Artsy Decatur

I have my clients do a lot of work on the front end to show me what they love. Usually, they have a board on Pinterest or they have collected dream rooms on Houzz. This client let her entire family collaborate on a Pinterest board for the dining room she wanted me to design -- a fun activity that resulted in a wide range of styles. We ended up keeping the basics neutral but full of texture (i.e., rustic wood, iron, silk, etc.), contrast, and adding our punch of colors through art. The family that Pinterests together also Art Fairs together -- so we had an amazing collection of colorful and personal art to set off our neutral palette.

Textbook design experience, right? Um. No. No, it was not.

Something just wasn’t right. The room configuration was off. Ideas weren’t popping. I asked her to show me the rest of the house and the tour of the living room/study revealed another oddly shaped room that just wasn’t working for the family.

That’s when it hit me: switch.the.rooms. SWITCH THE ROOMS!

The dining room became the living room, which, because it was open to the kitchen, gave a more open gathering place. The old living room became the new dining room: great space management and a quiet place to work when homework is spread all over the table (because that never happens).

The living room needed new furniture since it was now doubled in size. Some forgotten pieces in the basement produced THIS CHAIR. I had it reupholstered with fabric that looks like it was made for the chair - and now it’s better than new. Yes. Better than new. Switching rooms was THAT magical of a change. Um, you’re welcome.

Then the magical switching of the rooms made everything fall into place.

The existing dining room furniture was refinished for a new life. I added art, beautiful relaxed roman shades, relocated the light fixture from the “old dining room,” and finally added the mirror and accessories for interest. The family plans to add a punchy rug later when funds allow.

And there we go. We switched it all around. Being artsy in Decatur, naturally.