Archive for the ‘Living rooms’ Category

If you’re like most people, you probably have a growing love for some sort of collection in your life…books, vases, shoes, clothes…etc.   Instead of letting those items become shameful clutter in the corner of a closet somewhere, try controlling the clutter with uniformed color and turn those items  into the highlight of a room.

This personal library has been transformed into a vibrant color coordinated focal point…some people may think  it’s a bit OCD, but I love the bright organized colors.

If you’re a book worm and not really feeling the love in the above book shelving, then here’s a more subtle approach to killing the clutter with color in this living room below. The sporadic use of the yellow books gives the overall appearance  a  visual uniform…great idea for those, not so, OCD people out there:)

You can also go the other way and take care of clutter with the absence of color, like in this milky white  kitchen below. The grouping of the same color vases and the matching containers, gives the space a crisp clean look…I heart white kitchens:)

This closet brings me back to grade-school where, as my friends put it, my boarder line OCD all started. Pre-children, if you would have opened up my closet on any given day, you would have found an organized rainbow color coordinated assortment of clothing and shoes…Post-children, not so much. This color clutter reducer not only keeps your closet looking neat, but saves you time searching for clothes in the morning because you won’t be running around your room like a crazy person trying to find your blue shirt. It take’s a bit or discipline to maintain, but sooo worth it.

I don’t know about you, but if I opened the doors to this closet every morning, it would put a smile on my face every day… and the coordinated colors make it all that much sweeter.

Whether you are looking to purchase all new or re-purpose and make new, the “One Day Design” service could work for you.  Here are a few examples of the great job one of my clients did bringing some of my designs suggestions to reality…thanks again for the pictures!

Living Room (Before)

Living Room (After)

Hallway (Before)

Hallway (After)

Dining Room (Before)

Dining Room (After)

Kitchen (After)

Living room: This was a large room with some dated features: rosy red plush carpet, red glass veneered fire place with gold accents and  heavily lacquered cherry wood trim. This was the before:

Step One: We tackled the floors first by taking the carpet away and stripped/stained the hardwood hidden underneath. Hardwood flooring really is the way to go when designing for a family because aside from it just looking great it doesn’t stain and is easy to clean. Step Two: We then made over the fireplace by stripping it to bare bones, painting it, building a custom frame/mantel for it and then converting it from gas to a wood burning stove. Taking the fireplace back to it’s original state gave it much more character than if we were to have just faced it with another material. Step three: We painted all the walls and trim with Sherwin Williams primer/paint to give the room some life. Step four: We brought in all the furniture and accessories that suited our family’s needs…comfy, indestructible and unbreakable! Step five: To update the hearth we replaced the red ceramic tiled and put down black subway tiles. These are the after pics: