A Living Room Repurposed With A Splash Of Color

Before the blogging police arrest me for truancy, I'm popping in to say hellos. Yes, I'm still alive and kicking and eager to share a recent project. Remember this kitchen renovation project we revealed last month? Well it started as a consultation to design the family's living and dining rooms. 

A beautiful home filled with well-made pieces of furniture, the space was so dark it did not reflect the vibrant personality of its owners Clarence and Michelle. 

And while the kitchen renovation became the center piece of this
home, the living and dining room would not get ignored or get lost in the shuffle. 

Hello, bright and airy space! We livened up the walls with a creamy beige pulled from the tile. The orange accent wall? Well, that was definitely an epic battle of the sexes for sure. Let's just say the old adage, happy wife, happy life helped secure that splash of color and made that wall the true focal point it needed to be.
The beauty of this project is that we re-purposed the family's existing sofa, bench and console table and rearranged pieces of their very extensive art collection. The only furniture we purchased were the coffee and end tables. And as you can see, we added some recessed lights for much needed lighting. They're on dimmers, so the family can control the mood. 


The sofa was a furniture lover's dream. Rich wood, curves for days but the deep red fabric overwhelmed those details. Since we wanted a patterned fabric on our curtains, I wanted to keep the new fabric soft and neutral so the client could mix and match pillows and throws over time and not be limited by a bold print. 

Yep, there are those curves again. And a great mix of patterns, living in harmony.

We added an area rug with a soft patten to ground the space, but not overshadow the new floors or compete with the other textures in the room.

Since the sofa and bench were so substantial, we wanted to use glass coffee and end tables as a great contrast to the wood pieces in the room, plus further lighten up the space. 

Notice a theme here? A mild love affair with animals - elephants, pugs, giraffes.....

My favorite piece in this space may be this console, once just a place to hold lots of framed photos.  It's a beautiful, beautiful piece that just needed to be better styled to make it sing.

This colorful piece of art really speaks to how much this room has soared and deservedly holds center stage above the console. Our clients had it tucked away for months. It just needed to be framed to showcase it's star power. 

"Hey, how you doing," said one lamp to the other! Let me tell you. These Home Goods lamps were purchased wayyyyy in advance of this installation. Saw em, fell in love with them for the space but wasn't sure if Michelle our client would fall for them as much as we had. She was skeptical at first, but admits now that are quite the center of attention and have grown on her.

Accessories, accessories will always make or break a room for me. We loved the herringbone pattern on this tray and how it serves a bold contrast to the heavy wood of the console. Paired with the gold textured storage box and curved wood of the elephant, this console definitely got the love and attention it always deserved.

That's all folks. A living room that finally gets to shine, and with the very same furniture it's been hanging out with all these years. 

What pieces of furniture have you re-purposed to become the star in your own home? Share below or on our Instagram feed. Can't wait to see.

 

SOURCE GUIDE
Living Room Rug: Overstock
Coffee and end tables: West Elm (Similar here and here)
All Fabrics via Designer Discount Fabrics
Lamps and accessories: Home Goods
Vintage Camera: Joss and Main (Similar here)

Designing for the Men in Our Lives.

This may just be the antidote I need to give this lingering cold a swift kick in the rear. We're talking men this morning. Woo Hoo!
While most of our design projects are driven by the women in the relationship, we've noticed that their significant others are increasingly present at the design consultations and definitely come armed with some strong opinions.
Twenty throw pillows on that newly designed and sumptuous bed? No hon.
Loads and loads of flowers throughout the room? Again, no hon.
The gents are okay with coming home to and working in a swanky space, but they have their limits. Clean, chic and simple is usually their preference. So with that in mind, we've pulled together some looks of some very dashingly clad men, alongside rooms inspired by their fashion choices. As you tackle your next project, be sure your man's taste is equally represented. 
Enough chatter, let the eye candy begin!  

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How yum is this bearded beau dressed in comfy and cozy blue and khaki colors. His relaxed outfit is reflected below. The cashmere sweater is represented by the cashmere throw that sits atop denim-inspired sheets. The deer antler screams masculinity and is that a manbag (or is a murse?) hanging from the antlers? 


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Ooh, what a fun and playful short suit, and what an equally fun room - topped with a nice splash of color in that fuchsia rug.

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Man, oh man, here's a brother who is confident, has swagger for miles because he isn't afraid to pair a polka dot scarf with this Southwestern inspired jacket.

Replicate that look below for your swaggerific mate, by adding an inspired rug in an otherwise demure space.

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Yep, much like the chap featured here, I think of strong arms bulging with muscles when I see all the paneling in this room. Cozy yet sleek and authoritative no?

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This is your poetic guy, you know the guy who knows every line from Ralph Ellison's epic novel, Invisible Man. And he knows a thing or two about fashion. Much like his literary views, he isn't afraid to let his fashion sensibilities be seen and heard. Yep, he's the kind of dude who'd feel at home with these red appliances and chinoiserie platters.

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Too cool for school this guy. I think calm, crisp, clean when I see this fellow and I think the kitchen design has the same message. I'd be happy cozying up next to my man in this kitchen. Wouldn't you?

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And last but not least, we tip our basketballs to the men of our Miami Heat (this should be a tough read for my blogger bestie Miya at Design Indulgences who is a very delusional Milwaukee Bucks fan). Not only are they pretty fierce on the court, they are also seriously fashionable when they're off court. Whoever said men are afraid of pastels and horizontal stripes haven't met this bunch. I could see any of these gents chillin in this masculine yet chic and colorful loft.

