Client Entry Before and After - in Neutrals

Hello out there readers of design blogs!  Today I have a postlet to share with you of a recent foyer makeover.  This is one of the "afters" because I think it best to open things up with some pretty.

So now we'll back up to where it all began.

The thing is my clients' home is at the top of a mountain on the most gorgeous wooded lot, and we didn't think this particular arrangement honored the natural loveliness of its surroundings. Although the console table was a step in the right direction, the three shelves with the two mirrors and chairs felt busy.

My clients wanted something rustic and sophisticated.  And they did not want to repaint the walls.

Sorry for this horrifically blurry shot, but its the only one I have the shows the "before" of the feature art piece painted by my client's son.  I immediately knew we should make this painting the focal point of the long wall of the entry.  I had the painting reframed with a wider creamy white mat and a simple black frame for a cleaner, more updated look. (see below)

Here's what else.  We added some whitewashed planks to the aforementioned long wall, hung that pretty painting, put a long chunky console table under it and styled the whole thing up. With some nature-inspired stuff like those twigs I got out of their side yard. And, to keep the look from going all Cracker Barrel on us, we added some modern glam with that amazing Drexel Heritage glass prism lamp and crisp white accessories. 

We also painted the French Doors to the outside living area a rich charcoal gray, which we repeated in the family room on the book cases and exterior doors.  It gives them such presence, doesn't it?

Before

 In this slightly wider shot, you can see we also replaced the fussy wool rug with a black & white cowhide.  Oh how I love it!  And we replaced the generic chandelier with something a little more whimsical. A tall leaner mirror further simplifies the look and is perfect for checking out your head to toe look before heading out the door.

And that's the end!  Thanks for stopping by and having a look.  And did you know if you were following me on Instagram then you would have already seen it? Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and on Facebook!

One Room Challenge Linking Event - It's Reveal Time!

Okay, okay.  I know you have many blogs to visit today so I will keep the written part short and sweet.  It's been a tough 6 weeks and I didn't accomplish everything I had hoped to get done for the reveal, but I think you'll get the picture - actually you're about to get lots of pictures.

First, the obligatory "before" shot.  (If you'd like to catch up on the posts leading up to today's reveal, you can do so here.)

Oozing with charm, right?   Sure it is!  See the "afters" below.

Please don't judge my photos too harshly - I took them myself because my room is not yet totally done (as if that will ever happen)  and I worked on it up until it was time to post the photos. Oh, and some of my DIY projects might be a little rough around the edges.  Still working on those finishing touches!

I'm still playing musical chairs around the dining room table.  Bench and chairs or just chairs?

Do you recall the Chinoiserie fabric that inspired this entire space?  

Sadly it's nowhere to be found in here - yet.  Due to unavoidable circumstances, my upholsterer was not able to get my host dining chairs done in time for today's reveal.  Sad face  :-( . As you read this, my chairs are getting upholstered with my Chinoiserie print fabric on the backs and they will flank the ends of my dining room table.   Kind of a bummer they're not here yet but I'll be sure and take photos when they arrive.

And lucky you!  This reveal is a 2-for-1 because I did my living room too!

Leopard pillows - I'm all in.

Most of the items I used in both rooms are vintage and "found" items. People always ask me about decorating with vintage finds, and I always give the same answer.  It takes time, people!  And patience too.

Just look at how excited Ellie is over this new space!

And that's where we are today!  I owe a giant "Thank you" to my Mom who spent a weekend with me placing  furniture and accessorizing. And a big thank you to everyone who's followed my progress along the way and taken the time to comment with such kind words. It's much appreciated!

UPDATE:  At the 11th hour, the upholsterer that was redoing my chairs emailed me to tell me he got one finished up.  Hurray!  Here's a look at that

Finally, a Super Sized thank you to Linda for providing the motivation and for hosting the One Room Challenge and The One Room Challenge Linking Event.  Make sure you head over to Linda's blog where you'll find the links for everyone who participated in this round's event! 

