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Living Room

Living Room Style: One Rug, Two Looks
What I love most about home decor is seeing the different ways that people express their style. Like fashion, there are so many ways to wear one piece of clothing and each look is totally different depending on what you pair it with. I thought it would be fun to do the same thing and pick one rug and use it in two very different looks. See how I took this extremely bold and colorful rug and used it in both a bohemian and glam look.
Melissa DiRenzo
May 3, 2016
Perfect Placement: 12 Living Rooms That Nailed Hanging Art Above the Sofa
Are you staring at the blank wall above your sofa with hammer in hand, afraid to punch the first hole to hang your art? Or maybe you’ve already hung art above your sofa, but every time you look at your handiwork, something feels “off.” Hanging art isn’t rocket science, but with so many different variables, it can sometimes be difficult to get just right.
Adrienne Breaux
Apr 10, 2016
Before & After: Living Room Walls Go from Faux Finish Stucco to Stylish Shiplap
Project by: Adam Bechtold of Adam Bechtold Interiors Location: Great Falls, Virginia Though the room above could certainly fit the tastes of plenty of people, to the young couple who bought this 1970s colonial-style house (their first home), it didn’t fit their style (and felt rather dated to them). So they enlisted the help of Adam Bechtold to take this room from traditional style to something more cozy and nature-filled.
Adrienne Breaux
Apr 3, 2016
High & Low: An Eclectic Mid-Century Meets Transitional Living Room
I don’t know about your home, but at my place, even with an open concept kitchen and a dining table, we always seem to end up in the living room with all the snacks and drinks squeezed on the coffee table. Let’s face it: it’s more casual and comfortable than standing around a kitchen or sitting on a stiff dining chair. These days it’s rare to have both a family and living room, so it’s nice to really put a lot of thought and style into the one you have.
Melissa DiRenzo
Mar 29, 2016
Before & After: How a Pro Turned a Dreary Room Cheery
Project by: Dana Reca of Circa Dee Location: Bucks County, Pennsylvania Have you ever faced the task of cheering up a dark room? If you’re looking for inspiration on how to transform a dreary space into a cozy, welcoming room (that you might want to actually spend time in), you might find inspiration in this professional project.
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 11, 2016
Try a Room Reset: Lighten Up the Living Room
You’ve no doubt heard the old Chanel quote about taking off one accessory before leaving the house, yada yada. While I think it probably is perfectly valid advice for fashion, I’m absolutely sure it is a great strategy for “resetting” your rooms and today we’re going to give it a try. Over time, the rooms where we spend lots of time naturally become places we don’t really “see” anymore.
Janel Laban
Jan 19, 2016
Before & After: A Living Room Gets “Light and Bright”
This little corner recess in my rental apartment living room had gone through many changes over the years. That is until I found this gel fuel fireplace that was within my budget. Once it was delivered and put in its place, I realized it looked very small and toy like. My dad built a small hearth for it to sit on and the bookcases to fill in the empty space on either side. I was quite happy with the outcome, at the time.
Nora Taylor
Dec 30, 2015
Before & After: A Cathedral Ceiling Gets Beams on a Budget
Our family room has a cathedral ceiling and a large, prominent fireplace. We wanted to make this room a standout, but our budget was more of a washout. By whitewashing the fireplace ourselves, and installing faux beams, we were able to make a big impact, on a not so big budget. We’ve always loved beams. But we didn’t love the prices. Luckily, we discovered faux beams, which sell for a fraction (like 1/5) of the cost of real wood beams. And guess what? They look real. Seriously.
Nora Taylor
Dec 14, 2015
8 Cozy Living Rooms and How You Can Get the Look
Humans don’t hibernate, but we do an approximation of it. If you live in the northern climes, chances are there are a few months where you just barely leave the house. During these months your home becomes more important than ever before: you want it to be a place that’s cozy, that’s welcoming, a place where you would feel good being trapped in a blizzard.
Nancy Mitchell
Dec 11, 2015
Before & After: A Living Room With “New Energy”
We spend a lot of time in the living room as a family, reading after dinner, celebrating birthdays, entertaining, playing board games on New Years, and it’s a space that needed a little editing to gracefully reflect transitions in our family life. As I simplified the room, my family instantly felt at home in the new space, and our new teal velvet sofa became a popular (and comfortable) destination.
