Karin and Perry purchased their house many years ago, when their three children were still small. Many years and many memories later, they are all grown up and have moved out. In fact, when we started working on this project together Karin and Perry were expecting grandchildren.
With this new phase in life, it was time for a make-over in their home. They had already started updating it upstairs by creating a new bathroom. Now they wanted to update the toilet downstairs to match it. Another thing they wanted to do was change the floor. Then, when they also decided to remove the bookcases in the living room, the question arose: what do we do with this empty space?
So, one thing led to another and they hired me to help them make it a cohesive and complete make-over.
New Floor
As I mentioned above, my clients wanted to update the floor. The square white tiles, which had been laid in a diagonal pattern, were no longer to their taste. It wasn’t possible to remove them though, because there is floor heating beneath them. Instead we chose to lay a warm wood-look pvc floor on top of it. It works really well with floor heating.
Wall Colours
There is paneling on the wall, across the entire living and dining room which they wanted to keep. However, they were open to giving it a colour. Because Karin has a great deal of knowledge of colour, we immediately had a good starting point. I used this, and the more vibrant reds and oranges in their decor, to create a mood board which brought the two together in a soft but still colourful palette.
The colour we chose for the panelling is a soft green (Flexa’s Tranquil Dawn) with a matt finish – which gives it a contemporary look. We chose a white for the the ‘tv-wall’, the ceiling and fireplace. We carefully considered which white would suit the palette best and that was white with the colour code F5.03.87.
Colour Swatches
Hereunder you can see the soft pink (colour code D8.06.74) which we applied to the wall behind the new sofa. We had to consider a couple of pink nuances to find the right one. Seeing a colour on a small swatch doesn’t always give you a good representation of how it will be on your wall. We therefore made bigger samples with actual paint, which helped a lot. You can do this yourself by ordering small paint samplers with rollers on them at Flexa. Not only in their own selection of colours but almost any colour if you have the colour code (or name). Make sure to look at a swatch vertically instead of horizontally because the light falls differently on it and that makes a big difference in how a colour is perceived.
The ‘connector colour’ (E0.03.82) is better seen on the pictures of the dining room below. It functions as a bridge between the colours in the living room at one end of the space and the dining room at the other. The new painting above the sofa also serves a similar function, besides calming down the pink and green wall, it is painted in the same style of the more vibrant paintings already in their possession, but softer and toned down.
Comfy Sofa and Chair
The new layout also called for a new sofa. One without a chaise longue, so that there was space for the chair which Perry wanted. Yet Karen also wanted to be able to put her feet up. This sofa, the Busan Bank by Henders & Hazel, is a great solution for this. It has a recliner function which makes it a perfectly ‘lounge-able’ sofa without taking up the footprint permanently.
Gas Fireplace
This is the corner which accelerated the make-over to a next level. They wanted to remove the book cabinet leaving them with an empty corner. They suspected that there may be a flue behind it though, and indeed this was the case. A happy find because they really wanted a fire place!
This is the gas fireplace which we choose at the Warmtestore, a Dru Maestro 105/2 Eco Wave. It is so inspiring and helpful to be able to see so many options at one time in a showroom, and for real as opposed to looking at pictures on the internet. Also being able to make use of expert knowledge of the people who work there, even when you arrive with a design in mind – like we did, because they can help you dot the i’s.
The hearth extension (bottom) is a finely sanded freestone with a finely ‘chiseled edge’ finish giving it a touch of structure. We used the same stone as a top for the t.v. console which is actually two of the same pieces placed side by side, making one long cabinet.
Here you can see a detail photo of the stone slab on the t.v. console. The base of the new lamp looks like stone but at the same time it looks soft to touch. It fits perfectly into the beautiful soft palette.
Curtains and Blinds
Karin and Perry were used to their combination of vertical blinds and curtain panels by the sides of the windows. This had proven to be a winning combination for them and they didn’t want it any other way. Still, they were up for an update and they got new, and softer, textile vertical blinds by Luxaflex. We replaced the reddish/orangey curtain panels with a beautiful soft curtain fabric by Eijffinger, with a subtle herringbone pattern.
Soft Bespoke Rug
I remember one wish as being super important: a soft rug in the living room. It also had to be practical, especially with grandchildren on the way. We chose a rug made of 100% wool because wool is naturally dirt repellent, and soft!
At the showroom of the Vloerkledenwinkel, we saw an original design which we liked a lot. Karen was able to choose the colours herself and even adjust the design a bit so that it would look better for their space.
Dining Room
Karen and Perry had already purchased a new cabinet, table and chairs and the new floor; colours on the walls and new curtains / vertical blinds made it all the more cohesive and a lot warmer. Finally, the new lamp over the dining table, completed the look.
I wish Karen and Perry many wonderful years ahead in their ‘new’ home, and much joy with their grandchildren.