Over the past month or so I have been showing off little tidbits of a project update! You can see the new wallpaper and mongolian fur benches in a past blog post HERE.  Well yesterday,  we delivered another fabulous piece and the space is about 80% complete now! We needed the perfect chair for a fabric that my client was in love with, and since we needed to watch the budget I thought it would be better to find a chair that needed a new home and a little love.

I found this fabulous chair just sitting alone in a corner at Again & Again and it was perfect. The fact that is was white was also perfect and although it was fabulous in turquoise, I knew it would be stunning in my client’s new space. Here are the before and after shots!!

Here are a few of my favorite details shots of the chair and it’s new look!  The Allegra Hicks Dragonfly fabric looks fabulous in the room and brings in just the right amount of graphic pattern for the space!

Last week I shared a few sketches and pictures from a client’s current space that is undergoing an expansion.  I am loving the progress in the additional space that is currently undergoing a major update. I stopped by this past weekend to see the gorgeous wallpaper being installed and also dropped of two pieces for the main lobby (more about that in a bit).

We instantly fell in love with this Jazz wallpaper from Seabrook when we originally designed the space. So when we began to talk about what we were going to do with the additional space, the wallpaper was #1 on the list. The large blank back wall in one of the treatment rooms was screaming for something special!  Here is a look of the wallpaper we installed on the fireplace. This room is going to be the new lobby…we just had to make the fireplace front and center.

Wallpaper on Fireplace | Image Via: Melanie Johnson

Here is the BEFORE & AFTER!  The dingy and icky grey carpet was the first thing to go! A new coat of lavender paint on the walls and a fresh coat of white paint for the trim were next on the to-do list.  Now that the wallpaper is up and and the new wood floors are down, we can bring in the furniture and accessories!

Here is a better look  at the accent wall. I loved the graphic element on the fireplace, but it looks amazing on a full wall! The silver, grey and warm purple pattern create the glamourous feel that my client wants for her space!   From the moment it went up, the room became brighter and instantly felt larger.

And as promised, I wanted to share a few pictures of the white mongolian fur x-benches that were just delivered! They will be accent pieces in the new lobby! My client has been out of town the past few days and I can’t wait to see what she thinks of the x-benches and of course the overhaul in the back treatment room!  We are still waiting on a few custom pieces of furniture and glitzy chandelier to arrive, you know I’ll post pics as soon as they are in!

Recently I have been working on a few projects where the entry of the home is not only the first thing you see, but it is that random blank wall that really does need to find a way to be part of the open floor plan in this case.  I love the challenge and often spend countless hours going back and forth over how to approach the entry so that it not only looks great, but also serves a purpose.

In this case, my client is a busy business man that comes and goes quite a bit and he really need to make the most of his new entry space.  It was essentially destined to become a catch all but it needed to be a fabulous one  After being married to my hubby for almost 5 years, I am starting to understand the basics of how a man thinks about these things. And by things I mean the fancy peacock tray I use to keep my keys & sunglasses (my husband thinks it’s too fragile), the oversized David Hicks pillows on the sofa (always in the way) and then there is the sofa in our sitting room that he calls the funeral home couch. Seriously…I could go on.

But, there is always a silver lining and of course a compromise.  So, today I thought it would be fun to show off my client’s entry. And yes, there were a few discussion had about what was going to eventually go on this entry table.  The compromise in this case…I set it up the way I wanted for the photographs, and he put it back the way he wanted it as soon as I left!

Here it is BEFORE in all of it’s whole lotta nothing going on glory.  It may have stayed like this forever…but of course that was just not an option…

Images Via: Melanie Johnson Photography

I shared a few images of the new barstools we snagged for a client’s new boutique on Instagram a few weeks ago and now they are finished. The boutique has been one of my favorite projects because is glamourous, full of graphics and loaded with gorgeous lighting!!  We found these barstools at a consignment shop, Again & Again here in Dallas and instantly fell in love with them.  In order to help them fit into the look of the boutique, we upholstered them in  a “sequin” vinyl!!! They are stunning don’t ya think?

BEFORE: I love the super sleek chrome base but the sloppy orange fabric had to go…

AFTER:  The vinyl “sequin” patten is the perfect ivory color with a bit of a shimmer! Super durable and super chic!

Today I wanted to share a client’s sitting room and how we made the best of the space. It’s not like they actually entertained in the small room, but since it was the first room off the main entry it needed to be spruced up.  My clients have three little boys so you can imagine the amount of toys that need a place to call home.  We decided to keep the fun lime green sofa and use the train table along with new custom storage ottomans to for a place to keep the kids toys.  I love that we were able to make big changes without spending big bucks. Because of that, we were able to rock out the main family room and master bedroom (more on those rooms another day).

Here was the inspiration for the room.  I wanted to make the green sofa feel more modern and brighten up the room with a new color palette. Turquoise and Lime Green…

BEFORE:

The arrangement didn’t allow for much extra seating and the bold red drapes and dark Khaki/Green walls kept the room from feeling bright, open or a fun place for everyone to hang out together.  The location of the sofa didn’t really work in the space either, but that was going to be an easy fix. My client wanted the room to be a place where her young boys could play with toys, but easily clean up and  covert to a space where they could spend time with friends too.