Nora Taylor
Dec 7, 2015
Pull Off This Classic Come-back Living Room Trend: Ultra Low Coffee Tables
You might not think about coffee table heights as the sort of thing that fluctuates throughout the years, but like any design element, the ideal coffee table height not only changes from room style to room style, but also according to what’s in vogue in living rooms that are being lived in, in the current moment. Low coffee tables are just what they sound like: coffee tables with a top surface that sits a fair bit lower than your usual coffee table find.
Adrienne Breaux
Dec 2, 2015
A Bold Bench is Just What Your Boring Living Room Seating Arrangement Needs
Benches look great in hallways and under windows. They function perfectly in an entryway. They’re a surprising but useful addition to a dining room furniture set. But in living rooms they’re often to relegated to the sidelines — along the walls — and usually housing some decor vignette. There’s nothing wrong with benches in your living room looking pretty. But they can do so much more.
Adrienne Breaux
Dec 2, 2015
5 Things That Should Never Happen in Your Living Room
Your living room is a place for connecting with friends, spending time with family, relaxing by yourself and more. What it shouldn’t be is a place for any of these five things. Take a look at this list and banish any of these if they’ve been taking place in your living space. Do you start apologizing for a mess, for the pet hair, for the unfinished DIY projects, for the sofa that isn’t quite your dream sofa yet?
Adrienne Breaux
Nov 28, 2015
5 Things People (Almost Always) Forget When Designing Their Living Room
There’s the picking out of the sofa. Choosing chairs. Deciding on a credenza. Arguing over where the television should go. There’s waffling over rug color and size. And there’s considering whether you should paint or wallpaper. But there are also a handful of things to think about that most people tend to forget when first setting up their living room. How does one come up with the optimum number of seats for a living room?
Adrienne Breaux
Aug 27, 2015
Before & After: ’70s Fireplace Gets a Facelift
Rachel’s home hadn’t been updated since it was built in 1975, and it was evident in the dark fieldstone fireplace. Not having the funds for a full renovation, she got creative with paint—and boy, does it look great. From Rachel: We painted the 1970’s field stone fireplace. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and watered it down quite a bit which allows the texture and various colors to still come through.
Tara Bellucci
Aug 25, 2015
How Many Seats Should Your Living Room Have? Here’s One Rule of Thumb
How many people can you host at once? Two? 10? You’re probably counting sofa cushions right now in your head. The reality is, the “right” number of living room seats is different for everyone, and largely dependent on the amount of space you have available.
Taryn Williford
Aug 12, 2015
Before & After: Lost Living Room Finds Beautiful Balance
As marketing manager for Eventbrite, Sara is a professional social butterfly. She’s fun, fabulous, and loves to entertain, but her apartment in Boston’s Beacon Hill didn’t exactly reflect that. And, since she works from home, she wanted a space that inspired her. Sara decided to work with designer Victoria Solomon to add some style and cohesion to her place.
Tara Bellucci
Jul 22, 2015
6 Simple Secrets to Dealing With a Small Living Room
Living in a small living room, like living in a small home, is a delicate balance of aesthetics and sacrifice. Your living room is often the central hub of your home, and so should have special attention paid to it, particularly if it’s on the small side. Instead of (or in addition to) a wall collage of art, use mirrors to expand the space, reflect light and make the space feel livelier. → 10 Ways To Use Mirrors To Make Your Space Look Larger.
Adrienne Breaux
Jul 17, 2015
Before & After: A Pallet Wall Without the Pain
Erica inherited a living room with a sponge-painted fireplace and an olive paint job. She had planned a pallet wall, but realized the time (and tools) it would take was not realistic. Until she found a quicker solution: From Erica: After hunting down a few pallets, I realized that the effort and time (and tools that we didn’t have) to find, dismantle, sand, wash, and then nail the boards to the wall just wasn’t worth it. I was downtrodden until I discovered Stikwood!
Tara Bellucci
Jun 24, 2015
Why ‘Busy’ Isn’t Always Bad: Living Room Lessons
We talk a lot about streamlining. Minimizing. Cutting back. Paring down. And we really think that’s good. But it’s not always best (for you or your style). Sometimes “busy” decor, rooms bursting with things you love and that inspire you, is the right choice for your home. Take a page from these “busy” living rooms to learn lessons on how to make a full, exciting living room work for your style, without overwhelming everyone who spends time in it.
Adrienne Breaux
Jun 15, 2015
Whitney’s Super Chic New Orleans Apartment
Name: Whitney Location: New Orleans I live in a one bedroom apartment that’s about 625sqft. My style is definitely eclectic, as I like to blend several different styles. It was very important to me that my apartment reflect the personality of my fiance and I, which is fun and very carefree. We spend most of our time here, so our living room had to be both stylish and comfortable. I love color and bold artwork. My entire room was designed around this large cow canvas art.
Janel Laban
Jun 4, 2015
Before & After: 3 Identical Sofas, 1 Large Living Room Makeover
Minneapolis designer Jay Nuhring has another no-shopping makeover for us. This time, his client has a huge living room, three of the same sofa, and a wall of books that looks a bit bland. Jay applied the use-what-you-have motto and created a whole new space within a space! From Jay: This project was really easy and really affordable. Nothing new was purchased for this living room makeover. Everything was shopped and sourced from what the homeowner already had in the house.
Tara Bellucci
May 18, 2015
The New Living Room: 4 Top Trends
Living rooms are like living, breathing things that constantly evolve along with their inhabitants. We watch them change over time, as tastes and moods shift. Where are they today? If you’re thinking of redecorating or renovating, here are four of the top trends for modern living rooms. We’ve seen a lot of light wood and Scandinavian pastels in recent years, but lately there’s been a shift — perhaps ushered in by Abigail Ahern — towards dark walls and moody decor.
Dabney Frake
May 12, 2015
Before & After: A Surprise Living Room Makeover
While she was overseas with their daughter, Jeffery decided to surprise his wife with a total living room transformation. See the new room—and read about her reaction—after the jump! From Jeffery: My wife and daughter went to the Philippines for 3 months. I wanted to surprise my wife with a living room makeover, which I tackled in the two weeks before their arrival home. Our living room was boring. The last owners had a thing for wood grain and dull colors.
Tara Bellucci
May 1, 2015
How to Create a “Bedroom” in a Studio Apartment
Either by choice or by the vagaries of fate, you have found yourself living in a studio apartment. That’s it. Just one room. And maybe you’re cool with that, but you don’t feel like looking at your bed all day long. Or you need a little privacy for when houseguests stay, or you just want to create a little separation between the parts of your apartment devoted to sleeping and waking. Apartment Therapy has a few ideas.
Nancy Mitchell
Apr 20, 2015
Hannah & Kristie’s Cozy Living Room
Name: Hannah Wareham Location: Northampton, Massachusetts After four years of living in our current duplex apartment, my wife Kristie and I finally got our living room decor right for us. It’s a mixture of vintage finds (like using an old magazine rack to store yarn for ongoing knitting projects) and newer bargains (thanks Craigslist!). Our living room is the first thing you see when you enter our home, and because of that, it was tough to make storage options both easy and stylish.
Adrienne Breaux
Apr 4, 2015
8 Real Life Living Rooms That Work (And Why)
Are you a big fan of spaces that are bursting with design, accessories, colors and patterns? But are you a little worried about how to make it work in the real world (and specifically, your home)? We’ve got real-life living rooms that are bursting with style but that work — and we’re breaking down the lessons to take with you into your own space!
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 13, 2015
5 Really Great Reasons to Float The Furniture in Your Living Room
Are you struggling with how to fit your furniture in the living room, and can’t for the life of you come up with a good layout? You might need to “float” your furniture — or pull everything out from the wall and create an island of sorts comprising your sofa, chairs and tables — and anchor it all with an area rug. What decorating magic is this do you ask? And how will you know if this is the answer?
Dabney Frake
Feb 27, 2015
Before & After: A Living Room Goes from Ho-Hum to Happy
When Cassie from Hi Sugarplum! moved into her home, the basic features were solid: a wall of windows, a brick fireplace, and plenty of space. But the room seemed too dark for her taste, and the furnishings didn’t feel quite right. Fast forward a few years, and it feels like a completely different room. The white walls instantly brightened the room, while all the accents and accessories keep the room colorful and happy.
Carolyn Purnell
Feb 26, 2015
9 Ways to Shake Up Your Living Room Look
Sometimes you just want to try something a little different. If you’re looking to shake up your look in the living room, look no further than this collection of 9 creative ideas and tweaks to your existing style that’ll take it to the next level. 1. Add some wall-mounted bookshelves behind your sofa, as shown above. It’s like a gallery wall on steroids: the possibilities are nearly endless. 2. Add an interesting rug (or rugs!). 3.
Nancy Mitchell
Feb 9, 2015
9 Places to Find Inexpensive, Modern Furniture
If you've got champagne taste & a beer budget, take a look at this list of eight retailers where you can satisfy your design craving.
Nancy Mitchell
Feb 8, 2015
Before & After: Blank Space Goes Graphic
What to do when your place is a total blank space? Kristin overcame the unlimited possibilities of her white-and-concrete living room, and went big and bold with graphic wallpaper. See how it looks now: From Kristin: There are good things and there are bad things about moving into a house with white walls (not even a backsplash in the kitchen!) and concrete floors. The good: It’s a totally blank canvas.
Tara Bellucci
Jan 14, 2015
The “Loudly Lime Green Room to a Vintage Style Viewing Lounge” Makeover
Project by: Brittany and Justin Location: Springfield, Missouri The TV room in our 1930 bungalow is the room in the house that gets the least amount of natural light, so we wanted to create a bright space with a colorful touches to hang out in the with our three chihuahuas. The previous owners had installed several built-in pieces—including a desk, shelving, and a decorative room divider—so we started by clearing the room.
Janel Laban
Jan 4, 2015
The 6 Elements to an Irresistibly Inviting Seating Arrangement
Want your guests sinking into your living room furniture cushions to soak up each other’s delightful conversation instead of crowding in your kitchen or awkwardly standing around? Focus on your seating arrangements and add these six elements to make future entertaining in your home smooth, cozy and natural. Guests don’t want to shimmy through tight squeezes or step over stools to get to seating. They want it to feel like getting cozy is natural and easy to find.
Adrienne Breaux
Dec 14, 2014
Before & After: A LEGO Addict’s Lovely Living Room
Project by: Harmony Weihs of designHARMONY Location: Bothell, Washington What to do when your living room is full of LEGO in plastic containers, slowly taking over your home? You get in touch with a designer who can give you both a great designed space and plenty of room for your LEGO! From the designer: We walked into this house on our first visit to find rooms and rooms and containers and containers of LEGOS.
Adrienne Breaux
Oct 19, 2014
Before & After: Melissa’s Lightened Living Room Makeover
Melissa’s living room wasn’t bad looking — it had perfectly functional, traditional-styled furniture and a lot of natural light. But it didn’t fit her or her husband’s style. So they worked together to come up with a look that would! From Melissa: My husband (lover of mid-century modern) and myself (a lover of modern, chic style) met in the middle and co-designed our space together.
Adrienne Breaux
Oct 4, 2014
Why This Room Works: 6 Expert Color Mixing Tips to Steal From Annie’s Bold Living Room
It’s one thing to add in a lot of color into a living room. It’s another thing to mix a lot of bold colors expertly in one compact space. How do you do it so it’s exciting and not a messy jumble of hues? A favorite house tour with a particularly colorful living room holds six secrets worth stealing for your own colorful home.
Adrienne Breaux
Sep 21, 2014
Before & After: A Living Room Gets Lighter, Brighter (& Now Looks) Bigger!
Anna and her fiancé were like many couples who are just starting out: their first home was full of mismatched hand-me-downs. Even though there’s a big front window, the room never felt like it got a lot of natural light. And it was just small and cramped. Their goal: Make their living room lighter, brighter and look bigger! Here’s how they did it.
