I recently worked on a project in Westchester, NY and am finally posting some photos! My clients have a beautiful home with a ton of natural light, huge windows and a nice neutral palette to work with. I was asked to help them make it feel more like home by adding in family photos, colors, textures, and a few pieces of furniture.
Here are some “BEFORE” photos:

The color palette I came up with was inspired by the stone fireplace pictured above. I pulled colors that I saw in the stones and incorporated them into the pillows, throw and large ottoman in the middle of the room. When selecting photos for the gallery wall behind the sofa I also kept these colors in mind so that they coordinated well with the rest of the room.

And “AFTER” photos:

The primary goals for this great room were to make it more functional, and to create a softness and hominess that would be inviting for the family and for guests when my clients entertain. To accomplish these goals the first step was to create more balance in the room with properly scaled furniture.

The coffee table was a key focus – the scale was off, it was a dark brown wood like all of the other furniture in the room, and it had sharp corners that their toddler kept hitting his head on. So, to replace it, I designed an ottoman that is the perfect size for the sofa so that you can put your feet up or a drink down from anywhere you are seated. My client’s son can lean up against it and put his books and toys on the ledge, the recessed tray in the middle can be removed easily for cleaning. There are hidden casters underneath the ottoman so that with a little effort it can be moved if necessary. I chose to upholster it with a vinyl instead of leather because a) it was much more affordable and b) it is so easy to clean! We picked a color that complemented tones in the stone and worked nicely with the sofa and rug colors. It creates a soft and soothing feeling in the room and really grounds the large gray sectional in the room.

I also added a nice variety of pillows that incorporated different colors, textures and sizes to create depth and dimension on the gray sofa. Behind the sofa I designed a gallery wall of family photos that fill the space nicely.

In the pictures below you can see another gallery wall I designed that is about 8 feet by 12 feet spanning an entire wall at the top of a grand, spiral staircase. This is a great way to feature special photos and do something creative and artful without spending a lot of money on large, expensive paintings.