With a family wedding coming up, it was time to freshen up this home. The client is fond of Shabby Chic and French Country styles, and wants the home to be practical. The formal living room was a key space – the homeowner felt it was dark and tired looking. The goal was to lighten up the space in both color and mood, so that it would be just as inviting to guests as the family room and encourage use of the entire home during a planned party. Here’s what the room looked like before:
The Living Room Before
The sofa is a very pretty high-back style, but the cushions were looking a bit flat and the homeowner was tired of the gold color, which was also on the wall. The pattern on the club chair and the red Bergere were in fine condition, but it was time for a change. The beautiful rug was to become the center piece. First, we chose a neutral paint color that’s a much cooler, oyster shade to eliminate the gold and lighten the space. The client decided that tailored slipcovers would add a comfortable linen look that would still be formal enough. The Bergere would be treated to new upholstery with ticking stripe trim and cotton fringe to add a bit of French country charm.
The recovered Bergere has new fringe and charming ticking stripe piping.
The fabric we chose for the sofa slipcover is nubby ivory cotton with woven flax-colored stripes in the style of traditional French textiles.
Our Moselle cotton stripe is railroaded (run sideways) so it can be used on furniture without seaming.
The tailored slipcover follows the pretty shape of the sofa, and plenty of stuffing was added to the cushions so it sits like new again.
The high curved back had tailored pleats and buttons, which we also repeated on the slipcover.
The client pulled this rug out of the closet, and it was perfect for behind the sofa:
The patterned club chair was slipcovered in washed linen, which calmed the space down and let the patterned rugs stand out.
John Linen, our lightly flecked linen/cotton blend, was the perfect color.
The tailored chair slipcover in John Linen.
Finally, we brought a bunch of pillows over to play around with until we found just the right combination. We wanted to pick up the colors of the rug without being too matchy or too busy. Two red linen pillows with a damask print were perfect. We tried several other pillows with them, and unanimously settled on the faded Tree-of-Life floral print. The pale aqua background provided the soft look the client wanted. A khaki and red simple ticking stripe and a blue mini-trellis pattern for the Bergere were the finishing touches.
The perfect pillow mix…
The restored sofa with its beautiful slipcover and pillows.
The finished Living Room
The last item on the wish list was a new piece of art for the wall. I really feel that art is a very personal decision, and it’s such an enjoyable experience to hunt for the right piece. So for now, the wall is empty, waiting for the homeowners to find a wonderful painting together and create a memory they can share. The rest of the room has really come together, and a little bird told me that the new living room was a hit at the party too!