Adrienne Breaux
Aug 17, 2014
Style Forecast: Sofa Trends for 2014 & Beyond
I recently bought a new sofa and it felt like I was buying a car. It’s such a big decision; both in terms of cost and how long you’ll likely live with it. New sofa styles for 2014 are harkening back to classic themes – a Scandinavian take on mid-century, natural wood legs, colorful upholstery, tufted details and retro silhouettes.
Claire Bock
Aug 7, 2014
Living Room Blueprints: 3 Versatile Sofa & Chair Layouts to Try
Just like the human body, most rooms share the same skeleton. No matter the size or style—from Eclectic to English Country—a well-designed living room starts with one of a few basic layouts. These are floor plans that have proven over time to be the best at defining the space and directing the flow in your home’s most livable room. Using the same three pieces—a sofa and two chairs—we sketched out three of the most popular living room blueprints.
Taryn Williford
Aug 7, 2014
Setting Up Home: 5 Ways to Make a Lovely Living Room from Our House Tours
When setting up and decorating a home, the living room is one of the first places we look— after all, it’s where we entertain guests and spend a lot of our own time, too. Here are five ideas for making your living room a lovely, welcoming and impactful space, with examples from our House Tours: 1. Create a cozy corner. Make place where you can kick back with a good book, or relax in front of the television.
Eleanor Büsing
Aug 6, 2014
Before & After: A Beige & Boring Living Room Goes Bright & Vibrant
From Jamie: In truth there are still a few small things we want to change or tweak (one major project being the demolition of the drywall around the stairs to allow the installation of a modern, open handrail) but we are satisfied with how far it has come. We feel it is bright, cheerful, and modern while still meshing with the overall transitional style of the house.
Adrienne Breaux
Apr 26, 2014
Cheap, Yet Chic: Low Cost Living Room Design Ideas
We live hard in living rooms. It’s where we entertain, relax in the evenings, watch TV, and do countless other activities each day. Yet when we get sick of our surroundings and need something different, it’s tough to make big changes in the context of our busy lives and small budgets. That’s when small, cheap tweaks come in handy… Here are eight small ways to switch it up at home, on a budget: 1.
Dabney Frake
Mar 25, 2014
When a Room Feels “Off”: 4 Possible Culprits and How to Fix Them
Sometimes, a room just doesn’t quite feel right, but it’s hard to put your finger on the exact reason why. The most beautiful rooms are often perfectly balanced compositions of a number of different elements, and you probably wouldn’t be surprised to know that when one of those elements isn’t quite right, a room might feel a bit “off.
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 23, 2014
Break the Ice: 8 Tips for Creating a Chattier, Cozier, Comfier Living Room
How do you create a room that encourages conversation when you entertain guests? By spending time crafting a sitting area that maximizes comfort, feels cozy and welcoming and puts guests at ease so they can be their charming and witty selves. We’ve got ideas on how to increase conversation and coziness in your living room and seating areas — even some tips you can easily try this weekend. So what sort of gatherings will these tips prove most beneficial for? Well, not a big party.
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 16, 2014
Before & After: A Year-Long Living Room Transformation
You know how earlier today we shared real advice about how to be patient and take your time when decorating a home? This Before & After perfectly highlights that idea. See this living room go from full of uninspiring hand-me-down furniture to a living room that, after taking the time to discover their tastes, is now a sophisticated, lovely space that matches their personality!
Adrienne Breaux
Mar 8, 2014
Before & After: “Lost” Family Living Room to Found
Nicole Lanteri worked with this family of five to transform this long, narrow space into a beautiful room that is inviting and much more functional. Nicole says the key was to rethink the layout and size of the furniture to create a cohesive feel in this multi-purpose family room.
Carrie McBride
Jan 31, 2014
Before & After: TV Nook Upgraded Into a Home Entertainment Center
Renting almost guarantees you’ll be living and working around compromises, and perhaps nowhere more so than when it comes to planning a home entertainment setup. Awkward layouts can prove a challenge, especially when you can’t move or tear down walls like a home owner.
Gregory Han
Nov 5, 2013
Good Question Revisited: A Before & After (Plus One More Question)
Last year, Manisha posed a question to the Apartment Therapy community about how to add some color to her living room. “It needs some oomph,” she said. “Right now everything seems to be grey, white and black.” Armed with your suggestions, Manisha added color in a few strategic places. Want to see what her living room looks like now?
