This Living Room Had No Privacy, But Now It’s a Sun-Lit, Miami-Inspired Space
Summertime travels usually mean two things: happy memories and cool souvenirs that represent time spent in a new (or familiar!) location. However, some travellers, like the clients of interior designer and founder of Rainbow Shaker, Justine Guillermou, take it a step further by basing their home’s design on a previous vacation — specifically, the “joyful family memory of a holiday in Miami.”
It was “warm, energizing, sunny, and fun, and that became the emotional starting point for the communal spaces,” Justine describes about the home transformation.
When the family first moved in, the home was all white and gray — traits that didn’t feel like the new family. “On paper, it was spacious and bright, but in the middle of a gray London autumn or winter, it didn’t exactly spark much joy,” the clients share.
A Vacation to Miami Inspired This Gray Living Room’s Makeover
Rainbow Shaker is a bold design studio that celebrates collaboration, character, and joyful storytelling. So, it was Justine’s goal to help her clients bring design into their home that blended “Miami nostalgia with Bauhaus-inspired geometry: bold color, playful rhythm, and strong shapes, all grounded in a functional family home.”
The clients both work in the analytical world and have an appreciation for patterns and colors — but were uncertain about how to translate that into their new home with two young children. So the Miami vacation memories became the emotional anchor, and Justine worked with them to build structure, color strategy, and cohesion throughout the whole home.
Bold Paint Colors Completely Changed the Feel of the Room
When I picture Miami, I think of a bold color palette. For example, the lively blue of the ocean, the electric colors of coastal homes, and the greens from the sky-high palm trees. Since the room’s design was based on this beachy locale, it’s no surprise that most of those colors are included in the room.
“We tested many shades and samples directly in the room, because light changes everything, and used bold color blocking to create contrast, zoning, and flow,” Justine explains.
After the color scheme and important details were decided, Justine worked with the clients to layer in “furniture, lighting, artwork, and textiles” — making “the room feel vibrant but still comfortable and lived-in.”
Their Living Room Faced a Bus Stop — This DIY Solved the Privacy Issue
“One unique quirk of our home is that it’s literally located at a bus stop,” the homeowners say. The living room windows look out directly to the bus stop, so they initially kept the blinds drawn to maintain privacy. But it cut off all of the natural light and made the home feel dark.
Justine created a “lighting plan” adding “ceiling lights, wall lamps, and accent lighting to shape mood, define zones, and highlight playful details.” But she also recommended frosting the windows as an easy fix to their privacy issue.
“We were a bit skeptical at first, but since it was a low-stakes DIY, we experimented with patterned frosting at different heights,” the clients explain.
Now, the family can enjoy a sun-lit living room without any worries. “We’ve reclaimed our light and our privacy, and we no longer feel like we’re on display to the commuters outside,” the homeowners say.
They Thought This Wallpaper Might Be a Mistake — Now It’s Their Favorite Feature
As an interior design firm, Rainbow Shaker is known for “expressive, color-forward spaces that balance playfulness with purpose.” The design concept Justine and the clients had already created was colorful and full of bold furniture and accent pieces — but she thought she could take the color up a notch.
Justine suggested adding an orange and white square wallpaper. The homeowners admit that they were skeptical at first because they were unsure if it would “be ugly” in the space, but they trusted Justine’s judgment.
“She knows better, and she did know better,” the clients say. “I adore that bit of the house.” The unexpected addition of the wallpaper completed the living room, and now it’s a space that celebrates the family’s personality and tells the story of their favorite memories together.
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