  

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So, does your guy have a say when it comes to designing your home? What are the pieces he cares about? What have you had to compromise on? Spill the beans ladies. Spill em.

                                  

   

                                   

                              

               

                                                              

                             

                                        

                                   

                      

Designing Couples and an Election....

Happy Tuesday and most importantly, Happy Election Day! I hope everyone who was unable to do early voting, plans to cast a vote for your preferred candidate today. I think y'all know who I voted for. On this momentous day, we're thrilled to the hills to feature none other than MC and Patty from Patty's Epiphanies

Patty has been an amazing blogger bestie since we first stumbled across each other a few months ago. She is witty, charming, funny and also quick to leave a comment and send you a follow up email just to say hi. Love her and have fallen equally in love with MC, every woman's dream of a husband.Why? because he has no worries turning Patty's wishes into reality (hint, hint, to all the hubbies and boyfriends out there!) Today they share some tips on how they collaborate on projects or in layman's term, how MC turns Patty's Epiphanies into reality. 

Hi, LIVE LAUGH DECORATE readers and followers.

Nicole and Debbie have asked me, well actually MC, and me, to fill in for them today.  I actually think MC is who they really want.  I come with the package, by way of Patty's Epiphanies! 

They asked for a few tips on how we work together on our projects.If you don't know who we are you are in for a shock.  MC and I are in our Seventies, Yes, 70's!!!  I bet only a few of you were born when we were married 53 years ago!

MC which stands for "MASTER", Carpenter, Chef, Craftsman,Carver, Chauffeur, Computer Wiz etc.....lives by the philosophy that if he can do something, why pay someone else to do it!  And if he can't, he'll figure out how to do it! That's what Google is for. 

I started writing Patty's Epiphanies four years ago.  It all began when our Granddaughter thought I should share my out of the ordinary and wild ideas with the world!! I had no idea of the wonderful ride that was ahead of me. 

What has resulted is a Blog about my "Epiphanies" and MC bringing them to life!  Amazing.

I thought about which "Epiphany" I would share with everyone today.  Didn't take too long...I looked back to the beginning of the Blog, and found the best example to describe what occurs with MC and me!

At this time, we lived in a small condominium in Charlotte, N. C.  Just for the record, MC and I have lived in 35 homes ...to date!

It came with standard builder cabinetry in the Master Bath and the Kitchen.   After a few months...yes, I had an "Epiphany"!

Master Bath

 Kitchen

The following is the Post with the First, and Second Epiphany, to be published on Patty's Epiphanies.

September 28, 2008

LITTLE BLACK DRESS

 

It started six weeks ago when I had the initial "epiphany". There are two

main epiphanies I'm going to talk about. First was painting the

cabinets in our master bath black. MC did his research and found he

could handle the project. The first requirement!

The cabinets are wood and were finished in a light color, and looked ordinary. Not bad,--but not great. I thought the look of the bath would be totally

improved if they were black. To improve the overall look of the

vanity area I also wanted to dress up the "Builder Look". We had a

mirror (in the warehouse) that we hung "over" the builder's mirror. The

mirror is your typical mirror that is installed over the vanity and

goes from the top of the vanity to the ceiling. The result upped the

drama to another level. We have done this effect before.

DESIGN HINT

We use fishing line to hang the "second" mirror.

I love the idea of a MIRROR OVER A MIRROR. I've done it over and over in

different homes in different situations. All you need are two mirrors.

How simple! A large and a smaller one. In order for it to work, the

smaller mirror should be framed. Depending on the location and size of

the larger mirror, it could also have a frame.

When the project was finished both of us were blown away with the dramatic results. Now you don't think the story stops here do you? You should know me by now…...My mind was running so fast I couldn't stand it! You guessed it-----------------

HONEY, THIS LOOKS SO GOOD, "LETS PAINT THE KITCHEN CABINETS BLACK !!!!!"

Four days later it was done! We had to do it in sections due to space issues.  The results were unbelievable and the cost was only that of one gallon of semi gloss black paint and one gallon of primer

MC and I have been doing projects to two homes following this one..

MC and I work well together for a number of reasons. Since we are both in retirement, and neither of us enjoys golf, projects around our home allows us to enjoy each others company.  MC loves to do projects , if he feels he can do it.  He enjoys doing them.  He gets so much satisfaction out of his projects. ....and.....He is totally against paying someone else to do what he thinks he can do just as well.  With that said, here are some rules to follow when working with your significant other: 

1. Support his Abilities....But understand his limitations
2. "Show" enormous belief in his talents. 
3. Praise him at every step of the project
4. Tell him what you want, not how to do it. Stay out of the way and help ONLY IF ASKED.
5. When finished, drown him with hugs and kisses.
6. Let him rest. 

And there you have it, some insider secrets on how to work together with your significant other. I am very lucky to have MC in my life! Thanks Nicole and Debbie for having us visit your fun, wonderful Blog.  We enjoyed sharing our crazy lives with all your readers.

Thanks Patty and MC. I think those guiding rules will help many of us as we try to work with our significant other to get projects done. It's no easy task but Patty and MC have been married for 53 years, so I think that's proof that Patty's tips work. Be sure to check out Patty’s blog. You won’t be disappointed.

Be sure too to head out and vote! It's only one of the most important things you can do in your lifetime.