We are rolling right along with the Design My Dilemma makeovers. Check out my blog and/or social media to see the other dilemmas we have already transformed. Today’s dilemma is from Lesley who had a room with french doors out onto a patio that she needed to freshen up. Let’s see what can be done!
Lesley’s room is downstairs in a 2-bedroom condo in Florida. Karen sorts through a number of options, depending on prices, time and amount of effort needed. Freshening a room almost always involves lightening it up, and since this room started out dark with dark color furnishings, Karen’s go-to color palette will make a big difference.
First of all, the ‘for sure’ items are painting the walls Alabaster from Sherwin Williams and framing the french doors with a black curtain rod and off-white sheer curtains from IKEA. No surprises there and the difference can be seen right away. The next thing to tackle would be the dark furniture.
Sometimes you just know when furnishings have served their useful life and you are ready to move on, but it could also be, you just want a change of style and color. Sticking with the fresh and light theme, Karen found some chairs, which were substantial enough for the room size and shape, and were available in off-white. Lesley could try slipcovers or getting her current chairs reupholstered, but again, those things depend on money, time and effort.
With the chairs brighter, the shelving and art pieces also needed to be brightened up. A trick Karen uses for art prints and/or photos (even family photos) is to get all brand new, fresh black frames. Then, even if the subjects are not the same, they appear cohesive with the black frames (they also go well with the curtain rod as accents). Another trick is to get family photos reprinted in black and white, giving them a classic, clean, super flattering look in the black frames.
Related post: Dilemma Dalliance
When choosing decor, think of your bookshelves as little vignettes, where you can include sets of 3 items in different heights. You want to include something soft or drapey, like greenery and if the shelf is large enough, you can do a set of 5 or two sets of 3. The other option is to put one large piece in the center of one of the shelves, making it more pleasing to the eye. Your goal is to change the bookshelves from a space packed with your stuff, to a designer look.
Karen moved the lamp closer to the chairs and exchanged it for a black iron one. The addition of smaller side tables gives a room the feeling of being larger than it actually is. You really only need room to set a wine glass or coffee mug there with the vignette of photos and/or a plant.
Throws and pillows in neutral colors add a softness and change up the textures in the room. The area rug should also be in a neutral color because you never want to draw attention to the floor, you always want to draw the eye upward. However, an area rug pulls the room together, helping to frame the space, and it sets perimeters if your room includes more than one space.
If you notice on the outdoor bistro table, Karen added a red geranium (this can be a real or fake one). With the clean ivory room, the red pop of color draws your attention and gives the feeling that the outside is an extension of the inside. The whole effect together evokes a feeling of peace.
Karen’s design goals are ultimately to create spaces of beauty, relaxation and peace. When there is a sense that everything is organized and well put together, there is a tangible tranquility in the room.
If you want to shop this room, click HERE.
Send in your own Design My Dilemma to get a makeover for one of your own rooms. Submit a photo of a room in your home that needs a change to: info@karenconrad.net. Include a statement giving permission for your photo to be posted on our platform and what your desire is for the room.
Tell me what you think!
Karen Conrad Metcalfe
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