Bright Bold color make this a fun sitting room.

Mike and Mary’s room is a fun work in progress.

• They wanted a great put-together feeling, but didn’t want the room to feel formal.
• They have two small children who will definitely be using the space.
• The living room and dining room adjoin, so the design needs to flow from one to the other.
• They owned artwork that needed to be designed into the space.
• The existing window coverings needed to remain.
• While not tiny, space is a real challenge: how do we make it livable?

(click on the first image, then mover through the images one by one)

I began this design with the floor plan.  If we could make the spaces work together and provide the multi-functionality Mike and Mary needed, all the other design elements should fall into place.  I showed them two furniture floor plans for the space.  I was excited when they chose the more out-of-the-box arrangement of the two.  There’s nothing better than working with clients who are willing to try new things.

The existing artwork provided color inspiration for the room.  Working with art, a rug, or something else that the client loves is a great way to give focus to the colors and the design.  With the art and floor plan in hand we chose bold, kid-friendly fabrics. We re-upholstered two existing chairs to great affect.  We also updated some family heirloom dining room chairs by selecting a complementing fabric for them.  We used two love seats to encourage conversation.  Colorful rugs brought all of the colors together, defined the spaces and unified the rooms.

We moved re-upholstered chair in front of the windows to frame and emphasize the view.  Although the existing window treatments needed to remain at present, the clients want to upgrade them in another phase.  This meant that we had to make all of our choices blend with the older coverings.  However, it gives us the opportunity to really make another impact when we do replace them.

Two of my favorite things about this room

I love the unexpected fabric on the traditional chairs.  They add a great wow factor.  I also love the fun, primary colors that still look so sophisticated and tailored.  As usual, fun clients make for a fun project!

Channing

Building on the clients art collection for inspiration, Channing creates a contemporary look with a twist.  This home is a work in progress!

Lynn and Dave knew they wanted to base the design of their living room on the colors of an abstract floral custom-painted for them by a local artist.  What a great way to inspire a room and focus the design!  Chief among their concerns was the extremely tall ceiling.  While dramatic, the height tended to dwarf the furniture.

Channing wanted to give them a new and different room, but also knew that working with their very open space and somewhat awkwardly placed pillars would be a challenge.  Lynn and Dave use the room for entertaining — there is no TV in the room.  It is also the first room visitors see upon entering the home, so it sets the stage for the whole home.

To address their height concerns they selected tall exaggerated-back chairs and continue to look for a few more over-sized pieces to bring the furnishings scale up.  Fabric color selections, chosen to get along with the existing draperies, were warmer than the past and added immediate comfort to the room.

The sofa was positioned a bit away from the center-line of the windows to take advantage of natural light and to attract the eye horizontally rather than vertically.

Channing says that the thing that she loves the most about this project was how well all of the fabrics ended up working together.  “Lynn loves fabrics and we worked hard and tried dozens of combinations.  We took a bit of a risk with the two-tone fabric on the chairs, and they worked wonderfully.”

A good collaboration between designer and client can produce a bit of magic.

Brooke Clark, manager of Ccino and Channing Thyberg, designer at by Design with Candice Olson.

This rustic lower level combines with a traditional dining room to tell a story of comfort and warmth.  You know, there is a reason that traditional became traditional.  It is simply because it works.

Click on any image to page through the project: