ORC week2: design plan for grady's grown up bedroom

it is week 2 of the one room challenge, and grady's room is finally getting some love!

before i begin any project, even one in my own home, i like to have a visual design plan for the space.
enter the design board:

so heres the plan for grady's grown up room:

*black walls. (i just started painting, and it looks FANTASTIC!)
*bring up the west elm dresser that has been living in my entry for the last year
*new queen sized bed + mattress
*a bookcase and desk to replace the bench currently on his side wall
*add dark drapes (from ikea!)
*showcase his collection of souvenir pennies with some shadowboxes
*add a lounge chair to give him a cozy seating area for reading and video gaming
*keep everything clean, simple and masculine
*add some art + storage for lacrosse sticks

design boards help envision how patterns, colors and furniture all work together, and act as a motivation to get a room  done! if you would like to see more design boards that i have created for clients, check out my instagram page:

design plan: family room with accents in lime + teal

sometimes, color is just the right addition to perk up a neutral space:

interested in working together?
email me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com to schedule a consultation!

PS: these consultations make amazing christmas gifts! yes....i just said christmas. and it's the first day of october!

THREE design plans: cozy, modern living room, dining + entry

sometimes when i finish working on a design board for a client, i just want to move right into the space! (like these!)
this client already had some great pieces in her living room and dining room, and needed help to make the spaces feel fleshed out and pulled together.
we worked on three spaces during our consultation, and here are the designs i came up with:

interested in working together?

email me and lets get started! (autumnclemons@yahoo.com)

i still have some openings for late september and october!

to see more of my work, and more design boards, click here.

design plan: master bedroom with pillow options

i love the collaboration that takes place with a client during a full room design. this consultation allows for the fine tuning and visual exploration of some options that make a tremendous difference in a room.

after our initial talk, my client and i decided on a basic look for her bedroom:

she wanted to add some more color and see some pillow options, so i pulled together a few ideas:

after looking over the first set of pillow options, my clients decided she was ready for MORE color, using a piece of yellow art in her foyer as inspiration.

here are the second set of ideas i sent her:

we finally settled on a palette of yellows and oranges, with several patterns for a loose, eclectic feel.

here is the final design plan that i presented to my client:

interested in working together to upgrade a room in your home?
my summer schedule is quickly filling up, as i only accept a handful of clients!
email me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com and lets get started!

coastal e-design: ocean winds villa, part 3

i was able to see this project in person for the first time last week, and it was pretty exciting! 

(to see the post on part 1 of this project, click here. to see part 2 of this project click here)

my parents and i spent a few days making some minor changes and adding the last layers to the space. minor changes included rotating and shifting rugs, moving around some art pieces, and adding pillows and accessories. 

the overall feel of the bedrooms was influenced by the art that my parents wanted to use in each space. the art that was selected for the guest bedroom is brighter and a bit more "fun", while the master bedroom has a more sophisticated, muted feel. 

after a LOT of talking and planning, here are the design plans for the 3 sleeping areas:

i will be posting some "after" pictures i took of this project shortly!

and, just to prove that it always looks worse before it looks better, here are some during shots of the work that has been happening at the vila over the last few months:


the biggest change was removing the upper cabinets in the kitchen:
going....

GONE!

the light fixture was replaced.

and all of the furniture and housewares brought in.

the kitchen cabinets before they were painted:

and lots of stuff was unpacked and put in place!

next week i will be sharing the after pictures!
stay tuned.

one room challenge week #2: the design plan + the "B" word

well, even with spring break happening last week, i was able to make a lot of progress on olivia's room.

the most important accomplishment was the fact that we (olivia and i) decided on the overall look of her room!

and what better way to share the design than with a design (or "mood") board! (since i specialize in e-design, it is SO important to be able to create a visual guide for my clients, who are installing and shopping for their spaces on "their own". this design board acts not only as an inspiration tool, but for reference and for motivation!)

here it is:

here is the overall plan for the room:

*bed, dresser and nightstand will stay

*white entry storage piece, and aluminum table will be brought up from the main floor.

