Creating homes as unique as you are!

 True fulfullment is being able to enrich a families life by creating a home that suits their lifestyle. My goal at DecRenew Interiors is to create a space that is as unique as the client.

 Our tag line is: "Creating homes as unique as you are."

 I  met with this client after they had been living in their newly built home for a year.  This is the second home that I have had the opportunity to decorate for them.  It is always such a pleasure to work with the same client over and over again.

 The drapery fabric (mainly the colors)  was my inspiration for pulling the entire room together.  I adore all the  vibrancy and so does  my client.  As you scroll through the after pictures below, you will see how I made sure these colors were all married together somehow.  Different textures, patterns, shapes, etc. together created a mixed up, eclectic style with a transitional flair.

They had some things that I knew we could repurpose.   These two club chairs were reupholstered because the client loved them and they were super comfy.

 They just needed a makeover after being used in their gameroom surrounded by kids and all that goes with that!

My goal is to use as much of what the client "already have" in order to save them as much money as possible.  Of course, only if the item was  still stylish :)  Often times, my clients will say "really, keep these old things" and I say "yes, they/it has HUGE potential."

Ruthie Decorating tip:  Use unique items for your flowers. This candle holder was perfect for the fresh flowers on the coffee table.  Make sure that the item is not pourous if you place the flowers directly in the vase.  If it is, I put a small drinking glass inside the vase and use that for the flowers.  

 We were going to redo these two ottomans.  As the room started to come together, I thought they could stay "as is" since they go beautifully with the animal print rug.  I'm crazy about the round side table.  Such great detail!

Gus loves his new home too!

 The coffee table is so unique and the texture and color make the reupholstered chairs united.  See how the detail of the book on the coffee table pulls together the ottoman color?

Those are the details that I think about for days and days before the installation.  I often wake up in the middle of the night and get up and write things down.

What color florals to use is also a huge decision.  

Notice how these flowers make the entire room pop.

The new gray sectional is perfect for their family life.  This family room is where everything happens in their house.

The stripes and houndtooth patterned pillows add a masculine touch against the more feminine draperies.

Adding unique wooden side tables makes the room feel warm and cozy.  With the high ceilings in this room, we needed that.  Also adds that shape that we needed to soften the edges.

Unique lamps and a fun shade add personality, fun and a more relaxed feel.  The painting on the mantel is huge and is all the mantel needs to make a statement.  Less fussy!

The chair pillows add a punch of turquoise without going over the top with this bold color.

  I found a cake platter in one of the kitchen cabinets and created this vignette.

Ruthie Decorating Tip: Accessories placed in different heights make more of  statement and draws your eye into each item.  Look for bowls, books, boxes, etc. to raise things up.  It's more appealing to your eye. 

This telephone was in their junk pile.  I rescued it because I think it adds some history to the room.

I have a love for lamps and this one is to die for!

The family also enjoys playing batgammon.  I placed it out as decor since it is used often.  The kids loved seeing their treasures out and displayed.  I also placed some of their other items like family pictures, grandma's clock, etc.

Paired with this cute piece of pottery that their son made a few weeks ago, it makes for a nice combination.

So you probably want to see a totaly before and after right?

It's a hard room to get a good picture of the entire space because of the light that pours in (a good problem to have).  These are the best we could do but it gives you an idea of the dramatic transformation.

BEFORE

AFTER

I loved what my client said when she walked in her new family room.

 "Is this really my house?  I don't feel worthy of this gorgeous space!"  

Yes, you are worthy!!!!  I so appreciate the opportunity to work with such a wonderful, worthy family!  Thanks for trusting me and for allowing me to be part of this project.

Thanks for joining me for this recap! I'll be posting before and after pictures of their dining room next.

See above!

Decorating In A Day/One Day Design

This home has had a makeover over the past few weeks.  

It was time for new wood floors, tile in the kitchen, painted kitchen cabinets and then some updated decorating.  I chose all the flooring and the paint colors to make sure good choices were made.

 

I met with the client for an Initial Consultation and we determined her budget first of all.  I recommended we do a "One Day Design" which allows me to use what the client has as well as add some additional accessories, rugs, lamps and artwork.  I established her design style and had her approve some items to make sure we were on the right track.

A few weeks later, the client left for the day and we got busy transforming, starting with the entry.

