be balanced with soft seating. Something with a little bit more presence and color would be nice here. Consider a navy blue.
Since the wall is now empty on the right (moved the China cabinet to living room and removed the chair), add a long, wooden bench to fill the entirety of the wall. This will add additional seating and won’t block the doorway as much. Add large piece of art to fill the wall above the bench. With so many smaller art pieces throughout the house and trinkets on the built-in, it would be nice to add something large-scale to this wall (perhaps a macrame or textile type art). It would also look nice and would create a nice “moment” you are going for. Especially if you add a large plant to the right or left. Add a floor lamp for task lighting next to the loveseat. This will make that space even more functional and a place to read/curl up with a book. Maintain curtains.
Guest Room Recommendations: Move mirror and leather sleepy-hollow chair from living room to guest room. See previous comments. This will also add function and comfort for guests. Consider painting the room either an antique white (to brighten it up) or hunter green (to add drama). The current beige color won’t be as inviting to guests (especially Airbnb guests. Bring in a rug for warmth and texture on the floor. Add comfortable linens- white/crisp and fresh. White will make it feel more like a “hotel” and will photograph well when advertising your space.
Add a dresser for function/storage. On top add a tray with lotion, containers for cotton balls, Q-tips, etc. to make a guest’s stay more enjoyable. Also consider adding a small coffee maker/coffee cups.
Feature your antler art over the bed. They might love it so much that they buy one! And having it photographed on your Airbnb page is a great advertisement, too. Add a black metal queen bed. Or whatever you have likely would work! Add wall swing arm lamps for bedside lighting. Depending on space, consider side tables in a similar vein to the dresser.
So, what’s next?
Whew! That was a lot of information. Now that you have seen the inspiration/recommendations, soak it all in. Let us 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 us 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 concept! Can’t wait to hear from you!
THANK YOU Kelley Howley & Fernando Ramirez Hunt & Gather 740 Curve St. SW design@huntandgatherGR.com