Gabriella’s Design Dilemma
Gabriella’s living room is ready to transform. Here’s her letter:
I’ve can’t wait to hear your ideas for our living room! The style that most appeals to me is ‘eclectic’ while casual and fun are also up there on my list. Small touches of modern and glamorous could also be nice. The only large item that I know I want to replace is the white sideboard/cabinet (with something longer, even wall mounted Ikea cabinets perhaps). I think I’d like the rest (rug, round coffee table, sofa, striped chair and leather Barcalounger) to stay. But I’m open to all suggestions! I love the antique Asian panels (found on Craigslist) and would like to keep them. The modern painting can go or stay. End tables could go either way. The 2 burl wood top tables were made by an old friend of my mom’s, so I’ve been trying to think of how I might alter them to work in the space. New legs maybe? Mirror on fireplace mantle can go or stay. The wall color could change, especially if that would help the room not feel so dark. We had the brick fireplace sandblasted when we moved in (it was painted white and it gave it a softer, chippy, under the sea look). We plan to eventually add either glass doors or an insert to the fireplace. I like earthy colors and all patterns, especially a fun mix of patterns (dots, stripes, ikat, graffiti, anything!). I also love the freshness of white and would love to find ways to mix in more. Thanks!!! -Gabriella
This space is chock full of potential. Here’s the plan:
And now for the mood board breakdown.
1. Our color palette will include some deep ruby red tones found in the brick (which we’ll bring in with art and pillows for more of a balanced look), sandy tan tones to lighten things up (while complementing the brick) and a liberal dose of soft green and crisp white for an open and airy vibe. When it comes to the walls we’d love to see a soft khaki green celery color with a dash of warm gold in the undertone (Benjamin Moore’s Sesame 381). It’ll look crisp and fresh with everything from the brick to the new accessories.
2. We love the idea of hanging something airy and light above the half-wall between the living room and the hallway for a cozier and more inviting vibe (without making the room feel dark). These gorgeous (and super affordable) statement-making bamboo panels will add so much stunning texture to the entire space when they’re hung from the trim above the half-wall and snipped to graze the top of the half-wall.
3. Adding other textures to mimic the shapes and tones found in the bamboo panels that will be hung creates even more depth and interest while making the room feel more cohesive. This woven oversized basket will look great to the left of the fireplace filled with cozy birch logs for the fire. And by removing the red ottomans and placing the large basket to the left of the fireplace, this less symmetrical arrangement will create eye-pleasing interest and casually balance out the extra shelving on the top right of the mantel.
4. For the wall behind the sofa, we’d love to see each of those gorgeous existing chinese panels hung about a foot off of the floor behind each of the new matching side tables that we’ll be bringing in. They will immediately feel more balanced and then we can hang these lovely abstract prints (so affordable!) above the sofa for a wall full of interesting art in all of the tones of our color palette. A great way to work with a dominant brick fireplace is to bring in a bit of the same deep ruby color across the room so it feels more cohesive, and these prints will do it beautifully (here’s one and here’s the other).
5. These festive pillows immediately grabbed our attention when we were looking for something that was punchy and patterned to inject some more style and color into Gabriella’s room. Since she loves interesting textiles and these had every color in our color scheme we knew they’d add energy and movement to the entire room (and they’re on sale!)
6. These great soft green recycled bottles will look chic and interesting on the fireplace mantel and even the coffee table once they’re filled with items that are meaningful and interesting to Gabriella (matchboxes, corks, marbles, movie stubs, golf balls, candy, dominoes, pennies… the possibilities are endless!).
7. Subtly textured white on white sheers hung from a long rod across the entire left wall (flanking the window and the wide opening to the playroom that Gabriella would like to soften) will add drama and breezy style while mimicking the height of the bamboo curtains across the room and the floor to ceiling fireplace in the corner- it’s all about finding balance in here.
