Southlake Home ready for Thanksgiving Guests

Last week we completed a home for a client.  It was an exciting day, especially since their home has been in a mess for the past 6 months.  They started by repainting the entire home this past summer. A 2 hour walk through took place and then while they were out of town, they had the entire home updated with the ideas I presented to them.  They also had hardwood floors and carpet installed, put in new windows, as well as new plantation shutters installed in the front rooms of the home.  Wow, did this ever make a difference to the curb appeal!

After all that work was completed, it was my job to decorate the home. The client hired me to revamp their dining room, formal living, family room and entry. We wanted to use as much of the existing furniture as we could.  The antique dining room table is beautiful but just needed some repair.  We had the chairs reupholstered in a gorgeous blue and off white striped fabric and used an off white leather for the seats so they can be wiped, especially since they do see grandkids in their near future.  The urn on the table was filled with moss for that touch of nature and a pop of green to coordinate with the painting.

The client had the artwork commissioned and we designed the room around it.  They are not real formal people so I wanted to add a bit of fun to the room and knew that a zebra rug would do the trick with the fabrics we used.  Isn't it fabulous?  We chose a chandelier that doesn't hide the painting so I chose this one that has open arms and little fuss, keeping the painting the star in this room.  We moved the existing chandelier into the adjacent piano room because it was too small for the room (see photo below)

Before, the mirrors in the dining room looked very 80's so I had an artist come and make them look aged by antiquing them.  We experimented with several techniques prior to her coming and finally came up with this patina.  I think they turned out beautifully and they now go with this collected look.

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I chose these lamps for the console table because they were also open and didn't feel too bulky up against the painting.  We used the clients existing crystal from her family members and their travels, to accessorize the console.

The entry was our next challenge.  The client wanted to use the existing glass round table.  We added a lamp to add some accent lighting.  Of course I wanted one that was interesting and fun.  I then layered a bamboo tray with books and other collections to make an interesting assortment to look at for all those guests that visit.  It is the first thing you see when stepping inside their home, it had to be lovely.

A little bit of wicker, crystal, wood, natural elements and ceramic always makes a nice collection.  Old books that have some history or tell a story about the homeowner is always a good idea.  Don't you just love the silver coral accent piece?

The piano room was next... right across from the dining room.  This room was never used by the client before.  If you know anything about the way I decorate, you know that I want every room in your home to be used.  We decided to make this room more of a sitting room.  Again, we wanted to make it feel approachable and not too stuffy.  You can see that we moved the chandelier above the piano.  The client's grandma would be so happy to see it here.  It is beautiful and much more to scale in this room.   This room can now be used for laptop time or Sunday morning coffee or Friday evening cocktail hour.  Oh, can we also just notice how peaceful the color on the wall is.

Ruthie Tip:  When hanging artwork where there is picture molding, just IGNORE it, it makes it dissappear and is so much easier to work with.

We had these wingback chairs custom made for the client and they really are elegant and have a touch of a masculine flair.  The round ottoman is perfect for extra seating, if needed.  We also had the piano bench reupholstered in a whimsical black and white fabric by Waverly.  I used an antique table the client had between the chairs, and added the lamps and accessories that I found around their house.

I wanted to use a vintage rug in this room with muted tones.  Keeping it peaceful and relaxing.  The artwork was in the home already, I just shopped the house for artwork that I thought looked good together and grouped them together, forming a gallery wall.  The pillows really added a subtle pop of color and interest.

The rest of the accessories were found in the home and reused in a different way.  I took a plant from the kitchen and put it in a blue and white pot to bring in some of the blue and white from the dining room.

I went shopping with the client to find a club chair that he felt comfortable in.  I then had an ottoman made that worked with it and coordinated with the rest of the furniture we either had made or ordered from local furniture stores.  I love this little side table/stool that I found.  Perfect for a glass of wine or a cup of coffee.  The rug shag pillow was the perfect touch of the unexpected.

The mantel was very crowded before so I made it look simpler and less cluttered.  The blue and white vases match the small side table but I found them at two different places, yay!

This room had absolutely nothing in it.  The client got rid of all their furniture which was all dark brown leather.  I wanted to mix it up and have a lighter, brighter room that could seat their entire family when they are all gathered together to watch TV or play games.

