Young Executives Colorful Dallas Townhome

It has been such a privilege to work with my recent client. She is young and has been extremely successful.  Recently purchased a beautiful town home and called me to help her add personality and fun to it.

She had a few accessories, a small round bistro table and a beautiful town home to work with.  The furniture that we couldn't use, she donated to charity.

BEFORE

(dark and drab)

Being that she is young and fun, I presented a design plan to her with color and crisp freshness. She loved it and we got started right away!  We painted all the walls a soft gray and that in itself transformed the entire room.

The beautiful watercolor that you see in the hutch below was my inspiration for the room and helped us incorporate some of the existing blue accessories she already had and loved.

I found the used china cabinet below and had it professionally repainted, bringing it up to date!  It had such great bones and I knew the curved arches would add interest instantly.

 The outside was painted a rich gray and the inside was painted a light gray to showcase all the colorful accessories I added.

My client does not like a cold modern, contemporary style.

 My goal was to make her home feel updated,  functional and comfortable but also give it a feeling of youthfulness and style.

 She wanted it to be a place that  is a casual refuge for her to come to after a long day at the office.  I placed some old leather books, along with some pottery she had and mixed in unique artwork.  I also found these antique wallpaper stamps and they make a great conversation piece placed in the cabinet.

 It now exudes a colorful, free spirit just like she has.

BEFORE

AFTER

A wonderful tufted ottoman is a place where all feet can rest comfortably!

The existing table she had now looks to scale, especially underneath her new chandelier.

Underneath the large front window we added a new console table.

I found these two fabrics and knew combined they would be perfect for her style.  Blown glass vases inbetween the lamps are showcase pieces now with the light shining in on them and above them.  They also have a bit of sparkle so that was a fun surprise for her.

The mantel was painted black. I proposed to my client that we move the mantel up due to the wierd space between the ledge and the mantel however, due to the budget, she decided that could be done later.  We worked with what we had for the mantel and I think it turned out nice.

 BEFORE

AFTER

My client returned home after being at a meeting all day and fell into her  comfortable couch and immediately started enjoying her NEW room!  She had the wrought iron shutters already, we just rehung them somewhere else.

Team DecRenew was extremely tired after a hard day with an extremely early start; 3 truck deliveries, 2 cars full of breakables and flowers, a wonderful handyman, my assistant Lesley with her crazy good  organization skills  and "get it done" attitude, and of course Tim my drapery installer that always does his magic.  I couldn't do it without them all!

It was hard work and required a ton of planning ahead of time,  but it was all worth it.

Fun, happy, casual and inviting!

 I could live here, couldn't you?

Watch this before and after video of the space!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db-QVFe1lbQ

Before and After Online Consultation

 

One of the things I love to do is online consultations.  A client will send me a picture of a decorating problem they have and I will then create a document with a visual of what I think the solution would be.  I'll ask you questions about your design style and what items you would like to include in the design.

Above is an example of a picture a client sent us.  You can see the after next to it with how I envisioned the mantel fully done.

  Big difference, don't you think?

Book your online consultation today - Send me your picture and I can give you my thoughts and a visual.  For this kind of consultation, I charge by the job and will do one picture at a time.   Before I do anything, I will respond to you with your quote.

Tomorrow we have a fun install so I'll be posting before and after pictures soon!

Girls night out Entertaining Tips

 

If you are like me, you love to entertain but find it hard to do with all the hats you wear as a mom. We are all involved in so many activities, commitments, work, charities, church, etc. that it's hard to find time to relax and enjoy.

However, we find a way to do things that we love, right?

The other day I had about 6 friends over to sit under my gazebo for the evening.  My girlfriends are extremely important to me.  It is easy to get so "busy" with our lives that we forget to make time for those that we love the most.

 I refuse to let that happen and am purposely making time to enjoy and nurture those friendships, despite my crazy, busy life these days.

I knew I wasn't going to have time to prepare homemade appetizers but wanted them to feel treated. I not only wanted the food to look good, I wanted it to taste yummy.

So I purchased some  of my favorite appetizers.  Some of great places to get yummy treats is Central Market, Trader Joes and I've even found some tasty favorites from Costco, if you can believe that :)  This time around I chose guacamole, hot sauce, fresh veggies, grapes, chicken salad, corn salsa, chips, crakers and some tasty cookies.  All easy "grab and go" snacks.

The key to making your appetizers look more "appetizing" is the way they are served.  It's tempting to open up a store bought chicken salad or hot sauce and put the container out and call it done.  There is nothing wrong with that and believe me I won't judge you if that is the way you do it :)

What I like to do is place my items in different kinds of bowls, dishes, jars, glass cups, etc.  It takes a few more extra steps but it's easy to do and makes your guests feel a little more cared for.  It shows them that you spent some time getting things ready.

