Mill Valley Cottage

The owner of this cute cottage needed help pulling her space together. Here in her living room,  she needed a coffee table, more seating, and some art up on the walls, and wanted it all to reflect her home's charm and her own personal style.  Here's how we began...
                               
                                                              BEFORE:

 

                                                                 AFTER:

-We took our client shopping and found a  coffee table she loved- made of reclaimed wood and metal pipe, it worked well with the rustic look of her existing pieces. An old yellow wood framed mirror finds a home on the table as a tray.

-The fun chairs we were hoping to chance upon to round out the room were not to be found that day, so we hunted around the house for a temporary fix.  We found one turquoise spindle back chair in the den and another in a bedroom, and brought them in to use as a pair for their fun color and cottage style. The homeowner liked them there so much they're staying permanently (that happens to us a lot!)

-We spied the old window sitting in a corner upstairs - we loved it's architectural quality and made it a focal point by hanging it over the fireplace. (Our client can tuck photos and cards in it to create an ever changing display.) Placing her collection of round wire trivets below it  creates more graphic interest.

An old wood stool is repurposed as a stand for a vintage metal lamp found in the den,  and primitive accessories we collected from around the house and massed together create an engaging corner.

The antique child's desk we placed in the corner became a charming showcase for books, photos and an old fan.

Art was hung, including a vintage sign over the kitchen pass through.

Next week the new jute area rug we selected will arrive to anchor all the seating with some great texture A new small flat screen TV will replace the old one on the cabinet, and the homeowner has a plan to use that empty frame in front of the new screen, adding some country charm to it- great idea!

The adjoining den...

 BEFORE:

                                                       
                                                               AND AFTER:

Hanging some more paintings created a cozy corner, and repositioning a pine armoire that was hiding behind the door offered a pretty view from the entry.

Easy furnishings, treasured collections, and accessories that add pops of clean fresh color gave this house the charm of country style.

Move-In Ready!

                                                    Tuesday May 22   12:57 P.M.

                                                  Friday May 25       5:43 P.M.

Moving in and needed to be up and running right away. Walls were painted, boxes unpacked, and art hung. We swung into action and the home was ready in 3 days for a graduation party. Congratulations!

The Power of Paint!

We're always talking about using what you have, but we realize that sometimes what you have just isn't working for your look. When that happens, you can always change it with a coat of paint (we're always doing this for clients). Recently we needed to convert a traditional display case into a contemporary TV cabinet/bookshelf. A coat of black paint did the trick. And while we were at it, we thought we'd add some interest by covering the back with pages from old books.  Here's how it looked BEFORE:

And AFTER:

We love the result; what do you think?!!

More Makeover Magic

Here's a living space we redesigned  in a little jewel of a house in Mill Valley.  We made some small but very effective changes to create more energy and style.

                                                                                    BEFORE:

                                                                                   

AFTER:

We angled the sofas and brought the ottomans into the room to create more of a cozy conversation area. 

Then we made the antique cabinet in the alcove more of a focal point by making these changes:

-moving the audio components down to the bottom shelf where they weren't as distracting 

-reorganizing the photos and mixing in some accessories for more impact

-adding height and interest to the top and side of the cabinet by styling it large natural accessories, which coordinated beautifully with the oversize wood chandelier

Small changes, big difference, and as always, use what you have!

Sonoma Charm

One of our Marin clients asked us to "work our magic" on their weekend home in the wine country. We arrived to find a beautiful house on several acres of lush vineyard and gardens, filled with fun furnishings and accessories for us to work with. After a few strokes of our wand, the house became even more warm and welcoming!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

                                                                                 

Sausalito: A Room With A View

Often in a living room with a spectacular view, such as that of the SF bay seen here, furniture arrangement can be a challenge. While you want to take maximum advantage of the panoramic vista, it shouldn't take over the room. It's important to create a beautiful and cohesive space that incorporates the view while functioning for relaxing and entertaining.

BEFORE:

The homeowners tried to frame the view with the sofa, adding a club chair and a leather chair on one side, and a leather arm chair way over in the opposite corner of the room. 

What this arrangement did was to have all the seating, except that leather armchair,  face AWAY from the view and into the room.  Why did they do that? Maybe because of those steps leading down into the room- if they had placed the sofa in front of those steps in order to capture the view, they would have created a "wall" upon entering the room that would have blocked the flow.

We created  another solution-

AFTER:

The first thing we did was pull the sofa away from the window wall and float it opposite the fireplace. 

That brought the view right into the room. We then angled that club chair opposite the sofa, and upon scouring other rooms, found it's mate. We brought that in (we love pairs!) and also angled it opposite the sofa to create some eye pleasing symmetry.

We created a cozy conversation area that works on it's own and also takes full advantage of that stunning view, which you can appreciate anywhere you choose to sit.

We then  reworked the accessories on the shelves flanking the fireplace to create more visual impact.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

               Filling the shelves with books, accessories and paintings created more drama and interest.

                                  This room can now hold it's own with that amazing view anyday!