I was recently in Ohio for my day job, and while I was there, I had some extra time with nothing scheduled. My best friend Amanda (her house tour here) happens to live in the same town I was in, so we decided to work together for the day. Amanda has started her own design business, Surroundings. She does a great job helping her clients freshen up their rooms while working within a reasonable budget. Since I had time on my hands, we decided that we would work together on one of her client’s homes.
Thank goodness Amanda has a minivan because it was packed full of goodies for her client’s house. Everything from rugs, lamps, pictures, etc. were in the van. It was lots of things this girl loves. We had an early morning start and didn’t miss a beat.
The moment we got to the house, we went non-stop. I tried to take some quick before pics so sorry the quality is not that great. This client had a large cozy family room that just needed some little tweaks.
I was a fan of the overhead wood beams because they added a nice detail to the room.
Who doesn’t love a fireplace?
First, let’s start with the mantel. We selected some things from around the house that the client already owned and layered them with mirrors. It is so much fun to work with mirrors because they bring more light in and make rooms feel larger. The pictures stacked on the right of the mantel were previously above the sofa. We agreed they were too small over the sofa, but we loved how the stacked look turned out. Amanda purchased pillows and also some greenery for the coffee table.
The addition of curtains really brought the look home. The client really liked the burlap curtains from Ballards, and I thought they looked stunning in this room. It then had such an inviting and cozy feel and was a great place to be on the sofa and watch a movie with her husband and children. It is hard to see, but we added a red tie to the curtains for a little pop of red.
The corner on the right of the sofa felt a little empty, and one thing I have learned in my decorating classes is there needs to be balance. We found this tree in the foyer and gave it a new home in the family room. While moving the tree, we completely refreshed the foyer, but I forgot to take pictures. Whomp, whomp. Her home is now so welcoming.
Here is another picture of the tree. If you have an empty corner in your house that needs something more, think about adding some greenery in the form of a tree like this. It is something that is inexpensive but might help put the finishing touch to a room.
The dining room was a great size, and I loved their large table. For this room Amanda purchased a rug, buffet table, lamps and other decor items.
The client wanted a gallery wall, and she had more pictures to add. Amanda decided to take them from the dining room wall and put the gallery in the kitchen breakfast nook area. She added some of the children’s artwork and more pictures to the new gallery area.
Adding some larger mirrors to the wall again helps bring in light and make the room seem larger. These are from Ballards.
Simple seasonal touches such as the pumpkins, which the client had, and some candles made a great fall centerpiece for the large table.
We thought adding the rug really softened the room. The buffet table was right at home on the large wall. Overall, we were busy ladies and had so much fun working together and helping someone freshen their home. It’s too bad that we don’t live closer to each other. Thanks Amanda for letting me tag along for the day and to your client for letting me share the lovely home.
Cheers!
