The husband over the telephone: “It’s dark and a little cluttered. JoAnn really wants this for her birthday.”
Later, with the wife in person, in the room: “We know it’s time for an update. We never sit in here anyway.”
Me: (thinking: Be kind) “I like the mantel. But this needs a bit of work. And the fake ficus needs to go.” It looked worse than in this photo.
Wife: “Oh, no Larry won’t go for that.”
Me: (not so nice anymore) “Well, it’s a deal breaker and you are going to have to consolidate some photos in here.”
After…
The Bergere chairs are arranged closer to the fireplace. We bought two linen/cotton slipcovered Comfort love seats from Pottery Barn (on sale), a seagrass rug, a beveled mirror, candle sticks and a garden stool.
The bookcases from Ballard add some architectural interest. I hung their artwork on either side and used her existing accessories on the shelves. The West Elm raffia tray is an easy update for an older coffee table.
But here…had to do it. Beautiful custom linen and cotton pillows by Liana in Ralph Lauren Rimba Ikat and Peter Fasano Chamba.
And with a pretty West Elm throw blanket that matches JoAnn’s eyes.
Happy birthday, JoAnn. Love, Larry.
Please sit in here now.
Also, when I moved things around for Project Design: Gallery Wall, the antique shell prints went into our entrance hall…
The grass cloth mats tie in with the grass cloth fabric on the bench. I like that.
Thanks for visiting.
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