The budget friendly dining room make over has begun! Furnishings have been cleared out, floors protected, chair rail removed, walls smoothed and prepped for success! Soon the painters will be here to give the ceiling a brilliant coat of glossy paint in the most beautiful sea glass color. I'm as excited as my client, it can't come soon enough!

In the meantime, we will attend to a pair of Louis chairs and make them our own. Dry brushing metallic paint in pewter gives the chairs exactly the sapphire appearance that I'm looking for. Sometimes paints read differently than their names suggest. This is one of those times...lucky for us!

Before

 After

Bye-bye beige!

Can't wait to see these chairs after they've been reupholstered in this beautiful "Minx" fabric by Meredith Heron for JF Fabrics. Once done, I'll share the other fabric chosen for the back. Always fun to do something a little unexpected.

~ Michelle

Dining Room Update...Time for textiles!

You might be asking yourself, "where did you start?" In this case it was the beautiful large print that caught my attention and wouldn't let go! Immediately I identified it as the face fabric (#2) for the captains chairs. Always looking for opportunities to use dual fabrics for upholstery, I went with a solid navy (#1) on the reverse side for a little regalia.

Guilty, I can't get enough of this beautiful metallic grass cloth (#3) with a hint of rose gold! Literally the jewelry for the walls, it will be on the focal wall behind a French grey metal sideboard. Since we are talking glitter, lets spread it around with (#5) gold thread metallic for drapery panels. They will be banded in raspberry and separated by linen, barely raspberry roman shade.

Our fret work chairs (seats) will be reupholstered in (#7) chenille, a pair on each side of the table. Both pairs will be separated by a single Louis chair done in this beautiful (#6) Leopard for a face fabric. On the reverse side more of the beautiful (#2) traditional larger scale print. Finally, I'm still thinking of all the ways I can use the studded (#4) tape, I don't want to give it all away yet.

My goal for this project was to truly blend the old with the new in a collected but fresh way. Mixing high and low materials giving the clients what they desire within a budget they can afford.

I can hardly wait to see all these pieces come back from the upholsterer! BTW - I'm still on the hunt for a rug, the original rug blew the budget, so back to the drawing board on that one. I'll keep you posted...no pun intended...well maybe just a little.

~Michelle

Master bedroom update! The grass cloth is up and it is even more gorgeous in person! The shimmering rose metallic wallcovering speaks to luxury and elegance.

Upon entering the space, neutral walls stand silent as your eyes are drawn to the ceiling and glistening wallcovering. Plum/grey paint connects the clients existing grey furnishings to the space and textiles. Making the ceiling a highlight is always a fun challenge, so I committed to a saturated color that would give this room its own personality. 

Now we are just waiting for custom window dressings and bedding. In the meantime, I'm choosing the final dual fabrics for a super comfy bedroom chair! See you soon!

~Michelle

Flooring is the foundation that can make or break a space. Similar to the idea, "The shoes complete the look." The same is true of a well designed interior. Anchoring your design with the appropriate flooring will help to achieve a cohesive environment.

BEFORE

Currently their is white oak at our 1930's project. I love white oak but not in this golden stain. It's beautiful with a clear coat for contemporary spaces, however the clients want a deeper more saturated look for their home.

Sanded white oak above. Notice the fireplace has been completed!

My go to stain is English Chestnut. I use it 95% of the time because of its warm rich finish. Here it is without the Polyurethane. Already you can see how much warmer the space feels. Our jewels tones will work beautifully with the space.

It's not in the budget to address the kitchen yet, however the kitchen floor was in really tough shape. Besides the mixed materials, the flooring in front of the sink was water damaged and had developed and unpleasant odor. Instead of spending dollars on a band aide like linoleum, I suggested they commit to the wood floor now and weave in new flooring near the cabinetry at a later time. In addition, it will make the daily living experience a much more pleasant once their living in the home.   

Layers of flooring were removed.

New flooring has been installed and stained in the kitchen. Immediate improvement!

