I’ve Been Secretly Decorating My Best Friends House – Living Room Reveal Today!

People use the word “thrilled” far too often when it should be reserved for me in moments like this. When it comes to this house I’m like a proud grandpa shoving wallet photos of my grandkids into strangers faces. Expect pride + bragging, with a big dose of personal bias. This is one of my best friend’s homes in Portland and I weaseled my way into decorating it because I wanted my hands on this house (and I needed a solid excuse to hang out with them frequently). It wasn’t a secret, but it was a project I did on the weekends so I haven’t really shown it to you. Nicole and Curtis are two creative executives who are very cool, have great taste, and really appreciate good design. They are willing (and able) to invest in awesome pieces because they value good craftsmanship, and are even willing to sacrifice a bit of function for more style (YAY!!!!!!). And yet with two tween girls and very busy lives, it had to really work for them. This house is really traditional (A colonial from the 30s) so the goal was to, of course, work with the home’s style, but in an edgier, more youthful way. Think “Soho House” as their designers do such an incredible job of taking risks within the style they are leaning into. Now, when I joined the project the paint and wallpaper were done (they did this before they moved in) so I inherited these elements that were a bit risky and frankly not what I would have chosen, but I LOVED THEM and I was really excited that these risks were taken. They have worked with Max Humphrey so I believe he weighed in on some of these decisions, but he was super busy working on another project of theirs so I took over. I pulled together a plan for all the furniture, rugs, and decor (and Max did the window treatments, bundling them with the other project). Basically, I got to do the fun stuff, and they had an assistant who handled all the minutia and labor (unpacking, booking electricians, returns, etc). We did it over a year and I knew that someday we’d shoot it, but it really was more for fun (nothing was sponsored or gifted…at least not for this project). So yes, it took about a year, meeting on weekends here and there, and me badgering them with mood boards or links for stuff for them to buy on Saturday mornings. It was 100% fun and I consider it a true gift that I get to use my job and talents to hang out with my best friends in the name of “work”. I suppose these are the perks of being best friends for 30 years 🙂

This is a real story in color and cohesion within a juxtaposition of styles because as we reveal this house (four rooms done thus far) you’ll see how they all flow and yet each room has a very distinct vibe. They all talk to each other in a way that feels so vibey (you are getting peeks into the other rooms here, of course).

The Living Room (Which Is Also Their TV/Family Room)

Wallpaper | Trim Color | Sconce

This room needs to function as both their living room and TV room, so we set it up to do that job. There was nowhere else to put the TV except over the fireplace, which I think looks pretty great here (it’s a Frame, obviously). We flanked the main sofa with a small loveseat (super comfy) and I sold them my vintage chair that I had recovered in a cream boucle.

Chair (vintage) | Pillow

Blue Sofa | Striped Velvet Pillow | Loveseat | Coffee Table | Rug

The room is so cozy, the tones are so warm, with a really good amount of contrast and balance. The sofa was a big purchase from the Sarah Sherman Samuel Atelier and it couldn’t be more beautiful. It is very very very firm (we were surprised) as it looks more loungey. So we took off the back cushions and put pillows to help it be more loungey for TV. We did it in a really pretty blue velvet from the Kate Ause Studio in Portland (the nicest showroom owner ever). The coffee tables are from Soho Home, so heavy and the organic textures of the marble and burl wood are incredible (very jealous).
If you want to see a video walkthrough of the space – we’ve got it for you here…(just wait for the ad to play!)

Flush Mount | Spotlight

The ceiling fixture is stunning, from Urban Electric and I love how it makes a statement, adds a lot of light being three fixtures and is still really short (close to the ceiling). This was super splurgy, so it seems like there is a hole in the market for more affordable versions.

The green suede rug was chosen because of its rich tonal colors, but also because suede rugs are impossible to stain and this room is a pass-through room so I knew it would get a decent amount of traffic. I chose it way before our new rug line came out with so many pretty green rugs so of course I wish that were in there instead, but admittedly this rug is rad.

Rust Loveseat | Arched Hutch

The rust velvet loveseat is where one of the girls lays down to watch TV (it’s so soft and comfy). We switched out their big canned light with these pretty brass spotlights which might not create as good of light but it looked so much better in this older home. The big arched hutch is from Lulu and Georgia and really helped anchor the space and balance out all the dark trim.

French Door Paint Color

They had that dresser forever which works well here, and I shopped and brought a lot of my own props to style it out. Sneak peek into their green dining room that I can’t wait to show you 🙂 But also look at that sofa – it’s just ridiculously beautiful (that arm! the skirt!). I was so glad that Nic and Curtis were all in to get it.

Art (unavailable) | Gold Sconce | Marble Table | Vase | Orange Ottoman

They had that massive photograph from their old house which at times I was worried was too intense, but it also really helped edge up the floral wallpaper (Farrow & Ball, incredible). The black marble table is CB2 and we just found those scallop ottomans at World Market which we were nervous were tonally off, but ended up loving them in the room (and they were $130 which felt like a good price).

Art (vintage) | Lamp | Dresser (old) | Bowl

I found that vintage painting at 20th Century Interiors, which is a Scandinavian vintage dealer in Portland and if they didn’t love it, I was going to keep it. It’s so beautiful.

I’m so excited to show you the other three rooms. And let me know in the comments if you want us to pull together a “get the look” but on more of a budget. The vibe is just incredible and I think there is absolutely a way to do this but on a budget. Thanks to Nic and Curtis for making my job so easy and making me look really good – that’s what friends are for 🙂

Oh, and of course, here are some VERY fun before and afters…

*Decorated by Emily Henderson (me!)
**Photos by Kaitlin Green