Today's project comes to you from Beverly Hills, Michigan in the beautiful metro Detroit area. My clients had lived in their home just under four years, and were now ready to invest in some long term pieces and upgrades.
Their project scope consisted of furnishings and decor for much of their main floor, which included a large living area which opened to their kitchen and formal dining area. Their current setup didn't feel particularly functional and they found they never ended up using the formal dining room.
They wanted to add some more color, albeit subtle, to what currently felt like a very white space, and finally, they wanted to spruce up what felt like a dated fireplace and built-in shelving unit.
LARGE LIVING ROOM
FORMAL DINING ROOM
As you can see in the images above, their home has fantastic windows with views looking out onto a beautiful wooded area, and we all agreed that a cozy sitting room would be a great alternative way to utilize the formal dining room.
Another major design dilemma they wanted to address was lighting. During the day, they had loads of natural light, but in the evenings, some recessed lighting in the living room was their only source of light. We wanted to add in lots of varied lamp lighting to make the space feel much cozier.
Client Style Inspiration Images
Below you can see a handful of the images my client provided for style reference (all from pinterest). They liked cozy textures, and appreciated some muted color in the pillows, accent furniture, and plants. They wanted a cozier feel than they currently felt they had:
The Furniture Layout
I opted for two sofas instead of a sectional to allow us a surface for a large table lamp in the back corner. I also liked that this would allow me to play with more materials (leather + fabric + wood), so that I could introduce more variety in the color palette.
I rounded out the seating area with two matching accent chairs, and planned for an oversized round coffee table in the center. In this living area, we'd use two large area rugs to distinguish the causal dining area from the living room.
We opted to keep the small dining table and bench because it fit the style function of the overall space, and we'd reuse both their existing coffee table and a side table. I planned for several large pieces of artwork, a few of which we'd do wired library lights above, as well as swapped their existing TV above the fireplace for a frame TV.
In the sitting area (former formal dining), I planned for a longer lower credenza which would house a large table lamp and a mirror above to reflect the gorgeous windows. We'd bring in a smaller scale sofa, the existing coffee table from their living room, and two swivel chairs so that they could take advantage of the view from all seats.
The seating area would be grounded by a large area rug which would coordinate with both rugs from the other space, and I also add in a floor lamp, several large potted plants, and a large basket to hold cozy blankets and extra pillows.
The Furniture Plan
For the living room, I went with a cozy deeper sofa in a neutral tone as the main TV watching seat, which would be flanked by both a tufted leather sofa and two matching accent chairs with exposed frames in a charcoal velvet.
TIP: Whenever you have furniture pieces that float in the center of a room, this is a great opportunity to use pieces with interesting backs!
To add an additional material, I chose a coffee table with a white marble top, and chose two sturdy side tables in a cement material. To add a little color and interest, I chose a large scale abstract painting, and chose throw pillows that pulled on some of the colors within it. Lastly, our area rug is a large neutral tone piece with a subtle checker pattern.
For additional artwork in the main space, I chose a large mainly white neutral tone piece with just a touch of color, as well as another smaller but more colorful canvas.
The sitting room would introduce another color element to the palette with a forest green leather sofa. We'd use a lighter tone credenza with an interesting dimensional front to sit alongside the seating area, and our two cozy swivels would be an off-white boucle fabric. Lastly. the area rug in this space would coordinate well with the two in the main living area.
The Fireplace and Built-Ins
Their existing fireplace and built-in shelving was cute but not quite their style, so we wanted to figure out a way to elevate that. My clients were open to a total overhaul of this area, but my gut said that with a few simple updates, we could make it very cute.
My plan suggests that they replace the warm orangey marble with a slate black marble to modernize the look. They'd then remove the trim on the built-in to simplify this area, and swap out the white shelves for thicker wood shelving. They'd replace the doors with a simplier modern door style, and add new matte black hardware. Lastly, we'd swap out the countertop to match the marble on the fireplace, and wire a library light above for additional ambiance.
Work with Lauren Figueroa Interior Design
LFID is a full-service interior design firm serving West and Southeast Michigan known especially for our Designed in a Day service.
We work with clients from Detroit to Novi to Clarkston, and Grand Rapids to Holland to Traverse City—and anywhere in between! We pride ourselves on creating bespoke, people-centered spaces—because after all, people are what this life is all about!
If you have a project on the horizon, get started by telling us about your vision here, and you can view past projects here. Thanks for stopping by!
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