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Red Sofa Project: Sneak Peek
In this post, I’m sharing a sneak peek of a project that I’m working on for one of my clients. It involves a dining/living space and two red sofas.
As you can see in this BEFORE picture {above}, the space desperately needed some character and coziness. The homeowner loves her red sofa and love seat, but she wasn’t sure how to decorate around them.
Here is my computer rendering of the AFTER space. The first thing we did was paint using a pewter gray {Anew Gray from Sherwin-Williams}, which is actually a warm gray so it, along with a shag area rug, added instant coziness. The black and silver frames above the sofa will hold family photos. I also added elements that would provide texture and a few accent colors.
The renderings include a few “place holders,” but I’ll show you the actual pieces in separate photos — for instance, pictured above is the actual sofa lamp/end table combo. The lamp is from lampsplus.com; table from target.com}
{BEFORE}
The space really needed additional lighting, so I worked a few extra lamps into the design. The homeowner also wanted a scenario with extra seating, so I presented her with an Option B, pictured below:
{The bench is from anthropologie.com}
Pictured above is the BEFORE dining area, which opens to the living space. Below are the AFTER renderings:
{This is the actual host/hostess chair from pier1.com}
My client already owned a terrific piece of art that provided a pop of red to the dining space. An arrangement of dinner plates adds interest to the opposite wall.
Here are the actual window treatments {below} that will be used in both the dining and living area:
The space is coming along beautifully! We’re in the process of purchasing all of the items and waiting for everything to arrive. I should have photos of the completed space to show you soon!
If you have a space that could use some color, character or coziness, I’d love to work with you {and it doesn’t matter where you live}! Contact me at info@porterhousedesigns.com.
Dorm Design 101
Dorm decor has certainly come a long way since I was in school. I remember hauling identical blue bedspreads with me to Howard University as a freshman so that my roommate and I would have matching beds. We taped pictures from fashion magazines on the walls, covered our bookcases with contact paper, and that was considered pretty impressive back then.
These days, dorm decor is at a whole new level. Colorful college-living essentials are widely available at affordable prices — allowing campus-bound students to add instant style and warmth to an otherwise uninspired dorm room.
Color is definitely your best weapon when attacking a cell-like dorm room. Lay the groundwork with an amazing area rug and create your color scheme from there. A rug will also provide coziness and warmth underfoot on cold winter mornings.
Look for colorful bedding and coordinating throw pillows. A great looking bed alone will make a dorm room more attractive.
Unless you are residing in off-campus housing, you probably won’t be able to paint. However, there are plenty of other imaginative ways to add color and interest to the walls.
Who knew you could use Post-Its for something other than study notes or marking pages?? These popular paper squares can also be used to create wallpaper, as shown in the dorm room above.
An arrangement of photos and greeting cards is also a nice colorful and personal touch.
Also, check out Lovely Undergrad. This blog’s author, Jessica, has done an outstanding job of showcasing dorm rooms, design tips and overall advice on college-living for gals.
Stunning Stripes
Colorful wall patterns always have a way of bringing tons of personality into a space. Although it takes a little patience, stripes are one of the easiest patterns to paint, and the results can be simply stunning.
Vertical stripes will make a room’s ceiling appear higher while horizontal stripes will visually widen a room. Horizontal lines will also give your space a more contemporary feel.
{In this photo, the wall is covered with fabric. From archiexpo}
If ‘high-energy’ is what you want, it’s OK to use several colors. The result could be electrifying, so you may want to reserve this treatment for one focal wall.
Of course, painting the walls is not the only way to bring colorful stripes into your space. You can also look for a great area rug, furniture pieces or lighting fixtures.
{Love this lampshade! From littlephant}
{What a great way to spruce up a boring, white ceiling fan! From inmyownstyle}
A few more:
There are so many different ways to express yourself with stripes, and the good news is, this pattern is classic and timeless. It will never feel dated.
CLICK HERE for instructions on how to paint stripes.
Color Behind The Shelves
Painting or wallpapering the back of your bookshelves is a creative way to bring wonderful accent color into your space.
There are so many reasons why I love this living room {shown above}, for example — that delicious sofa — but my favorite thing is the shelving. Look how the back was painted with three variations of the color pink. Very hot. Here are a few other eye-catching ideas:
{domino}
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