Washington State Farmhouse
GOAL
My goal is to help create a rustic, yet modern living room, entry, dining, and kitchen space that feels cohesive, intentional, collected, and very YOU. The main floor will be a balance of the natural & collected elements you already love mixed in with some modern takes on art, color, and textiles. I will recommend a variety of texture and shapes to achieve harmony, balance, and a wellcurated vibe that will be sustainable and timeless.
First, I recommend throughout the main floor to paint all of your walls, ceiling panels, and fireplace white. Keep the large ceiling cross beams in the kitchen/dining area, stairwell, floor, and window trim the natural wood. The pictured swatch is White Dove by Benjamin Moore. This will brighten up the space and make it feel more modern. Also, it will break up the orangey tones from being both on the floor and on the ceiling.
Plant
Chair
Coffee Table
Sectional
Kitchen Island
Fireplace
Chair
Wall Shelving
Kitchen Counter/Cabinets
Rug
Persian/Vintage Rug
Credenza
Vintage Runner Long Bench
Dining Set
Fireplace
Built-In Bench
Wood Storage
Everywhere you currently have tile, I recommend you consider replacing it with a slate tile (possibly in a herringbone pattern). Currently you have a lot of orange tones, and the terra cotta color only illuminate this more. Something natural/neutral w o u l d l o o k g re a t ( b u t i s n ’ t imperative)
Because we’ll be using a number of patterned/colorful rugs, I recommend going with something neutral, textured, and light for your living room. I recommend a large-scale Flokati rug that is, 8x10, 9x12, or 10x14. Although the size is so large, you can often find these rugs at a very affordable cost on RugsUSA or Overstock.
To give you more seating and comfort, I recommend a deep sofa with clean lines. See the floor plan for the layout. I recommend placing it in front of the bank of windows off the wall. I recommend you use a neutral color- a shade of gray or linen (can be light or dark depending on preference). Since your chairs will have more pronounced legs, keep this one low, boxy (no attention drawn to legs).
The pair of chairs opposite the sofa should be matching and in a jewel tone velvet (or color from your bike painting) or leather. These chairs should definitely have color and personality to offset the neutral elements already taking place in the room.
On the wall behind the chairs, add a wall-mounted or self-standing black bookcase. This adds needed height to the room and storage. Additionally, the black color brings out the color from the pellet stove in an intentional way. To the left or right of the bookcase, put your large-scale lamp on a stand (stand should be something more simple than what it is currently on. Your coffee table should be large, round (to offset the boxy shapes in the room) and organic (wood, slate, or glass).
Behind the sectional, add a large scale house plant or tree. This should be somewhat asymmetrical to bend towards the windows. This will add life, color, and nature to the space. You can can also add house plants to the wall unit. On the wall you currently have your bookshelf, add a large bench (black or leather) and create a gallery wall overhead. One of the art pieces should be the bike paining, and you should add a series of 4 more to make it complete (prints and photographs). Check out MINTED for a number of large scale prints. You’ll want it to take up a majority of the wall. Art would be dependent on your preferences/taste.
In front of the bench/gallery wall, add a large, vintage runner. The one you have may work depending on the colors you choose for the chairs/art and size. Otherwise you can’t really go wrong in your choice as long as it fills the space, has color/pattern, and is something you love. Finally, add some throw pillows and blankets to the sofa in pattern/colors that you like. Don’t be afraid to mix and match like many of the spaces on the mood board at the beginning of the presentation.
In the entryway, add a credenza and round mirror. The credenza will serve as a drop point for keys, guests, etc. The mirror is a great way to break up the artwork AND add a function to the space. If the credenza you get doesn’t fill the space width-wise, add a tall houseplant to take up the rest of the wall. You want it to feel substantial. Additionally, add a throw rug to the space. What you currently have would work, but you might also want something with some color.
In the kitchen, I recommend you paint the upper cabinets white and paint the lower cabinets matte black. This will keep the walls light and bright and put a neutral on the bottom. With so much color in your home via art, rugs, etc., this is a way to keep the kitchen calming and timeless. Consider, however, skimming the countertops & backsplash with concrete. This will add some organic texture to the space and pick up on grays elsewhere.
Lights in the entryway and kitchen should be simple, like these globe lights from West Elm (clear or milk glass). This leaves room for a focal piece in the dining room AND unites the spaces since they are so close together. For some personality & color, add bowls/art work/plants to counters and top of shelving sparingly.
Finishes for the drawer pulls/sink should can be brushed brass or matte black depending on your preference. What’s more important is that they have clean lines that will never go out of style.
The biggest change needed in the dining space is a larger table & chairs. The table should be 5-6 feet long and can have chairs or benches. I recommend, though, that you have some contrast to the wood color of the floor in your chairs (white, black, etc.) to break up the space a bit. The set your friend is selling may work here if you like it enough (again, size is the most important issue here). I really like the rug you have currently under the table, but with a larger dining set, I am not sure the size would work (need something close to an 8x10). Definitely do something low pile, perhaps in an overdyed blue color. Layer on some sheepskin throws for comfort and texture.
I recommend something more eyecatching and light-inducing above the dining room table for lighting. Consider one of these two options from West Elm or something more organic/woven. All add a ton of light and would compliment the kitchen well. Your current light just focuses a lot of energy down and feels a little bit heavy.
You are definitely on the right track in the dining area overall. I love the art here. Instead of the bench in the corner, add an actual built-in seat. This will fill the space better and be cozy and functional for reading, entertaining, etc. Additionally, for storage to the right of the fireplace, add some built-in, unique wood storage that makes more of a statement and goes to the ceiling. On the other side, consider adding plants to the wall or floor for some life.
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 hourly services would be given at 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 Hunt & Gather 740 Curve St. SW design@huntandgatherGR.com