 I purposely look for different kinds of  interesting plates and glass containers when I'm at estate sales, etc. Actually, most of you have these kinds of things in your kitchen cabinets.  Some of the glass jars I use are actually candle holders.  I love etched glass and glasses with colorful bases (as seen below).

Another thing I like to do, if we are eating outside, is serve the items inside on my kitchen island but have all the dishes on trays.  This allows us to move all the appetizers easily to the table outside if we decide to do so.

So next time you feel like you miss your friends and want to have a time around the table chatting, catching up, encouraging one another and laughing until you cry, don't hesitate!  Offer up your home and make it easy on yourself by purchasing your food and displaying it with some of  the tips I just mentioned.

 There is nothing better than being in a Home vs. a restaurant.  You will find that there is deeper conversation and a more meaningful time when it's around a kitchen table or an outside patio.

Step out of your comfort zone, I promise you won't regret the memories you make with friends gathered around yummy food!  Don't let "I'm too busy" be your excuse.

Fresh Decorating Ideas for the Color Blue

Yesterday was a great day!  It is always fabulous to have a job in your head for so long and watch it come to life.  I put together a design plan for my client after our Initial Consultation and I listened carefully to what they wanted their family room to look and feel like once it was totally transformed.

They desired something comfy, crisp,  relaxing and wanted blue and gray to be the color scheme, combined with warm tones as well.

I presented the plan to her and she LOVED it.    A design plan is a great way for the client and I to get on the same page before we start the job which is ALWAYS a good idea.  It is a chance for my client to see my vision for their space and helps them visualize themselves what it could look like.

Some of the items I actually know where I'm going to purchase, other items are a concept or an idea and will be selected/created as I go.

My job is to then make that vision come to life.  After all the main items are finalized, all the details start falling into place. It's a process and my creative juices are constantly working while choosing every single item.

I pour myself into my designs and it's my baby for about 6 weeks.

Every selection is chosen for a reason and I make sure each item is the right color & scale.  I'm known for adding a touch of fabulous texture, and I always  incorporate accessories soft curves and shape.

The Design Plan also allows us to get realistic about the budget and helps us prioritize what we really can and can't do.   Of course, there are always changes and adjustments to the plan and budget, and some special surprises I save for the install day which always makes it fun!

So yesterday, we cleared the room with the old furniture & rug.  We installed the custom sectional which the client loved because it is super comfy and perfect for their family life. The only piece they wanted to keep was their bookshelf which I agreed to (because I had a plan)  and I suggested that we reuse their console table since it was the perfect height and color.

BEFORE

AFTER

What a difference!  What do you think?

Here is the console table in it's new spot,  just cleaned it up (thanks to good "Old English").

We added these gorgeous ginger jars with some branchy greenery to create height.

We have a new coffee table on order but in the meantime, we used their existing one.  We added an incredible bench which is made from an an old door.  I had it custom painted to work with the room.  There are tiny bits of blue paint peeking through.  The artwork is so cool and I almost kept it for ME!  This was my added bit of texture!

I originally planned for the painting to be above the bench, but once we placed it, it wasn't as beautiful there.  I opted to hang it to the left of the bookshelves because the colors really came to life on that wall.  On install day, my client usually trusts me to make the best decisions and believe me, we make sure each item is in the perfect place.  Things get moved around several times before they find their true home and sense of belonging :)

The painting was created especially for the room.  We knew what fabrics we were using so the artist "Mary Howe" with Design Inspirations created this one for me.  The two of us make a great team, I give her my ideas, concepts, colors, etc. and she creates it based on the vision I've presented to the client.   She is incredibly talented and the artwork in the room always makes the space have personality.

Ruthie Tip:  If you have a dark bookshelf in your living space, a way to lighten it up and update it, is to use lighter accessories.  Don't use items like wrought iron or dark photo frames, they just disappear with a dark background. As you can see above, I used a lot of gray and white accessories to make the items show up on the dark bookshelf.  This same concept applies to your fireplace mantel.  I actually found the ceramic books at an estate sale (they were bright gold)  and had them painted and they are now gorgeous.

These two dark blue velvet chairs were added underneath the window for another little sitting area.  They swivel so you can turn them around to watch TV.  I'm in love with the draperies too.  The blue glass lamp is stunning up against the window.

I have 2 more installs this month so I'll post pictures as soon as I'm finished with those.  Hope these images have inspired you to make your home beautiful!

If you would like to see more of my work, visit my website at https://www.ruthiestaalsen.com

Marble Love

We are almost finished with a master bathroom remodel.  My client wanted a marble shower, gorgeous lighting, custom vanities and a free standing tub!

and....that is what we gave her.  It has turned out beautifully and I'm crazy about all the selections.

Here is a before so you can see what we had to work with.

The shower glass gets put in next week and we will do a photo shoot soon.  I'll post pictures as soon as it is all done!