Before & After: San Anselmo

Yesterday we did a quickie room makeover in a charming home in San Anselmo. The homeowner knew

how she wanted her rooms to look, and just as importantly, to feel, but just couldn't do it on her own. She read the article about us in the San Francisco Chronicle and wrote to us that same day, asking for help. She said her home was "boring, with neutral color schemes and minimal personality" and wanted it to be "cozy, fun and interesting." She also said "It's about time to make my home a place my family and I love!"
When we arrived, we asked her how she used her living room and she replied that she never sat in it. She wanted to have a book club but didn't feel comfortable having people over because she didn't think the room was welcoming. Here is the Living Room-

Before:

And After:

Before: 

After: 

Before: 

After:

So what did we do? 

-We tightened the whole room arrangement, centering the rug on the sofa wall and bringing the chairs out of the corners and into the room, creating a cozy conversation area. 

-We searched the house for furniture :

-The tall bookcases were being underutilized in an office, so we brought them in to flank the sofa and create a niche, filling them with plants, books and family memorabilia.  

-The little desk was downstairs housing misc. kids stuff, so we brought that in to make that far corner of the room more inviting, and asked the homeowner to buy a small chair to place by it when she next visited the fun shops San Anselmo is known for. 

-The end tables that had been next to the sofa we placed alongside the armchairs, where their scale was better suited

-Color was introduced with pillows, throws, books, plants, accessories, and art.  The black and white family portrait was relocated to the family room, and a bigger more colorful piece was placed over the sofa.

The Dining Room-

Before:

After:

Here, we simply removed the rug (too big and overwhelming) and rotated the table 90 degrees. We added interest and color with some of the homeowner's accessories and created a bar on an old marble chest for fun.

When we were done, our client said she was "amazed" that such a change could be achieved with things she already owned- she wanted to have people over right away and start entertaining- music to our ears- We love nothing more than helping someone love the home they're with! We'll return and work our way through other rooms in her home. (Thanks Sue!)