8. Here are the sleek side tables (just $55 each!) that we’d love to see on either side of the sofa with matching lamps on them (and those amazing chinese panels hung behind them) for… here it comes… more balance!
9. This incredibly chic round woven tray will really complement the round coffee table and add even more interesting texture to keep eyes moving around the room (instead of stopping on the brick fireplace).
10. We’d love to see this large fauxpiary (on sale! and you know we love fake topiaries) on the left side of the fireplace mantel to fill the bare space and offset the other side of the fireplace which has a plethora of shelves in that very spot.
11. Gabriella mentioned that she’d like a longer buffet, storage piece or even built-in Ikea cabinets along the half-wall for stashing stuff. This super long cabinet is the ultimate combination of all of those ideas since it’s a freestanding piece with legs (that Gabriella can remove) and stick along the half-wall for the appearance of a built-in (without the commitment or construction). Plus there might even be room for two on top of each other, which will really add an incredible amount of storage to the space. And if the slightly frosted glass is a bit too revealing for Gabriella, she can always line the inside of the doors with decorative paper or even fabric for a more private and customized look.
12. Here are the matching lamps that we’d love to see on the side tables flanking the sofa along with the gorgeous 8 x 8 jute rug that will solve the corner-fireplace layout that has had Gabriella stumped! Although she mentioned that she would like to keep everything in the room except for the white buffet (including her existing rug) we love that she was open to our suggestions. And because she wanted to do so many things that the rug conflicted with (bring in crisp white, add patterned pillows and textiles, and make sense of the room’s layout) we quickly realized that a round jute rug would add a ton of flow to the space while allowing us to bring in crisp white curtains and punchy patterned pillows. And for a large 8 x 8 piece the price is super reasonable.
Lastly, when it comes to the room’s layout, we’d love to see the two existing chairs placed at an angle facing the sofa on either side of the fireplace (but a few feet in front of it so their front legs can sit on the rug to ground them). This will create a cozy and balanced seating area that’s defined by the new rug. Then those lovely existing burled wood side tables (which we love just as they are) can be placed on the outside of each chair for a place to rest a book or a drink (and even more… there’s that word again… balance).
So there you have it. A living room full of eclectic and inviting style. We can’t wait to see what you guys think!
Update: We sadly can no longer find the time to take on client commissioned mood boards (we now whip up general inspiration boards instead) but if we ever reinstate them we’ll make a big announcement!
Leave a comment
If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
This should make for a great transformation!
Really liking the ‘vibe’ of this one! Can’t wait to see an after!
Marvelous! The only thing I would add is that I would like to see the mirror above the fireplace hung several inches up, instead of resting on the mantel.
Fabulous!! These suggestions are great. I went to order myself one of the circle trays and they are sold out :-(
Question…how do you walk the fine line of balance without being matchy-match? You kept saying balance, but then you threw in the assymetrical arrangement around the fireplace? How do you know what will look good? Trial and error?!?!
Hey Elaine,
Very good question indeed. Here’s an old post all about how to avoid being matchy-matchy but still end up with a cohesive and stylish space. We also have a lot of larger pieces that feel balanced in our house but we always love a few smaller accessories on surfaces that aren’t completely static and balanced like: a fireplace mantel, a TV stand, and a coffee table. Even a bookcase can benefit from a less expected and formulaic layout so it feels more interesting and less ho-hum. Here’s a post about that as well. On our How-To page we actually have a lot of posts like this under the “Decorating Lessons” section, so feel free to check out other tips there. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
I love how you worked with the existing brick and didn’t suggest painting it. Also, you guys really have a knack for finding the absolute perfect accent pillows that totally pull the room together!
Where did you get the little brown shelf? I know you have a few floating around your house, and I’m looking for something like it. I like the farm one at West Elm, but don’t want to spend that much! Thanks!
Girl, you know how to do this! This mood board has a totally different vibe than the others. I’m REALLY wanting to see after pic’s… don’t forget about us, Gabriella!! Great job Sherry (and John)!
