Just before she headed out on maternity leave, Raquel wrapped up this cute breakfast nook for a client we have worked with in the past.

Our homeowner loves the French style and is quite classic/traditional.

BEFORE:

This little nook off the kitchen was the perfect place for a morning cup of coffee, but the homeowner wanted some changes.

The homeowner’s key challenges were:

1. Furniture: The sizing was the biggest issue.  The rectangle table and rectangle rug in the square room seemed out of proportion.  They looked like they were spilling over into the family room.  In addition to sizing, our homeowner has a young daughter at home and wanted easy to clean chair seats that were also comfortable.
2. The shutters were lovely, but when in use the room was dark and had no view to the outside.  She wanted to have an option for window coverings that gave privacy and the ability to keep out the Texas sun, but also allowed the room to remain bright.
3. The light fixture was dated.  But, she did want a large over-scaled fixture, which she got!
4. Light: the room felt dark and heavy, even though the potential was there for it to be light and bright.

AFTER:

Hello brightness!  For the record, the wall paint stayed the same (Benjamin Moore Titanium).

We started with getting the right sized furniture and rug.  This included a round table and a custom cut seagrass rug in a square.  These shapes work with the proportions of the room.

We swapped out the shutters for woven wood shades that can be opened, closed, or left anywhere in between.

We also added drapery panels to flank the french doors.  Many times people wonder if you ‘really’ need drapery panels.  From a designer’s point of view, they make the room complete.  Drapery panels add warmth, personality and the finishing touch that makes a room feel put together.

In addition to the drapery panels, we updated the existing bench cushion and accent pillows.  The bench cushion fabric is woven with several colors which will wear better over time.  We used our homeowner’s favorite colors and patterns for the accent pillows.  

As I mentioned before, our homeowner wanted the light fixture to make a statement.  From a design point of view, we wanted to make sure the fixture helped to keep the room light and airy.  So, we suggested an over-sized ‘lantern’ style light fixture.  We used the brass finish to make the area feel more current.  It also tied in nicely to the frame on her existing painting.

This over-sized light fixture adds bulb lighting to make the room brighter.  Also, the new window treatments let more light into the space.   The white chairs also contribute to the overall brightening of the space.  The zip-off slipcovers make them practical (but not sloppy).

Overall we checked the box on all our client’s functional concerns while still delivering a stylish and cute room!