I’m over the moon - and also proud to share this project with you!
As the title of this blog post implies, I’m revealing a Full Service Design project for a new construction home in the East Brainerd area of Chattanooga.
First, here’s a little background info that will give some insight into the challenges we faced and our overall goals for the project.
I met with my clients regarding this project at the tail end of 2019. These clients are dream clients! They know what they like, communicate it well, and then give me free reign to imagine and implement the entire project. And generally speaking, they’re just wonderful people! Positive, respectful, trusting, warm and patient - which is key because little did we know that COVID would rear it’s ugly head just as we were getting started. Oy.
I have done several projects with these clients in their former home, so I had a good feel for their style preferences from the very beginning. These clients favor a clean, chic hotel look for their interiors. They don’t care for a lot of ornamentation, busy patterns or fussy finishes. And, as you’ll see in the “after” photos, they love the color blue!! They also trusted me to incorporate a few bold moments throughout the interiors - even when it felt a little uncomfortable. Side note: Those uncomfortable moments are usually when the magic happens!
This blog post features the great room transformation.
Here’s how the room appeared when they purchased the home:
A pretty good place to start! Gorgeous dark oak wood floors, tons of natural light, and some lovely architectural details on the ceiling and fireplace!
A most magnificent view of Chattanooga indeed! The French doors lead out to a covered deck and provide beautiful light throughout the day.
Here is the wall opposite the windows and French doors. The staircase is lovely and is part of the great room.
Here’s the view opposite the fireplace wall. The great room is open to the kitchen, which was a feature that was very important to the clients, as they wanted a big gathering space where the cook could be included in the festivities!
One of the challenges we faced was the placement of the TV. The clients preferred (and I agreed) that the TV not be placed above the fireplace. They often entertain international corporate guests, friends and family and they didn’t want the TV to be the focal point of the room.
If you scroll through the before photos again, you’ll see that there are limited options for TV placement. The wall of windows was out, and the wall opposite fireplace is completely open to the kitchen, so that wasn’t an option either. We opted to put the TV opposite the wall of windows (against the staircase wall).
Spoiler alert: you won’t see the TV in the “after” photos, but the room is laid out to properly pay homage to the fireplace, comfortably view the TV, and is set up for easy conversation among those in the living area and the kitchen. How’s that for multi-purpose?
Ready to see the finished product?
Here she is, all decked out for a gathering with friends and colleagues or a quiet night at home!
The TV is in the room, just out of camera range on the left side of this photo.
All upholstered pieces are custom and created with attention to the finest details. And those buff colored chairs in the foreground? They’re super comfy and on a swivel base which allows you to face the kitchen, the tv (which is just out of camera range on the left), or the fireplace wall with ease and style! This demonstrates why it’s so important to decide how you want to live in your home before you start making random selections!
Nothing creates calm and order better than symmetry! The fireplace the is logical focal point in most any room that includes a fireplace, and the symmetrical arrangement of the beautiful demilune console tables, mirrors and lamps makes a statement that is crisp and edited. And just to keep you on your toes, we mixed in a little asymmetry by placing a blue glass vase with branches on one side only. See the floor plant and chair on the opposite side of the branches? It creates a balanced arrangement. So there’s a tip for ya. If you don’t have symmetry, create balance.
Did you notice we swapped out the ceiling fan for a chandelier? I love this black iron and gold chandelier in the space; and it’s simple sophistication suits my clients’ style preferences perfectly.
Here’s another view facing the wall of windows , which is opposite the tv wall.
Here’s another little trick I can share with you regarding the windows/window treatment situation. If you look at the wall before window treatments, you’ll see an awkward arrangement where the lower door height is right in between the taller windows. To clean up the lines of that wall, I had custom drapery made that hangs from a single rod that spans the wall, which creates a more dramatic and cohesive look. Sadly, the lovely navy velvet trim at the bottom of those drapes is just out of camera range, but it’s a bold touch that speaks to my client’s design style and adds another level of detail to this chic space.
Thanks for looking in on this project! I’ll be sharing photos from the other rooms and I think you’ll enjoy seeing them - especially if your style leans toward a pared down version of classic interiors.
Are your interiors crying out for a breath of fresh style? The Green Room Interiors is now accepting new projects for late summer/early fall of 2021. Fill out our contact form and tell us how we can help!
