From Drab to Fab: Part 1 - Before & After Living Room Reveal
Do you have a drab living room in your house? Is it in need of a drastic make-over?
Well, today I am starting a new feature on The Glam Blog called "From Drab to Fab." In this series I will show you a "before" drab room and how through the help of an interior designer the room was completely changed -- hence, the "Fab." I'm starting this series with the Drab to Fab reveal of my client's main level in her house.....and today it's all about her drab living room. As you can see the living room was what I called - beige hell....I almost fell asleep just looking at it.
Do you think that's mean of me? Well, my client didn't think so...she totally agreed and that's why she have called me in to help her with this room and the rest of her main level. It had absolutely no colour....the walls were beige, the sofa was beige, the end tables were wood, the drapery was brown....I could go on and on....but I think you get the point. There was no visual interest, no focal point to rest your eye and because it was so drab she barely used the room and avoided entertaining guests. How sad is that!
On the opposite side of the drab sofa was this rocking chair and a teeny tiny bookshelf that looked totally non-descript against the half-wall. The living room didn't even have a coffee table except for the small ottoman that matched the sofa. It was all just so matchy-matchy and totally DRAB!!!
This living room was just screaming for colour as it had a big window with lots of light coming through....so that was the plan...turn this living room from drab to fab!!!
And that's exactly what we did!!! (Drum roll please!!!!)
I still gasp from sheer joy every time I see these after photos of the living room. What do you think of the transformation? I think its fresh and clean....and wow....love the blue and green colour palette with creamy white accents.
Now when you walk into the living, your eye is automatically drawn to a focal point - this stunning tufted back gorgeous blue sofa! Here's another shot of this fabulous custom blue velvet sofa -- it is sooooo glamorous!
And because the living room wasn't very wide we chose to go with a glass coffee table which helps give the illusion of more space. We also replaced the large mirror she originally had over the sofa with some canvas art. I always recommend to clients that they place a mirror where they will appreciate the reflection they will be looking at. If the mirror is just reflecting a plain wall (as in this case) then a picture would be a much better utilization of that wall space -- and definitely much prettier to look at.
On the opposite side of the sofa we added 2 custom club chairs in this Polygon inspired patterned fabric to offset the blue velvet sofa.
One of the big changes I recommended to my client was adding in a custom built window seat for a reading nook for her daughters or just a place for her 2 cats to look out the front window. The cushion was also custom made for the window seat in a blue/green woven fabric. The great thing about the window seat is that it allows for extra storage with 3 pull-out drawers for my client to store extra throws, pillows or kids' games. And I just love the white tripod floor lamp and the custom faux roman shade in a striped blue and green fabric. We added Hunter Douglas Pirouette Shades to the window to allow for privacy in the evening.
Here`s a close-up of the window seat with its seat cushion and that adorable Owl ceramic stool from Urban Barn.
I always use fresh flowers as one of my go-to styling props for client projects. It always injects a burst of colour and tulips are one of my favourite flowers to use next to hydrangeas.
