Rustic European Inspired Family Room Design Plan

Recently I completed a family room design plan for a client how described her style as "European Primitive." 

To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what that would look like. 

So after lots of research and online shopping, this is the plan I came up with...

 The client already owned the leather sofa,  

Chunky Wool and Natural rug (Pottery Barn), 

and industrial style end tables (Home Decorators) 

and I added in all the rest to bring the whole room together.

1. Ponderosa Lumbar Designer Decorative Pillow (Etsy)

Navy Blue Trellis Geometric Pillow (Etsy)

Textured Linen Pillow Cover in Flan (Pottery Barn)

Cable Knit Throw (Pottery Barn)

2. Pair of Armless Slipper Chairs in Abstract Blue Floral (Target)

3. Kenroy Home Stacked Rock Table Lamp (Lighting Direct)

4. Button Tufted Upholstered Ottoman in French Yellow (Target)

5. Wooden Dough Bowl (Etsy)

6. Quinn Tripod Round End Table (Target)

7. Margo Medallion Drapes (Pottery Barn)

8. Sutter Adjustable Table Lamps (Pottery Barn)

9. flat stone fireplace surround with chunky wood mantel

10. Charleston Club Chairs (Overstock)

To give you a visual of how all of this furniture would be laid out, 

here is the floor plan I created for the client... 

 I was absolutely thrilled when the client told me that she loved the plan. 

This design plan really stretched me as a decorator, so to hear that I created something that the client was excited about really gave me a major confidence booster.

While the client loved the overall plan, I learned that she wasn't crazy about the color navy blue, so I came up with a few alternate plans for her, swapping out the navy blues with other options.

Interested in creating Rustic European Style in your home?

Here are some pointers:

Incorporate simple, natural elements, such as wood and stone.

Choose furnishings that reflect the wear that comes with age (i.e. weathered farm tables, distressed side tables, metals with patina).

Accessorize with baskets, pottery, and utilitarian objects. 

Furniture should be relatively simple and able to stand up to hard wear.

Stick to a color palette that is mostly inspired by earth tones; marigold yellows, sage green, merlot red, soil browns and ochre. That doesn't mean you can't add in pops of complimentary colors, though!

Kid-Friendly Living Room Design Plan

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.

 

1. Wall color: Gray Wisp (Benjamin Moore)

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), 

Jute Braid Pillow Cover in Ivory (Pottery Barn), 

blue and white pillow cover is from (Etsy),

Burlap Accent Lumbar Pillows with Greek Key Pattern (Ballard Designs)

Grand Chenille Throw in Blue Smoke (Pottery Barn)

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.

 (Source)

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.

Budget-Friendly Playroom Redesign

I recently finished a Playroom Redesign for a client with 4 children, ranging in age from 4 months to 10 years old. She wanted to create a playroom that was fun & functional for all 4 of her children while also flowing with the decor in the rest of her charming home and staying super budget-friendly.

The client's space is long and narrow, which can often be tricky to decorate. The best way to tackle long rooms like this one is to decide how the room will be used and divide it into 'areas.' For this playroom, I divided it into 3 zones: a reading area, a play area, and a homework/art area.

Then I created the following inspiration board to make the 'zones' come to life.

The first zone was the Reading Area, which is located at one end of the room under a large window. The client expressed that she wanted the look of a built-in window bench without 'building it in,' so I suggested that she do a knock-off version of Pottery Barn's Stratton Daybed (by following plans from Ana White) because its dimensions would fit perfectly under her window.

For the narrow bookcases to flank the window and daybed, I chose Ikea's narrow Hemnes bookcases in white.

To bring some color and pattern into the space and to provide comfort for reading, I chose a variety of throw pillows to sit atop the daybed.

 Premier Prints Village Blue Pillow Cover from Modernality2 on Etsy.com

 Textured Linen Pillow Cover in Flan and Chunky Stripe Pillow Cover in Gold from Pottery Barn.

 Designer Green Trellis Link Lumbar Pillow Cover from KloeStudio on Etsy.com

 Duck Egg Blue Pillow Cover from Chezlele on Etsy.com

Textured Yellow Floral Pillow from Target

 Home Textured Throw in Gold from Target

For the walls, I suggested she go with a light, yet playful, blue (Benjamin Moore's Spring Sky).

To meet the needs of kids with varying ages, I suggested she place two small desks at the opposite end of the room in the Homework/Art Area. Both desks are the Micke Desks from Ikea, but one is a little larger so that it can hold the older kids' computer. 

To give the desks a little more personality, I suggested adding some decorative knobs, like these Glass Daisy Knobs from Hobby Lobby.

Here is a virtual rendering of what the Homework/Art Area could look like.

To help with storage and to keep the desk organized, I hung Ikea's Lack Shelves above both desks and used various bins and baskets to store papers and other supplies. Above the desk on the left side, I hung Ikea's Fintorp Cutlery Caddies to hold the kiddos' art supplies. 

Above the right-hand desk, I hung a display rail (tack strip) to hold important papers or artwork.

