Curating a Collection... Part Two

 If you missed the beginning of this remix... please click here... it is more fun from the beginning.... As we were finishing up the dining and living rooms and the entry hall at my friend Dawn's house we moved quickly into the family room/kitchen spaces...this was a quick redo...mostly done in a weekend!

The entire area was covered in plastic...I am so glad her husband was overseas on a trip...he might have had my head since he works from home!

Painting swatches as we moved through...so many walls and angles were getting painted differently..this helped clarify things for our team of 5 painters...

Here is the fireplace before...

Here is the fireplace after...using all the elements Dawn already had...painting the mirror gold and the inset of the fireplace black gave it all the drama it needed to shine! Dawn found that incredible hearth brass decorative plate and it was perfection at the bottom...adding these kinds of elements are a great way of taking a standard build fireplace in a sophisticated direction!

a wider shot of the before...as we began to paint the entire unit..black in the inset and bright white high gloss paint on all the outside trim...

and after...

Simple elements like a white pot with an aloe plant on the mantle along with a few other similar (but different in height and design) white pots with live green plantings created a modern, clean vignette...

close up...

the white trim makes a BIG difference and makes the black and the existing grass cloth work nicely together...the color prior was a creamy white and not gloss...again tying in the simple palette of white black and green with a few naturals make these spaces speak to each other!

Again, on this side of the house more tables were filled with her collectibles so I could remix items she already owned...

There are two large cabinets/built-ins in the family room and we painted each a very bright white gloss and restyled them...Here is the television unit before...a fauxed grayish white...

and after...


a few close ups...

The finished space...

a wider view of the room...

even wider still...

here is the before of her desk area... and then the close up after...of the side shelves...I forgot to take a picture of the entire unit but it looks so fresh and clean...you'll have to use your imagination on this one!

just near the kitchen we took a few extra pieces of furniture and a rug and made a little seating area...we are looking for a narrow, airy (maybe lucite) yet functional table that can be used for a cute bar...for under the left window...

Dawn had this fabulous antique chest in a closet...now it serves as a fab little side table...

the space is cozy at night too...

one of our favorite finds that we added to her kitchen island is this antique brass scale...swooning...I am it's Godmother...if she decides to part with it...it's coming home to Mama!

I hope you enjoyed the tour...

                        If you still want to view Part One of Curating a Collection...click here.

                               Have a great weekend..it's almost here! XO Emily

Curating a Collection...Part One

My friend Mademoiselle D is a global gal...she was born and grew up in South Africa, lived in Italy, has traveled everywhere...and happens to love design and "objets d'art"...and trust me... she has quite the collection of fab finds...and they keep coming!

Recently she decided she wanted a total redo of her house...a "curated, modern, eclectic, functional" reboot! As her friend and co-design enthusiast I was thrilled when she offered me the chance to just "take over" as she put it...she runs a fabulous store that is getting busier by the minute...and her energy to "take on" a massive redo was understandably waning.

Before I arrived she put everything on tables so I could go "shopping"...I added a few things as well that I had in my "closet"...items that just belonged in her spaces!










She found some super fabulous tall acrylic shelving that became the launching pad for the entire "redo"..which as these things tend to do...keep rolling into space after space. Here are a few recent "before shots" of the different incarnations of her living room and dining room.

My brave friend actually let me pick out all the new paint colors and I opted for bright white and a sophisticated black throughout her spaces...in order to let her collections shine. All of these walls were a butter yellow...here they are with their first coat of new paint...

After...the dining room



after...the living room

A view from the top of her stairs... 

from the entry hall...

A close up of the walls before...

after... taking the same space a bright white...

we found this vintage Lucite, glass and brass coffee table and it worked perfectly in the room...




close ups...

 

We took a table from another part of the house and had it painted white... and Dawn found great knobs to bring out the cool factor...

we moved it into the living room...

 

it now works with some great modern stools/tables that can be used for extra seating or little tables for drinks or small plates in the living room...

the clear shelving was the perfect platform to curate her collection of wonderful things...including this sculpture (below right) that Dawn purchased at an art sale...the piece has wonderful meaning on so many levels...Art is food for the Soul..right? As an added bonus this piece was created by our artist friend Jackie....(who also did the painting above her armoire below). I just LOVE both creations in this space!

Dawn turned her armoire into a functional bar...

One of her favorite pieces is this carved elephant with rider...it weighs a ton and brings a ton of personality to the right spot...as you descend her staircase there are a few ledges...we painted them black for impact and placed these favorite pieces.

it's all in the details...

 

we painted this nook in her stairwell black as well for some extra drama...we are looking for something large in scale (this space is very tall) but until we find that perfect thing...Dawn had this plant and pretty planter and I love the blue, green, white, black combo...we both agree that a huge fig tree would be the right scale and color...that will be on it's way soon...

                                                     the hall before...and after

 

another part of the entry hall...with such an extensive collection of blue and white vessels...she can keep mixing things up with different pieces and greenery...I love the simple freshness!

a wide angle...

The dining room before...

the dining room at night...after

I am in love with this chandy!

 Things are still evolving as they always do and we are still have a few things to do and search for... but we are well on our way ...Ready for Curating a Collection Part Two...as we move on to the family room....click here!

XO Emily