Foyer
Living amidst the corn and soybean fields of northwest Illinois, the closest thing we have to a beach is Lake Michigan. And while that’s actually a close second to coastal living, nothing beats the real thing. If you’re land-locked like we are and crave a coastal retreat, why not bring the beach to you? Interior decorating gives you the chance to live just about anywhere you can possibly imagine, with just a few simple changes to your decor.
A few weeks ago, we finished a decorating project with a couple who had sold their home in Florida to live full time in Illinois. While they hated giving up their southern retreat, the permanent move north made it easier to be closer to family and new grand daughter.
During our initial consultation, it was clear that while they loved their Illinois home, they wanted to create somewhat of a coastal retreat right here in the midwest. Since coastal chic is all the rage right now, it was easy to find a few more accessories and other things we needed to complete the transformation.
But first, we had to address some furniture issues. Our clients had ordered a reclaimed wood table from a local shop. While it was being made, we needed to source new chairs and china cabinet to replace their loved, but outdated, set.
Dining Room Before
Dining Room After
And as it often does, one thing leads to another. New swivel chairs with a bold ikat fabric in the great room asked for a new sofa and coordinating chair. We also needed a larger area rug and additional tabletop to match the scale of the space.
While the new furniture was on order, we picked a new color palette for the walls. We settled on a combination of three different shades of warm gray (Agreeable Grey SW7029, Anew Gray SW7030 and Mega Greige SW7031) to unify the open concept space while accentuating the architecture as well. After the painting was complete, the hardwood floors were given a fresh finish and several new lighting options were installed including a multi-pendant piece from Pottery Barn.
Great Room Before
After several months of shopping, ordering, planning and progress, we were able to bring in all the finishing touches to style and complete the job. New window panels and hardware helped frame and soften the edges of the existing Silhouette™ Roller Shades. Hints of jewel tone teal, chartreuse green and persimmon added the needed punch of color to compliment the client’s swivel chairs giving us our color trio to repeat throughout. We repurposed and restyled almost 100% of the owner’s previous artwork and accessories. Having a talent for photography and an unbridled love of family, we had to work in lots of family and travel photos while adding new artwork making them feel purposeful, artistic and well displayed.
Great Room Before
Great Room After
The Master bedroom was added as the transformation in the other rooms made that adjoining space feel to dissimilar. Painting the old furniture, adding new hardware and bedding and painting the walls made a big difference in the look and feel of the space.
Master Bedroom Before
Master Bedroom After
When all was said and done, it was clear that we’d hit the mark. Renovations of any kind can be stressful and take longer than anyone would hope. But in the end, restyling their beautiful, midwest home while bringing in coastal touches gave this couple a beautiful new look to enjoy for years to come.
From Decor Designs Owner & Chief Creative,