Before & After: Living Room Goes From Blah to Bright
See how a designer helps her client surprise his wife with a living room transformation for her birthday
It’s not everyday you get to see a metamorphosis that makes you go “OMG, how in the world did that happen!”. One such transformation that hit the right spot was this living room’s makeover. Take a look …
After
With the family’s personality in mind, Caan filled the room with colour and energy, and lots of places to sit.
Bold wall paint
Caan says there are usually two reasons she’ll choose to cover an entire room in a bold paint colour, one being if the architecture of the room is underwhelming. Painting the walls, crown moulding and mantel the same colour can conceal instead of accentuate. “It’s a good trick to hide things in a room,” she says.
The other reason is to create a more cohesive look. “When you use a lot of colour on projects, it automatically gets a little busy,” Caan says. Both reasons applied to this room.
Check out these stunning drawing room colour combos
With the family’s personality in mind, Caan filled the room with colour and energy, and lots of places to sit.
Bold wall paint
Caan says there are usually two reasons she’ll choose to cover an entire room in a bold paint colour, one being if the architecture of the room is underwhelming. Painting the walls, crown moulding and mantel the same colour can conceal instead of accentuate. “It’s a good trick to hide things in a room,” she says.
The other reason is to create a more cohesive look. “When you use a lot of colour on projects, it automatically gets a little busy,” Caan says. Both reasons applied to this room.
Check out these stunning drawing room colour combos
Before
Because the bar area was already part of the room and complemented the family’s social nature, Caan and her team wanted to jazz up the space and give it more prominence.
Take a look at 8 popular ideas for home bars
Because the bar area was already part of the room and complemented the family’s social nature, Caan and her team wanted to jazz up the space and give it more prominence.
Take a look at 8 popular ideas for home bars
After
The family gets the same function from the bar space, but it feels more connected to the rest of the room thanks to the blue paint.
Pro tip
Caan says a bar area in the den or living room isn’t for everyone. “It’s definitely a personality thing,” she says. “They entertain a lot, so it makes sense for them.” Caan says if a bar area doesn’t match your needs or personality, you could remove it from your design.
The family gets the same function from the bar space, but it feels more connected to the rest of the room thanks to the blue paint.
Pro tip
Caan says a bar area in the den or living room isn’t for everyone. “It’s definitely a personality thing,” she says. “They entertain a lot, so it makes sense for them.” Caan says if a bar area doesn’t match your needs or personality, you could remove it from your design.
Biggest challenge
Working quickly on the four-day timeline was the biggest challenge for Caan and her team.
Knowing that the room would see a lot of traffic, Caan splurged on the dark wool rug. For furniture, the team focused on retail pieces and what they could find in stock.
“It was whatever we could get quickly,” Caan says. “We had to buy floor models and get what was readily available. It forced us to get really creative with some of our resources and how we were able to acquire the things we needed in such a short amount of time and on a budget.”
Here’s how to bring a patterned rug into your living room
Working quickly on the four-day timeline was the biggest challenge for Caan and her team.
Knowing that the room would see a lot of traffic, Caan splurged on the dark wool rug. For furniture, the team focused on retail pieces and what they could find in stock.
“It was whatever we could get quickly,” Caan says. “We had to buy floor models and get what was readily available. It forced us to get really creative with some of our resources and how we were able to acquire the things we needed in such a short amount of time and on a budget.”
Here’s how to bring a patterned rug into your living room
Colour picks
Caan’s advice for incorporating multiple colours in a room is to keep proportions in mind. She intentionally kept colour off the floor and window treatments to balance out the room.
“That gave me the contrast I needed,” she says. “With another colour on the floor or on the curtains I felt that the room was going to get oversaturated.”
Caan’s advice for incorporating multiple colours in a room is to keep proportions in mind. She intentionally kept colour off the floor and window treatments to balance out the room.
“That gave me the contrast I needed,” she says. “With another colour on the floor or on the curtains I felt that the room was going to get oversaturated.”
While she’s proud of meeting the tight deadline, it was the family’s response that was especially satisfying. The room quickly became the wife’s favourite part of the entire remodelling project. Caan loves that the space has become a comfy retreat for everyone.
“It’s a happy space, and it feels like the family,” Caan says.
Read more:
15 Beautiful Living Rooms on Houzz India
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this living room’s transformation? Tell us in the Comments below.
“It’s a happy space, and it feels like the family,” Caan says.
Read more:
15 Beautiful Living Rooms on Houzz India
Tell us:
What did you like the most about this living room’s transformation? Tell us in the Comments below.
Living Room at a Glance
Who lives here: An active family of six
Location: Wellesley, Massachusetts
Designer: Liz Caan, owner of Liz Caan & Co.
The client approached designer Liz Caan with a challenge: Transform the family’s living room as a surprise for his wife’s birthday.
This makeover was part of a larger home remodelling project that was going to take about six months. While the wife knew other rooms were being redone, this one would be a surprise. So while the couple went away for a four-day birthday weekend trip, Caan and her design team got to work.
Goals
The family of six and their pets, including Piggy, seen here, congregate in this room to watch TV and movies. Caan wanted to make it a comfortable and fun hangout space for the whole family.