In lieu of traditional rolling desk chairs, I opted for stools because they take up less space and can be pushed all the way under the desk when not in use. These stools are the Ingolf Stools from Ikea.

For those of you who have experience with kids, you know they create a lot of art. To display some of her kids' art, I suggested she create a rotating art gallery on a wall in the Homework/Art Area. This can be done by purchasing some frames at a thrift store, spray painting the frames, removing the glass and replacing it with corkboard. 

Source

I also thought it would be fun for the little ones if a chalkboard was added to the wall under the art gallery. 

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The inspiration behind my design for this space was this Handmade Avant-Garde Serenity Ivory Rug from Overstock.com.

Not only do the colors flow great with the colors in the rest of the client's home, but it also has a touch of whimsy and creates a great anchor for the 'Play Area'.

The best way to keep a playroom organized is to provide enough storage for toys. To help with this, I suggested the client go with the Expedit bookcases from Ikea for housing baskets to fill with toys and hold the TV.

The map art above the entertainment unit was found on Etsy.com, 

Source

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while the 'Fun is Good' print is a free printable from Paper Coterie.

And last, to provide a little comfort in the 'Play Area', I selected a blue & white chevron striped pouf from Etsy.

Source

So, there you have it. 

A multi-age, budget-friendly playroom, whimsical playroom.

For more playroom inspiration, feel free visit my Kid's Spaces Pinboard.

Nature-Inspired Lake Cottage Paint Plan

I recently completed a whole-house paint plan for a client who had just purchased a lake condo. She wanted the color scheme of her house to reflect its lake/wilderness surroundings. She also wanted to find colors that flowed well together since her condo had a open floor concept with high ceilings.

The following is what I came up with for her new space.

I selected a mostly neutral color palette, inspired by nature, intended to give the condo a restful, lake resort appeal.

Since the walls in the main living area (family room, kitchen, loft, etc.) were so tall, I chose a slightly darker tan (Sherwin Williams’ Universal Khaki) to give the rooms a more warm and intimate feeling. Another tip for making the rooms feel more intimate was to paint the high ceilings either the same color as the walls or just a few shades lighter (Sherwin Williams’ Wool Skein). White ceilings in tall rooms can often make the room feel like an auditorium.

The rug I placed in the plan (top left) was an example of how color could be added in to the main living areas to tie in some of the colors from the rest of the house. The rug is from Overstock.com and is called “Hand Tufted Coliseum Beige Wool Rug”.

Since there wasn't much natural light in the entry/hallway, I wanted to keep the colors light while also giving it some interest. Light colored, wide tone-on-tone stripes (Sherwin Williams' Wool Skein + Benjamin Moore's Simply White) down the length of the hallway would take what is a normally insignificant space and give it character.

The client wanted to use some of her existing art prints in the 2 guest rooms, which is what inspired the color choices for these two rooms. For the first room, she wanted to hang a grouping of dragon fly/flower prints.

To compliment these prints, I suggested she paint the room Sherwin Williams’ Comfort Gray, which is a light, airy bluish gray. I actually used this color in my house and love it, but it was just a smidge too dark for me so I had the paint guy reduce the color by 35% to lighten it up (you can read about that HERE). I suggested she try a sample of this on her walls first. 

I also suggested that she remove the prints from their existing frames and replace them with white frames with wide white mats to give them more presence and an updated look.

For the smaller guest bedroom, the client wanted to hang two bear prints.

I chose Sherwin Williams Quiver Tan to compliment these prints, which I would also put in new frames with oversized white mats to give them more presence. 

Most people tend to think that you should paint small spaces light colors, when in actuality paint small spaces dark camouflages the fact that they are small. I think this darker color would give the room a cozy, den-like appeal. Just be sure to use light accessories (like white curtains, white lamp shades and bedding…see example below).

Source: Decor Pad

For the master bedroom, I chose Benjamin Moore’s Dune Grass. Green is one of those colors that can be tricky to find just the right shade, so this is another one that I suggest testing on your walls first! 

To keep the nature-inspired look throughout the house, I thought some fern prints would complement the green well. The prints I used in the plan drawing are from art.com. The following is a picture from Country Curtains that illustrates how light green walls paired with fern prints would look.

Finally, I suggested the family room be neutralized and lightened up (it was dark red) by painting it Benjamin Moore's Camouflage Gray.

Adding in a large grouping of sepia toned photography (the ones pictured in the concept drawing are from art.com) in matching white frames to the family room would help unify this space with the rest on the home's lake/nature feel. 

The client was so pleased with her paint plan that she also hired me to redesign her family room, which I will be sharing with you soon!

* Please note that paint colors often appear very different on a computer screen than they do on your walls. Since lighting varies from home to home, it’s very difficult to select colors without actually seeing in person how they will look on the walls. I would highly recommend getting a small sample of each color and testing it out on your walls before purchasing and painting any rooms. 

 To learn more about our affordable design consultations, please click HERE.

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