Design Recommendations For: Wealthy St. SE
Family Room
Per our conversation, your family room layout and function are pretty well set, but you just need he lp with finishing touches and pulling it all together. First, I recommend adding a larger area rug to the space and run it horizontally as opposed to vertically like you have it now. This will he lp anchor the space and will add comfort/color/texture. I’d like to keep the furniture and walls more classic/neutral, so this is is a great place to add color (blue). The rug should be at least an 8x10, but the room could handle a 9x12 since the north wall is 11.75 feet long.
The rug can have a pattern or other colors if you want, as long as the predominant color is blue and the pattern is something classic or timeless (as often rugs can be an investment piece). You don’t want something too trendy.
I recommend recovering your sofa to a gray color (tone could be light or dark. We can talk more about this in person). This will contrast well with the rug/walls and will add some modernity to the space. It also allows for you to keep the color on the pair of c hairs. If for some reason you choose to replace the sofa (as opposed to recovering), I’d recommend something with hidden legs and modern lines. Again, this would contrast well with your current chairs/color.
The current layout of the room is good, but for function/variety of shape, I recommend adding a round coffee table. This should be simple and have some transparency as to keep the room feeling open. I also recommend using something with black. We’ll be accenting in other places with black and it also makes the black television feel more intentional and part of the design plan.
For task lighting and a touch of artistic interest in the space, I recommend a large oversized black floor lamp behind (or to the left of, depending on which lamp you choose) the sofa.
For art in the family room, I recommend two large-scale photography pieces in narrow, black frames side by side on the northern wall (could even be of you and your family). These will be bold, graphic, and a great way to add visual interest. These could be black and white or pieces with some blue in it. The photos should be a maximum of 60� wide each. They can be smaller, but you want them to feel substantial (Minted has 54 x 40 frames that would work we ll). If you’d prefer, you can also do one large photograph, but it would need to be extremely oversized to fill the space and make the proper impact (so it just depends on your image, vision, and budget).
On the smaller wall closest to the kitchen, I recommend a large modern, black framed round mirror. This will fill the wall and add reflection/light to the space without being too fussy. It should be approx. 4’ diameter to make an impact.
In your husbands “drop zone”, I recommend putting a plug-in black wall sconce on the wall to make it seem a little bit more intentional. Organize his items with black or concrete desk trays and accessories.
To add color, function, and balance to the built-in, I recommend adding a pair of either planter boxes or lamps under the windows and on top of the counter space. This will make use of the awkward space and add visual interest. Most important here is that they fit the scale of the window and are a horizontal rectangular shape. Finally, if you go with a plain rug, you can add some pattern if you’d like via two decorative pillows on the arm chairs. These can be anything to your taste as long as they blend in with the color scheme!
Basement Living Space
Overall in the basement, I think you should do either shiplap horizontal walls or vertical panels throughout the whole space like you have partially now. They should be painted Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. This will give you a crisp, fresh backdrop to work with. Your floor should be a faux wood or heavy duty laminate in a black or gray. I am recommending avoiding a traditional “wood” color so as to make a clean break without looking too off from the upstairs real wood floor. This also allows you to simply paint the stairs and add a runner. Your runner, should you opt for one, should be either a color similar to the stairs or a light, heavy duty beige.
In addition to the recessed lighting, I recommend adding black fixtures wherever you see fit (again, to bring in some of the design elements from the family room). A shallow, but interesting feature piece can be added above the pool table, living area, or dining area (depending on the layout- see future pages). It should be flush or semi-flush mount so as to be cognizant of the limited height in the space. I would only add one feature lighting piece and keep the rest of the task lighting simple. Additionally, to particular areas of the room (again, dependent on layout), add some affordable rugs and pillows for comfort and texture in the blue or beige/white family.
Add one “feature� wall to really make the room have some visual interest. This can be bold, graphic wallpaper, wall mural, or oversized art (will also refer to this element on the layout pages).
Feature Wall
I have included a few sample layouts to make best use of the space. Since it is long and narrow, we have limited options AND it was tricky with the ping pong table dimensions. None fully give the appropriate 19x11 feet dimensions for a standard 9x5 foot table required for game play, but I did my best.
Sofa
Feature Wall
Ping Pong Table
(A)
I also used an approximate sized sofa since I wasn’t 100% sure what style your West Elm sofa was for the space.
Game Or Dining Table
Ping Pong Table
TV Wall Unit
More specific selections can be defined after you start working through the space with your contractor. I didn’t want to source too much until an actual layout was defined since it would have been like sourcing three completely different rooms.
Counter/Cabinets Storage/Snacks
Sofa Game Or Dining Table
Wall of Storage/ Closet (Art on Flat wall)
Built-In Wall, TV, & Closet (B)
Sofa C
A
Wall Mounted Storage (C)
TV Hung on stair wall with an adjustable mount
Large Ottoman
Ping Pong Table
Right side would be a closet with access to electric
Counter w/ Underneath Storage & Stools
Feature Wall Above B
Basement Bedroom
The bedroom should flow well with the rest of the basement, so the walls should be white , paneled, etc. You do, however, have the option of doing carpet in here that matches the stair runner. If you DON’T opt for carpet, you’ll need to add an area rug on top of the consistent flooring from the living space. If you go this route, the area rug would be great in a neutral/masculine color and can be new or vintage. It’s important, though, to add some coziness and texture to the space on the floor. You could even use one of the options you DIDN’T use from the upstairs family room.
Long dresser with mirror above Desk
You have two options for layouts that I think would work best. I wasn’t 100% sure where the door was going or if there would be a closet, but I made the best decisions despite that.
Side Table
Queen Bed
Side Table
Side Table
Tall dresser with mirror above Queen Bed
Side Table
Desk
Stylistically, using a variety of neutral pieces will help this room transition well- whether you are hosting guests or whether your son moves into the space. Mostly the bed spread and art would be what needs to change depending on target demographic.
The bed should be a neutral material and something with some upholstery (again, too add to the comfort level). A fourpost or canopy bed would also add some visual interest and height to the space. I actually own this bed and it’s the best decision I’ve ever made for the quality to price ratio.
The sheets should be all white, but the duvet, blankets, etc. can vary. They can be mixes of blue, linen, and black (again, can be more ”fun if the room is for your son versus a guest). The amount of color you use will be dependent on whether or not you do a rug or carpet on the floor. You could also consider a hunter green if you want to mix up the color in the space.
I recommend black or wood night stands (either vintage or new). You should add a lamp on top or two wall sconces on either side (to save room on the table top).
The desk area should be simple and clean. Consider adding a leather chair for some variety in texture. You can also consider something that utilizes height in the wall and adds storage. The dresser should be black and tall or long depending on the layout. The mirror above should also be simple and black metal. Consider adding some plants that can thrive in low light and artwork depending on the demographic (child versus guest). We could hone in on this together for scale/size once 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 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 aesthetiKHs 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 Hughes www.aesthetiKHs.com