Sunday, July 24, 2011

A Mini Series: Chapter I - One Space, Two Styles


Our home was a blank canvas when we moved in four years ago.  I chose a shade of soft suede for the walls, and a warm white for the trimwork.  Rich, mahogany stained floors were installed throughout the main level.

This is a picture of our great room sitting area a few weeks prior to moving in (complete with lovely builder dust).


My challenge was to decorate this new space using furniture and accessories from our previous home.   I needed to fit our twelve foot, curved sectional sofa into a new, decidedly smaller footprint.

After endless hours of playing with a scaled diagram, I created a furniture layout that would realize my vision for a cozy sitting area, and reflect my tailored and traditional design style.

Over the last four years, my vision for this room has slowly evolved.  I wanted the space to remain classic and elegant, but have a more modern sensibility.

Colour was the key in this mini transformation.  Adding darker elements changed the mood of the space, and provided the sophisticated update that I was looking for.


I painted the feature wall a dramatic shade of gray, and surrounded my husband's new flat screen television with a cherry blossom decal to create dimension and interest.

The pale area rug was replaced with a chic cowhide, and two white leather side chairs were added for light and contrast.  Cushions and mirrored accessories were imported from other rooms in the house.


The room now represents my current 'Classic Chic' style - a mix of traditional and modern design, with a touch of glam.

A dramatic change doesn't have to involve selling your furniture and starting from scratch.  Sometimes, a bit of paint and some thoughtful accessorizing is all that's needed to create the look and feel of a completely new space. 

This new mini series is dedicated to changing the style and mood of a room through colour and accessories.  I hope this first chapter has provided you with some inspiration on how to recreate a space in your home.


This design story has been entered in Debbiedoos July 24, 2011 'Newbie Party':

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