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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Just finished up a wonderful job this past week. We did Phase I of a project for a client in Fort Worth. We incorporated some of her existing items but purchased most of the furniture and accessories for a NEW fresh look. She was out of town while we did the transformation so she didn't get to see it the day we finished. However, she called me the next morning really early and was just speechless with the changes. She just couldn't believe that her items, incorporated with new purchases made her home look so put together and "collected" over time.

BEFORE

My client had her existing parkay flooring stained this amazing espresso color and it transformed the entire downstairs flooring. She then got to a stopping point and called me for help.

She had used lots of brown and golds in her previous home and was so ready for a change. I suggested we go with a lighter palette and started by purchasing an amazing white shag rug.

The main inspiration piece for the room color palette was this painting that my client already had. I suggested she paint the fireplace a nice rich gray and it all came together nicely.

Crazy about the painting!

I hung 2 large window mirrors on each side of the fireplace to make a dramatic statement.

2 new couches was all we needed in this space for seating.

Purchased a new rustic coffee table to add a bit of wood to the room.

I found this cute little antique bench that the client had put in her entry. It had a seat cushion that I didn't think served a purpose because the bench is extremely narrow. I placed the bench on the fireplace hearth and it goes beautifully with the floors and the coffee table. Totally new piece without the cushion.

New lamps and 2 stacked abstract paintings to add color

The turquoise and white pillows made the space feel classy and sophisticated without making it intimidating and too formal.

Bits and pieces of pottery grouped together looks better than pieces separated! I scoured her china cabinets and other rooms for these treasures.

This painting was found in the stack of artwork that the client wanted to use and I found the antique vase and magnifying glass in a box filled with treasures in her garage. The colors were perfect for adding detail to the room.

I paired the painting with this antique desk and chair and it made a nice little vignette in the corner of the living room.

So here is the BEFORE........

and here is the AFTER......

What do you think?

I especially loved this beautiful hall tree in the entry loaded with cowboy hats. My client owns a ranch in Ft. Worth as well and these are just some of her favorites that she brought to this home in the city.

We did 2 more rooms that day too so I'll be posting pictures of those later this next week. I'm off to spend the day at the lake with 15 teenagers celebrating my youngest daughter's birthday. I'm hobbling around because I have been having foot pain, (bone spurs and scar tissue that's roaring like a lion_ but I'm hoping I don't wear it out!

Happy Weekend!