A client recently contacted me asking for design help with her empty living room.
Her and her husband had started decorating the room by adding in gorgeous Brazilian walnut flooring and painting the walls Benjamin Moore's Gray Wisp.
But then they got stuck and the room sat empty.
The young family wanted the space to serve as a causal living room + play space for the kids + computer area for both mom and the kids.
The following plan is what I designed to help them complete their space.
2.
Art work: Blooming Allium in Old Metal Coffee Pot (
Art.com),
Dahlia with Clouds Behind (
Art.com)
Passion Flower Against the Sky (
Art.com)
in dark wood Ribba frames (
Ikea)
3.
Sofa: Ektorp Sofa in Vellinge beige (
Ikea)
4.
Throw Pillows: Coral Embroidered Pillow Cover (
Pottery Barn),
Vanessa Floral Pillow Cover (Pottery Barn - no longer available),
blue and white pillow cover is from (
Etsy),
5.
Coffee Table: Morgan Large Cocktail Table with Baskets in Aged White (
Ballard Designs)
6.
Area Rug: Poolside Brown/Bone Indoor/Outdoor Rug (
Overstock)
7.
Side Tables: Hamilton X Slat End tables (
Target)
8.
Lamps: Triple Gourd Clear Glass Table Lamps (
Lamps Plus) embellished with coral colored trim ribbon
9.
Chairs: Ektorp Jennylund chairs (
Ikea)
10.
Storage Shelves: Expedit shelf & Branas baskets (
Ikea)
11.
Desk: DIY Modular Office Desk (knock-off version of the Pottery Barn Bedford desk) - (plans from
Ana White)
12. Drapes: DIY Burlap Panels (Tutorial)
The overall design plan for this space was to create a comfy, casual living room that had lots of storage for toys & books without looking too much like a ‘playroom.’ For the most part, I chose pieces that were kid-friendly and fairly easy on the budget.
In addition to
purchasing/making the above pieces, I also suggested the client add
white board and batten to the lower half of the walls to give the space
some architectural interest.
I created two different, yet similar, floor plans to illustrate how the furnishings could be placed.
OPTION 1:
OPTION 2:
The left side of the room features a wall-to-wall desk with space for two chairs in both plans, while the couch & occasional chairs are in different locations.
I created a mock-up illustration to show the client what the desk could look like.
I included two open shelf base units on either end that hold baskets (Pottery Barn) for more toy storage. The center base unit could have drawers to hide important papers and/or kids’ artwork/schoolwork or doors could be placed in the center unit to hide printers, modems, etc.
Above the desk, 3 large bulletin boards are hung for displaying the kids’ artwork.
The lamps placed on the desk are the Barometer Work Lamps (Ikea).
For desk chairs, I suggested finding two inexpensive (used) matching dining chairs and painting them white and reupholstering the cushions with a patterned fabric.
The following was an inspiration picture for the desk area.
Now that the client has a plan to guide her, she's looking forward to finishing her space and turning it into a comfy, casual living room where she can read with her kids, watch them play, and spend some time on the computer.
