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| Matters of Style |
June 2016
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Greetings,
Welcome back to Matters of Style, a periodic newsletter from To a T Interiors. In this edition, we take you through the process and share the results of two projects: a long-distance townhouse design and a living room refresh. Furniture placement, new paint colors, colorful accessories and fabrics are the key ingredients in each of these transformations. Happy Decorating! |
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Long-Distance Transformation
| My client Julie, who lives in northern VA, needed help adding pizzazz to the main floor of her townhouse. She disliked the boring builder-beige paint and wanted to infuse some color but was stymied on how to go about that. Julie found me through an on-line search, we chatted by phone and she followed up with pictures.
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Before views of Living and Dining areas
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The first order of business was to tweak the furniture arrangement. I advised to turn the sofa 90 degrees plus move the end table and lamp to define the living area and minimize the bowling alley effect created by the floor plan and existing furniture placement. From there we shopped for a colorful area rug that would serve for color inspiration. I pinned roughly ten options for Julie to choose from on a shared Pinterest account.
Julie reported the following upon receipt of the new rug she selected: "We purchased one thing and you've made the place hugely improved."
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| | New furniture arrangement and rug |
Once the rug was installed it set the stage for a new primary wall color, plus trim and accent wall colors. I went on-line a second time to find bedding for Julie's master BR (it needed to coordinate with custom window treatments she selected). With that order in, we made plans to meet to shop for accessories.
It worked out great that I had a trip planned to the DC area that coincided with Julie's project timing. We spent the first 90 minutes finalizing paint colors for the main living area plus additional rooms. We then went on a power shopping spree for art and accessories. Julie's next steps were getting custom cabinetry installed to frame her fireplace followed by trim, accent and wall painting.
When I followed up with Julie later, she lamented that she had not completed her rooms with the artwork or accessories we purchased. So we planned another in-home session where I hung the art and used her accessories for maximum effect.
Following are the pictures of the finished space plus comments from Julie:
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After view of Living/Dining Areas
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After view to Kitchen with accent wall
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"This space was very tricky to work with due to limited natural light and the sofa color that I was locked into. Susan listened to what I wanted, steered me away from overly dark color choices and ultimately selected colors that make the space truly designer caliber! Her eye for color, accessorizing, and room layout/flow is amazing plus she did it all below budget. It initially seemed crazy to work with someone long distance on this project but it turned out to be terrific working with Susan."
Julie T., Fairfax VA
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Fireplace Wall-Before
The accent color, built-ins, plus colorful accessories make for a polished result.
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Fireplace Wall-After
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Recipe for a Refreshed Living Room
| This project involved giving clients Jan and John a new look for their living room that was originally decorated 12 years ago.
After listening to their wish list, we first addressed the furniture arrangement with a goal to accommodate more guests for entertaining and enhance TV watching for the couple.
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| | Stage 1: Trying out a new arrangement |
We relocated the sofa and split up the striped club chairs just to see how the TV viewing was from the one closest to the TV. They lived with this arrangement for a week or so and decided to purchase a swivel chair for the TV spot and recover the ottoman to match.
We had to make a couple passes to find the perfect color for the fireplace wall and decided to use the wall color in the back of the bookcases. After the painting was done, including touch up of the wall color, we had a session to re-hang art and accessorize the bookcases.
Here are photos of the updated space:
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The refreshed Living Room
The next photo shows the new swivel chair and ottoman; the beautiful fabric and fireplace art were key to choosing the fireplace accent color. The swivel chair is ideal for this arrangement: it provides a comfortable seat for TV viewing but also sits facing the room for a conversational grouping.
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| | New chair and recovered ottoman |
We also made some changes in the entry hall (that you see a peek of in the above photo). Jan was not enamored of the console table that was in the hall so we discussed the ideal dimensions and shape of a new piece to add visual weight. Jan scored quickly, finding this perfect piece that really added a wow factor in the entryway.
That allowed us to use the console table behind the sofa--and it's perfect there, disguising the back of the sofa and creating a visual demarcation with the adjacent dining area.
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Prior window treatments
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My recommendation to enhance the windows and the pretty view in both the living and adjacent dining room windows was to change the window treatments to stationary panels on decorative rods. Jan and John were extremely patient during some unanticipated setbacks but were ultimately pleased with the new drapes. Once everything was installed, Jan shared that, "We are enjoying the new look and feel of our living room. The changes have made a big difference in the appearance and comfort for us and guests."
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View from the entryway--new window treatments frame the views to the sunporch and backyard
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As always, if you need help making your home the inviting, comfortable space you envision, call To a T Interiors. We can help you select the perfect paint color, find solutions to corral the clutter that accumulates for busy families or redesign your living spaces to enhance the beauty and function for the whole family.
Susan
Susan Keifer
301-467-3563
www.toatinteriors.com
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Save 20%
Mention this ad when you schedule an appointment (or virtual consultation for long-distance clients) and get a 20% reduction for up to two hours. Feel free to share this offer with any of your friends and family who might appreciate To a T's help too.
Offer Expires: Appointment must be booked by July 31, 2016. |
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