Quick Change: Berkeley

BEFORE:  A living room that just wasn't working for the family:

The homeowner said this seating area was never used...

while the other end of the room was used frequently for reading and playing chess and piano, but looked and felt cluttered:

The challenge was to make the entire room functional and integrated. The biggest obstacle was the oversized sofa, which was cutting the room in half:

In the next room, which was being used as a dining room/family room, we found a smaller scaled sofa:

We brought that into the living room and positioned it facing the fireplace, which immediately opened up the space. We brought in the dining table as well, where it can double as a larger surface for playing chess. The piano keyboard was moved into the family room, along with the much larger sofa.

The living room BEFORE:

and AFTER:

BEFORE:

and AFTER:                                                        

BEFORE:

and AFTER:

We moved the rug from the back of the room into the seating area to ground it and to create a warm welcoming entrance, as this is the first room to greet you as you enter the house. Without the large barrier of the sofa, it's now inviting to come in and sit down and easier for family and friends to interact with each other. And to make the dining room table multi functional, we placed 2 chairs in the back,  2 small scale armchairs that were floating around the room at each end, and an upholstered ottoman in front.
We also switched out the coffee table, and exchanged the small accessories that were dotting the mantle for bigger pieces with more impact. Now the room can work hard and look good!

Spring Awakening in Mill Valley

Here's a room that we transformed in an afternoon - we transitioned it from holiday decor to a fresh spring look.

BEFORE:

We did a bit of de-cluttering and added focus, definition and pops of color:
-we removed all the loose pillows from the sofas and replaced them with fresh fun ones
-changed out the coffee table and end table
-reworked the mantle

AFTER:

Replacing the little pine coffee table with the large square black one (which was hiding in the corner) gives the room more sophistication. We took away the vintage table lamp and brought in the black floor lamp from another room. Adding the hot pink throw and "1" pillow (which happened to be the address of the house!) updates the sofas and lends a lighthearted air to the room.

The mantle BEFORE :

And AFTER:

Glass vases, sculptural candlesticks, and natural elements all work together to create a fresh new look.

Creating A Look - Work That Wall!

Our client had a wall in her home office that was bare and boring and she wanted us to create something visually exciting, using the art she already had. The wall can be seen on the left as you walk in the room:

We thought doing something three-dimensional would create the most impact so we mounted three floating shelves. We designed a composition around her artwork, using color as a unifying element to integrate it with the leopard chair and carved trunk and make it all read as one cohesive statement. We adding an oversized clock, an industrial looking lamp, and some natural elements:

 

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!

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!!