Clients' Traditional Living Room Before & After

Last week we installed a couple of rooms our clients' home so I thought I'd share a few afters (iphone/ instagram  pics) I snapped.  I met our clients years ago when I first started out decorating.  They'd given me a call to do a consultation in their home way back when.  We got along really well and I was so happy to get a call a few years later after they purchased their new home.  My clients are a young (incredibly sweet & happy) family who love a traditional-feeling home that feels fresh and a tad fun.  We usually throw in a little preppy streak too for good measure. Here is their living room when we first started out:

{They had JUST moved in at this point FYI}

They already had a beautiful rug that we all decided should stay, and the paintings over the mantle are actually of my clients' farmhouse on their wedding day.  If you look in the paintings, you can see my clients and their families & friends having a blast.  (There are even fireworks in one painting!!!  Wish I'd known them sooner!! ;) ;)  So, of course, those were staying!!  We also had a tan sofa to work with (not pictured) and we built the room around these things.  

Here it is now:

{We layered the sofa with some of my textiles:  Queen Anne's Bouquet & Pierced Porcelain in Blue}

My clients love green and blue so I used the shades of green & blue that were just barely there in the rug to make the color scheme more to their liking.  We added a seagrass rug to layer under the existing wool rug because it was too small for the room.  (We use this trick in at least half -if not more- of our projects because it allows you to use rugs that might not otherwise fit the space perfectly and it creates another natural layer of interest.)  

Here's the view from the foyer when we started:  


And here it is now:

{The foyer rug also has some green woven into it...  We did a massive family gallery wall going up the stairs.}

The curtains and natural woven roman shades really made this room for me.  They softened it and made it feel lived-in.  We used a little trick to save on the shades:  They're only about 3 feet long even though the windows would have required that they be 70-some inches because my clients don't plan on actually using them.  Instead, they just serve to add a little natural warmth to the room.  

The green & white striped swivel chairs really added the energy we needed to the room.  The slipcovers were fabricated out of a very soft, washed linen which feels more casual than what normally might have gone into a room like this.  We wanted the living room to feel more formal than other rooms in the house so they could host parties & get-togethers with friends, but we still wanted everyone to feel like they could snuggle up, put their feet up, and relax.

It was important to us all that the home feel like it was put together over time and we incorporated some vintage & antique elements, which is really my favorite way to decorate.  We recovered a pair of tall old cane backed chairs with blue seats and placed them in front of the windows on either side of the fireplace...


...which is just the type of age & layering we were after.  

My clients have collected some beautiful oil paintings over the years and I hung two of them on either side of the doorway to the sun room above a pair of mahogany dressers topped with concrete mossy urns.  Here's a photo of one of them: 



I was so excited when my client said she was up for a little animal print in the room (!!)  and so we brought in a leopard bench. (below)  The bench was supposed to be six feet wide but came in at only three feet wide (don't you love it when that happens?! ;) but I did take pics with it in the room because I loved how the fabric looked in there so much.  (A new one is being made now)



For this project, my clients opted for an accessories "package" as we call it, where they gave me an accessories budget and I went shopping with it.  It's so much fun and really yields the best results because I can get great things when I see them without having to get them approved (by the time you often get small things approved, they're already gone) and things look so much better when they're in their intended places so it makes sense once a client sees it.  I also bring more than I use and then get to leave only the things that look best,   (The urns, the antique plaques on the left wall, the fiddle leaf fig, the mantle arrangement and a few of other things are from the accessories package.  The dinosaur on the coffee table- the piece de la resistance in the room- however, was already there. ;) ;)  

I'm off for the day but will be sure to share some more before & afters this week!! Hope you enjoyed!!



If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

23 comments:

Marty@A Stroll Thru Life said...

Such a beautiful room. Hugs Marty

Doreen said...

Another gorgeous room!

Jade @ Flip Flops + Pearls Design said...

Love, love, love! My exact style!

Faceitcatalog said...

You are so talented Lauren, thanks for the home design inspiration!

Amber
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cindy hattersley design said...

Love the addition of the animal print ottoman...adds a bit of whimsy to the room.

Anonymous said...

I love the stripes on those chairs!

Kristen said...

Everything came together so nicely! You always kill it.

Tree said...

Love the marble coffee table! Would you mind sharing where you got it? Or something similar... Thanks! Beautiful room!

Lynda @ Happenstance Home said...

Lauren - it's just beautiful and layered and so comfortable looking. You have such talent!

Carolyn said...

You are SO good, Lauren. Lucky little clients!

Kerry Steele- Design du Monde said...

That really is a cozy looking space. I love the antiques in the room and your fabrics.

Unknown said...

What a transformation. I love all the details and the character and comfort of the spaces. Gorgeous!
Natasha
http://www.lovedesignbarbados.blogspot.com

Andrea said...

Gorgeous room. I love the layering, the mix of old and new, and the overall gathered over time feel-just beautiful!

Jennifer @ Dimples and Tangles said...

And, Lauren does it again! What a beautiful room!

Scarlett said...

Love the room....where can I find those curtains???

Anonymous said...

Every time I get an email with one of your blog posts, its the first one I open! Your designs are so amazing and inspired. There is always a "take-away" in each space that I think I could use in one of my interiors. Well done!!

Anonymous said...

Every time I get an email with one of your blog posts, its the first one I open! Your designs are so amazing and inspired. There is always a "take-away" in each space that I think I could use in one of my interiors. Well done!!

alison @ west of beige said...

Could you tell us more about your 'accessories package?' How do you determine the appropriate amount?

Many thanks for your inspiring posts!

Elizabeth@ Pine Cones and Acorns said...

I love this traditional space!

Jen @ RamblingRenovators said...

Such a beautiful room Lauren. I love how the blue chairs pull in the blues from the paintings. The relaxed slipcovers look just right... formal yet welcoming!

LL from KS said...

I love the style of the swivel chairs and have been trying to find some like it. Can you tell me the maker or your source for those?

Maria Lucas said...

I have new furniture arriving today and it's exactly that sofa and a leopard ottoman... Might have to get you to help with what to do with the walls bc we said "goodbye" to the TV in the family room - couldn't take anymore Disney Channel.

Where did the lights come from? Love them.

eLIZabeth Floyd said...

Love this room! Your clients are so lucky to come home to the warm and welcoming room.

Liz