In case you had not heard, Austin is a boom town and houses are being built all over the place… if the builder can get a permit.  We hear weekly of builder’s and client’s angst about the inability to get a building permit in less than a year!

Hence the popularity of ‘spec’ homes or builder ‘neighborhoods’ where a home buyer can reasonably expect to move into a new home in less than 9 months (versus two years!). We have been blessed with a steady flow clients who buy these homes and call us to help furnish them.

This week and next week I am going to show you two family rooms, one far north of town and one far south.  I am not going to call them ‘before and after’ because technically ‘before’ is just an empty room.

Both homes have very similar open concept floor plans, stylish homeowners and a delayed install of the television, which is pretty funny because that would be the first item my husband would have made arrangements to install!

Today’s blog: the North Austin home.

Before:

An empty shell to decorate.  The homeowner’s previous family room furniture ended up in the media room and we got to plan with a fresh slate.

The one request from the husband had been a leather sectional for comfort and the allergy factor (really bad in Austin). They also were not fans of ‘color’ (we hear that a lot!).  The lady of the house did like a mix of rustic and chic, so you will see some ‘aged’ furniture elements/rough wood mixed with more elegant materials like rich velvet, chrome and a bit of metallic shimmer on the drapery panels.

After:

A soft and soothing neutral palette with a little rustic and a little chic.

And, yes, the TV does go above the painted chest in the corner.  This placement of the TV was a design challenge because it is really further back on the side than would have been ideal.  Another option was to put it above the fireplace, but that is too high and it also then becomes the (undesirable) focal point of the room.

The homeowners said they would not really be watching TV in here (they would instead use the ‘media’ room) and that this room would be primarily for entertaining and reading.  So, they had no problem with the TV in the corner.
The sectional and chair are from our new private label collection and add a modern element to offset the ‘rustic’ accents.  Creamy/grey shades keep the room looking large and airy.

Velvet pillows add texture and take the elegance up a notch.

And, of course, the room would not be complete with out our favorite client gift, our custom monogram throw blanket.  Perfect for cuddling up on the sofa and reading a book!

There you go, a fresh start for a family with three grown children on the north side of town.  Next week. a fresh start for a new family with their first baby due by the holidays!  I can not wait for you to see it!