An Exciting Before and After You Have to See!

I love making what was a formal living room a LIVING room. You know that room at the front of your house where your grandmother had plastic on the furniture, the room that you never use? I say let’s use it! I’m starting a new movement, NO unused rooms in your house! Why have a space that you don’t use? Let’s make it one you can use! Whether you have a family room or not, you can use that formal living room as either a second family room, or a game room, or a reading room… Think about what you need space for. What do you often wish you had room for? Make your formal living room for THAT! This past blog shows you exactly what we mean about not being afraid to use your living room for what you USE it for.

That said, it can be a challenge for you to furnish your family room because everyone uses their family room differently, and each family member has different likes and dislikes in terms of both taste and comfort. That’s why I LOVE working on them! It’s our opportunity to really get to know you and your family, your likes and dislikes and how you want to spend your free time. That’s why they’re my favorite room to design, furnish and decorate, and we do a lot of them! It’s fun to choose a little something for everyone in the family to create a true FAMILY room.
This living room in Palmer, Massachusetts hadn’t seen new furniture or decor since the 90’s and the homeowner was dreaming of a clean, updated look. Let me show you how that dream came to life.

One day I logged into my email and I saw that someone had booked a free phone call with me. Awesome! She clicked on my website services page and booked the free call. We had a little fifteen minute conversation and chatted about what she had in mind, how we work and how we could help her get the look she was dreaming about.
We emailed her the link to book her Consultation and she simply clicked and booked her Consult at a convenient time for her.

As always, at our initial consultation, I asked tons of questions. It’s our job to find out who uses the space, what they use it for, if they need more light for reading, if they watch TV, or if they just like to hang out by the fireplace, etc.
What do they specifically like to use the room for? What’s it’s function? And what are their specific needs?
Maybe the husband is six feet tall and needs a high-back chair.
Maybe the grandkids like to wrestle and there shouldn’t be sharp edges to hit their head on.
Do they like to sit with their feet up under them or do they like to put their feet up on an ottoman?
We get right into the nitty gritty in order to find out all of that information, so that we can take it back with us and come up with a plan. I also bring fabrics and pictures of different styles of furniture to figure out their taste. We measure the room and take photos for reference, and to have some “before” photos.

At this Consult she told us that the only thing they were using in the room were the two tiny chairs and the TV. They weren’t using their sofa and do you see where the coffee table is? They move it because of the sharp edges and their grandkids. In addition to the function of the room, the room hadn’t been decorated or updated since the 90’s – it was time.

It was time for a grown up, more modern room. They weren’t sure what new furniture to buy, where to buy quality pieces, what other accessories they needed and how to put it all together. They needed a plan. That’s where we came in! The made their deposit and we were off and running.

Back at the office, we use our designer resources to find personalized, comfortable furniture and accessories to furnish the room. We spend some time choosing and designing the best products for the client and their budget. We draw up a floor plan to make sure all of the furniture fits and works well. Then we create a mood board, like the one below, with all of the furniture, decor and even the paint color to give them an idea of what the room will look like.

It’s difficult for most people to see the big picture, so this really helps give our clients a visual.

We then get back together with the client for the big design presentation!
We show the client the mood board, all of the upholstery and drapery fabrics, the rug sample and the floor plan.
We walk them through exactly why we chose each piece and how each piece works together in the space.
From there, the client has the opportunity to approve the plan or request any revisions.
This client happened to approve it all! She signed off, made her payment and we were able to start ordering and tracking the items.

In the meantime, the painter went in and painted the room so that it was ready before install day.

So, this may sound like a fairy tale but here’s a little dose of reality. The black fabric that’s on the chairs and is also the sofa’s contrasting welt was backordered. It happens all the time in custom furniture and it can be super frustrating! Luckily, this client was uber patient and after a four week delay we FINALLY had everything ready to go at the warehouse.

We scheduled our delivery, scheduled the drapery and art installer and the photographer (we like to photograph immediately after install so that our clients can get right to LIVING in their room ASAP!) Big shout out to On 3 Photography!
We asked the client if we could install during the day while they were at work. And the plan was set.
They would leave for work in the morning and they would come home to their brand new room!
Some clients like to have that big HGTV reveal moment, on camera and everything.
Some clients like to see their room on their own for the first time.
We’re happy to do whatever they’re comfortable with.

We really do have fun on install day!

It worked out perfectly and the clients didn’t have to lift a finger. We took care of the whole process. No cardboard or foam for them to dispose of, because none of it got delivered to their house before that day! We got there late morning and were done by dinner time. They came home to a beautiful new room! They were so happy to have a clean, modern, comfortable new space that they dreamed of to relax and unwind in.

And we were happy to provide them with that space!
In fact, we’re helping them with their next room project now…stay tuned.
And if you need more info about how to arrange your family room, check out this blog post.

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