Hi there! It's so nice to be back behind the keyboard. I've been away from the blog for a little while working on some very exciting projects. I have lots of new online designs to share and also a few dramatic room makeover reveals! Now that these projects are complete, I can get back to blogging about them! Starting today...I recently completed a "Re-Fresh" of the main level of my own home. What is the difference between and room makeover and a re-fresh? As opposed to a full blown room makeover, a re-fresh is a way to give a space a new look with just a few tweaks.
I was able to give my home a fresh, new, style for spring with only five simple changes.
Take a look...
After a long, cold, Michigan winter, my living room requested some bright, cheerful color. I obliged by bringing in a new area rug. This singular change instantly livened up our space. Adding this rug felt like a breath of fresh, spring air.
I fell in love with this rug so much that I added it to my shop. I'll warn you thought, there is a limited quantity available so it's at a high sell out risk...
To allow as much of the beautiful new rug to show as possible, I switched out our large, black, heavy, wooden coffee table for a lighter, smaller scale, glass top table. This coffee table has been in our storage area since we were first married. It belonged to my husbands Great-Grandmother. It's nice to have this piece of his family history in our family room, not to mention I am in love with the way it looks.
To complement the new rug, I added a few apple green toss pillows to the sofa's and chair. These beautiful, linen pillows are simple in design, yet they add so much to the space. The injection of color is just what our white, slip-covered sofa's needed. The solid green linen pillows provided a nice break from the patterns found in the zebra print chair and striped toss pillows.
These pillows are the PERFECT companion to the new rug! If you would like to purchase a set, they are available in my shop along with the rug for a limited time...
Speaking of taking a break in pattern...the next element that I changed up was the drapery. Over the last few years, I've enjoyed my DIY Bold Striped Drapes in this space. When I started this re-fresh, I decided it was time for a change. Something a little simpler in design would allow my new rug to be the star of the show. A tutorial on my new black and white DIY No-Sew Color Block Drapes will be coming soon. You won't believe how easy and how budget friendly these were to make!
The fifth and final change I made in this Re-Fresh was a new paint color, Sherwin Williams "Anonymous". It's a dramatic, deep, moody gray. I love how it provides contrast to all of the white in the space. This is a great example of how a dark wall color doesn't always make a space feel darker. It can actually have the opposite effect by highlighting the lighter elements in the room.
Since we have an open concept floor plan, I carried the same "Anonymous" wall color throughout most of the main level. In the kitchen, this color really showcases our painted cabinetry. I added a smaller version of the rug in the living room to the kitchen as well. This really helps to tie the two spaces together.
This little area rug had a big impact in our small kitchen. The bright, apple green color and large scale pattern brought a ton of personality and energy to the space. At the tail end of a long Michigan winter, I'll take a littler energy anywhere I can get it.
This rug is a great choice for a kitchen for a few reasons. The first reason is that it is 100% wool. Wool is naturally stain resistant. The second reason this rug is great for a busy family kitchen, is that it's reversible! It looks exactly the same on both sides.
This rug is available in many sizes, I found the 3'6" x 5'6" rectangle to fit the best in my space. To see the other size options available, please click here...
With just five changes; fresh paint, new rugs, new "old" coffee table, new toss pillows and new DIY drapes, our main level has a fresh new look for spring...
If you would like to bring this look home, here are some of the product sources:
Rugs~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection
Green Pillows~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection
Striped Pillows~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection
Potted Boxwood~The Yellow Cape Cod Collection
Zebra Print Upholstery Fabric~Hobby Lobby
Garden Stools~Sams Club
Sofa Slipcovers~Sure Fit
Entertainment/TV Cabinet~Ethan Allen
Hall Tree~Ballard Designs
Monogram and Silhouettes~DIY Projects
Gold Orbs~West Elm
Lanterns~VCF.com
Wall Color~Sherwin Williams Anonymous
Coffee Table~Family Heirloom
*I'm now available for new online design projects. Please click here for more info.
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