Get the look: Colorful Living Room & Kitchen

Interiors

Get the look: colorful living room and kitchen - www.pencilshavingsstudio.com

Because there was so much that went into designing our living room (especially) and kitchen, I wanted to do a separate post on how we put it all together. And also about that white leather sofa. Because OMG you guys. I was seriously questioning our sanity there for awhile.  But more on that in a bit. Apologies in advance for the crazy long post.  If you don’t care about details, just skip on ahead to the purty pictures.

As I started compiling photos of living rooms that I absolutely loved, I realized that I was inspired first of all by my Land of Nod studio upstairs but also by rooms that were bold and colorful but grounded by white. Make no mistake – at first when the painting was all done, I was SCARED. It was SO WHITE. And it really wasn’t until I started adding in pieces from the color scheme I’d devised that I fell in love with it. The big lesson here is that white walls DEMAND bold decisions – and that doesn’t just have to be color. It could be white-on-white, because that can be pretty bold too. In other words, you can’t just paint the walls white and magically expect it all to work out – there’s some zhushing and planning that has to happen.

Color scheme, you ask? Pale chartreuse with pops of blues (navy, peacock, aqua, pale blue, etc.). Simple dimple.

A few items were staying, such as our Madeline Weinrib rug and the campaign dresser for the TV. But! Everything else was negotiable.  Ok, so let’s talk about that sofa. That CREAMY WHITE LEATHER SOFA (have you MET our child?!?!). Our biggest issue has been finding a sofa that I like visually, but that fits 6’4″ Simon comfortably. He kept asking for leather and I was all OMG NO. And then I’d say “look at this cute little midcentury modern sofa” and he’d be all OMG NO. So after lots of weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, we ended up at the dreaded Mathis Brothers (OKC peeps, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN). And then we bumped into Irene who was oh-so-helpful and was able to help us not only visualize the space better (erm, help SIMON visualize the space better) but also was able to help me pull all my ideas together. And frankly? The couch was a steal compared to all the other custom options we’d been looking at. Sold! And as for taking care of it? It’s been a breeze. We don’t allow food on any of the furniture anyways, so I really am pleased at how easy it’s been. The few scuffs we’ve experienced have wiped right off. I’m not even kidding you here.

SOFA

pillows: Caitlin Wilson Textiles, Pop of Color pillows w/ Studio Bon fabric.   Sofa: Henredon (softest leather EVER)

More! 

PILLOW-DETAIL

CLUB-CHAIR-CORNER

Poufs: Overstock (similar). Leather club chair: vintage Pottery Barn, circa 1998. Round side table (OBSESSED – in every color of the rainbow): Room & Board Slim Round End Table

mantel

Pillows: Target from last year (similar). Paintings (by me!): iPhone Case Inspiration. Dwell Studio Giraffe sculpture (also in bronze!).

RUG

rug: Madeline Weinrib

SHELVES-DRESSER

colorful-books

jillrosenwald-bowl

 

vase: Jill Rosenwald quatrefoil bowl 

campaigner-and-basket

Anchor pillow by Caitlin Wilson Textiles. Striped floor bin for toys & blankets by Land of Nod (Love them so much from our collaboration that I ordered 2 more!).

SDE-TAB;E

Lamp: Horchow Peanut lamp (a steal). Tray table: Oggetti for One Kings Lane (similar). Drapes (OMG THE DRAPES!!!!): Restoration Hardware Baby & Child fully lined frame border drapes (ON SALE TOO!)

lamp-detail-pillows

 

Whew. That’s a lot of info. Ok, on to the nook and the kitchen.  We already had a set of 4 Tolix chairs that I knew I wanted to use in the space. If I were buying all new all over again, I’d probably grab several different colors from Industry West‘s selection.  I also knew that I wanted a Saarinen tulip table. But I couldn’t justify the price tag (hello, $2K+). I scoured the internet, and ended up purchasing a 47-inch vintage Saarinen tulip table reproduction from the 1970s here in OKC for a great deal. I loved that it was vintage but that it had also survived 40 years in fairly pristine condition. (Read: I know we can’t beat it up too badly). All in all, it’s a foolproof child-friendly solution that looks fantastic. If I do say so myself.

DINING-ROOM

similar table: Saarinen tulip-style dining table. Chairs: Tolix A Chair

DRAPES-AND-CHAIRPAINTING-NOOK

lamp: Worlds Away Pagoda lamp (on sale – hurry!!). desk: Parsons style console (similar in other colors). Pedestal: Jonathan Adler for JC Penney lacquer pedestal. Custom artwork : ah-mazing painting by Erin Cooper of Pippin & Pearl.

WOW. There you have it. Are there still things to add, change, etc? Absolutely. Like the new chairs that will arrive to balance out the empty space of the living room (CANNOT WAIT). But overall, it’s totally our family happy place.  And memories are being made every day.

Now. I’m off to google white Christmas trees because I can already imagine the fabulousness come December!!!

with love,
Rachel

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