The room had hardly any lighting so I added two floor lamps to help with ambient light at night when they are watching TV and don't want all the lights on but still want to be able to see a bit.

We met at Weirs to find a couch the family all decided on.  We chose this Navy velvet fabric which is soft and cozy.  I opted not to use the pillows that they usually include (too matchy matchy) and added my own Navy and yellow pillows to the couch.  A blue and gray vintage rug was chosen to pull the room together.

These two chairs were found at a local resale store and I had them redone with new insides and reupholstery.  Swivels were added afterwards with a skirt to hide the swivel mechanism.

Don't you just love the rug?  Oh, and the silver side table?  I'm in love with it all!  Notice that the polka dot fabric was used on the ottoman adjacent to it to pull the two seating areas together.

We spent the entire day placing all the furniture, accessories and details in this home and it was a very exciting reveal.

Just in time for their first grandbaby due any day now as well as family coming into town for Thanksgiving!

I won't be posting until after Thanksgiving!  Until then, I hope you and your family find time to gather around your tables and in your living rooms, not only on Thanksgiving Day but throughout the rest of the year!

Transitional Navy and White Kitchen Remodel

Kitchen remodels are always the hardest on my clients.  It totally disrupts every day life.  However, these clients were READY TO GO!

BEFORE

As you can see, the homeowner  started the demo in the above picture but that is about as far as they got with this remodel.  The fun thing about this client is that I have decorated other rooms in their home so I am very familiar with their style already.  They wanted a dramatic kitchen and truly trusted me to make that happen (so honored that they trust me) I recommended that we paint the cabinets a dark navy and they were SO EXCITED and  asked me to take it from there!

AFTER

As you can see, even though we painted the cabinets a dark color, it didn't make the kitchen feel dark at all.  With the bar all one level now and the light granite and stacked stone, it feels very open and light.  The adjacent eat in dining area has lots of light pouring in too so that helps.  As a decorator, I choose colors based on the space and what is going on in the room and surrounding rooms.  Color is tricky and it is very important you hire a professional to help you choose just the right color for your space.  The color that is right for this kitchen may be totally wrong for your kitchen.

BEFORE

We added glass front cabinets to the top of her existing cabinets and refaced the doors to give them a more modern style.  No need for brand new cabinets if the bones are good already.  All the cabinets got pull out drawers put inside them which makes the kitchen much more functional.  We kept the existing oven, stove and the client had the vent-a-hood already that she wanted us to work around.

The wood floors were replaced during our PHASE I last year.  The granite was leathered to take away the shine.  It really is amazing in person.

They had some cabinets that were not being used so we made them a wine cabinet to store their wine.

New backsplash and hardware and it turned out gorgeous!  Hardware is the jewelry in the kitchen.  Don't skimp on your selections, they can make your kitchen have so much style.  They are not cheap but if you are wanting your kitchen to look classy, do it right!

New accessories for the counter and it was a wrap.

We then tackled the kitchen eating area.  Added new drapes, new table, chairs, lighting and accessories.

I found these fabulous blue and white drapes and got so excited.  I adored the henna like design.  However, they were too short for the space.  I purchased them, found some fabric we could add to the bottom of them to make them the right length and added some trim and lining.  They are now perfect in this room.  Added light and not too much pattern. The rustic table is imported from India and can't be damaged by the kiddos in this house!  Actually, the more you use it, the better it looks.  Family friendly = fab

Isn't the chandelier spectacular with the pendant lighting?  The chairs with the oval hole in the back makes this room feel more open and less crowded.

Thanks to my wonderful installer Reuben who spent lots of labor on this rod that continues all the way around the window. You can see how fab the pendants are below!

Thanks for joining me on this tour.  As I was writing this post I received a text from my client saying this "OK Ruthie, you need to leave me a bunch more of your business cards!!!! I'm having a birthday party for my son and his baseball team and parents.  The mom's want your contact info.  I'm getting hand cramp from writing your number down." I always feel so blessed when I get feedback like that from my clients.

 I'm off to finish off a bathroom remodel and another kitchen.  Will post pictures soon. Hope it is a great LABOR DAY with friends and family!