We are back to reveal more of our Dallas project, this time diving into the main living space of the home. Check out this post to see the entry, office, and guest bedroom and get more background on the project. As a reminder, we did NOT build this home, but were brought on to furnish it and bring the spaces to life.
The open flow of this home’s main living space is incredible. After you walk down the long entry, the house opens into one giant space that holds the kitchen, dining room, living room, and looks out into the backyard. It is anchored by the dark green cabinets in the kitchen on one side, and a tall fireplace wall on the other, with the dining space in the middle. Since it is so open, we used lots of warm wood tones, to-scale furniture, and plenty of pattern to warm it up and help it feel cozy.
Since the whole space is open, we stuck really closely to our color palette all the way down to the accessories so that everything is cohesive. The existing cabinet color (Caldwell Green by Benjamin Moore) was a starting point, and we added blacks, whites, and grays accented with a warm caramel. For wood tones, we opted to stay somewhere in between the light floors and the richer color of the ceiling beams.
Kitchen Styling Tip: You can’t go wrong with wood tones and greenery -- they bring a lot of life and organic texture to a space filled with mostly-slick surfaces. We made sure to hide away the things we could (like a knife block and pile of mail) so the focus could be on the carefully-chosen accessories, like the large branch arrangement and wood cutting boards.
The dining space needed to be casual for everyday, but able to transform into a moody, sexy dinner party atmosphere. Think a day-to-night outfit. We convinced our clients that a darker black table would bring some drama to the space, but warmed it up with wishbone-style chairs in a light wood tone with woven seats.
The brass and glass light fixture is a little more elevated than the pendants in the kitchen. We chose a new vintage-inspired rug that will stand up to the clients' small kids, and brings a little touch of formality -- so much that you really don't miss the formal dining room. Nothing is too matchy-matchy, but the spaces flow together really nicely.
When you walk into the living room you are greeted by an extra-large fireplace and built-in cabinets that are super tall. The room felt a little unbalanced so we wanted to offset the ceiling height with some overscale furniture. We chose a large sectional instead of two sofas, and made sure it had a tall back, rather than a low-slung one.
One large textured piece of art by Lauren Williams Art feels right scale-wise, and also brought in all the colors of the room. This is a great example of what custom pieces can offer if the budget allows. We wouldn't have been able to find something that fit perfectly and was in the right color palette if we had shopped for a year! And as a bonus, the client has a one-of-a-kind piece from a local artist.
The sofa is semi-custom, which means that we chose the fabric (performance fabric, of course!) and fill, but not the size -- luckily, it fit perfectly! Here, we opted for a lighter-tone rug so it didn’t compete with the one in the dining space. Our clients love color and pattern so we brought in more of both with the sofa pillows. The chairs add additional seating and bring in a lighter gray shade, and tie in the wood tone that is found in the rest of the space. The round leather ottoman and two woven poufs are incredibly kid-friendly, but also contrast with the many straight lines and right angles in the space. Overall, the space needed to feel cozy during family movie night, but still be sophisticated enough for entertaining.
The backyard is just beyond the two sets of glass doors. It isn't huge, but has a fireplace and seating area for lounging, a built-in BBQ and seating area for dining, a pair of swinging chairs for fun, and a grassy area for play.
We wanted to make sure this area felt cohesive with the indoor spaces, so we used more blacks, whites, and grays and added pops of color with pillows and accessories. This way, the clients can switch things out seasonally if they choose.
The porch already had a beautiful wood ceiling and doors, so we brought in other materials such as concrete, iron, and rattan. The swing chairs really add some fun to the space and allow you to sit viewing the tv and fireplace or turn around to view the grass area. We played with lots of textures and shapes to make this space feel unique and fun but cozy. The space ended up truly being an extension of their living area, and I love that for their gorgeous Texas springs!
Check back next week as we reveal the primary bedroom and bath!
Photos by Amy Bartlam