PROJECT: Fun Living Room

I wanted to share with you a living room I'm working on right now. It's for a young client with a really great sense of style. She loves a contemporary, bright look with classic elements. We're going fairly earthy & monochromatic-textural with fun punches of orange fabrics and olive walls. Floors are a wide-planked ebonized hardwood.

The sofa: (Bisque leather frame & natural linen seat & cushions)

Large, rectangular throw pillow on sofa:

Coffee Table: (color in picture is a little off)

Zebra Chair:

Cane-back chair: (we'll toss a pretty orange bamboo throw on it)

We're installing a wall-mount in electric fireplace surrounded by custom wooden built-ins, which will be very contemporary- forming a brick-like pattern for all the beautiful objects the client has collected in her travels. Recess lights will point at the built-ins to showcase them. Walls will be in an olivey-beige and draperies are in a really textured, nubby linen. I'll also probably do a few pillows in it. We're doing natural woven shades & simple rods & rings for the drapery hardware.

The breakfast room will have this banquette in the black & white bird fabric:

We're painting her existing chairs orange & putting them around a contemporary pedestal dining table with the custom banquette. We're reupholstering the dining chair seats in the same nubby linen as the draperies in the living room.

As soon as it's been completed, I'll post pictures!

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Fall Decorating Ideas

Like I've mentioned before, at the beginning of every season, I like to reaccessorize the house & get it feeling like the season. It's a great way to bring out some items you may have in storage- You really appreciate things more when they've been out of your sight for a while & you finally display them. I know this sounds like the complete opposite of a simple life, but it really makes you happy about your home & really gets you into the season.image from Country Living

1) Switch out accent pillows & throw blankets to warmer-toned pieces. I have fairly neutral furniture & this is really a fun & inexpensive way to change your room. I like to use ambers & orangey-golds in the fall. It's also time to break out those faux-fur blankets that are everywhere right now- You won't want to put these away in the Spring! Here's a picture of the living area in our kitchen: 2) Rearrange your accessories so that the warmer pieces are showcased. We have a leatherbound book collection (started by my grandfather) that I like to rearrange. The orange books get moved to more central locations in our living room hutch when it's time for Fall. I also flip some of the books so the spines are facing backwards & you can see the gold edges of the pages. It adds a pretty sparkle to a space:

3)Switch your draperies. If you don't really love decorating, this may sounds like crazy talk, but I like to do thicker draperies in the cooler months. They make the rooms feel cozier, but they actually do insulate the windows too. I use the same rod & rings & just switch out the panels.

4)Rearrange your mantle & display surfaces. If you don't have a mantle, consider using central pieces of furniture, like a large hutch in your living room. You can even hang a shelf & use it as your "mantle." Use gold frames & rich, warm-colored paintings. Layer accessories for a relaxed, causal look.




Images from Cottage Living

5) Bring the outdoors in. Go get some pumpkins & gourds! (I love the white pumpkin) I also like to bring in seasonal greenery & even branches from outdoors- it's inexpensive & really beautiful. You can do so much & the possibilitys are endless. Check out this amazing idea from Country Living:

6) Add some pretty vintage or antique finds. They give a sense of age & a richness to a room. Check out Eddie Ross's website for great tips on scoring great finds at thrift stores & flea markets. Also check out shift for some photos of gorgeous vintage trophies.

7) Add some seasonal treats. Bowls of walnuts look beautiful & are delicious to have around!

image from walnuts.org

image from Cottage Living

Check out this bungalow from Country Living which has been so beautifully decorated for Fall.

Have anymore Fall decorating ideas? I'd love to hear them!

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A Great "Fall" House

One of my favorite things to do every season is to reaccessorize & make my house feel warm & cozy or light & airy or however that season feels to me.

Here's a great house from Country Living that is perfect for Fall & I just wanted to share:

I LOVE the wall color in the kitchen. Not too warm, not too cool. (In the magazine it's a hint more olivey. Oh why didn't they list the color?!) Gorgeous.

And lanterns are so great indoors to give a more outdoor-in, natural, aged feel:

This stone fireplace is really warm & strong but the room still manages to feel bright & airy:

I'm helping my dad redo his home- it's a huge restoration of an old lake cottage which I'll write more about later- & he's got a really beautiful stone fireplace in the living room. We've got lots of dark, heavy furniture pieces in there that I think are just making the room too dark. I'll have to see what I can do to lighten it up.

Anyway, have a great weekend! Enjoy the Fall weather & go eat some apples & cheese!

All photography by Matthew Gilson

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