 

The client has this piece in the entry and wanted to use it since it is what they had (budget didn't allow us to purchase a new one).   We added new mercury glass knobs and  painted the hardware to match. The mirror above the dresser was painted with a dry brush black finish and it made it look so much better.  You will see the before in the video below.

I stole a pillow from upstairs and found the chair in the corner in their game room.

 

She really wanted a family gallery wall.  I purchased some new frames for her and used some of the ones she had as well.  She will add her family pictures later.  I had the metal "M" made for them and then incorporated the other items from pieces I found in other rooms.  I especially love the vintage camera on the shelf (top right), it adds some charm.  I found about 5 of them in different cabinets around the house.  I placed them all together in their family room and now they are a great conversation piece and collection.

We also had the stairway spindles painted black and the handrail gel stained the color of the new floors.  This was a stretch for my client but she is super excited about it now!

 This wonderful airplane artwork was originally hanging over their couch.  It didn't add much to the room and it felt too masculine in their main living room.  We added it to the top of the stairway and it looks amazing there.  Kinda looks like it's coming in for landing when you stand at the bottom of the stairs.

The dining room got some new table accessories and a pop of color in the artwork we added. The funniest thing is that when the two young boys saw the new art they said "mom, look it's our new target practice."  Got to love boys!

 

A new rug lightens up the space and adds some amazing personality.

You can see the gold mirror below "before" we painted it.

We then headed on to the living room.  We added this geometric rug.  Kept all the furniture but just added accessories.  Isn't the ceramic frog adorable?  I knew their 2 young boys will really enjoy that.  I found it sitting in a cabinet upstairs all lost and lonely.

 

A collection of new down filled pillows really made this room feel refreshed.

They had the lamps and I found this carved elephant from their travels.  I also found some vintage medicine bottles upstairs that she had forgotten about.  Layered on a mirrored tray, it makes a nice little collection.

 

  I made a collage of places that are special to the family.  The Atlanta skyline where they met. The Dome in Florence which was one of their favorite vacations, a colorful scene from New Orleans  where they lived for 6 years. Finally, I included their favorite beach getaway. 

 I don't have a before but you can see the before video below!

This new rug added some color to the kitchen and married the living room and kitchen together.  The colors are beautiful with the framed artwork in the living room and they make her new tile shine!  Great to stand on while doing the dishes as well.

We put together a video of BEFORE AND AFTER.  It's fun to see the transformation.

BEFORE VIDEO 

AFTER VIDEO  

Isn't it amazing what you can do with what you have?  Just by adding accessories we transformed the place.  No new furniture, just a beautiful refresher to this beautiful family home.  It is now a house that invites them in and welcomes them HOME.

Call me for  your "ONE DAY" DESIGN!  You won't regret it.

 

Click right icon to go to my website to see more Before and After photo's as well as my Portfolio.

Chevron and Greek Key Combinations

A couple weeks ago we finished this wonderful family room.   The client and I sat down together during our "walk-thru" consultation and decided what was going to STAY and what was going to GO. 

She was moving from another home and had used browns and gold as her color scheme.  She desperately wanted to move into more of a fresh, clean & modern look.  She had lots of antiques and accessories we could incorporate as well as a beautiful rug she paid a lot for.  Knowing that my speciality is "incorporating as much of what you have" into the design, we decided to keep as much as we could and made a list of items that we needed to add to make the transition from OLD and TIRED to NEW and FRESH.

 

 I knew I could do this by adding some new custom pillows to her existing gold couch.  Because her rug had gray, black, gold and red in it, it totally worked.

 

I apologize for the lame pictures, my camera died and my Ipad had to do the trick :(

 

 A few chevron pillows combined with a some patterned gray and white pillows made it look updated immediately. 

 

 

 I especially loved how we added the Greek key gimp to the pillows.  The lamps with stone and wrought iron and the burlap shades add a casual feel and lightened up the room immediately.

 

 

She had a lot of formal items throughout the home so we made some simple changes like painting the fireplace black to make it feel less intimidating and more inviting and cozy.

We layered books with photo's and other misc. accessories that we thought belonged in this room.  I especially loved the pottery vase I found in HER existing treasures. 

 

 We added these amazing chairs that are from my "ONE by ONE"" collection.  See the before and after  here.

 

Don't you just love the pillows we had made?  We are also having some bar chairs made for her in this pattern.  It brings the whole room together and makes the rug work!

 

 I found these wonderful art pieces.  They are translucent leaves layered to make a flower.

