design plan: kitchen + breakfast room with touches of kelly green

well. HAPPY NEW year!

and, merry christmas. 

i know, i know. i did it again. i took a crazy long break from my blog. but sometimes i just need to disconnect. its good for me. and i don't every want this blog to be a place where i sell you stuff i don't care about, and post a bunch of pictures just to have a post up. 

it's not me.

want to know what IS me?

mixing super affordable stuff with just the right amount of more expensive stuff to get an eclectic, layered room that reflects the personality of whoever lives in the home.

i wanted to start the new year by sharing a few pages for a full room design that i worked on for a friend and client. as with many clients that i work with, my friend is on a budget, and wanted a plan that would allow her to work on the rooms in stages. 

one awesome thing about this client is that she is totally on board for a splurge on designer fabric, which, in my opinion, can quickly elevate a room from "nice" to "fabulous".

here is the plan i came up with for her kitchen and breakfast room:

the floor plan, showing the enlarged island and new cabinetry in the dining area.

i also drew up a very basic model for the new island, which will include a microwave, pull out trash can, seating, and pantry storage.

one of the biggest changes in this space will be the new built-in, which will house a cookbook library, a coffee station, a buffet serving area, and some pull out food trays for the couples beloved pugs.

thanks for hanging in there with me! i know i don't post a ton, but when i do, i hope you find the content meaningful and inspiring.
have a happy, happy monday!

design plan: chinoiserie dining room 2 ways

sometimes even tiny tweaks in a room can yield big results.

here are two plans that i did for an e-design client that contain the same core elements:

*an existing traditional wood table

*matching chairs that will be painted 

*existing set of pagoda mirrors

*existing oil rubbed bronze chandelier that will be painted gold

*new end chairs 

*dark walls + new wainscoting + black ceiling tray

the big difference between the two plans is in the rug and accent fabrics. 

with this plan, an over dyed teal rug is paired with a chartreuse pagoda print and a geometric black/white fabric.

and this plan (which was the final look the homeowners decided on) has a more colorful rug, with fuchsia, eggplant, tangerine and mint. the new accent fabric picks up on the mint in the rug and adds another dose of geometric pattern.

interested in working together to create a more beautiful and functional space?
email me at autumnclemons @yahoo.com to set up a consultation!

an ebay fairytale

(warning: this post is written in third person. i only warn you because i am still bothered by a speech karl malone (an NBA player for the utah jazz) gave over 14 years ago in which he referred to himself in third person the entire time...)

once upon a time there was a designer who loved pretty things. (yep. that would be me.) often, these pretty things were very, very expensive.

sadly, this designer was on a very tight budget. 

however, with some patience, and a knack for finding a bargain, she usually found something pretty for her castle that was also within her budget.

because this designer loved to find high-end items at a fraction of the cost, she often shopped on ebay. one morning, she noticed a lovely chandelier for sale. 

this one to be exact (but without the shades):

but instead of the usual $1000 price tag, the bidding on this beauty was starting at just $100.

"oh!" she exclaimed, "i had my eye on a different chandelier for my dining room, but this one is VERY lovely, and if i can get it for a decent price, i will be very happy indeed!"

the days passed, and she watched the auction with interest. she knew that if she REALLY wanted it, she might have to spend a few hundred dollars, but since the item was located in the kingdom where this designer lived, she could save the shipping fee if she drove and picked it up! plus, she had since grown very fond of this chandelier, and knew it would look perfect in her dining room.

the time for the auction to end was coming to a close...the designer watched with intensity on her magical tablet. (ha! you know you all feel that way about your iphones/ipads at times! admit it!)

with only 15 minutes to go, our heroine was still the high bidder, and the beautiful chandelier was still just over $100...

only 9 minutes to go, and her bid was still the highest!

4 minutes to go, and all is well!

oh no! someone else is trying to snag our designers amazing chandelier with just a few seconds left. evil ebay bandits!
(SO typical.)

oh, HARK!!
what is THIS? has our heroine won the auction??
and for only $211.50?
tis so! all is well! 
(she can be sneaky when it comes to online auctions, that designer...with a little help from auctionsniper.com)

as soon as the designer was able to, she rushed to the nearby warehouse to pick up her beautiful and affordable prize! 

she placed it in her chariot and rode off into the sunset towards her castle.

she unpacked it and oohed and aahed at how pretty and perfect it was!

(and how cheap!)

soon, arrangements were made for the hideous temporary light to be removed, and the new and amazing chandelier to be hung in its place....

and here is the lovely chandelier, hanging proudly in the content and happy designers home:

oh, and just in case you were wondering... the designer lived happily ever after. 

(at least i believe she will!)

so, what do you think? do you believe in fairy tales?
have you ever scored an incredible deal on ebay?
do you think i should write a post on how to shop on ebay for designer goods?
let me know!

design plan: touches of blue dining room

a look at the design board for a dining room i recently worked on:

my client already has a set of pretty vintage chairs that she had reupholstered in the geometric blue fabric, and was wanting to frame some blue agates that she had been collecting, but needed a little guidance on pulling the rest of the room together. 

 at the end of every phone consultation, i get so excited for my client and how great i know their room will look if they follow through with the ideas that we discussed. however, i know that it can still be difficult for some to visualize the room the way it CAN be, and it can be daunting to try and explain how things will look to skeptical partners. "you want to put wallpaper WHERE?!"

