I have known this client for about 6 years.  We go way back to the pre-kid life! When she called me and told me she was under contract on a house and wanted to hire me to design and help plan her renovations I was all in.  This client and friend has a great design eye so I was very flattered that she even considered me to lend her a helping hand!

Their new home is beautiful, but it was also decorated extensively in what looked to be the early 1990’s and was in need of a little love to bring it up to date and in line with their own style.

Their two story living room already had some built-in cabinets, which is a huge bonus, but the top half of them wasn’t working, nor was the faux finish paint.

We went with a very neutral palate Type 1 Wall Coverings, and the crisp white walls with her newly re-finished dark hardwoods are just perfect.

Aren’t you glad you’re not this guy?! I’m not afraid of heights, but even just looking at these photos make me uneasy.

The old mantle was a hodge-podge of painted wallpaper border and layers of wood that were poorly constructed.  The ornateness of what was there had to go.  I rough sketched out a couple of options to see which we liked best. 

The grandiosity of the two story bookshelves was awesome and I envisioned them with a beautiful library ladder, but 1. kids and 2. dollar bills y’all.  Sticking with the existing frame of the bookshelves and switching out the glass for wood shelves was a big cost saver.

One last reminder of the before:

Today her built-ins are 2017 worthy and she’s ready to furnish this room with a chaise sectional and some beautiful chairs.

If you come back on Thursday I will have a reveal of her stunning new kitchen.  If you follow me on Instagram you saw a little sneak peek of her open shelving on my InstaStory Saturday.  If you’re anything like me, you’ll love what this dated kitchen turned into!