Feathering the Empty Nest

I’ll give the homeowners this much: Adequate seating for televison, guests and entertaining (there’s a custom billiards table behind the sectional sofa). However, can anyone say ‘Vanilla’?! Safe is ok, but everything in the same color is suffocating. Not calming. The room was also full of noisy echos (with hard walls and floors, that expensive TV sound system was just wasted).

Our first order was to change the color of the room. Not by magic, just by changing all the lightbulbs from incandecent floods to daylight LED bulbs. This made all the difference! Secondly, we added one accent paint color. In recent fashion, large walls would have been painted the accent color. In this application, we highlight the architecture: the kitchen bar now looks like a destination, as does the seating area by the fireplace.

Changing out the area rug with fresh pattern and drapery panels in an ombre peacock color like the accent paint color unifies the space. Doesn’t it feel warmer? Use of window treatments like this can take the echoes out of the all tile-floored room.

Notice also the addition of lighting: A new chandelier over the breakfast area, plus reading floor lamps on either side of the sectional sofa, make the room useful and identify spaces to actually use the room more.

Before:

Early marriage furniture and inherited ‘parlor’ furnishings. Bedding is tired (‘Ralph Lauren-1980’ called, he wants all that plaid back). There wasn’t any art in the room previously. Only studio photos of the grown children and the bridal portrait. The fake ficus was harboring dust from the last two or three decades. Please, if you love something, set it free. If the ficus comes back, don’t answer the door.

After:

This master bedroom was intended to be a romantic and private space in this custom built home.

However, pouring the furniture from the previous home; plus introducing inherited upholstered pieces just made the en-suite look tired and like ‘Grad Students Live Here’.

Again, changing all the lighting to LED, and introducing bold strokes of color with the window treatments and rugs both refresh and pull the room together.  Because the upholstered furniture held sentiments,  we had it all updated in traditional patterns but with fresh color combinations. This takes the seating from dusty-frumpy to a cozy conversation area with morning coffee or reading late at night. A small chandelier was added in the sitting area to mark the area as a destination, (and to up the romantic quotent too).

The couple has collected art from their travels and work in South Africa. We featured part of the collection above the bed. The photos of the children and wedding were grouped for a cleaner visual feel and for sheer focus.

Before:

The office is one of the first rooms a guest might see upon entering the home being situated directly across from the dining room. The office was functional; the homeowners had purchased a new arts and crafts style desk and filing cabinets. Other than having a working computer, there wasn’t any reason to be drawn to the room. It lacked any personality.

After:

Both Mr. and Mrs. Empty-Nester have had careers that took them all around the world. Displaying their   mementos was one of our goals. We commandeered grandma’s china cabinet, added hidden LED strip lighting (and a timer) to display these treasures. This cabinet was centered in the room as a focal point. Adding window treatments, and later on, a much larger rug warmed the room. Adding certificates and personal art work brought the room to life. We also added a spot for a guest to sit for conversation by recovering the chair in a timeless ocelot patterned chenille fabric.

Before:

The family TV room had a few problems:

1. Echoes. All hard surfaces made for some noisy football.

2. Personality. There were no clues that an active family with exciting lives were in the same house.

After:

We added a super plush shag rug to anchor the center of the room, complimented the plantation shutters with fabric drapery panels to add color and a shot of personality pizzazz. A large seagrass basket corrals the throws and adds more texture. We also utilized carved wooden panels from an heirloom piano. This added a necessary depth to the walls with ‘art’ that has a special meaning.