Room Re-Fresh

A client called me over to lay a fresh set of eyes on a couple areas in her home. She said to me "I don't know... I think maybe I've lost my way." Her statement really resonated with me because isn't that the truth?! I think we all have felt that before. We live in our homes doing our 'every day routine' and we become numb to our surroundings. We acquire decorative items from different places, and before we know it- our room looks a little miss-matched or just not how we want it.

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Sometimes you just need a re-fresh! A re-fresh doesn't mean you need to buy all new things, either. Sometimes you just need to re-think how you're using your existing items. The first thing I like to do in a room is take away all the "stuff". Take pictures off the wall, and clear off all your surfaces. Now, take another look at your room. Do you still like your paint colors? Which walls could support hanging decor on them? Can you take some of your existing wall decor and hang them together in a cluster instead of spread out on each wall? (Note- not every wall needs you to hang a picture on it!) Could you simplify the frames and "what-not's" on your surfaces and replace them with a large tray that could hold only a sprinkling of those items instead?

At this clients house we did not need to change paint colors, flooring or any furniture. We were able to transform the look in her master bedroom, dining room, fireplace and outdoor living space with only updating her accessories.

Below are pictures I took on my first visit, the design boards I used to help the client visualize how I saw the rooms changing, and pictures of the final project.

Master Bedroom-

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This bedroom had lots beautiful features already. A tray ceiling, a one-of-a-kind torn paper wall covering on the wall behind the bed, and lots of natural light.

The client had a vision for the room in mind, and asked me to help them bring a taste of their favorite Hawaiian Island into the bedroom. New bedding and decor would be all we needed.

Hawaiian Island- Master Bedroom

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Bedding-

Yes- you see TWO duvets in this design board. Your bed is the biggest feature in your bedroom- your #1 focal point. You need to make it full and luscious. To achieve that cozy look, I don't skimp on covers and pillows. I chose these two duvets in a linen material to give that island vibe and also for durability. I laid the duvet lightest in color first, and layered with the deeper shade duvet on top.

Euro pillows are essential on the bed as you layer your pillows. Here I went with 2, 24" x 24" and stacked on the pillows used to sleep with, 4 standard pillow shams and 3 decorative pillows the homeowners have collected from their trips to Hawaii.

Decor-

I replaced a framed photograph that used to hang above the bed with a giant handwoven, banana leaf wall basket. I needed to bulk up the piece we hung here to help anchor the bed to the wall it was against. This wall basket is absolutely the perfect thing at just about 27" in diameter, and full of tropical feels.

The next thing we changed were the bedside lamps. These needed a bigger presence as well and we found these awesome lamps with a woven jute-like appearance and a natural shade.

Greens- what's a Hawaiian oasis without any foliage?! We brought in a 4' tall artificial monstera plant, stuck it inside a belly basket and added in some small greens on the bedside tables.

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The Dining Room-

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Before-

In the dining room, the homeowner was ready to retire the floral arrangements she had flanking the window. We took those out and brought in new wall decor including a clock and 2 metallic leaf pieces in their place.

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Fireplace-

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Before-

The fireplace just needed a little accessory change-up. We started by clearing the mantle and hearth and decided to really scale back on the amount of decor used.

Minimalist-minded Fireplace

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Decor-

Flowing greens look beautiful and soft spilling over the edge, bridging the gap between the mantle and hearth.

We replaced the 3 ceramic bulb style candle holders with 6 sleek metal taper candle holders for more of a minimalist look.

To cozy up the look a little, we sat a woven basket on the hearth and filled it with a beautiful throw blanket and pillows.

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Outdoor Living Space

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Before-

The outdoor living space is incredible on its own. We just softened it up with some maintenance free artificial plants and an area rug.

"Soft" Patio Details-

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Rug- Adding an outdoor rug to the patio cozy-d up the space. When choosing an outdoor rug, be sure to check the material the rug is made of. Never purchase anything with other fibers beside polypropylene. Polypropylene is the easiest to care for/clean for your outdoor uses. In fact- you can clean a polypropylene rug with bleach and not worry about taking out the color.

Artificial Plants- In conjunction with our flowering live plants, we added in UV Resistant artificial cypress shrubs. Shrubs are nice substantial plants to have in planters and if you get artificial ones- you never have to worry about them drying up and dying (which happens very easily with potted shrubs)

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