A Marriage of Masculine and Feminine Design

We just finished an awesome install last week. What makes the install amazing is working with fun clients during the process. I have to say that this client was one of my favorites. As a designer, when the client is joyful and excited about their reveal, that makes it so rewarding!

They totally put their trust in me during the whole process which enabled me to do my job well.

 BEFORE ENTRY

The client hired me for the remodel portion of their home and then to finish it out with accessories, rugs, lighting and draperies.

AFTER ENTRY

The entry had some great pieces but they just weren't making a statement. The desk in the entry was too deep for the space so we moved it to another room (see details on that in a later post).

Ruthie Tip: In small spaces, I try to use anything that gives the illusion that the space is bigger. Example in this entry would be open legs on the console, a mirror, crystal lamp, glass vase and white stools.  

We painted the clock a pretty gray, added a round rattan rug (notice the black that ties into the stair runner) and slid some fuzzy ottomans underneath the console for some fun and a casual flair.

 BEFORE ENTRY

AFTER ENTRY

 I incorporated some of the antiques that were spread out throughout the home because antiques mixed in with new items makes it look collected, not decorated.

We painted the stairs white and added a black runner to the center of the staircase. We also painted the staircase railing black. We had a barn door custom made especially for the music room that adjoins the entry so they can close that room off. The detailing of the barn door is fabulous and can really be seen better from the inside of the music room (this is the back of the door).

BEFORE FAMILY ROOM

Their family room needed some lightning up, that's for sure. The Tuscan "old world" theme was everywhere.  She loves traditional and he loves a more contemporary style. I encouraged them that we could marry the two and get something that they would both like. I created a transitional look for them and they LOVED it.

 The leather sofa and 2 chairs were in decent shape so we reused them, along with the coffee table. We painted the entire downstairs walls as well as the bookshelves and mantel.

AFTER FAMILY ROOM

Amazing transformation, right?

TV was moved to top of the mantel. Added new lighting, a new rug, draperies, artwork, coffee table & bookshelf accessories, side tables, lamps and pillows. It made a huge impact to the feel of the room. When people say, the details don't matter, THEY DO! Just look at the details above!

BEFORE

AFTER

I love layering the coffee table accessories. The tray can be removed easily if they want to play games, etc. I collected all of these items over the month at different places I shop and it makes for a nice mix and loads to talk about when entertaining. I found the tiny binoculars and painted them gold (they are my fav).

The rain stick from Mexico is cool too.

Loved these gold candle holders.

The rug!!!

BEFORE BOOKSHELVES

AFTER BOOKSHELVES

The chairs swivel so they can easily watch TV and can pull in chairs from their dining room for extra seating when needed.

Ruthie Tip: Notice how we painted the candlesticks white with a gold leaf dusting? Reuse what you have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BEFORE KITCHEN

Notice the faux brickwork!! Remember when we use to love this?

The kitchen felt closed off from the living room, due to the funny opening on the right. We took out the sheetrock column and opened that area up. We wrapped the support beam with rustic wood all the way across and stained it to match the barn door. It now feels so much more open.

AFTER KITCHEN

We added new lighting in the kitchen, above the island.We took cabinets to the ceiling and that made a big impact to the kitchen vibe. It is now so much more updated, and we didn't have to gut the entire thing. I love how you can see the entry in this photo too! You can see here that the desk that was in the entry, is now a place in the living room to pay bills, etc., it is also painted cream.

 The family room feels a part of the kitchen now!

The client had this camel saddle and I thought it looked perfect on this shelf, rather than on the floor. The colors I incorporated on the bookshelves brings in the colors from the fantastic painting.

A animal print throw on the ottoman pulls the room together. Small detail but you can see how it makes a statement. Another small detail is that we added hardware to the drawers and cabinets under the bookshelves. They don't match but I love that!  Leather pulls and crystal knobs!

Pillows, pillows, pillows, and they don't all have to match! Texture, texture, texture. I love to mix it up.

Fabulous, colorful artwork with gorgeous lamps on a console table that the client painted black for me with chalk paint.

Ruthie Tip: You can mix gold and silver! It makes it more interesting.  

Here is the video of the reveal as well as a walk through video of the entire finished project.

[x_video_embed type="16:9"][/x_video_embed]

[x_video_embed type="16:9"][/x_video_embed]

I'm working on my next home as we speak!

Hope you mix it up this week in  your HOME!

Hope it's a great week!

Grapevine Master Bedroom Makeover

What a priviledge it is to make over a master bedroom for a client.  This room is always the biggest treat to me. It is usually the one place in the house that is neglected but is the one place we spend the most time.  When couples decide to take the leap to create a haven for their master, I'm all on board because it is an investment in their marriage.

