Bright and airy family room makeover

06.17.13

What I wouldn’t do for this bright and airy family room, kids included. I want to get all fatal attraction on this family, sans the fatal part – and more love and appreciation than ‘attraction’. This room belongs to the family of the tween girl, adorable boy and the master bedroom that I redid and blogged about here, here and here. This room actually needed very little help when we got there, but I really wanted to do it mainly because I wanted to take credit for the bright architecture, that awesome leather sectional and the general good vibe. Its just such a happy room.

So, here’s where we started:

familyroombefore

The sectional is awesome caramel leather goodness (I think its from Restoration Hardware), and then the dining table/chair situation is great so I had very little work to do, which I totally appreciate. They really just needed some pretty pillows, accessories, rug and a couple stools/poufs. The sofa is super deep so they didn’t need an ottoman to put their feet up on and they liked the idea of keeping it relatively open for the kids to play.

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Hello, happy.  Sometimes all you need is some styling.  So here’s what we did:

1. We added the cowhide rug after MUCH debate on the perfect rug and size for the space.  The rug they had was strangely small (you can’t tell from that photo but the rug is wayyyyy too small), bad for kids because kids, being the reckless raccoons that they are, can just really cram those crumbs into the carpet and overall just kinda awkward.We didn’t want a dark rug because the rug is dark, but we didn’t want a light rug because they have kids. We didn’t want a rectangular rug because the space inside the sectional is square (the sectional is square) and ultimately it would come out awkward underneath the sofa, but if we got it really big so the whole sectional saw on the rug then it would be really expensive with a lot of wasted square footage underneath the rug. So the sculptural cowhide was perfect.

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It fills the space visually, but in a really organic way.  We got this one from Ikea for $200.  That’s a very well spent $200 right there.

We added color through a couple major elements:

1. Trees to break up the horizontal space of white and engage the corners of the room.  Yes, i know. I like fiddle leaf figs. I’m dying, just DYING for my local nurseries to carry a different indoor tree that has the same impact as these fig trees.  They are just good.

2. Colorful occasional stools (put a book/tray on it and its a table) that the kids can play on and not hurt themselves and are relatively indestructable.  These are from Lawson Fenning, the worlds best local stores.

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And then we wanted to address those built-ins so we styled them out with succulents naturally.  My plant obsession is getting towards Angelina Jolie having children proportions  - i should stop collecting them, but i really like them, I’m kinda really good at buying them, and while I know its becoming kinda trite, i just can’t stop.

But to make it look more collected I added a bunch of framed family photos in oh-so chic frames from Target and the terrariums from West Elm.

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I actually really liked the pillows they had, but they were made the vintage kilim rugs and its like rubbing your face on roof shingles.  They are more ‘looking at pillows’ and less ‘rubbing cheeks on sofa’ kinda pillows.  I have 1 myself and I like to style it, shoot it and arrange it, but when it comes to my tv watching bearcat cuddling hours, those kilim pillows just don’t cut it.  But You know what does? The mohair pillows from West Elm.  The throw and the blue/white pillows i bought from my favorite store, Lawson Fenning.

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Meanwhile on the other side of the room is their little breakfast table.

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They have great taste and had already bought the saarinen table from DWR and the chippendale chairs from Jonathan Adler, basically all I did was add the tree and take the credit.

In fact if you or someone you know has a well decorated house and you want me to come and add a frame and a plant and take credit for it, go ahead and give me a call.

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Literally the before photo of this would be the exact same photo, with an iphone camera with bad lighting, and no props, but basically the exactly the same.  Its just such a pretty and simple vignette so I wanted to capture that.

So thank you, lovely clients, for already have many wonderful items in a room that I want to spend all day in.

Shoot produced/styled/art directed by me, shot by the WONDERFUL Zeke Ruelas with the help of the lovely Orlando Soria.

The Fig House, update #2 …

06.14.13

There is a ton of progress happening at The Fig House but demo and electrical and plumbing aren’t terribly photogenic – everything just kinda looks like a war zone for a couple months.  It all has to get worse before it gets better actually. But don’t worry, because this is about to happen:

fig house LA

S’right.  These are some of our major design elements in the two major rooms – the ballroom and the lounge area (the sconces are being divided in two different rooms, don’t worry). It’s totally elegant, yet still kinda bad ass. The deco elements we are bringing in are very exciting but still totally modern and clean. And that mill-work? Game Changer, folks.  One room will be all open and airy and garden-y and the other is going to be this rich, dark, dare i say sexy?, ballroom/reception space.  The lighting will be flattering, the colors will be flattering, the furniture will be comfortable, cozy and elegant; you have three GIRLS designing this space – we care about such things.

