Monday, August 23, 2010

It's Not What You Have, It's What You Do With It!

Remember "Tradition With A Twist" where we first decorated a family home, and then years later staged it to sell?:


Our clients sold it, and they downsized to a smaller house.

Here's their new house as they found it:  BEFORE











This time around, we needed to edit the furnishings and place favorite pieces in the new home to create a space as charming and inviting as the previous larger house. 


And here's what we did with it:  AFTER
















Scaling down doesn't have to mean losing the elegance of a larger space. And the Victorian house doesn't have to be furnished in a period style. Any space can be made to look and feel fresh and new with your existing furniture if it's placed with a modern twist. Leaving one space and beginning again in another can be a good opportunity to shake things up!





Saturday, August 21, 2010

Baja in Brisbane




Our clients in this contemporary home south of San Francisco wanted color and warmth in their bedroom but weren't sure where to start. We noticed that the house had Mexican detailing in the bathrooms and thought south of the border would be a fun inspiration for color and style in the bedroom as well.

BEFORE:





Master Bath - our color palette inspiration:




In a back bedroom we spied a fun bureau the homeowner had planned to donate to the Salvation Army: 


AFTER:



We pulled the terra cotta and cobalt blue colors from the bathroom and saturated the bedroom with them- the walls were painted a pale peach, the sheets are a deep coral, and the duvet and shams bring in the strong blue color and detailed motif of the bath tiles.
We added another reading lamp and bookcases to either side of the bed to serve as both bedside tables and much needed space for the homeowners' reading materials.
A richly patterned area rug, brightly colored ceramics, and fun baskets above the bed add texture and visual interest.



The desk was removed from the bedroom niche and resituated in that back bedroom. We created a cozy reading nook in the bedroom instead with a comfy loveseat we found in a deep blue, along with inviting bold colored toss pillows and a large framed art piece. An ethnic patterned trunk in front can serve as both a footrest and extra storage, and the original bedside tables are reused here as end tables.  




That fun bureau was rescued, painted cobalt blue and placed on that blank wall where it can be used for much needed clothing storage. It's fun curves offset all the right angles in the room and add some whimsy.




A quick makeover in the bathroom consisted of a rich paint color, boldly colored towels and an intricately patterned shower curtain to complete the "resort" feeling.  



A South of the Border Stay-cation!!