AFTER:

As planned, we updated the drapes with a simple yet fabulous turquoise fabric from Duralee.  A few fun throw pillows brought in some much needed pattern and bold graphics. A simple fix and they easily updated the feel of the sofa.  I love the pillows in the Nissa leaf pattern from Clarke & Clarke paired with the Katana Jade Pillows too.  But my favorite additions to the room were the custom storage ottomans that housed all of the well loved toys!

So what do you think? I love the way this sitting room came together. Paint, new drapes and a few fun and creative ways to make this space work for everyone is exactly what it needed.  Now play dates will be fun and my clients have a space they can share with their boys and their friends.

All Images Via: Studio Ten 25 & Melanie Johnson Photography

A good friend of mine finally remodeled her master bathroom. So, I wanted to share the before & after pictures that she sent me this weekend.  I love a good before and after, don’t you?

BEFORE: She has been living with that funky corner tub and 80′s wallpaper for quite some time and it was really time for a change. We talked about color, materials and what to do about that tub. At first she thought that leaving the tub would cut cost, but in the long rug she decided to go for it.

And there it goes…one awkward corner tub outta there!

AFTER:  A sleek and monochromatic bath room…and a fabulous chandelier to top it all off! I love that she used the same tile on the floor and as the wainscoting. It makes the small space feel more open and spa like. The claw foot tub is also a better use of space and instantly updates the bathroom.

I am excited to share a bit of good news with you today.  Rebecca Razo did a great feature story on me called “Practical Makeovers” in Beckett Media’s special interest publication KITCHENS issue.  It was great to be included in this issue that’s all about making the best of what you have along with smart and savvy design ideas for your kitchen!

Four of my past kitchen remodel projects are featured in the issue and each one of them shows you BEFORE & AFTER images and how changes from small to large can easily update your space on any budget. Here are shots from the kitchens featured in the magazine that is on stands now through late March 2012!!

Image Via: Melanie Johnson / See more kitchen details HERE

Image Via: Melanie Johnson / See more kitchen details HERE

Image Via: Melanie Johnson / See more kitchen details HERE

Image Via: Melanie Johnson / See more kitchen details HERE

I fell in love with these lacquered dining chairs from my client’s dining room! Once we began to update the adjoining rooms in the house, the existing seat fabric on these chairs just didn’t work anymore.  It was time to bring in a bold pattern and update the gorgeous blue lacquered chairs.

BEFORE: The simple blue and white stripe pattern on the seats but the pattern got lost in the space. But, the shiny blue lacquer finish is still in excellent condition so we based the new color palette around them!

SOON TO BE AFTER: I think we have our favorite fabric selected. I love the embroidered Ikat pattern in the coordinating blue, turquoise and green. Looking forward to showing off the final look in a few weeks!

Before we know it Christmas Day will be here and I had to get a  move on with my decorations.  I loved the way the fall decorations looked in our home so much… that I kept putting off the time to take them down.  I really only focus on two rooms for holiday decorations every year because it tends to get out of hand if I plan on more than that.  Our formal dining room is the first room you see when you enter the front door and it deserves to be spruced up. The main living room is where we spend all of our time so of course it makes the list.

Moving forward, I want to have holiday decorations that transition easily from one season to another.   Using what you have and bring in the seasonal decor to compliment those pieces is the best way to cut cost and minimize packing and unpacking. Today I  will show you how easy it is to use basic pieces that transition easily with a few seasonal changes.  A few weeks ago I posted the details of our Thanksgiving table as well as the fall accents that were added to the fireplace mantle.  Fall leaves, birch planters and accents along with bold fall colors made our home warm and festive for fall and into Thanksgiving.

For Christmas, I replaced the leaves in the grapevine with garland and added extra ornaments for a pop of color and to brighten up the dark area.  All that was left to do was start a fire and hang the stockings!  I loved the way the starburst mirrors and dried plants looked in the vases so I decided to leave them up as well.

Since I did not add decorations to the sofa table or any other accent tables in the living room for fall, I thought I needed to step it up for Christmas. The tree looked so lonely sitting on the backside of the sofa but I didn’t want to go too crazy.  I pulled the two large vases out of the pantry and added more of the left over ornaments to tie in with the tree and mantle.  The red berry trees were a snag from TJ Maxx Homegood and the German Christmas Pyramid was a gift from my parents.

The dining room and sitting room combination have more of a blue and green color palette so I really wanted to play that up.  I removed the fall plants and left all of the birch accents.

Now the mirrored buffet sparkles with touches of white, bronze and touches of pine branches.  I fell in love with Wisteria’s nesting glitter trees.  I used more of the nesting trees on the dining table and mixed in the silver and bronze by using more left over ornaments.

Last week I delivered this yummy chair to my client. It has been sitting in the office for a few days and I could not wait to see it in the space. We are still waiting on the draperies, accent pillows and more artwork to be delivered but I wanted to share this fabulous piece.

The chair was a simple round back with a zebra print fabric that wasn’t going to fit in. The lines, scale and price of the chair were perfect for the master bedroom and with this Osborne & Little  fabric in mind, it was ready to be transformed. It is always a good idea to look for budget furniture pieces to dress up with a “special fabric”.

BEFORE: Blah Blah Zebra

Take  look at the inspiration image that my client sent me. I think we came very close to bringing in the swanky side chair like the inspiration shot!.

AFTER: Turquoise Chic with Osborne & Little’s Monplaisir