A few before and after's of a living room I did this year. The house wasn't in great repair, the floors were badly scuffed and worn down, the electrical had to be re-done which meant all new lighting, and the room needed to be painted. ...
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DEB'S TOP THREE: BARSTOOLS
Buying bar stools for your kitchen can take some thought. The style should be in line with the look of your kitchen and there are a lot of different stools available. Also, the function and comfort are very important depending on how you use the space – for example, is this an area where people will be sitting for hours or is it a temporary perch. Another important element is the overall height required; they come in two sizes: counter height to fit a 36" standard counter or bar height, to fit a higher counter.
You'll want to think about other functional aspects: do you want a back or arms on the stools? Do you want fabric or leather seats or something more durable with wood or metal? Do you want a modern look or something traditional?
Here are three classic and stylish options.
1. Tolix stool from Design Within Reach
2. Vienna black stool from Crate & Barrel
3. Bentwood counter stool from West Elm
SMALL SPACE SOLUTION: DIY SOFA WITH STORAGE
This is a small space solution, that can also work if you're in a home and looking for a multi-purpose sofa/bed/storage. When I was designing this small space above, I was looking for a way to incorporate those three elements. There are options out there you can purchase, but I didn't want to commit to keeping a piece of furniture there, I was looking for more flexibility to be able to easily move things around or change items. So I came up with the idea you see above. I used some Ikea cabinets to create a base, so there was storage, and I topped these cabinets with a board. I then made a custom foam mattress to fit on the board and covered that with linen fabric. I had looked at many of these ideas online before I came up with this idea. These were a few in my inspiration file.
So used 3 of these cabinets from Ikea as the base, to use for storage:
And here is how it all looked finished. For the purposes of the photo shoot I covered the white fronts with a piece of black fabric, creating the look of a skirt around the base.
DEB'S TOP THREE: BEDS!
Having the right type of bed can really make the room. A bed frame or headboard really isn’t necessary, but it does certainly add a finished look to any room.
Here are a few of my faves!
1. RH slipcover – this would be the one I’d get today! I love the versatility that a slip cover gives you. You could change the fabric on this and totally change the look of your bedroom décor.
3. A more modern low bed is the Matera from Design Within Reach. The walnut wood looks great and the fact that It has storage on the sides makes it very functional.
OUTDOOR RUG FOR A BOATHOUSE ON THE SEA
One project I'm working on is a beautiful boat house right on the Atlantic Ocean. The space is part of a large dock and will be well used by boaters, swimmers and those looking for some breathtaking scenery while lounging. The views are incredible! I'm doing a slipcovered sofa in a blue outdoor fabric, this will help with the wear & tear, it can with stand the salt water and can be taken off at the end of the season to be cleaned.
On the floor we'll go with a gorgeous outdoor rug. Here are a couple of outdoor rugs I'm considering from Capel Rugs (we sell this line if you're interested – get in touch). Can't wait to see this one all come together!