AFTER

Semi-glossed and ready for paint! See you next time. Pop in for the next update!

The master bedroom is one of the most common oversights. More often than not it is the last room to be addressed in the home. We all need a space not only to sleep but to recharge, reflect or just be. Your bedroom should feel like a place you can escape to at the end of the day. Ask yourself, does your bedroom provide a nurturing environment that you enjoy? If not, what does it need to welcome you at the end of a long day?

Everyone has different scenario's of what a restful haven means to them. These particular clients wanted a soft visual for their master that reads calm, quiet and elegant.

BEFORE

The headboard, dressers and carpet were purchased by the clients prior to them asking for me for assistance. Many times I have to marry the existing furnishings with new elements, it's part of the fun and always a puzzle regardless of who sources the products.

 My plan is to provide them with tonal fabrics and layered textures to keep the space calm without sacrificing on style.  

Adding a little character to the room in this case will come in the form of crown molding. The ceiling color will be a dreamy (soft lavender) visual before closing their eyes every night.

Luscious fabrics to see and feel for this master respite, proving a calm palette that is diverse in texture can be interesting and still make a design statement. Center stage, the metallic grass cloth wallcovering to be used on the headboard wall only. Can't wait to share the progress...more to come!

~Michelle

BUDGET FRIENDLY DINING ROOM MAKEOVER.

Over the years this dining room has been lovingly used for family gatherings, homework and scores of other needs. As time goes on, my friend and client decided that it was time to bring back the main focus of this dining room. A fresh new space for their family to share meals and entertain.

BEFORE

 The first thing I noticed was a nice size room that just needed a few key things to achieve a new look. An initial suggestion I made was to increase the ceiling height visually by eliminating the chair rail. Currently it is breaking up the walls and making the room feel stunted. The removal will elongate the walls resulting in simple elegance.

In picking the palette for this room, I chose a combination of neutrals with navy and plum accents. The only exception being the ceiling, a robins egg blue is in plan. In making my choices, I had to take into account the rest of the home and avoid creating a disconnect.

After some thought, I decided that the ceiling would be a major star of this dining room. Not so much for the depth of color (because you know 95% of the ceilings I do are never white) but for the shine. Luxurious because of its high gloss sparkle and reflective qualities. As crazy as it sounds, it will give the space a high-end look immediately. The cost of this particular paint is on the higher side but it's worth it!

We can use "Fine Paints Of Europe" on our ceiling because we found captains chairs at outlet prices and are having them reupholstered. There were only two mismatched chairs left. The pair will grace opposite ends of a trestle dining table. .

    Loved these for the shape and leg finish. Hard to see here but slightly charcoal metallic.

 The find of the day! Four amazing fret work side chairs! The wood will be refinished and the seats reupholstered in a family friendly fabric to resist stains.

 Say hello to the ceiling color! The only difference other than what you see here will be its glass finish. Never ignore a ceiling, it's an opportunity to make the fifth wall extraordinary.

Every room needs jewelry! Here's ours! Cheers to a great consignment find for less than $300.00 and the perfect compliment for our beautiful ceiling. Oh...I forgot to mention that there is medallion on the ceiling that my clients husband made. Gorgeous plaster work is his trade....hmmm what else can we have him whip up for us?

~Michelle

Consignment junkie? Me too! If your patient and love a bargain on quality home décor, it's not impossible to find beautiful things that don't hurt your budget. This punch of rug color would make any room sing! The teal bench is the perfect color compliment. Throw a few warm wood pieces in and you could give a sad room new life!

ON THE FLIP SIDE

Spring is just around the corner. Edit! Edit! Edit! Clear out the stuff that serves no purpose. You know the rule: If you haven't any use for something, let it go! You can call Fiddleheads Consignment or your local consignment shop to send off your purge and earn more money to splurge! Donating to a charitable organization is another option. Either way, gear up for spring cleaning and switch it up a bit to generate new energy in your home.

~ Michelle