BLUE INTERIORS

SMOKEY MOUNTAIN GETAWAY

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Every year, my husband and I sneak away somewhere new and fun to celebrate our wedding anniversary. This year, we escaped to The Smokey Mountains. We stayed in the coolest digs, the retro condo of Furnish Me Vintage, called "The Groovy Getaway", seriously it was like a weekend time warp. 

The weekend was full of relaxing mountain views, shag carpet (yes, for real.), Elvis, Atari and champagne. 

Every day it was a different beautiful sky. What a relaxing environment. Daytime filled with bright blues, fluffy white clouds and rolling green mountains for miles and miles. The evenings looked like a new water color painting every night.  It was quite magical.

It really got me daydreaming about what kind of cabin I would have if we ever owned a vacation home in the mountains. When I daydream this way, I really go through all of the different design scenarios in my mind. A space of whites and grays with distressed woods; vintage Americana looking, with a large proud american flag and maybe a few denim accents? Maybe really traditional and cozy with warm colors, leather tufted sofas and Persian rugs. The list goes on. 

Finally, I landed on it. A relaxed mountain home with a boho chic vibe. Something with a few traditional elements, mixed with relaxed and cozy pieces topped off with some funky finds. 

 

I know everyone has their own version of what a relaxing vacation home would be. To me, this is it. I feel like I could really unwind and relax here. I love the cozy deep sofa with the tufted arm chair, I could curl up and read a book with a glass of wine easily! Of course I am a fan of pattern on the floor and this rug offers the perfect design. I always love to throw a showstopper piece in somewhere, I think the blue cane chair does just that, talk about conversation starter! I imagine beautiful sun rays peeking through the trees, dancing the on the wood floors. Windows open and sheer drapery floundering about. Preferably, I would like this house situated on a beautiful lake in the mountains. Hopefully one day the day dream will come true! 

After this getaway, I returned to work feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. I really cherish these lovely vacations. 

Happy fourth anniversary, David. Thank you for loving me the way you do, supporting me and always being my biggest cheerleader. Without you, this dream turned into business wouldn't be possible. I am so happy you are alongside me on this amazing journey. Here's to many more years. I love you. 

 

Newlyweds. July 7, 2012 | Chicago

DESIGN PROJECT:: TRANSITIONAL PATTERN MIXING

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A few weeks ago, we shared this beautiful dining room space, with you. We had such a great time mixing patterns, lighting and textures in the room. We also carried the palette through their family room and kitchen nook! 

In case you missed it, here is a quick image of the dining room, (and here is the full story)

When we designed the rest of the spaces adjacent, we wanted to carry the same color tones and pattern mixing throughout. We certainly didn't want to repeat any patterns either.  So we got to work pulling different options for lighting, drapery, and pillows. 

In the entry way we used this really amazing chandelier, it truly is a work of art. The mercury glass and metal make a fantastic statement piece when you walk in the door. I was so happy when our client approved this piece, I may have danced a little! 

Our client's existing furniture was rather on the darker and more traditional side, so we wanted to lighten up the space and give it some modern elements and interest. Our common color throughout their home was a beautiful watery blue hue. 

For the drapery we chose a fabric with a lovely allover paisley pattern, with the slightest sparkle in the thread. We paired it with a golden linear pattern, water blue texture and fun trim details on the pillows. All together it compliments their existing area rug so nicely. 

We couldn't resist the scale like pattern of this table lamp. It is such a beautiful piece that is subtle and eye catching all at once!

Because our client lives on the water on Boca Ciega Bay, we of course wanted to embrace the waterfront lifestyle, without throwing starfish and seahorse all over. So we chose to accessorize with a few coral pieces and sea creatures rather than allow them to be direct focal points. Another thing that I love to accessorize with is old books, there are so many varieties of colors and styles to have fun with!

In the kitchen nook, we wanted to keep having fun with the pattern mixing and watery blues, however, we decided to introduce a fun pop of crimson and coral. Our client decided to keep their existing light fixture, so we decided to modernize the space with bolder patterns in the custom window treatments and fabric we chose to recover the chairs with. 

All in all we are very pleased with how their space turned out! It is a lovely marriage of traditional and modern, with a healthy dose of pattern mixing to make this quite the lively transitional space!

