Finishing Touches

Almost a year and a half ago my client-turned-friend Tami contacted me asking for help with styling the home she was about to move into. I helped her set up her playroom for her kids and a few months ago they had finished a big renovation on the house and now wanted help to finish styling it and making it feel more like home. In many ways it was a completely blank slate other than sofas and some beautiful pieces they had custom made, like the coffee table, end table, and desk. So, working together, we filled in the gaps. The night I was finishing up everything, Tami's four year old ran around looking at everything I had done and asked me to "Do it again! Do more!" like I was a magician, and it was one of the best compliments I have ever received. There were quite a few rooms we worked on. Let's start with the living room. Tami and her husband, Matt, wanted to keep the two sofas and they had the beautiful coffee table and end table made custom.  

Before:

We added a rug, lamp, plants, pillows and accessories. Tami and Matt wanted to add in some colour. They loved the colours mustard yellow, navy, and purple, so we added them in with the pillows, throws and accessories. The pops of colours really made the rooms feel cheerful and inviting. I moved some of the furniture around so that the room was a bit more balanced and I styled the accessories.

After:

After:

I also painted a console table they put in their office. I had some leftover paint and a large tray. I thought I would paint the tray and see if it would work for the living room's coffee table. Their coffee table is even more gorgeous in person. Adding a tray makes the styling neat and purposeful.

After:

Some friends had a garage sale and they had all of these amazing plants for sale so I scooped them up for Tami. They breathed so much life into the space.  

After:

The next area is the old dining room that they turned into an office. It is also a thoroughfare into the kitchen so they wanted to keep it open and feeling spacious. It had an empty wall so I suggested a console table with a grid of family photos. 

Before:

After:

The really cool thing about working with my clients is that I love being able to give them things that I have gotten for free. These picture frames are a really good example. One of my friends had hundreds of picture frames that they just waned to get rid of and she gave them to me. So I was able to pass them on to Tami. The family pictures add a personal touch and a great graphic punch. Tami wanted to bring in the colour from the living room somehow so I suggested we paint the console a mustard colour. This console came from Wayfair and I painted it the mustard yellow.

Before:

After:

They also have a small playroom/library off of their kitchen. They knew they wanted to keep it mostly open space for the kids to play, so I suggested adding a reading chair, rug, and table/lamp. I styled the bookshelf and moved the board games to the cupboard. Tami and Matt keep all the kids' toys in the cupboards and now the kids can reach their boardgames too. When I left, their daughter was already on the rug playing with the board games.  

Before:

After:

We were looking for a chair and I had seen this stunning chair from Cottswood Clearance Centre. It was $500, but the quality is amazing and it's so beautiful. It will definitely last them for years and years. Tami and Matt already owned these colourful paintings.

Before:

Moving on to the entryway. They have a wonderful spacious entryway so I added a bench, mirror and rug. Just enough to give people a seat to use to put on shoes and check themselves when they leave the house.

Before:

After:

The last place I touched was their master bathroom. I wish I had a before picture but I forgot to take one.  It was just a blank slate and I added plants and accessories. Tami really likes clean spaces and she would rather have less than more. So just a few touches turned her bath into a spa-like retreat. I just loved the way a few items made the space feel so inviting.

After:

I love working with Tami and she has become a wonderful friend. I loved helping her and her husband make their space feel special and finished. Tami and Matt's house is a really good example of how styling and adding some key pieces can make a huge impact on your space. Thank you, Tami and Matt, for trusting me with your home.