BEFORE

 

The client was going through a master bathroom remodel so this is not a fair before pictures since they were living in chaos (after photos of bathroom coming soon).

The client has been married 19 years and needed a refresh.  They celebrated their anniversary this month and so I got the priviledge of giving them this makeover in time to celebrate.

Their main problem with their bedroom was that everything matched.  Their furniture and their bedding all came in a set. I like to break things up so it looks more interesting and collected, rather than all the same.

AFTER

Big difference don't you think?  See how much more interesting it is with less "matchy matchy"?

The embroidered pillow was my inspiration for the room and it grew from there.

We knew we wanted a light headboard to brighten up the room, so a dark navy wall was the perfect solution to make the headboard stand out.  The rest of the room was painted a soft gray.  I found a design for the headboard that the client liked and my workroom did an amazing job creating it for us.

 

Can we just take a moment and stare at the rug!  It's perfect for their dog  because it hides any shedding that will take place.  The client also wanted storage for blankets, etc. so that is what she got!

The side tables were chosen because they are just gorgeous and then I found the euro shams. I love how they compliment each other so well. The client purchased the dressers.

The soft yellow lamps work beautifully with the rug.

A coverlet is always perfect for any bed because it isn't too hot.  I like to place a duvet at the bottom of the bed in case they need extra warmth at night.  I know I need extra blankets because my hubby freezes our room when we sleep.

Her side got a touch of floral and bling.  Notice the cording on the custom made headboard, we needed that touch of dark animal print to work with the side tables and euro shams. These details are what keep me up at night and that is why you hire an interior designer because most people don't think about all these details.  However, they are what make the entire design come together so beautifully.

His side of the bed got a succulent and a petrified wood bowl.

To marry the colors together, I used a blown glass lamp, a glass rock and some gorgeous florals on top of their tall chest of drawers.

The artwork is glorious! It has the perfect amount of blue, a touch of yellow and the glow it projects is so beautiful.  Notice how the accessories all bring out the colors from the embroidered pillow.

You see, details are IMPORTANT!

BEFORE

(Beginning of install day)

AFTER

(End of the install day)

It takes a village on install day, but it all comes together nicely.

Hope this inspires you to do some decorating in your master bedroom.

Ruthie tip:  When our girls were younger, we purposely made our master bedroom a place we could escape to. It has been our refuge and haven to restore our souls. We have spent hours sitting in our wingback chairs chatting about life, relationships and creating memories. When entertaining teens, we had to have a place we could go to so they felt like they could have the house to enjoy with their friends without their parents hovering.  Don't forget about your master bedroom, it is an ingredient to sanity with teens and a contribution to a healthy marriage.  Totally worth the investment, I promise.

XOXO

Southlake Home ready for Thanksgiving Guests

_dsc1889

Last week we completed a home for a client.  It was an exciting day, especially since their home has been in a mess for the past 6 months.  They started by repainting the entire home this past summer. A 2 hour walk through took place and then while they were out of town, they had the entire home updated with the ideas I presented to them.  They also had hardwood floors and carpet installed, put in new windows, as well as new plantation shutters installed in the front rooms of the home.  Wow, did this ever make a difference to the curb appeal!

_dsc1895

After all that work was completed, it was my job to decorate the home. The client hired me to revamp their dining room, formal living, family room and entry. We wanted to use as much of the existing furniture as we could.  The antique dining room table is beautiful but just needed some repair.  We had the chairs reupholstered in a gorgeous blue and off white striped fabric and used an off white leather for the seats so they can be wiped, especially since they do see grandkids in their near future.  The urn on the table was filled with moss for that touch of nature and a pop of green to coordinate with the painting.

_dsc1879

The client had the artwork commissioned and we designed the room around it.  They are not real formal people so I wanted to add a bit of fun to the room and knew that a zebra rug would do the trick with the fabrics we used.  Isn't it fabulous?  We chose a chandelier that doesn't hide the painting so I chose this one that has open arms and little fuss, keeping the painting the star in this room.  We moved the existing chandelier into the adjacent piano room because it was too small for the room (see photo below)

Before, the mirrors in the dining room looked very 80's so I had an artist come and make them look aged by antiquing them.  We experimented with several techniques prior to her coming and finally came up with this patina.  I think they turned out beautifully and they now go with this collected look.

.decrenewinteriors

I chose these lamps for the console table because they were also open and didn't feel too bulky up against the painting.  We used the clients existing crystal from her family members and their travels, to accessorize the console.

_dsc1905

The entry was our next challenge.  The client wanted to use the existing glass round table.  We added a lamp to add some accent lighting.  Of course I wanted one that was interesting and fun.  I then layered a bamboo tray with books and other collections to make an interesting assortment to look at for all those guests that visit.  It is the first thing you see when stepping inside their home, it had to be lovely.