All photography by: Native House Photography

GLAM LAKEHOUSE:: BEFORE | AFTER

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When I start a project, it's really such a new beginning with every client. Styles, timelines, budget and scope all vary. Then, there is the whole "getting to know you phase," building trust with each other and learning how to communicate effectively. Every new project is like a new recipe just waiting for all the different ingredients to be mixed up and served as the perfect design for its inhabitants.   

This project (like most) grew very close to my heart, as I look back at the before photos, I find myself in disbelief! It's truly an incredible transformation! I'm so excited to share this lovely space with you. A labor of love, which started as a few bathrooms to remodel and rooms to decorate, quickly turned into an entire (seriously, not joking) house renovation.

My client's are a lovely young couple, and when we met, they had a four month old sweet baby girl (keep that age in mind as the story continues). They dreamed of living on a lake, and finally found the perfect home for their family. I instantly fell in love with their inspiration of crisp and modern lake living, with a healthy dose of glam...And we all know...I love any dose of glam! 

So without further ado, here is quite an amazing (in my opinion) before and after residential renovation  photo tour.

Formal Living Room  

Before: Boring, bland and lacking style

BEFORE

BEFORE

After: Fresh, relaxing and inviting, the perfect spot to entertain guests. Bold art, refreshing blue and white colorpalette with pops of nailhead, and let's take a second to admire that lucite cocktail table.  

AFTER

Before: There was this awkward in between space, and did I mention how this house really embraced the 1980's mantra of "Hey, let's throw an angled wall... Everywhere." Well, we decided to squash that mantra, so we blew some walls out. 

BEFORE

BEFORE

So we came up with this, a custom bar area, an extension to the formal living room and just off the dining room. We also really maximized the lake view by cutting back as much of the walls/soffits as we could. 

AFTER

In the dining room, we had a silly little wing wall that blocked off things as you walked in, we said adios to that.  

BEFORE

BEFORE

We decided to really pull in the glam factors here. We were so excited about this chandelier going up, myself and the homeowner, literally squealed. A lot.  

AFTER

AFTER

In the kitchen, we really shaked things up. Remember those awkward angled walls I told you about? Well, the kitchen was full of them. So we tore out the entire kitchen and started from scratch.  

BEFORE

BEFORE

Being a family that loves to cook and entertain, we made the kitchen truly the heart of the home. A place to relax, mingle, cook amazing meals and also not give up the view.  

AFTER

AFTER

Notice how the space is completely open and all the spaces connect beautifully?  

AFTER

The kitchen nook also got some TLC, before it was pretty basic and nothing exciting. We pulled some walls back further, opened it up and also designed a custom banquet to fit perfectly.  

BEFORE

BEFORE

I think this has turned into the perfect spot to enjoy coffee and time with family. 

AFTER

In the family room we cleaned things up quite a bit. We designed new built-ins to flank the existing fire place, and doctored up the beams on the ceiling amongst other things.

BEFORE

BEFORE

AFTER

I absolutely love all the pattern and high contrast of white, cream and navy.  

AFTER

In the master bathroom, we saw a dramatic change as well. You see, it had a lovely mauve-ish color palette, true to 1980's character.  

BEFORE

BEFORE

Let's pay a little respect to the bird of paradise stained glass window... 

BEFORE

BEFORE

A much more modernized approach, beautiful marble and dashes of polished nickel.  

AFTER

A magnificent double shower, complete with steam and all the luxuries you could hope for! 

AFTER

This home turned out truly breathtaking. When I walk in I instantly feel relaxed, happy and refreshed. It was a long journey to get to the completed project, but worth every step.  

Adriana and Jay, thank you for inviting myself and my team into your life to design your dream home. Your dream home has helped my dream stay alive and I am truly grateful. It's been such a pleasure and I am so proud of how it turned out.  

Oh yeah, and remember the adorable little four month old baby I told you about in the beginning? She just celebrated her second birthday in her precious little room, (which was also so much fun to decorate!) 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing this space as much as we did designing it! What is your favorite part of the home? 

PROJECT: Waterfront Blues

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Lately, we have been so busy and having so much fun with our clients. Each of our projects are very different from the next, we couldn't be more pleased! This is a little snippet at some fabric palettes we have been working on for presentation...

We can't wait to see the finished project of this beautiful water front home! The blue palette will be so peaceful. 

Happy Wednesday!