Worth the wait…

 

About a year ago, I posted about this focal point in my house. I knew this spot needed the BEST possible solution because it is visible from all rooms in my house. It is off of the kitchen but also in the living room/ dining area. I was trying to make do with what I had but the nerdy little frames were just not cutting it for me.

I finally ordered this piece, then waited six months while it was on backorder. I am so happy that it finally arrived! It is from Dovetail (to the trade only).The dishes are a combo of tag sale treasures and Home Goods purchases.

Image Cote De Texas

This image from Cote De Texas planted the antique-dish-rack seed in my head a year and a half ago. That is how slow I am to decorate my own home! If only my budget could keep up with my plans.

My Client’s Living Room – After!

My client’s biggest complaint about their living room before was that no one ever spent time in there. During family gatherings everyone huddled in the kitchen and small family room, leaving the room next door empty and underused.

I could see why…First of all there was no focal point in the room. Second of all, the seating arrangement was awkward and uninviting. We spent the first few appointments working with templates like the one below. We moved the furniture around until we had optimized seating and created some wonderful focal points around the room.

Then we went to work selecting fabrics and furniture to fit their traditional yet comfortable style.  This painting, by Kent Wallis, was already part of their collection, so we pulled colors and inspiration from it.

We recovered a couple of pieces. The fun chair below was one of the first pieces of furniture that my clients purchased when they were married over 37 years ago.

 

Before

After

It is most defiantly everybody's favorite part of the room. The chair, draperies and pillows provided the punch of color and pattern that we needed. Next, we created two focal points on the wall below. The new English secretary is the first piece of furniture you see when you walk in the room. It is gorgeous and so is the new painting by Steve Songer.

  

 

The long narrow room was broken up into two areas. The piano area sits behind the sofa and across from the secretary.  Another fabulous Kent Wallis painting was selected for this part of the room.

The Ralph Lauren Foo Dog lamps were the perfect finishing touch and my clients had to have the honeycomb bee box as well. We do live in the beehive state after all.

As their new furniture arrived, my client’s children (all grown and decorating their own homes now) would “dibs” the pieces they wanted to be passed down to them in the future. I started doing the same thing…and “dibsed” these Baker nesting tables!!!

 

It is all in good fun. But don't you think they are a must have??? My clients have happily reported that the room is finally getting the use it deserves. They admit that it isn't just when company is over either. They say that they are using the room more themselves.

For me design is about so much more then simply selecting beautiful furniture and finishes. It really is about improving the quality of life. For this client, that meant figuring out how to make the living room more inviting and serviceable for their family. Rather then adding on to their home – we found a way to make the square footage they already had a place that is fun, interesting, and accommodating to their lifestyle.

If you are interested in exploring ways to make your home work better for you, please contact me at Bethany.Christensen@gmail.com or 801-673-2845 for rates and availability.

My Client’s Family Room; Before and After; Getting Proportion Right!

I am a little bit sad to post these photos because it marks the end of a really fun project. It all began with a one hour consultation about bathroom tile and the next thing you know we are redecorating the entire house. In the process we became great friends (my favorite part of the job) and I will really miss our weekly meetings.

This is how the family room looked BEFORE:

My clients were frustrated with the space because it was so cramped, especially when they had large family gatherings and everyone wanted to be in this one room. The space is long and narrow which called for a longer sofa and smaller scaled chairs (the opposite of what was there). So this is what we did!

By replacing the furniture with properly proportioned pieces, it made the room feel much bigger. We created additional seating on the sofa and ottoman, (which can be used in a pinch). We originally planned on two ottomans but my clients loved the rug so much they didn't want to cover it up. Adding three extra seating options was A LOT for this size space.

You can see the drapery fabric behind the sofa. It was the only element in the room that had to stay, which was fine with me because I love the classic Ralph Lauren print (it provided us with the perfect springboard for the project). The room is right off of the kitchen and breakfast area so it gets a lot of use. All of the fabrics that we selected are very grandchild friendly with high durability and camouflage factors. The herringbone fabric on the sofa is a Ralph Lauren fabric as well as the beautiful wool paisley pillow on the right. A Pindler fabric was selected for the club chairs and tangerine pillow.

Here is another view of the seating arrangement, which faces a fireplace with a flat screen above.

We were all so happy with how the room turned out and my clients have reported that their family gatherings are much more comfortable, thanks to the new furniture! If you would like help creating a properly proportioned, child friendly room, contact me; bethany.christensen@gmail.com

Sneak Peak – Sweetest Little Girl’s Bedroom

Well- it has been a couple of months since I posted the inspiration photos for my client’s little girl’s bedroom. I changed the title to read the sweetest little girls bedroom because the girls that will be sharing this darling room are anything but sassy- they are just the sweetest girls and so are their parents.