Regina Yunghans
Aug 29, 2013
Before & After: A Pillowy Soft Media Room Makeover
For most apartment and home owners, the idea of a dedicated media room is wishful thinking. Usually a basement, spare bedroom, or in this case, the living room has to be designated for home entertainment purposes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean having to settle for “as-is”.
Gregory Han
Apr 4, 2013
Before and After: Bri Emery’s Living Room Makeover
Design Love FestEmily Henderson Color and light were important elements of this makeover, and it couldn’t be cheerier. Bri and Emily went with a mix of vintage, eclectic, mid-century and new pieces to create this lively and delicious space. The turquoise, fuchsia, gold and natural palette melds beautifully. The ample foliage brings the room together, softens the palette and creates such a calm and peaceful environment.To see more of the makeover, check out Design Love Fest.
Alysha Findley
Mar 29, 2013
Before & After: Karyn’s Island Bungalow Remodel
Karyn, an interior designer, found the perfect island bungalow in Coronado, California. Of course, it needed a little sprucing up before it would be the entertaining and living space she dreamed of. Check out how she transformed this studio into a chic, multipurpose space: How gorgeous is this? We love the navy and white against the dark bamboo floors. From Karyn: I had just moved to the island of Coronado and had the perfect bungalow apartment in mind.
Tara Bellucci
Mar 14, 2013
Before & After: Jenna’s Living Room Makeover
Jenna’s living room was filled with furniture that she loved, but that wasn’t working in her new home. Here’s how she transformed the space by letting go and bringing in some new color and pieces: From Jenna: Over the past 3 years since moving into my home, this space has been forever in transition. Much of the room was filled with furniture that was meaningful to us, but just didn’t fit.
Tara Bellucci
Mar 4, 2013
Before & After: Sophisticated and Dramatic Wainscoting
I came across this project from a comment left in my recent post Brags! What DIY Project Are You Most Proud Of? It came from Julia from the blog Chris Loves Julia. They were looking to change up their living room for a more sophisticated yet casual look and Julia fell in love with some dramatic wainscoting images and got the bug to re-create it at home.It took them just a few hours over two days to put it up and then one day to paint it.
Alysha Findley
Mar 1, 2013
Before & After: A Blank Wall Gets Shelved
Joy and Corey loved their downtown Los Angeles loft, but its small footprint made finding storage space pretty challenging. So they figured out a way to take advantage of their 13′ ceilings by going vertical.From Joy: The whole project was inspired by the need to get stuff up and off the floor; with limited square footage, every inch counts. Also, I really wanted a way to consolidate all our media elements.
Jennifer Hunter
Feb 22, 2013
Before & After: Samna Transforms a Studio in 5 Days
Samna flew out to New York from her home in Seattle to help her sister set up her studio apartment. With only five days and $500, here’s how she transformed the rental into a chic hangout.From Samna: Here’s what I had to work with: My sister’s apartment in a post-war building, 248 square feet of bedroom/living area and kitchen, $500 budget and five days to get it all done. This project is for all of the people who claim “I don’t have time.
Tara Bellucci
Feb 21, 2013
Before & After: Charlotte’s Colorful Connecticut Living Room
When Charlotte and her family moved from New York to Connecticut, they fell in love with this 100 year-old house and its bay window. With so much white everywhere, it was a blank canvas. Check out how she transformed this living room with color:From Charlotte: We moved to the Connecticut suburbs from NYC into this sweet 100 year-old house. The previous owner had a love affair with all things off-white (carpet, walls, trim, window treatments).
Tara Bellucci
Feb 19, 2013
Before & After: Richard’s Toronto Studio Redesign
A couple of years ago, a friend and I decided to invest in a home that we could fix up, and flip in a year or two. I also needed a place to live. I took on the role of general contractor, landlord and designer. I also took over one of the units on the second floor of this 4-plex. We found the perfect house in Roncesvalles, near shops, waterfront, highway and crown jewel, High Park. My unit was in a pretty rough state but I could see the potential.