*this is actually the design board for a PINTEREST board + phone call consultation that i completed a couple of weeks ago. i am really excited about this new service that i will be offering as an add-on to my current pinterest board + phone call consultation!

from now on, if you opt for my pinterest board + phone call consultation (my most popular service!), the fee to add on a design board will only be $40!

here is what my client had to say:

"Just a quick email to say thank you so much.  I really enjoyed consulting with you and appreciate all of your wonderful insights into designing our rooms... I just want to let you know how valuable I found the experience.

I think I visualize pretty well but I have to admit that it was still very helpful to see the board.  I loved seeing it!  I think even more than me, it helped my husband see what we were focusing upon/leaning toward.  I would say that seeing an actual idea board is reassuring, if that makes sense.  Makes me feel more secure about everything we discussed."

interested in working together to create a more beautiful and functional room?
i am now taking clients for august!
email me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com to set up a consultation!

golden gate dining room: e-design update

ahhh...the magic of e-design! 

remember this room?

well....here it is now:

my client has been VERY busy the last few months, working on the design of this room with me,

ordering all of the elements, overseeing the installation of the wallpaper and wainscoting (and everything else), getting the rug made, taking some amazing photographs for our collage wall, and

....oh, yeah...giving birth to her first baby!  

a few weeks ago, i had the immense pleasure of getting to meet not only

my amazing client, but her sweet husband, her parents, and her d-a-r-l-i-n-g baby boy when they

were in salt lake city. it was the highlight of my july! (well, that AND getting these 

pictures in my inbox!)

what we did:

*new wainscoting was installed on the lower portion of the wall.

*grasscloth wallpaper was added to the upper part of the walls.

*the ceiling was painted a soft mocha color, and a subtle metallic wallpaper was installed in the inner-most tray of the ceiling.

*4 new chairs were added to the existing 6 leather dining chairs.

*new chandelier

*new curtain rods and custom silk drapes

*mirrored buffet added

*new, custom rug was made to fit the long room.

 the items in this room are from a large variety of sources, including ikea, pier 1, west elm, wisteria,

restoration hardware,  and other online retailers. the additions of a few "splurge" items, like the black and cream upholstered chairs,  wallpaper, and great chandelier really elevate this room and give 

it a very high-end look.

this dining room needed to seat a lot of people. my client has large family get togethers several times a

year, and wanted to maximize seating.

she already had the extendable dining table and 6 cream leather chairs. we brought in two larger upholstered chairs for the heads of the table and had them custom upholstered in a graphic cream and black cut velvet. two additional chairs flank the mirrored buffet, and a new grey velvet loveseat (on backorder, but should arrive in the next few weeks) will anchor the wall near the fireplace, and provide even more seating.

the curtains were custom made for us at village workroom, one of my sponsors. as always, i am thrilled with the results!

the curtains are a bronze dupioni silk with a small band of black silk at the top, and a larger band at the bottom. they are SO yummy!

the new rug is a very unique size---approximately 7 feet by 15 feet. we had it cut from a neutral colored,

textured wall to wall carpet and had it bound...this was a fraction of the cost that a truly custom rug would have been!

chairs upholstered in a black wool with a subtle stripe flank the mirrored buffet. eventually, new lamps and a great piece of art will eventually round out this vignette. the larger pillows will go on the new love seat, but the smaller lumbar pillows with the peacock dotted velvet will stay on the striped chairs.

my client and i both agree that one of our favorite elements of the room is the sublte metallic wallpaper we installed in the innermost trey of the ceiling. the soft mocha background and bronze and gold strings of "pearls" really tie the room together and add just the right  hint of sparkle. the pictures really do NOT do this wallpaper justice...it really is GORGEOUS in person.

as i stated in my post yesterday, there are several elements that are yet to be added to the room...but that is the beauty of e-design...you get to pace the design and installation of the room according to your own budget, needs, and timeline. 

classy dining room

i so love the dark grey blue walls paired with the light curtains,
 buttery upholstered chairs, and the ornate mirror and chandelier.
 it's the perfect mix of modern + traditional.
(image)

dining do's part deux

my jaw literally dropped when i

saw this one.

this whole house was stunning...

i am going to post some more pictures of it tomorrow.

i love the coffered ceiling
and the elegant feel of this dining room.

can you believe that wall?

wow.

check out those wide planks!

gorgeous, just gorgeous.

interesting mix of patterns.

love the dark floors and blinds

with the white slip covers and leather chairs.

ticking stripes?

check.

nailhead trim?

check.

great light fixture?

check.

me likey?

check.

like the blue walls 

with the wood and black.

yes, please.

wow, wow!

the architecture is fabulous,

and i love that long bench.

i liked the overall feel of this room,

and thought the gothic arch over

the fireplace was unique.

de--lish.

sophisticated.

love the blue on the back of the chairs.

i wasn't going to scan this,

but the color of the drapes

was just too pretty.

great saturated color on the walls,
and i love the collection of prints.