Yesterday I revealed my first reader e-design, taking Ella's living room from this:
to this:
And then I stopped there because I had to go to bed and get to work bright and early the next morning.
Well, now for the rest of the post that should have been one had I not lost it all in my laptop meltdown.
As I summed up yesterday, I took my own direction for creating something feminine with a touch of Paris (please say "Pahree" with me right now in your head to humour me).
I was torn between doing a large scale piece or a gallery on that large wall. After doing up a rendering with a wall of various mirrors, I decided on one large piece. I just found that with all the tufting on the sectional, that the multiple pieces were just too busy and visual clutter for the space.
The art I decided on is called "The Beginning" and is one of my favorite Cocoa and Hearts pieces by Jen Ramos of Made by Girl. I love her abstract art because of the colours she uses. They all just seem so happy to me. Jen's pieces sell quickly, however you can contact her to commision a piece. My suggestion for an easier route is to look up your local art schools and see if any abstract artists are willing to do commissions. Give them your colour scheme and send some ideas their way, and you'll end up with a totally unique, original, local piece of art.
I don't actually have a paint colour name to give you because I created this colour on my computer, however it wouldn't be difficult to have a custom colour mixed to match (I'm hesitant to recommend paint colours anyways, because I know all too well that the natural light/orientation of a room can change the way a paint colour reads rather dramatically, so the way it looks in one home may not be the way it will look somewhere else.) That being said, I think a colour similar to this is perfect for this room. It really brightens up the space yet doesn't commit itself in one significant direction. If you were to ever tire of the pillows and/or decide to switch up the art, you could easily take this room in an entirely different direction.
The Mongolian fur pillows are the ones Ella referenced in her post from Kohl's. The funny thing is, is that before I even read her post, the first thing that popped into my mind was "She needs some fluffy pillows!". Glad we started on the same page!
The yellow scales pillow isn't a cheap find at $80, but of all the pillows I searched through, it was the one that stood out the most to me. The embroidered scales on linen lends a more sophisticated and upscale feel to the room, and every room needs a little bit of panache!
If you're really feeling up to a DIY, you can also try stencilling the scallop design on a ready-made pillow cover. I did this on some outdoor pillows, however it would look 100 times better if you started with the colour of fabric that you want and only stencil on the design, as opposed to painting the entire thing first like I did, and then stencilling. This screen printed pillow on etsy is a great indication of what yours could look like with a little elbow grease!
This patchwork X pillow below is from CCDeuxVie on etsy. The pillows are less of an investment at $50 each, and again, could be sewed or DIY'ed by the willing person.
And last but certainly not least, is the lovely fretwork pillow from Caitlin Wilson Textiles. I love love love her fabrics and pillows! I particularly like the design of this one, because SURPRISE!: you can totally DIY this with some gros grain ribbon.
Every room needs a little sparkle, especially a French-inspired salon! I think the metallic accents really pull the room together and polish it off.
The Ralph Lauren side table I chose is actually so so out of character for me (being that it costs $2000 and all), but I chose it for a very specific reason.
And that reason is..... that it was the easiest to "photoshop" (ok, I didn't use photoshop, but you get the idea) into the rendering. Hey, at least I'm being honest!
Also loving this easy spray paint DIY of a cheapo $34 side table from Target by Sanity and Chaos.
And another unlikely yet convenient pick was this tray from Layla Grace which would only set you back $420. For a tray. That's nothing, right?
Har har har.
It is GREAT inspiration though, and if your local home decor stores don't have something similar, this could be a pretty awesome DIY. Grab a plastic round tray from Wal Mart (under $10), metallic spray paint, and a mirror that either fits perfectly or is cut to size. Stencil on the circular quatrefoil design and paint, and voila! Ok, probably a lot more difficult than it sounds, but boy it would be pretty, and sure wouldn't cost $420!
And lastly, the rug. Oh the rug.
Dear PETA, please avert your eyes right now...
I first laid eyes on this cow hide rug last year in one of the display homes my company designed. It was stunning and I was really surprised by how much it grabbed my attention. Essentially areas of the cow hide are treated with an acid splatter to remove the fur, and then those smooth spots are painted with either gold or silver metallic. It really, really needs to be seen in person to be appreciated, so you have to trust me on this one! I love it so much that one day, one day I intend on just going for it and putting one in my own living room (I've been a vegetarian for the last 20 years or so, so I feel I've saved enough animals to earn one leather piece, no?).
And, here's the finished rendering one last time:
And as they would say over in ol' Paris, " C'est fini!"
Grand Bisou!
Jen