Meanwhile this is happening:

the fig house

Huge 14 foot trees have been brought in to line the perimeter of what will be the outdoor party area.  Instant secret garden for all of your make out needs.  Carnival lights, outdoor sculptural furniture, and one very special tree for all your ‘I do’ moments.

fig house

The inside is still pretty torn up but generally it stays like that until WHAM one day it’s done. It’s like everything has to happen at the same time so there is no reason to really make it look nice or clean until everything is done and then all of a sudden is cleaned, painted and then we can get to decorating.  Lord, I can’t wait to decorate.  Dean, Ginny and I (the most killer design team ever, these chicks are 100% indispensable) are road tripping to a state full of vintage goods outside of California to clean up.  Arizona doesn’t know what is about to happen to it.

Overall the project is going incredibly smoothly, mainly because of the team. Sure, we are behind schedule and over budget, but Steve, the owner, totally gets it.  There are times when us girls get overly excited about brass, fringe and stained glass and you can see the look of horror in his eyes, but he still doesn’t really say anything and kinda lets us do our thing. Most of you who have had clients know that so much of the project hinges on whether the client gets it or not, so that is a MASSIVE plus in this case.  The contractor Ken (from KD construction) is the best, most honest, most easy going contractor i’ve ever worked with. He thinks we are nuts, I can tell, but he also trusts it and approaches us in such a lovable way.  And then Dean and Ginny? Forget about it. I realized in this project more than any other that designing alone is VERY difficult. I can do the initial art direction and conceptualization by myself, but i really need collaborators to push it from being a pretty, well designed space, to being a really interesting, cohesive and noteworthy space.  I would die without these Dean and Ginny, that’s for sure – their ideas are so good and they work so hard.  So thank you VERY much.

Meanwhile here’s a photo of me pretending to be a bad ass:
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I only do demo in heels.

The Fig House is scheduled to be open the beginning of September and they’ve already booked some wedding and events. For advanced bookings (with a huge ‘you took a risk having it not be done’ discount) email events@roomforty.com. Meanwhile be sure to follow us/them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and their blog.  Also its run by the dudes that run RoomForty so follow them  and hire them if you like good food in your mouthhole.

In case you don’t know what The Fig House is, read this post and this post, and then start shining your dancing shoes.

 

Tips to Choosing the Right Rug Size

06.12.13

Buying a rug is like buying a dress for your grandma  -  it can be kinda overwhelming, there are a lot of factors to consider, and if you buy one that is too small she just might wear it out of obligation and then you’ll have to live with yourself as the weird guy that bought their grandma a tube dress, that she wore to your cousin’s baptism.

How to choose the right rug size for your space is difficult, especially when rugs are notoriously kinda expensive and therefore intimidating. In general people buy rugs that are too small because 5×7 and 6x9s are so much cheaper than 8x10s or 9x12s, but its often going to make the whole space look chopped up and accidental so in a way you’ve just wasted that money. Tough love, folks.

Here are some tips that you can follow to help you decide:

1. Measure the size of your SEATING AREA before shopping and get the closest size up from that. If your budget is tight and your room is small you can have a smaller rug that floats in front of all the furniture – this is especially ok if your sofa is backed up against the wall – you don’t need to waste the rug real estate under the sofa if you can’t even see that its there. But if your furniture is floating or if your room is big, get a larger rug or else it will make the room look smaller, chopped up and totally out of proportion. One of the main functions of a rug is to pull the room together, not chop it up.

Here it looks fine to have them floating because its a smaller room, sofa against the wall. (Scott’s house, shot by me).

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But here, in my house its way too small because the room is a lot bigger and the furniture is floating:

what rug size should i have

2. Orient the rug to the room – If you have a long rug, orient it length – wise. If you have more of a chubby fat room, orient it horizontally.  This is not always the case so its a very nuanced situation. Often if you have a really long and skinny room then you might have two different seating areas and two rugs that are oriented with those seating areas, but the rugs need to cover up a certain amount of real estate on the floor in proportion to the room, so if you are orienting the rug to your sofa, not your room then often you are cutting off huge portions of the room and again, making it look smaller.  So when in doubt, go with the orientation of the room.

