Before & After: This Widower’s Living Space Gets a Fresh Start
This living room project ends in a fresh start—something we could all use at some point in our life.
Here is a little backstory on this project from the designer who helped a man in mourning start anew:
During our first consultation, the house was in extreme disrepair. My client, a recent widower, was left to clean up the pieces of his wife who was an extreme “collector.” He knew he wanted to start fresh (total gut job)—new kitchen, new living room, new powder room and touch ups to the bedrooms. Mainly the house just didn’t feel like him, and in the process of the remodel he developed his own taste and sense of style. I was so honored to help him find that.
This is serene, cozy, personal, and full of beauty. It looks so comforting, calm, and clean—truly a fresh start.
Becca Mendez of The Bam House is the considerate designer who worked with a client to create a house that truly felt like him. While cleaning out the clutter helped of course, there are a few major moves that completely transformed this space. Stripping the beams was a brilliant move that creates a chalet-like appeal and provides a soaring counterpoint to the new wood floors.
Next, that new marble fireplace is stunning, which floats like a cloud against the grounded paneling and the wood elements.
Finally, the gray-white-pale blue palette is totally serene and sophisticated, while all of the wood adds an earthy ruggedness, and the balance of the two is perfection. Similarly, all of the new furniture has clean, modern lines, while all those comfy throw pillows keep things from feeling cold.
Oh, and this room is so well done that I actually didn’t notice the television above the fireplace for a while! I am pro TV-above-fireplace if that where it works for you (that’s where mine is), and in this case, the beams, marble, paneling, art, and gorgeous grate all draw the eye elsewhere, while the television just registers as black.
Thank you, Becca Mendez of The Bam House!