_dsc1909

A little bit of wicker, crystal, wood, natural elements and ceramic always makes a nice collection.  Old books that have some history or tell a story about the homeowner is always a good idea.  Don't you just love the silver coral accent piece?

_dsc1835

The piano room was next... right across from the dining room.  This room was never used by the client before.  If you know anything about the way I decorate, you know that I want every room in your home to be used.  We decided to make this room more of a sitting room.  Again, we wanted to make it feel approachable and not too stuffy.  You can see that we moved the chandelier above the piano.  The client's grandma would be so happy to see it here.  It is beautiful and much more to scale in this room.   This room can now be used for laptop time or Sunday morning coffee or Friday evening cocktail hour.  Oh, can we also just notice how peaceful the color on the wall is.

Ruthie Tip:  When hanging artwork where there is picture molding, just IGNORE it, it makes it dissappear and is so much easier to work with.

_dsc1865

We had these wingback chairs custom made for the client and they really are elegant and have a touch of a masculine flair.  The round ottoman is perfect for extra seating, if needed.  We also had the piano bench reupholstered in a whimsical black and white fabric by Waverly.  I used an antique table the client had between the chairs, and added the lamps and accessories that I found around their house.

_dsc1840

I wanted to use a vintage rug in this room with muted tones.  Keeping it peaceful and relaxing.  The artwork was in the home already, I just shopped the house for artwork that I thought looked good together and grouped them together, forming a gallery wall.  The pillows really added a subtle pop of color and interest.

_dsc1856

The rest of the accessories were found in the home and reused in a different way.  I took a plant from the kitchen and put it in a blue and white pot to bring in some of the blue and white from the dining room.

_dsc2012

I went shopping with the client to find a club chair that he felt comfortable in.  I then had an ottoman made that worked with it and coordinated with the rest of the furniture we either had made or ordered from local furniture stores.  I love this little side table/stool that I found.  Perfect for a glass of wine or a cup of coffee.  The rug shag pillow was the perfect touch of the unexpected.

The mantel was very crowded before so I made it look simpler and less cluttered.  The blue and white vases match the small side table but I found them at two different places, yay!

_dsc1923

This room had absolutely nothing in it.  The client got rid of all their furniture which was all dark brown leather.  I wanted to mix it up and have a lighter, brighter room that could seat their entire family when they are all gathered together to watch TV or play games.

The room had hardly any lighting so I added two floor lamps to help with ambient light at night when they are watching TV and don't want all the lights on but still want to be able to see a bit.

_dsc2004

We met at Weirs to find a couch the family all decided on.  We chose this Navy velvet fabric which is soft and cozy.  I opted not to use the pillows that they usually include (too matchy matchy) and added my own Navy and yellow pillows to the couch.  A blue and gray vintage rug was chosen to pull the room together.

_dsc1943

These two chairs were found at a local resale store and I had them redone with new insides and reupholstery.  Swivels were added afterwards with a skirt to hide the swivel mechanism.

Don't you just love the rug?  Oh, and the silver side table?  I'm in love with it all!  Notice that the polka dot fabric was used on the ottoman adjacent to it to pull the two seating areas together.

_dsc1989We spent the entire day placing all the furniture, accessories and details in this home and it was a very exciting reveal.

Just in time for their first grandbaby due any day now as well as family coming into town for Thanksgiving!

I won't be posting until after Thanksgiving!  Until then, I hope you and your family find time to gather around your tables and in your living rooms, not only on Thanksgiving Day but throughout the rest of the year!

The Face Behind DecRenew Interiors; Introducing Ruthie Staalsen

I always love to be able to see the face behind a business. It makes it more personal and makes me feel more comfortable with the company I'm getting ready to hire. In this day and age, we are able to see behind the scenes so much more than we ever have. With Facebook Live, Instagram stories and so many other social media platforms, it really is amazing how you can feel like you know more about a person before you hire them. Sometimes hiring an Interior Designer to come into your home is a scary and intimidating thought. Hopefully this video gives you an inside look into what we are all about here at DecRenew Interiors. We want to be known for our commitment to our clients and  CONNECT LIFE AND HOME. We are all so busy and rush from one thing to another these days. Our goal is to bring families HOME to their humble abodes where memories begin and family time happens. Let us help you make your House a Home.

[x_video_embed type="16:9"][/x_video_embed]

If you would like to follow me to see more behind the scenes adventures, click on the links below.

Facebook

Twitter

Google+

LinkedIn

Periscope

YouTube

Instagram

Pinterest