We all have a love/hate relationship with social media. Admit it. But the one indisputably great thing about it is the ability to keep in touch with old friends and immediately make contact. A friend who I hadn't seen since our high school graduation in 1999 reached out to me for help after seeing some of my blog posts! The 90s, yup, the era of flannel shirts and baggy pants, dark lip liner (let's hope that never comes back in style) and K-Ci & JoJo. Is the melody of "All My Life" running through your head right now? It should be. Anyways, I digress.
Since I've known her (starting in middle school), this client has always been immaculately clean, and when I went for a site visit in October, I realized that nothing had changed. Having recently purchased a new home and with two very rambunctious young boys, she needed to figure out a kid friendly way to bring some warmth into her home. The challenge was to create a stylish adult living/dining room, while also making sure anything within arm's length of her boys was not fragile. Further, since the main living areas were connected, we needed to make sure the rooms remained cohesive.
As you can see, the living room was fine as it was but an injection of warmth, color and texture was needed. Further, my client wanted more storage for media and other miscellaneous items. And lastly, since she was hosting large family events for the holidays, she wanted the room to be welcoming to adults as well as children.
Nice, right? It's so much homier. It's difficult to see but the TV wall is a nice blue-gray color which gives immediate impact. The walnut colored media console, vibrant rug and throw pillows give so much warmth and texture to the room. The standing plant stand extends the visual length of the media console which is great, tricking the eye into seeing a longer console than is actually there. Often, parents with young kids forgo the coffee table. Safety first, I get it, but parents also sometimes need to put a drink down while watching TV. The compromise? This tufted coffee table ottoman. Placing a tray atop this coffee table offers a landing space for beverages, laptops, etc. No sharp corners and it can also be easily moved to the side when additional space is needed for the kids to play.
The dining room and entryway area also needed some sprucing up. Again, the space was totally fine and it's amazing with two young boys how this client manages to control the kid debris. Yet, somehow the space didn't feel finished, it needed color and vibrancy.
Breath of fresh air. The console table is adjacent to the front door to provide a landing zone for keys, mail, etc. The client chose some affordable prints which I then had framed to create a gallery wall. The prints provide the needed color to the space. Like the living room, the dining room is modern with clean lines, styled but not over styled. It's real life people, kids have toys, but that doesn't mean they have to overtake your home. We tucked the cutest basketball hoop and toy kitchen under the staircase instead of the living room where it dominated the common space.
Although colorful and vibrant the dining room remains neutral, keeping things cohesive with the adjacent living room. Take a look for yourself below.
And lastly, a fun look at the styling process for the living room. All accessories atop the media console had to be sturdy and kid friendly. From the resin elephant bookends and wood candle holders to the canvas storage box, all can survive young hands and some wear and tear.
One final note, the multiple remotes that are laying around? Not fun to constantly corral or look at. The look like a book canvas box below is the perfect solution, easily accessible but as easy to tuck away when you're done with your shows!
So fun to do this fast fix and reminisce with an old friend and recent client. December can be daunting with all the holiday events and obligations, but that shouldn't stop you from sprucing up your home so you can host in style.