The pieces for this room are starting to come together so I couldn’t help but post a few pictures of the focal point of the room…this gorgeous French armoire. We found it online at Mr. Beasley’s Antiques in Riverside California. 

Then Todd, at Cottage Charm Furniture, did a remarkable job on the finish which is antique white with a light brown glaze.

I can’t wait to show you the final photos! Wouldn't you have loved such a special room as a child?

Diamond Baretta Designs

I learn so much through blogging! Don’t you? This week I came across a link to Diamond Baretta Design. You know how you follow a link to a link to a link? Well, that is what a did and I was so excited  when I saw these photos.

 

I have had an article about one of the homes they designed in Connecticut (probably from Country Living) in my inspiration book forever.

You can imagine my delight when I saw more images from their portfolio. What struck me the first time I discovered Diamond Baretta seemed to echo through all of their work.

First, their interpretation of a traditional New England look is so much fun and playful. It is like they have no fear when using color and pattern.

Second, all of their rugs are out-of-this-world. I remember looking up the source for the rug in the Country Living Magazine years ago and discovering that it was custom. I thought, can you do that? LOL. Seriously, look closely at every room.

Third, don’t miss the wallpaper and ceiling treatments. Look how they bring every vault to LIFE.

 

Fourth, The quilts!!! In my old inspiration photos they even had upholstered a wing back chair in a quilt. I am a quilter, my mom is a quilter and my aunts, cousins and grandma are quilters too. I love displaying treasured family heirlooms in my home.

Wouldn't you love to have a custom rug created for your home? I would.

How to find furniture that tells a story…

Last week I picked up some great prints at the Walter Larson Antiques show. They will be framed and hung in my four-year-old son’s room which is loosely themed “adventure”. I love their story-book quality and all of the motion in the artwork.

The Walter Larson Antiques Show is about the best that we have here in Salt Lake City, but it is mostly grannies attic type shopping.

It makes me so sad every time I go just because I know what I am missing out on. I used to ride my bike to the Farmington Antiques Weekend (which is by far my favorite show).

Plus, I have shopped Round Top and Brimfield to my hearts content.

But the prints are great, right? This trunk is another piece in my son’s room.

I can’t thank my mom enough for letting me use it. I love the trunk but I also love that my mom negotiated to purchase it out of the Nautica store display window at Fashion Island, for my brother’s room when we were kids. She is hilarious!

We read a lot of stories at our house. I thought this book rack would help me keep them picked up but I also love how much color and life it adds to the room.

So now I am on a hunt for a great map to frame and a new dresser. If you have any suggestions for a great map source please send it my way. Of course I am looking for something big, colorful and vintage!

If you are looking for great furniture and accessories, the kind that tell a story, you have to look beyond the traditional sources. You might want to check out a silly antiques show, your mother’s attic, or a store display window. You never know what you are going to find.

What is Slipcovered, Washable, and Fabulous?

Everything at Quatrine Home. (My four-year-old has recently been explaining things to me in riddles. It is so cute).

Photo: Beautiful Homes April 2006 -

On a recent trip, I finally got to go into a Quatrine Home store. My sister, who lives in Dallas, has been telling me about it forever and now I know why. All of their furniture is slipcovered and machine washable and really beautiful.  I know it seems that slipcovered furniture is always washable but it is not so. Many pieces are dry clean only.

Some of my favorite pieces at Quatrine Home were the pillows;all covered in thick chunky linen with the most adorable ruffles in contrasting colors.

I also loved the many cotton and linen fabrics that they pre-wash to make amazing slipcovers. The lavender cotton velvet was to die for.

 

Photo: Country Living

Their web-site doesn't do them justice. But check out their press section.  I found many familiar images from my inspiration files!  I can’t wait to get my hands on some of those fabrics!!!

Las Vegas Furniture Market recap…part 2

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent last week in Las Vegas at the Furniture Market. It was so much fun. We had a long list of showrooms that we wanted to go to – but we also loved the unexpected new names and no names.

Company C and Dash and Albert were on the list of showrooms I was looking forward to visiting. Who says I don’t like color? The ottoman above and rug below were purchased for clients!!! I can’t wait to see them in their homes.

I loved this indoor/outdoor rug from the Rug Market…still looking for a spot for it.

Like I said – the small unknown temporary booths were some of the best. I loved everything in this one…

We loved shopping in the accessory showrooms as well. The way this showroom was styled was fabulous. Look at how interesting and dynamic this arrangement is…and the fact that it is done all in neutrals just goes to show how important texture, scale, and tone are when accessorizing.

Thanks for viewing my travel photos! Next time you should come too!