Over the past several months, I have had the pleasure of doing some design work on the most amazing home. This home is so different from anything I have ever worked on, and let me tell you – it has been so much fun!
I’ll set the stage a little for you so that you can appreciate how special this property is! The home was built about 20 years ago by a former owner. It is gorgeously tucked away on 26 acres and is surround by pastureland where cows, sheep, and horses graze. The property includes a stream, lovely large trees shading a winding driveway, a separate garage/studio, stables, greenhouse, playhouse, and a gorgeous pool and pool-house. And to top it all off, the main home is surrounded on three sides with the most lovely, huge hydrangeas bushes that bloom like there’s no tomorrow! So you get the pictures, right? It’s a little slice of country heaven.
The current owner, Terri, has lived in the home with her family for about 6 years now. She asked me to help her make the house more “her”. Terri and her husband bought the home fully furnished, so it came with loads and loads of the type of furniture you would expect to find in a 10,000 square foot mountain log home retreat – lots of dark, distressed leather, big heavy tables and chairs, antlers, antique rugs, and lots of dark upholstery. Now, while Terri’s husband is a big fan of this heavy and masculine look, Terri is not quite as enamored with it. She really does love the cozy, warm, country feeling of her home, but she craved some lightness and a brighter, more updated look. She asked me to help her bring some new life to this well-loved home, while still maintaining its country, homey feel. So we got to work!
So far we have only scratched the surface – having almost completed the redecorating of the spacious entry and the very large living room. The sad part of this story is that I didn’t take a single before picture! Can you believe it?! Both Terri and I were just so excited to get to work, that documenting how dark and heavy these spaces were before we started didn’t even cross either of our minds! I can only tell you that it was quite dark and very masculine – think hunting lodge. So you’ll have to use your imagination a little to try to picture this large space before we got to work.
The first thing on the list was to have the clay colored walls painted a very creamy white. After that we replaced the red living room rug with a silvery blue oriental rug. After that we spent some time editing out clutter and excess furniture. Then the real fun began!
Here are the “after” shots of the foyer and living room.
This first shot is the left side of the foyer as you enter the home. We kept the pretty little settee and lovely gold-framed paintings, simply freshening this side up with some pretty pillows.
On the opposite side of the foyer, Terri purchased a beautiful dresser/sideboard. We accessorized it with a nature-inspired bowl, books, and of course, a skull found on the property. Still on the to-do list for the entry – adding some wall sconces on either side of the beautiful painting.
We began the living room refresh by replacing the old burgundy leather sofa with this casually elegant linen sofa by Restoration Hardware. Piling on some colorful pillows helped make this sofa both lovely and comfortable. The angular wooden tray corrals favorite photos and a decorative metal sphere. We also replaced a dark rug with a lighter silvery/gray rug with touches of blue.
The massive fireplace got a facelift with the addition of sculptural vases, baskets, landscape painting and books.
We cozy-ed up the fireplace area by adding some colorful pillows, a lamp, and some greenery.
Careful editing of the living room bookshelves help the family’s most-loved books and treasures stand out.
Now that the living room makeover is just about complete, we’re moving on to the family room, kitchen, and adjacent dining room. We’ve already made a few purchases, and I can’t wait to show you how those spaces come together.
Thanks for stopping by today!