Before & After

I love transforming existing residential spaces to meet the needs and personalities of my clients. As a designer, it is exciting to walk into a client's home and realize the potential of a room that isn't being fully utilized. While I love the decorating aspect of design, the problem solving facet is also equally intriguing to me. Programming the space to make it both beautiful and functional for the lifestyle needs of the client is extremely rewarding. Recently I had the pleasure of designing for a working mother and her daughter who live close to the city. I was tasked with creating a multifunctional space that had a cottage feel but in a more feminine palette.

Here are the few of the before pictures.... 

The house was warm with earthen tones but didn't quite communicate the feminine feel that these ladies desired. Our main goals included a color scheme update, built ins for storage, incorporating the piano in the design, an update to the fireplace, a new desk space, and to add fresh upholstered pieces in durable yet fun fabrics to create an inviting room for entertaining and relaxing. 

Before...

And here are the after pictures ...

We softened the entryway with an updated fabric and nailhead trim bench, a striped rug with a blue and grey color scheme, a painted mirror, and airy light fixture. We also created some separation of space by changing the cased opening to a French door with a side light.

Photo by Mali Azima

The front living room turned sophisticated yet girly with blues, greys, and pops of purple. A full wall of built ins provides a perfect spot to display family treasures and cabinets provide much needed storage. Conversation chairs from Bernhardt and a large round ottoman encourage entertaining. This ottoman stores books and either serves as a footrest or a cocktail table depending on the family's needs.  The Ikat patterned feminine chair swivels to enable conversation with the desk area behind it.

Photo by Mali Azima

On this portion of the built in wall, a desk blends into the bookcase but provides a space for studying or working from home. Making a room "work" and meet multiple needs enables family to be together. The chair can also be pulled into the living space when more seating is required.

Photo by Mali Azima

In the dining room we kept the client's warm wall color with muted blue ceiling and added a pop of fun and color with this settee covered in Duralee's whimsical birdcage fabric. The light dining table is from Ballard Designs. The wall of plates is a great way to add affordable art to a large wall. If you want to hang a plate without the traditional plate hanger, these plates discs are great just know you have to wait 24 hours before hanging after you adhere to the plate. We learned this the hard way! A rug by Surya in an updated pattern keeps the room casual even with the dressy chandelier by Currey & Company. Wouldn't you like to cozy up on this settee with a glass of wine or maybe eat that yummy coconut cake!

Photo by Mali Azima

Designing for the wee ones

Topping my list of favorite areas to design are rooms and spaces for kids. I absolutely love designing homes for young families. It's such an exciting time when families are starting out whether building their dream home or changing existing spaces to incorporate a growing family. Being a Mom I thoroughly understand the stuff! The toys and books and tiny treasures that must be fit into a home and how all these "things" kids need and love are constantly changing and evolving. You can design a room around an interest but no sooner have you completed the finishing touches and your kid has a new love! 

Designing for the wee ones is exciting and fun and typically incorporates lots of color and whimsy. No matter the size of your home smart storage is key to keeping kids happy while keeping the parents sane.  

Utilizing sophisticated colors and fabrics while adding personality through accents allows a room to grow and evolve with the child.

Here are a few pictures of my son's room...

His Lucite bedside table displays his favorite treasures while making the space feel more open with a fluid view to the bedding and drapery.  

Photo by Christina Wedge

When we first moved to the big boy bed we knew we had to push the bed against the wall for safety reasons and also to keep the floor as open as possible for playtime. I designed a custom headboard for two sides of the bed to provide extra padding and to create a daybed look as well. Orange and blue accents provide the pop against a soothing gray background that allows for limitless changes.

Photo by Christina Wedge

Kids love to create and display their masterpieces! These magnetic strips from IKEA are an economical way to add color and a fun element to kid space.

Photo by Christina Wedge

I don't have girls but I love designing for the girly girl too! This room below is one of my favorites. The soft pallet is very sophisticated and perfectly fits the personality of a little girl becoming a young lady. The Oly tiny pink chair, tufted monogrammed headboard, and feminine bedside tables from Bungalow 5 are a few of the pieces that help pull off this sweet space. Butterflies in shadow boxes from Natural Curiosities showcase a favorite of the client's daughter.

K Kong Designs Photo by Barney Taxel

I love this happy example of another little girl's room using pale green with turquoise panels and painted furnishings. The dresser with all of the little mirrored drawers was in instant favorite of this five year old and has become the treasure chest for all her jewels. The black and white floor lamp with the bird cage and little bird from Stray Dog is another best-loved addition. The painting from Sugarboo Designs balances out the eclectic mix and brings some additional colors into the space.  

K Kong Designs Photo by Barney Taxel

I just completed a space with two little boys rooms and a playroom designed to look like a tree house in between! Photo shoot was just completed and can't wait to share those spaces as well.

In the meantime, here are a few more of my favorites in the Pinterest world for the wee ones ...

Gorgeous use of color and pattern for an adorable girls room.

House Beautiful

One of my all time favorite playrooms from Lonny.

www.lonnymag.com

Incorporating whimsy with wall coverings is a fun way to add character to kids rooms. Being from a commercial background I'm known to use vinyl commercial grade wall coverings for children... virtually indestructible! This is a sweet pattern from Lulu DK for Schumacher and is precious for a nursery ....

www.luludk.com

Or this super fun "Buggie" pattern by Abnormals Anonymous at Paul+ for a little boys room.

Paul+

Decidedly masculine fresh and youthful. Amazing design from Jimmy Stanton.

Jimmy Stanton

Since the more the merrier with kids, bunks are a wonderful use of space especially in vacation homes. This one is fantastic!

Pinterest

Kelly Wearstler playroom - always cool.

Kelly Wearstler

I can always find accents at Jonathan Adler. He has an incredible line of children's pieces like this Rhino. Modern, sleek, and crisp to fit any color palette. I started collecting them for my sons room when he was born.

Jonathan Adler

Here's a link to more kids spaces on my Pinterest page...