I hung one on each side of the fireplace.  I placed existing console tables underneath each one with fresh flowers in vases she already had.

I thought they were absolutely fabulous.  When I first showed my client the picture of them, she was not quite sure....but told me she would trust me on this one.  When she called me the day of the install to let me know what she thought, she was raving about these two pieces!  My job is to stretch my client to try new things, usually when they trust me, they are pleased!

 

 

This little desk was upstairs amongst boxes but my intern "Audra" found it and brought it downstairs.  She created this lovely little grouping of books and little treasures.  I found these two African busts and thought they added a fun eclectic mix to the room (you know I love Africa since it's my birth home).  My client couldn't believe I combined these items because she said her mom gave her the desk and her brother brought the busts from a vacation trip.  She said they would be extremely pleased to see these items combined together in one spot in her new home.

 

So here is the.....

BEFORE

 

 

and NOW the

AFTER

 

 

  

We created this little sitting area below with the leftover furniture that didn't go anywhere else. 

 

 It's a temporary solution for now so she can at least entertain guests in her home until the new furniture arrives for this room.  We used an existing table, chairs and rug.  I found the lamp base in the garage and stole the lampshade off another lamp upstairs.

 

 We have ordered some custom chairs for the round table and this will be her "wine/bar" room when the final plan is complete.

 

 

We are now working on her dining room and master bedroom and will install next week.

 

(Sneak Peak)

 

I'm crazy about this Ikat rug!

 

Ruthie's Tip of the week - Just because trends are moving away from gold and browns, etc. doesn't mean you have to start redecorating from scratch.  Have a decorator help you incorporate the items that still have style and life in them.  We have ideas that you may not have thought of to make it feasible for you to update your home without breaking the bank.  The ABOVE room is a true example of a transformation that could happen in your home.

 

I'm taking the weekend off to spend some time with family and rest my foot (planters fasciatis) that is about to kill me.  Doctors orders are to rest up but I seem to be having a hard time doing that!

 

 

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Decorating Details & Piano Room

 

Yesterday I had a full day install for an entire home. We recently remodeled the home and yesterday was the detail day where we rehung pictures, placed new rugs, added some accessories, hung draperies and headboards, etc.  I always incorporate what the client has during my installs because most of the time they have items I can definitely re-purpose or include to make the entire space feel collected over time vs. all brand new and "showroom" like. 

 

 

Here are a few snapshots I took of the day.  More professional photographs coming soon! 

Thought you might enjoy looking into what we did yesterday!  The best part of the day is that I hired my niece Jess to help me.  My Intern Audra is on vacation and I needed help!   Spending the day with her was awesome.  She was my right hand girl all day and did an amazing job! 

 

 

We used the existing bedspread and added the headboard, duvet and throw pillows.

I was so happy with the way it all coordinated together!  Can you believe we bought the pillows separately? The set didn't come together but they sure look that way.  Purchasing the duvet cover online was much cheaper than having a custom one made.  It was a great way to save money so we could have gorgeous mercury lamps!  The duvet cover is from Pottery Barn.

 

A lot of times after a remodel, the client isn't able to afford all the decorating details because their funds have been depleted. However, this is what makes the home complete. It's the décor that makes it all come together! I know it gets incredibly expensive to redecorate but I LOVE to "use what the client has" and add in my touch if budget is something the client is concerned about. 

I move rugs from room to room, steal lampshades from different lamps in the house, rummage through closets & cabinets (with the clients permission of course) and sometimes have furniture repainted ahead of time. It's a fun shopping day for me!

 

Showcases the granite and backsplash.  The newly installed LED lights really make the details shine!

 

 

I brought out some of their china and showed them how they can mix and match pieces to create a more eclectic look.

 

 

This tray was in her living room but it belongs in the kitchen. 

 

 

I added this beautiful bowl to their china cabinet.

 

New parsons chairs and a rug were added to the dining room so now it's less "matchy matchy".  We also added new hardware to her existing china cabinet.

 

New pillows were added to her existing suede couch in her piano room.  Now it looks sophisticated and classy.  This is the waiting room for her piano students that come through her home all day long.

 

New rug in the piano room to warm up the space and add texture and color.   It also coordinates with the adjacent dining room.

 

 

Hope you enjoyed!  Now off to unload my car with all the leftovers from yesterday!  On to another install on Tuesday!  Stay tuned!

 

Visit my website DecRenew Interiors to see my Design Portfolio!