*walls will be painted a soft warm neutral tone. i want the room to feel grounded and not too youthful, so i am shying away towards the look of a "colored" wall. i am leaning towards something like this:

(urban sophisticate, benjamin moore)


*the back wall will be alternating stripes of chalkboard and cork board. i am still nailing down sources for the cork, since i would like to avoid tiles. this is going to be the most time consuming project of the room, so my husband got off much easier than he did with my younger daughters room. this is the area that olivia is most excited about!

*revamping the two vintage lamps (new wiring and shades)

*redoing the vintage wing backs (paint them white, add faux croc leather to the front, and stripes to the back)

*add curtains. there will be THREE different fabrics on these curtains. i will be using a band of smaller stripes at the top, thicker stripes at the bottom, and the body of the drape will be the faux bois/zebra print from loom decor.

*new bedding (a simple white duvet, and some new pillows)


*add art, accessories

*new chandelier...ugh. still going around in circles with this one because of the B word.


yah, thats right. 
i said the "B" word. 
BUDGET.

i am saving a ton of money in this room by using existing furniture, and one place that i wanted to splurge a bit was on a new light fixture. the one she has now is darling, BUT, it stopped working several months ago, and i am not really keen on the thought of replacing it with the exact same fixture.

in my dreams, i would love to have something like this:

 (jonathan adler sputnik chandelier )

or, this:

(oly studio pipa bowl chandelier)


or, this:

(circa lighting aerin lauder mill ceiling light)



but COME ON. this is a teenagers room, and i am not a gazillionaire. those fixtures are all in the $1500-3000 range.

time for some budget friendly options.

speaking of budgets...
i already HAVE this light. i bought it to put in my laundry room....(whenever we get around to finishing it!) i like the shape. the size is nice. and did i mention i already have it?

this is the light that i put on the design board, and it may well be the light that is hanging in her room at the end of the day...but i am still considering a few others...

like this one for west elm. it is simple and modern and i like the natural feel that the capiz shells could bring to the room.


(west elm capiz tiered pendant)


i like this one, but olivia isn't too crazy about it:

(Conic 5 Light Chandelier)

this one is also a contender: but is it just me, or are there so many sputnik chandeliers out there that they are starting to lose their edge? (unless you can splurge for a fantastic one, like the above one from jonathan adler) also to consider...i have the chrome z gallerie sputnik chandelier hanging next door in my sons room, and so i think i might want something a little different for olivia's room.


(George Kovacs Pontil 6 Light Chandelier)

i also consderered something with a more organic feel like this:

(uttermost civenna rope pendant)


(links to all of these lights are on the pinterest board that i created in order to brainstorm ideas for this room.)

i am still going around and around about which light to hang. the decision might come down to pure cost. one of the arms in the vintage chair has some damage to the caning, and the estimate to fix it is $120. THEN i have to paint them (one estimate was $90 each, so i think i will tackle that myself), and then the upholstery will cost somewhere around $250-350 per chair. SO, i think i will wait a bit and see how i feel in a week or two.



for my WEEK 1 post, click here.

to see the last one room challenges i completed click here and here.


be sure to follow along and see what the other designers are up to as well!

Jana Bek

Autumn Clemons

Coco+Kelley

The English Room

Vanessa Francis

Greige Design

Hi Sugarplum

I Heart Organizing

Jenna Sue Design

Stephanie Kraus

The Pursuit of Style

Julia Ryan

Savvy Home

Simple Details

Simply Grove

6th Street Design

Jill Sorensen

Swoon Worthy

Waiting on Martha

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman

Trademarked by Calling it Home

see you next week!

design plan: family room with blue abstract art

having an artist as a friend of the family has its perks....in this case, my clients were receiving a large, 2 piece abstract painting as a house warming gift, and wanted to spruce up their family room in preparation.

they wanted to work with a few existing pieces to create a welcoming, family friendly space. here is the design plan that i came up with:

interested in working together?
i am now taking clients for march and april!
email me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com to get started.

design plan: dramatic, neutral living room

this client had an empty, neglected living room that needed some attention. 

here is the design plan i came up with to bring it to life!

interested in working together?
email me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com to get started!

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!