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services in  Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Scott's

Monday already?  I hope you all had a great weekend.  We had some beautiful weather in  Chattanooga with temps in the high 50's and loads of sunshine.  That's my kind of winter weather!

Anyway, I wanted to share some photos with you of some fun things I saw at Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta.  Surprisingly, the only thing I bought was lunch followed closely by some powered sugar donuts. But I did see lots of things I would love to have.

Like an enormous pair of concrete foo dogs.

Or this sweet dining set of 4 lucite chairs and a round table with faux bamboo legs.

Someone pounced on this bar cart right away. We got there pretty early in the day Thursday and it was already sold.

Looking back at the photos, I realize that I should have bought this rug.  It was in good shape and the dealer really wanted it gone.  He offered it to me for $125 and it was a big one.  I'm regretting not buying it on the spot.

There were miles of rugs like these.

Tables full of beautiful high end fabrics

And mountains of beautiful Chinese porcelain.

And this is just the stuff I remembered to take pictures of.  Really there was so much more.   My head is still spinning!

How was your weekend?  Any good shopping finds?

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well-designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

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New Year New Opportunities

Hello and happy 2014!  I  thoroughly enjoyed the holidays and my blogging break, but I'm ready to get back in the swing and get this new year underway!  I've read so many inspirational blog posts about resolutions and goals for the future and find it so energizing.

What do I have planned for 2014?  I plan to build on and grow my business this year!  I feel like I turned the corner in 2013 from having busy spurts to being consistently busy - and it feels great!  I hope that trend continues and I intend to continue working hard and building my brand.

image via Pinterest

I've also been kicking around the idea of opening an Etsy shop so I can share my vintage finds with a broader customer base.  I still have my booth here in Chattanooga but I'd like to expand on that. I will be testing the waters with a series of tag sales hosted here at my blog and on my Instagram feed, so make sure you're following along because I wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun!

And finally, some serious decorating is in the works at Project Dollhouse, the little house of never ending projects. This awesome rug I got for Christmas will be making an appearance in aforementioned project.

And so it starts!  Happy New year, and thank you for taking the time out of your day to visit and comment.  That's what keeps me going!!

xo

Kim

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenrooominteriors@gmail.com

One Room Challenge Week Five - Kitchen Progress

I can hardly believe I'm typing this but we're now in WEEK 5 (aka "Panic Week" ) of  Linda's One Room Challenge.  If this is your first visit here, welcome!  As part of this series ( which culminates in the BIG REVEAL next Wednesday)  I've been making over the kitchen at my house.  If you would like to see the progression thus far, click here.

So about this week. Not a huge leap forward, but a few little details have been addressed. I think "shopping" is the theme of this post.

Like I changed out my cabinet hardware. When we first moved in I used some pink glass knobs and pulls left over from another project. I replaced them with these lucite knobs and very simple drawer pulls I found at Home Depot.

And that early 90's tile floor that makes me cringe is a little less visible under my new seagrass rug from the O.  Please note that if you want a natural fiber rug in the kitchen, seagrass is the way to go.  Seagrass is grown in salt marshes and is naturally water/stain resistant. Why they take all that water resistance and then band it with plain cotton is beyond me.

A cute and easy storage solution was found at my local HomeGoods.  The big basket is large enough to hold a 20-lb bag of dog food and the smaller stripe basket holds 4 big soft drink bottles and an assortment of canned drinks too.

I have been styling and restyling my shelves ad nauseum.  "Effortless" looking styling is exhausting.

Finally, I tried out this little x- bench but I don't think it's staying.  All those legs going every which-way is just too much.  I think if by some miracle I can find a bench with cabriole legs similar to the table legs then I would be good with that.  Or I may just end up getting another Panton chair.  What do you think?

I'm still waiting for window coverings to be finished, art/framing to be completed and picked up, and over the table lighting installed.  And more shelf styling.  This could be a nail-biter of a week.

