Before we delve into our “Before & After” I wanted to share some great news! Our Design Team had great fun last week at the Austin ASID’s Annual Design Excellence Event (30th year!).
We took home 4 awesome awards, including one of only two special “Best of Show” awards. It was a great reward for everyone’s hard work this year!
And speaking of work, our lovely family in this ‘before & after’ had a crowded breakfast nook that was the daily eating spot for two very young children. It also opened into the playroom/media room (read: often messy) and the homeowner wanted an option to hide away the view into the room.
Before:
The large opening into the game room and tight quarters prohibited the addition of a traditional door. Also, the eating area was a bit tight for a buffet, so the challenge was how to treat that wall.
Additionally, the builder grade light fixture lacked personality and the large windows were missing the opportunity to become a focal point/design feature.
Also, the homeowner wanted to move away from dark, heavy wood to something lighter and brighter.
After:
A large barn door was installed to hide away the game room. Chalkboard paint was used in the exposed area behind the door. The too small light fixture was swapped out for one that makes a statement and the new embroidered fabric valances cover the gap where the blinds fall short of the arch.
The chairs are a light grey leather (‘fog’) for easy maintenance with the kiddos. We skipped a rug due to the children’s ages (a lot of food ends up on the floor!).
For those of you who wonder how we spend our so-called glamorous days ‘behind the scenes’, I thought you would appreciate a shot of Emily and Sarah putting together the fabulous light fixture used in this project…
They were all smiles until they realized they had to hand assemble each sting of beads!
And, here is a shot of our painters completing the chalkboard portion of the wall before the barn door was installed.
Thank goodness our team member, Sarah, is so talented; she hand wrote this sweet message for our family in a chalkboard pen (so much better than dusty chalk!!).
A quick recap: durable furniture, a family fun chalk board, clutter-hiding barn door and untouchable valances and light fixture to add pizzazz. Perfect, family friendly decorating to make a house feel more like a home!