3. Legs on or off? This is a question i get ALL the time and my best tip is BE CONSISTENT. If you don’t have a massive rug that fits all your furniture (because yes, that is ideal) then make sure that you are at least consistent with how you handle the legs; if your sofa legs are off, have the chair legs off the rug  as well. If your sofa is all on, then you can’t have the chairs all off or it will really chop up the conversation area.  So I say, ALL ON, or ALL OFF or if its slightly too small to be all on, then try to have them all pretty evenly on the rug. Is that confusing? Just be consistent so it looks as intentional as possible.

how should a rug be oriented

I have seen it where the sofa is all on and the rugs are 1/2 and vice versa and it can look fine, but ideally all the legs would be on the rug.  If you have to choose which legs should be on, then choose the ones that are the least obvious. AKA, if your sofa is low and closer to the wall then you are less likely to see under it and reveal the fact that its not fully on the rug.  See, i told you… nuanced.

4. Square rugs are for square rooms.  That is all.  Round rugs are for foyers/entries or kids room/family rooms that are more playful (or round shaped rooms in case you live in a Yurt).

5. If you have a rug that is too small but you love it, then buy a large sisal that fits the whole seating area and layer your favorite rug on top – I do this ALL THE TIME. Sisal, jutes, seagrass rugs are cheapish so buying a 9×12 is more doable than a 9×12 antique kilim.

6.  Make sure that your rug is has at least 6-10″ on either side of the sofa. This is crucial. If the width of the rug is the same as the width of the sofa then you are in trouble – it will look too small and create a bowling alley effect.

And now a video to demonstrate some of these tips, for your viewing pleasure.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my youtube channel by clicking HERE. NOTHING really happens except when you log on to youtube. No nagging, just a ‘hey, wanna watch a new video about how to styled Bearcat’s hair?’ ‘n such….

 

what rug size

As you can see I went with a hearty sized 9×12 Souk rug from West Elm that fits all the rules perfectly, made the room feel so much bigger (because its light and bright) and of course added a ton of texture, warmth and depth.

Alright, any other rug questions? There’s a lot to talk about here and a lot of info out there, so ask away and i’ll get to all of your questions.

 

Jet set …

06.11.13

Sorry for the radio silence. I’ve been gallivanting around upstate New York at the Country Living Fair and then at a shoot where wifi was a very precious resource.

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But don’t worry, because I bought Emily Jr’s first teddy bear made from alpaca fur (sheered, not…you know) so that was productive. I tried to convince myself that the reason I can spend close to $100 on it is because I could give it to Brian for Fathers day when I realized that if I gave Brian a highly expensive stuffed animal for fathers day he might rethink the whole fatherhood thing. I went through the ‘but its iconic, he/she will have it for the rest of his/her life, they’ll remember this moment when we, as a couple, were so generous and loving forever.  They’ll take it to college, think of us fondly, and thank us and the bear when accepting their award for ‘best child ever raised’.  But then I reminded myself that if i’m already trying to force ‘moments’ on my child that i’m doomed for a lot of disappointed moments for the next 50 years.

sheeps fur teddy bear

I also bought some amazing sheepskins for both side of our beds. These make the ones from ikea look like bathmats. So lush and plush and white.  They wash and clean the hell out of these and you would  be SHOCKED at how soft they are. Like a baby chinchilla right after a bath.

rhinebeck new york

In case you want to buy a handmade alpaca teddy bear for a baby gift (I hoarded 2 others for friends kids) go HERE.   A very sweet couple makes them all by hand and i’m telling you, its softer than Bearcat’s under belly.

Then I went to the Lake House shoot (remember that house I did last year in New York?) that we were shooting for Country Living Magazine and hung out with these two adorable hoodlums.

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Which once again reaffirms the idea that I think I could go for twins, although that is decidedly not an option for this baby. :) I mean, the have a built in best friend and they have just so much fun together that you get jealous.  The ‘rockadile’ and zebra are both from Land of Nod, rug from Dwell but obviously you’ll see the whole spread in like 6 months in the magazine.  

stairway photo collection

It’s just such a happy house. Every time i’m there I HATE leaving.

black and white navajo rug

We added this rug to the den, which has always been that room that is kinda unfinished.  And its looking more and more pulled together every day.

gold stump side table

And I tried this as the side table for the guest room, but for the shoot they went with something less, well, GOLD.  I actually didn’t style the job because last week on a shoot I was reminded how much GD work it is to be the stylist – both before the shoot, during and after. So I opted to just be there to help and you know, give my probably annoying opinions on other people’s work :).

