Living Room Ideas

I’m excited to share a project I just completed for a client in Midland.  My clients asked me to redecorate her living room and kitchen because they looked tired and dated.  She wanted a lighter, brighter and an updated design.

The Original Living Room

Let’s start from the beginning with a picture…

 

 

The first thing I wanted to do was de-tuscanize!

First, I needed to remove the glaze from the walls and the faux finish off of the cabinets.

Then I took down the pendants in the kitchen and restyled the bookcases.

The living room is where they spend most of their time so a relaxed, casually elegant style is what was needed. As a result, I chose to utilize a neutral travertine floor.

The neutral travertine floor is beautiful and flows nicely with the new look.

 

Creating a Spacious Look

The sectional sofa presents a casual sitting area paired with armchairs that bring in some of the green used on the bookcases.

I covered the benches in green and add pillows in contrasting fabrics and texture.

The metal & glass tables make the room seem more spacious.  For tips on using metallics in your home read How to Mix Metals in Your Home:  Everything, you need to know post.

Using acrylic bar stools and removing the kitchen pendants will open up that area between the kitchen and living room.

We added some lighting with the floor lamps that give balance and height to the living room.

 

From these renderings and recommendations, my client wanted a more casual, durable fabric on the furniture.  She requested larger style armchairs for holding lots of grandkids!

The Final Design Scheme

Our final design scheme is shown here.

 

Adding Color and Texture

White is back in vogue for decorating so I chose a creamy Venetian plaster for the walls.  This plaster is a putty made from fired limestone and water mixed together.  After it dries it creates a reflective finish that has color variations & movement.  It will definitely add life to these living areas.

 

 

The bookcases were to be the focal point of the living room and putting a high gloss laquer on them would make them pop!  For a flawless finish, the bookcases had to be completely sanded down leaving no blemishes. Something as simple as restyling her bookcases had a dramatic effect! Read more about using laquer in my article about the Tommi Parzinger treatment.  The kitchen cabinets were painted in a cream color that matched the walls.

 

 

Counter tops in the kitchen were replaced with a dark quartz counter top that picked up some of the green in the bookcases.

 

We both liked this sisal natural woven rug for the floor.  It’s a good choice for high traffic areas because its so durable and stain resistant.

 

I love choosing pillows for my projects.  It’s a place to be whimsical and fun with color and fabric choices.

 

 

My dilemma was finding bar stools that wouldn’t close off the view between the living room and kitchen.  The acrylic seat of these bar stools was the answer because it’s practically invisible!

 

 

 

These ottomans add some extra seats in the living room for guests without taking up much space.  Or to put your feet up after a long day!  The pattern on the cushions adds depth and texture to the metal – they look so plush & comfy!  For similar stools shop here  

The Finished Look

Let’s take a look after all the work was done….

 

 

In the end, we created a beautifully styled living room with a seemingly endless flow through the kitchen.  The key to this design was to create visual interest by using venetian plaster on the walls, metallic in the furnishings & laquer on the bookcases.

The dark laquer creates a brilliant contrast!

The rooms appear lighter and more open.  It’s a relaxed, sophisticated style that will bring pleasure to my client and her family for many years.

 

 

Photo credits:  Pinterest, OPI.com