Kitchen Makeover & Metallic Ceiling Envy


 
Recently, I worked with a client who was looking to make some changes to her kitchen in preparation for wedding festivities for her daughter.  It was an exciting time in her life and I was glad to be of help and be a part of the occasion! 

The kitchen did not show her true style that was seen in the rest of the house.  The cabinets, walls and accessories were all very warm tones and really the homeowner is into more of cooler toned colors.  We looked at several approaches and talked about the possibility of even painting the cabinets.  We met with the painter and quickly found out that she could almost replace the cabinets after having them painted!  I was up for the challenge and wanted to prove that we COULD work with the cabinets and make them look good!
 
The kitchen had a beautiful tower ceiling over the octagonal breakfast room extension of the kitchen.  This was the first area I noticed because I saw the potential right away!  It was painted white and sponged with a gold pumpkin color. 

 
I saw the tower ceiling as being the focal point of the room.  I recommended doing a metallic faux treatment in copper.  After it was finished I definitely had metallic ceiling envy!  It added the drama the room needed.  Isn't it beautiful?!?



The cabinets had some damaged places here and there on them and you could tell the finish was wearing off.  Being a decorator, I knew that all that was needed was a little elbow grease and some furniture restorer.  It was amazing how they looked refinished afterwards.  The addition of contemporary knobs and drawer pulls was all that was needed.


Changing out the doorknobs and drawer pulls was a simple way to update and begin adding some of give them more of a contemporary look the client desired too. 


 
We decided that the transom windows in the breakfast area did not need additional window treatments but I wanted to do something with the window above the kitchen sink.  The window is low so I wanted to give it height.
 

I created a custom window treatment and hung it higher.  The fabric had a great mix of contemporary but was still traditional enough for the room.  It also helped to add color to the space. 



 The kitchen table and chairs were beautiful but the seat coverings did nothing for them. 
 

Chairs are a great and easy way to change a room.  I reupholstered these to give the room even more of a pop of color. 


 
 The bar stools were great but they didn't blend with the breakfast room chairs and they
tended to be somewhat of an obstacle to get around because of the backs. 

 
Those were replaced with backless bar stools.  Again, this added more of the contemporary flair the homeowner wanted. 
 
 
All that was left to do was to rearrange some of the accessories in the room and to add more items in that went with the new color palette and gave a contemporary feel.  I love how this vignette above the kitchen desk turned out.  With a few directions, the homeowner created this and the arrangements above the cabinets.  She did great! 

 
 
By far the cutest accessory in the room was Belle though.  Isn't she adorable?  I think she even loved how the room turned out herself! 
 

 
It's amazing what you can do with a space even when there is so much you don't like about it but have to work with.  There are always things in our home that we may not like.  You either love or hate blonde wood.  All you need is a decorator who knows how to work with those elements accentuate other features in the room to give you the look you want.  That is part of what makes me love my job!
 
Until next time remember that Great Design Takes Time! 
 
Lisa

French Settee Makeover

For quite a while, I have been looking for a settee for my living room.  We have lots of guests and needed more seating space.  I finally found an antique one that had been stripped down to the bare bones.  When I saw it, I could see the potential right away!  It's a 1940's piece piece.  The cane backing was in good shape which was great because caning is dying art and it is hard to find someone who can replace the caning. 


I first painted the settee with my creamy white chalk paint that I made with Plaster of Paris.  It took 2 thin coats then I sanded it around the edges.  I have never tried glazing so I decided to try it.  I learned pretty quickly that I couldn't control the glaze the way I wanted.  You'll see that the glaze unexpectantly cracked here on the arm which was a welcome suprise.  I thought that it added an aged character as if time had created it. 

 
However, on the back of the setttee, it bubbled up with a rough texture.  I didn't like how that looked at all! 
 

Not a problem though! I just just sanded it lightly, painted over it and proceeded to finish the rest of it with wax.  I definitely can tell you that I prefer wax over glazing anyday because I can control it better! 


 The settee still had the springs entached but they needed to be restrung and the seating needed to be rebuilt. Originally the settee probably had an upholstered bottom.  I wanted to facelift it by making it more like a sofa with an overstuffed lose cushion.  I talked with my upholsterer and he said, "No problem!"


The paint facelift really made it looks like an entire different piece.  Before, the wood was dull and old look.  Now it is light and airy and looks like it was aged to perfection! 

 
When I picked it up, I couldn't wait to get it home to see how it looked in my living room.  This is how it turned out.  Isn't it an amazing transformation?


The upholster was actually working on 2 pieces I had taken to him.  He took the nailheads from another piece of mine and reused them on my settee to tack the material down at the bottom.  Also, I asked for an overstuffed loose cushion.  I sent him pictures to show him what I was looking for.  I still wanted it to be firm but have the overstuffed look.  He used foam, wrapped it with batting and then gathered the material just a little to give it the look I was going for.   


I had pillows from another piece in the room that I wanted to use to try to pull the furniture together.  They worked perfectly together. 



I was very pleased at how this piece turned out!  I love creating far better than just purchasing something.  Sometimes you just have to step out on a limb and give your creativity a try. 

My grouping isn't quite right in this area so I am still working on that, but you know what I always say, "Great Design Takes Time!" 

Lisa