Wonder how these folks made out.

Calling it Home 

Chinoiserie Chic 

Classic Casual Home 

Cottage and Vine 

Design Addict Mom 

Design Crisis 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

The English Room 

Henhurst Interiors 

Little Black Door 

Maddie's Nest 

Mix And Chic 

My Notting Hill 

Pawleys Island Posh 

The Pink Pagoda 

Shelter 

Simple Details 

The Vault Files 

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services in to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to experience the joy of living in a well-designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Pimp My Dollhouse - With My Interior Life

Hello again friends!  Today is Monday and you know what that means.  It's "Pimp My Dollhouse" day!  My guest today is Kathy from My Interior Life. 

 Are you familiar?  I thought so!  I'm very excited to have Kathy's participation.  Not only is she a fellow Tennessee blogger, but she has the most extraordinary talent for uncovering some highly coveted vintage finds.  And then styling them in the most fabulous way. 

Kathy's dining room.  Need I say more?

In case you're not familiar with the Pimp my Dollhouse Series, I've invited some favorite bloggers/friends to come up with a plan for my living and dining room using 4 things I know I want to incorporate into the space.

They were told that they had an unlimited budget to work with, that I wanted a colorful and sophisticated space, and that I love Chinoiserie.  The rest is up to my guest posters!

Anyway, I absolutely love love L O V E what Kathy put together for me.  You will too.  Here's Kathy:

Hi, everyone! I'm Kathy from My Interior Life, and I'm so excited Kim invited me over to help her "pimp" out her dollhouse living room and dining room. Working with Kim's existing pieces and knowing her love of color, pattern and traditional/mod gave me a great direction. Plus, we all know she loves some good Chinoiserie pieces. Starting in the living room, I was inspired by her green velvet sofa. I immediately thought of Tory Burch's green living room . . .

And another room designed by Jeffrey Bilhuber . . . 

I thought it would be sophisticated and rich to paint her living room walls the same saturated tone as her sofa . . .

Since Kim is not afraid of color and I know she loves green and yellow from the fabrics and accents she's used in other rooms in her home, I decided to go for it in the living room and make it into a little jewel box. Also, since it's not a room she uses every day, I decided to amp up the drama a little and give her a great geometric area rug and a beautiful Coromandel screen with a colorful pagoda scene. The brass lamps tie in with the gold in her wheat sheaf table, and the yellow and blue furniture and accents play off the colors in her fabric which I used for pillows on the sofa. With all the color in the room, I decided to go simple with cream or white drapery panels with a little Greek Key trim. 

What better way to transition from the yellow and green in the living room than to lead into a beautiful De Gournay-wallpapered dining room (it's great working with no budget, right)? With such a bright space, I tempered it with black cabinets, black Klismos chairs and black and gold knot mirrors. I brought in a few modern accents with the brass and black Sciolari chandelier and the brass Mastercraft host and hostess chairs in a beautiful blue velvet. The blue chairs and accessories also complement the blue in her Chinoiserie fabric which I used on the Klismos chair seats. A little Asian influence in the burl wood credenza and Blanc de Chine goddess lamps ties in with the Chinoiserie-themed hand-painted wallpaper. I chose to use the same drapes in the dining room to create a sense of continuity between the two rooms. 

Thank you so much, Kim, for inviting me to participate in your series. I had such fun with your "sky's the limit" budget. I hope you enjoyed my interpretations of your space and furnishings!

Jaw-droppingly gorgeous, right?  So many individual elements I love in her plan - like the Klismos chairs, the knot mirrors, the cormandel screen.  And what?  De Gournay?!?  In yellow?!?!?  I die.  But I think even greater than the individual elements is the "look" as a whole. It sophisticated, it's dramatic, it's completely lovely!

Kathy, thanks for Pimping My Dollhouse. I'm making notes!

What do you like best about Kathy's plan?

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed  home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com