Tara Bellucci
Feb 5, 2013
Before & After: Transforming an Artist’s Easel into a Media Stand
Sheila was never a fan of the console that held her TV and other media equipment, especially given its size in relation to the awkward corner that housed the installation. Months ago she found the ideal solution to her dilemma and ordered an artist’s easel to convert into a TV/media stand. With just a little modification, she was able to transform the easel and therefore her living room.
Colleen Quinn
Sep 12, 2012
Rentals Done Right: Christopher’s Lab
Name: Christopher Location: Van Vorst Park — Jersey City, New Jersey This month we’re all about renting on Apartment Therapy so when this quick peek inside an amazingly well-designed rental arrived by email, we were thrilled to get it up on the blog.Christopher writes: My home is where I am most myself. I use it as a design laboratory for my Interior design career. I enjoy playing with eclectic style, tonal values and unexpected quirk that brings a smile to my family and friends.
Janel Laban
Mar 12, 2012
Before & After: Family Room from Dark to Light
Wood panelling doesn’t always do great favors for a space and this room is an example of that. With heavy furniture this room was a dark and oppressive space, but with some brighter furnishings and white paint the room is completely transformed.The wood panelling really brought down the mood of this room, but I do love the look of panelling on ceilings, so we kept that and painted it out white.
Claire Bock
Feb 15, 2012
Before & After: Katherine’s Beautiful Built-in Shelving
Owning your own home means, for many folks, a myriad of DIY, improvement, and remodeling projects on your to-do list. This living room overhaul is an inspirational example of one woman’s journey in making her first home her own.Katherine Fugit is a contributing writer for Keep Smiling, a blog that offers encouragement “and other advice from first-time home buyers.” Looking at her personal blog, Me Machine, will give you a fantastic idea of her enviable eye for great design.
Jessica Tata
Oct 5, 2011
Before & After: Dressing Up a White Box Apartment
Jen and her boyfriend recently moved into this standard grad school apartment and immediately got to work making it their own. This before and after is a true testament to the fact than even the most boring of apartments can be spruced up with a bit of DIY know-how.It only took two weekends for Jen and her boyfriend, Tim, to put together this stylish living room.
Jason Loper
Sep 23, 2011
American Style Through the Decades: The Forties
The 1940s were a tumultuous time. It is impossible to understand those years outside of the context of WWII. The war not only defined the decade but from a design perspective, split it virtually in half. During the first half of the decade, new design was halted, as supply shortages and rationing demanded that all available resources — material and otherwise — be directed towards the war effort…Socially, the decade featured a similar split.
Bethany Seawright
Jul 14, 2011
Before & After: Fresh Starts at the 2011 DC Design House
How do you revive a dark and dated room without completely eliminating its original character? I gleaned quite a few ideas from the 2011 DC Design House where some of my favorite DC designers brought fresh sophistication to their spaces by simplifying and lightening — perfect inspiration for spring!• 1-3: The Pool Room: Erin Paige Pitts Erin was charged with the task of making the rather gloomy pool room into a functional and inspiring retreat.
Leah Moss
Apr 8, 2011
Before & After: Den Makeover On an Extreme Budget
When I posted How To Make a Block Print Rug Using a Welcome Mat, I promised a full reveal of my den’s before and after, and while ideally there are a few tweaks I’d still like to make, here it is. Since our budget was virtually non-existent — as in free— everything in it was borrowed from another room, salvaged, handmade, or secondhand.Ideally, we’d like to redo the addition where this room is housed.
Leah Moss
Feb 28, 2011
Color Combo: Olive Green and Sky Blue
Green and blue is an all-time favorite combo of ours. It can go very springy, but darken it up a bit and tame it down with dark olive greens and dusty blues:The kitchen up top exemplifies this color combo, with muddy green cabinetry and crisp blue walls.
Regina Yunghans
Nov 26, 2010
A Perfect Balance: Gray and Orange
The saying “opposites attract” goes well beyond human relationships — and the affair between orange and gray mingling to create a stunning balance is a perfect example. Depending on the tones, the duo can be youthful and whimsical, eclectic and bold, moody and sophisticated, or masculine and sleek, and any combo in between!
Leah Moss
Nov 17, 2010