It turned out awesome, though, and I can’t wait for you guys to see it. (I think it will be April or May of 2014)

Now i’m in Portland to celebrate my mom retiring from 30 years as a school teacher (seriously proud of her) and my sister having her first huge staged reading/sing through for her musical that many of you supported (OK, seriously proud of HER, too).  So i’ll be up here just til Thursday.  Going on jogs, not drinking delicious micro brews or coffee, hanging out with family.  A 3 day visit is decidedly too short.

Introducing My Living Room

06.07.13

vintage living room

That’s where all the magic happens, folks. The cat cuddling, the reality tv watching, the foot massaging, the partying (single tear, things have NOT been the same since Emily Jr starting growing in the belly), and generally all the Livin’ and being a baller.  It’s a happy room, for some happy beings.

Lets just talk about my style for one second – I love EVERY single style. Name one, and i like it. There are good pieces from every style, truly, but there are some that I consistently want to be around more than others. I think this includes the 70′s California and 19th century victorian (although i am curbing that because Brian isn’t into my english grandma cat lady vibe).  But since both of those styles can be really ornate and busy i juxtapose it a lot with simple mid-century (like the sofa and coffee table).  And then since i want to be in the 21st century I bring in modern art and keep the color palette on trend.  AKA, just because you love 70′s California doesn’t mean that you have to have it all be desert tones (although, Morgan does a fantastic job of that).

But that’s how I feel this week.  And things change A LOT over here, especially depending on the projects that i’m working on. I’m kinda chameleon (or a polygamist) like that.  Right now i’m working on a 1920′s Spanish Revival meets industrial meets mid-century house and its totally influencing me.  Designing is weird like that.

mid-century vintage platner

I guess what i consistently love is color, whimsy and vintage.  It’s REALLY hard for me to pass up a lamp like the one on top of the campaign dresser for $15 from the flea market. He’s all, ‘Sir, SIR!! I am a very proper british lamp’.  And yes, its perfectly ok to put a really pretty dresser in your living room, as long as it fits size-wise and style-wise.  It’s also really hard for me to pass up a Platner side table on Craiglist for $175. That beauty turns my crazy into acceptable. I think.

cognac leather chairs

Nothing really dudes up a kinda feminine room more than leather chairs. If these chairs were seniors in high school about to graduate, they would be named ‘Most Popular’ in a heartbeat. And maybe ‘Most beautiful’ as well as definitely ‘Most Comfortable’. I got them in Utah after Alt Summit last year for $900 for the pair, which is a lot of money, of course, but these sell for $4000 for the pair (if they are vintage and Anthro has repros for $2200 each).

white lacquer media unit

The TV is an eye sore but you know what else it is? My best friend, so it wasn’t going to leave the living room. But I did want it to feel less important than it truly is, so I decided to flank it with these simple white West Elm Parsons shelves and fill those bad boys with my favorite things.

I went back and forth between splurging on some vintage brass shelving units, but ultimately i have so much vintage and crazy lady that having all of those crazy accessories on some simple white shelves kept me and the room looking sane.  The media unit is a cheapo from Ikea that I put on vintage brass legs (sorry you can’t see, but they are the same as the coffee table) but like the genius that I am I didn’t really think about the weight of the tv on the piece, so the second I put the tv on my invention it bowed so bad, so I was forced to mount it which I couldn’t be happier about now.  (Seriously, if you are on the fence about mounting, do it, it cost $80 for the mount and then probably $200 for the labor, but if you have the funds its totally worth it).

Resources:  Dhurrie Pouf, West Elm, Parsons shelving, West Elm. Black/gold blanket from Happy Habitat. Blue Vase, Jonathan Adler. Soundbar from JBL, Sheepskin from Ikea and gold pillow West Elm. :)

styled shelving

I mean, where else am i supposed to put my collection of heads or vintage gold shoes? And they are the perfect height for art in them – which obviously takes up a lot of real estate and adds so much dimension and depth to the shelving.

Resources:  West Elm Parsons shelves, West Elm Souk Rug, vintage rosewood safari chairs, vintage saarinen table (you can buy new at DWR).  Soundbar from JBL. 