I cannot wait to see this “after” picture. I am always interested how people decorate their fireplaces and mantles.
Try and keep those Asian panels as part of the new room. They are the jam! (But really, you guys do great work.)
Hey Sloan,
We definitely recommended that Gabriella keep those awesome asian panels and hang them behind her side tables with those amazing lamps in front of ‘em for a layered and balanced look with serious showstopper potential!
xo,
s
I think this may be my all-time favorite mood board (of course, I say that after every mood board), but I’m really in love with this one. I’m so disappointed that the CB pillows are already sold out! Sherry, would you be so kind and post the name of the style so I can keep an eye out for them? Thank you so much!
Hey Debbie,
Unfortunately those pillows appeared to be final sale, so now that they’re gone we fear that they’re not coming back. We don’t recall the name offhand, but perhaps searching “Crate and Barrel” pillow on ebay could turn some up? Hope it helps.
xo,
s
That is almost exactly the palette for our living room–we used benjamin moore’s “frostine” and “harbour town” and those colors really bring out the red brick of our fireplace. I can’t wait to see the after!
Hi Youngsters,
I love all the items you have chosen for Gabriella’s home. You guys have an amazing eye for design.
I wanted to return the favor and invite you to participate in my giveaway. I have a feeling you guys will love it. It will look amazing in your home office.
I live in Istanbul,Turkey. I am terribly in need of your design advice, but the thing is do you design from overseas? :P
Hey Sevi,
Unfortunately we can’t do custom mood boards overseas as we’re not as familiar enough with the stores/products/brands over there to make rounding up something cohesive and affordable very easy. But perhaps you can sift through the many mood boards we’ve made (there’s a link to a flickr album full of them at the bottom of our Design Advice tab under the header) and select your favorite one as “inspiration.” Then you can just hunt down similar pieces to recreate the look in your own house. Hope it helps! Definitely send us pictures if you do. We’d love to see how it all turns out!
xo,
s
I’m sure you have posted this before but I can’t seem to find it. How much do you charge for your custom mood boards? I live in an apartment and I am also on a budget. I am not allowed to paint and can’t afford new furniture. Would these factors affect the price?
Hey Manny,
We actually have an entire page devoted to the process of ordering a mood board so check out the tab that says “Design Advice” under the header for all the details. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Fairly new to your blog and loving it! I was just wondering, why don’t you include a floorplan with recommended furniture placement in these plans? That seems crucial to a good room redo. Or maybe your aim is just to give a little inspiration?
Hey Lori,
Good question. We definitely recommend furniture rearrangement advice when we think it’s necessary, but don’t include a detailed floor plan visual with a mood board since our clients know the ins & outs of their space and can clearly visualize where things go by our detailed descriptions (we usually send over even more info to them via email then we include on the blog). For that reason, since our clients never need them, we just haven’t found the time to whip them up for our lovely readers (who we agree could totally benefit from the added visual) but if we ever have a spare moment we’ll definitely do that whenever we have a chance! Especially in rooms where a lot of things will be moving around. We usually just cross our fingers for some fabulous after pictures which really bring the whole mood board to life! Hope it helps.
xo,
s
I bought those sleek side tables for $20 at Target on sale! We bought the last two because we love them SO much.We would have bought more if they were available. We LOVE them!!! Ya’ll are such an inspiration! We just bought a new house and are trying to incorporate character and charm into our little house. Every post is inspiring!
I found your site a few months ago and have been hooked since Day 1! I have been reading through the archives in reverse to see all of the amazing transformations you guys have made. Unfortunately, on this post all of the “before” photos say they are unavailable… am I just too late to see them or is that a problem that can be fixed? Thanks Youngsters! :)
So sorry we seem to have lost those somehow (sometimes when we switch servers small glitches pop up) and are unable to get them back. Boo!
xo,
s