Castro

Solution:

We started in the living room, the floral couch and bulky end tables needed to go, as did the mauve chair and oriental rug. Charlotte was smart and sold them, adding money to the décor kitty. The window blinds gave off an industrial feel, and we agreed that dressy window treatments would go a long way, and we found nice options at Lowe’s. The walls were crying for artwork, and with a trip to the attic we found antique mirrors and a lovely Chris Baker painting. The white arm chair, café table and antique lamps made the cut and stayed, but we upgraded the lamp shades.

With the large windows in the living room the furniture configuration was tricky. We set on an L-shaped sectional that was smaller-scaled in a nice neutral beige color. This serves as couch and arm chair in one, where space it tight. Woven rugs gave the space a natural feel and modernized the look. We matched the style of the existing café table and added two small rectangular end tables. We bought a new ottoman, but the material was blah, but Mindy Doan, a local reupholster had the perfect graphic fabric to pull the entire look together. An array of designer pillows & luxury couch throws brought it to eleven.

Next up was the dining room. Charlotte sold her oak set and purchased a pub-style chocolate brown high top. The metal stools that were too large for the kitchen breakfast nook found their place at the new table, and smaller contemporary stools were purchased to take their place. We bought another woven rug, same as the living room, and it made the two rooms talk and look bigger from the long view. We then installed circular molding around the chandelier and elegant shades that matched the living room lamps. More wonderful artwork came out of the attic and we were cooking with gas.

The kitchen was now due. The walnut cabinets were in good shape, they just needed another coat of stain and updated hardware. We switched out a fluorescent box light for a track light, and installed a recessed light over the sink. New flooring, that looked like slate came next, then new wall colors to make the counter top work, and more elegant window treatments to soften the look. Now the entire downstairs flows beautifully from room to room. This project was such a pleasure to work on, and Charlotte so deserved it!