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vintage collection

Yes, those are 14 karat gold monopoly pieces on the second shelf, thanks for asking.  Right next to my mid-century gold miniature chair. I’m certifiable.  (and notice the gold bentwood rocking chair in the dome…. I CAN’T STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!). And for the record, is that sculptural head creepy or awesome? Sub-question does it look like Orlando even a little bit?

styled shelving

Porcelain and lucite owl? check. Chair in dome? check.  AWESOME paintings? got ‘em.

Resources:  Girl painting by Kiki and Polly (its so awesome, splurge on an original if you can afford it). 

mantel styling

There is the mantel with some usual suspects on it – the miniature wingtip wood shoe that i’ve hoarded for 4 years now from Inheritance, the gold and white footed bowl that i’ve had since my early assistant styling days in New York with many a chip in it, and a collection of brass English beer measurers – they say 1 QT, 1 PT, etc on all of them. And they nest. And when anything beer related nests inside each other then its really, really cute.

The bear collage (its a photo with embroidery) is by none other than the Jealous Curator, Daniell Krysa and I love it.  This is one of the few pieces of art that Brian was excited about, i think because dudes loves bears, even if pretty thread is coming out of their ferocious mouths.

white and brass sconce

The vintage birdcage ladder (AGAIN WITH THE MINIATURES!!!!) also came from Inheritance and i have no idea why i like it, it just makes me smile – which is clearly the answer – if you make me smile I like you.  I imagine that little bird crawling its ladder up to its second story in its victorian birdcage, into its little bed, with its little bedding and teeny tiny alarm clock. He puts his tiny head on his little pillow, watches vintage Felicity on his tiny laptop……AHHHH. www.calmdown.com

vintage neon arrows

Those are the vintage arrows that I got from a thrift store for $1 a piece that i’m obsessed with. I love that they do what flowers do – add height and softness, except Bearcat can’t eat them and puke them up and then eat the puke.  Although she tries, yes she does.  The scones got updated as you can tell, and are wildly better (and these guys are like $80… i know… run don’t walk).

Resources:  Sconces from OneFortyThree, Bear art by Danielle Krysa, wood shoe from Inheritance.

shelf styling

The painting up on the top is something i’m going to blog about this week; its a portrait of the house we live in now, but reintepreted all cute by Danielle Krysa. Stay tuned for info on that.

vintage gold

And thats where we tip over the edge of crazy; the miniature gold shoe collection. I can’t explain it, so I won’t.  The piece of art behind it is one of my new favorites, by Hagar Vardimon-van Heummen and its amazing, and $200 (unframed) which I think is very reasonable for original modern art.  See more on that piece HERE. 

capaign dresser

Oh he’s VERY proper.  And that abstract art is one of my favorites. Its vintage from the flea market and was kinda  splurge at $150 but the colors are so good. The campaign dresser i’ve been hoarding for a while and finally got it lacquered white ($300). I keep almost selling it, but its just so god damn perfect for me and that space. So fresh and white, but detailed, and beautiful proportions but quiet…..

blue gold room

You can book Bearcat at www.cutestcatintheworld.com where you can see her portfolio of blue steel eyes, tail whips and general Cleopatra imitations.

blue tufted sofa

Besides the Souk rug, which I love, that is all vintage, folks, mostly from the flea market and almost all VERY cheap.  The tapestry was $80, the victorian wicker chair, $60, leather pouf $40, and that amazing brass and white glass mushroom lamp is from Portland but I shipped it down because I love it that much, $180.  His finial is like a little Yamakah.  It’s a ethnically and religiously friendly living room, don’t you worry.

Well, there you have it. Its been styled this way for a month or so now and so far i’m not changing it, which says a lot for me.  I can’t tell you how nice it finally is to have a pulled together living room; long time coming.  It’s happy and colorful and bright, with enough leather and wood t make Brian happy, and enough crazy to make me happy.  Somedays I long to be someone more sophisticated with really refined taste, and then I find a victorian baby rocker on the side of the street and decide that its perfect for my baby.  So there’s that…… Happy Friday, folks.

Is it too crazy? Or just me? Sub-question, are those the same thing????

Shoot produced/styled/art directed/designed – Me, Emily Henderson (and the always lovely Orlando), Shot by Zeke Ruelas.  In partnership with West Elm.