My brother who lives in Seattle, WA, got married last year.  Here is a photo from their wedding- married at the city hall in Positano, Italy. Very lovely!

He and his wife asked for a little help in designing their new home as a wedding gift.  They each have their own style and tastes, but did not really have the time (hello, full time job?) or knowledge (i.e. what size rug, what size sofa) to pull together their new home.

This is really a smart wedding gift.  How many of us made mistakes through out the first few years of home ownership as far as what size items would fit in our new spaces?  Talk about a waste of money.  You were never really happy because your home didn’t look right!

I was going to do the project all via the internet, but was out on the west coast, so I took a trip up their to see their new space for myself.

The picture above is the view from their family room window, and with that, you want to make the space all about taking advantage of the view!

We focused on the family room and dining room (open plan) which is their main living space. I think if you are prioritizing your budget, you should do the rooms you spend the most time in first.

Most of Scott and Brooke’s furniture was an ‘eclectic’ combination of items each of them had acquired over the years, so the look was not very cohesive.  Also, they entertain frequently, so they needed a larger sofa and additional seating.  Furthermore, their ceiling did not have recessed lights (and could not accommodate them) and they needed some more lamp light.

Family Room Before:

Family Room after:

I was very impressed that they were willing to relocate the TV to a different room and use that space to showcase a special piece of art from one of Scott’s college art teachers.

I was also impressed by how open they both were to compromising with me and each other (even when certain pieces had sentimental value- sorry family!). Creating a great space requires give and take on all sides.

Dining room before:

They had already installed this great chandelier, but the table they brought with them to the new home did not fit.  The space really called for a round dining table.  Their new, round table has a leaf, so they can add seating when more than 4 people are eating over.

Dining Room: After

See how great the two rooms look next to each other? Thank you Brooke, for taking such great photos of the finished space.

Note, also, how they went with a neutral color scheme on all the main pieces and are going to gradually add accents of yellow via accessories.  This way, if they change their minds and don’t want yellow any more, they can easily change to red or blue or purple or green without any major investment!

Life feels so much better when your home flows and looks put together.  I hope you enjoyed seeing this space as much as I enjoyed working on it.

I am really lucky to have a brother and sister in law willing to be open to my ideas as well as being interested in learning about my business.   I hope they enjoy their home together for many years to come.