Design Bits and Pieces

Well I've committed the cardinal sin of blogging... taking a long unexcused break for no reason whatsoever. So, if your reading this thanks for hanging in there with me:).

I've been up to my eyeballs in projects--- so I thought I'd share what I've been up to and divulge a few secrets along the way. 

First let's talk about paint panic... can you relate?

I'm working on a new TOTAL renovation in Bryn Mawr and whenever I work on a total reno that doesn't have a full design plan in place ahead of time I always get that panic, frantic call. "My builder/contractor needs paint colors for the entire house by tomorrow and there are like over 25 rooms in this house!!"

Sneak peek: New ceiling treatment and millwork are happening

Now I always try to avoid this by planning ahead but it's not always possible. Either because I'm brought into the process late or the client understandably doesn't want to make a million decisions all at once like flooring, tile, cabinetry, wallpaper, fixtures, carpet, furniture, etc. you get my drift. Way too overwhelming and I get that!

So after I talk them off the ledge we go room by room and select colors from what we know is going in the room. That could be back splash, counter, bedding, furniture or whatever we have on hand. If we know nothing and trust me this happens... we go neutral. Paint is the cheapest thing to change so let's not panic... am I right?

You can read more about how to select paint here.

Another fun total renovation I'm working on is happening at the beach.

And since we are on the subject of paint. PAINT can cure all ugly!

This is where we started with the reno. It's not finished but I want to demonstrate the power of paint!

Before
Dated 1970's panel entry, vinyl flooring which you can't see

Entry in Progress

Paint color decorators white Benjamin Moore, natural, cypress wood flooring

In progress as you can tell! And yes, I swear this is the same space!

Before
Dated 70's dark panel, faux stone fireplace

In progress
Paint color decorators white Benjamin Moore, cypress flooring

(notice I didnt remove remotes, etc. keeping it real here until a real pro takes pictures which I am not!)

New little side table is on its way...

 This home is a temporary space so we're keeping the budget in check until they find a permanent space. So we kept a lot of their own furniture like this coffee table and wine rack but....

I'll share a little secret with you. If you are looking for a great beach house slip-covered white sofa try the Willow sofa by Crate and Barrel. 

Sleek with modern arms, comfortable and reasonably priced but best of all comes in one week! VERY important if you'd like to enjoy your beach house for the season. Custom sofas which I normally spec out can take 8 to 12 weeks. And this sofa? .... won't fade in direct sunlight. A HUGE issue with beach house installations.

Another hint? I LOVE using swivel chairs especially in vacation homes where you have several focal points in a space. In this room you can swivel to see the water and sunset... swivel to talk to your friends and family watching TV to see the weather for the week and swivel to tell your mom, dad, or host in the kitchen what you'd like for dinner or what cocktail you'd like to enjoy!

These Lee Industries chairs are comfortable and small in scale great for a living space that was built with a room designed in the 70's.
You can check out the specs here.

Here's another space where I used these chairs. 
Here is where we started

It's a very awkard small entry hall/living room space with a fireplace in the back corner of the room. Most definitely need to swivel to enjoy the roaring fire in winter!

Here is where we are now...

The Lee chairs are covered in a much more aggressive Quadrille fabric! We are waiting on a pretty gray indoor/outdoor rug and other design elements for this space.

That's all for now. Will share more pictures as we finish all three spaces!
Thanks for reading!! XOXO