Two Reader / Client Projects

I.  An E-Decorating Project, In Progress

This week I have been working with a client in NYC on her new apartment. It has been SO much fun because we have the exact same taste. Right down to the colorful over-dyed rugs and super modern furniture like I'm doing in my family room. And gold, gold, gold.....lots of it.

Here is what it looks like today:

 

And here is what is coming:

I think it is going to be just gorgeous. This client is letting me show after pictures, so that will hopefully be in several weeks :) I'm SO excited for her.  And one thing I figured out through this project - Manhattan may have it's drawbacks (smaller living space), but the client got to see just about every item in person that I recommended because everything is right there. I'm so jealous.  __________________________ II. Suggestion's For a Reader's Living Room 
A very sweet reader wrote to me a while ago asking what I thought of her living room. It wasn't ever going to be a consulting thing where we do a whole E-Decorating project. She was more just looking for a few quick thoughts because her room was "done" but she wasn't sure if it worked. I love to answer those questions when I can. I don't always have time, and in fact, I let this poor reader wait about two months. So what I decided to do is a sort of an advice post using her room, with permission of course. So kind of like e-decorating, but in a blog post to hopefully give readers more of an idea of what I do. Also, because I know you guys love a good before and after and giving advice :)      Ok, so here is an overview. She is particularly concerned about the sofa size, and has changed it a couple of times. She also wanted general advice.Here is what I would do with this room: 1. New paint2. New rug3. Add bar cart and remove standing lamp4. New pillows
1.  Paint

The red paint here is to match the red in the dining room wallpaper, which is predominantly red.  I would tie in the red from the adjacent dining room through accents (pillows, etc), rather than have both rooms be all red. So, I would paint this room a different color. My taste these days is going toward very light (whites), but this is more of a jewel-toned house, so I'm thinking a medium blue to match the blue in the chair. Something like Ben Moore HC-151, Buckland Blue:
 

2.  Rug. The rug is curved here to mirror a curve in that wall that is not pictured. I hate giving the advice to change it because it was probably expensive, but I think a patterned rug will help balance the bold colors and tie everything in. White rugs are also awfully hard to manage and do better in bedrooms I think.  And the traditional blue rug under the coffee table is waaaaaay to small.  I almost didn't notice it, so I don't think it really adds anything. So I'm thinking an 8x10 or 9x12  rug like this. I like how this one has both the red from the dining room and the blue from the proposed walls in it:

Click to view rug

I also looked at these, but like the one above best. I really like this second one, but only with a different chair - the one in the foreground doesn't work well with it:

  

Sources here, here, and here.

And these if the reds are right:

3.   Bar Cart and Lamp

The sofa is a bit small. But the reader wanted a bar cabinet, so here is what I am thinking. I would add a bart cart to the left of the sofa. I would remove the floor lamp and add a table lamp on the bar cart. That would fill the space better and give the requested storage space. Something like this: 

Sources here, here, and here.

And a gold lamp:

Sources: 1  2  3  4  5  6  

4. Finally, I would use pillows like these: 

So it would be something like this:

This was a challenge for me because I almost never use red. It's not that I don't like it - I like a lot of red rooms. It's just not one of my go-to colors so I have less experience with it. Anyway, I think this would be a good start toward updating and balancing the room, and I hope it helps!

___________________________Here is my favorite sale today: