Before and After 6: The Living Room

Guests who have seen this room before and after say it represents the most striking transformation. As noted in earlier posts - it is the living room and foyer, and also serves as a very open gateway to the kitchen and dining room. Before, this space was dark, with a "large burgundy box" in the center - containing a very rickety closet and hidden chimney emanating from the basement, where the boiler was located 130 years ago. There was a large inconvenient structural pole, and strange archways and niches in every nook and cranny - my builder called it "the Picasso room" given all the odd angles. The staircase was hidden by a tall wall, and there was no banister. The room was void of crown molding, baseboards and window casings that one would expect in such an old home

Today - it is light and airy, functional, comfortable and a bit sophisticated. I'm most pleased that the foundational aspects of the room are period appropriate, but updated (e.g. painted woodwork, darker floors). The great lighting adds terrific sparkle and highlights the large art pieces. The shutters and newly installed millwork: a proper staircase, window casings, crown moldings, cased archways and solid baseboards are timeless. And the new closet adjacent to the front door holds my/my guests coats easily.

The artwork really gets noticed in the deliberatly allocated space. The new piece by Linda Emery (left of armoire) holds equal pride of place with the ceramic on wood piece by Petr Weigl (right of armoire).

The room has been largely furnished with what I already had - the upholstered pieces deliberately covered in mens-wear inspired fabrics in a multitude of grays, but offset by more feminine throws and pillows in lavender and pink, complementing the soft lavender hue of the walls and plum-colored ceiling. A new sofa and rug were added to the room. There is ample texture - a soft wool rug, velvet covered ottomans, tweedy hounds tooth on caned side chairs, soft wool arm chairs in plaid, velvet embroidered William Yeoward throw pillows, silk lampshades, Ralph Lauren cashmere throws, and pillows made from sari silk I hand carried back from India. The lighting is a mix of crystal and polished nickel, and the coffee table a white resin. The crystal/polished nickel is also picked up in the floor and table lighting and the door hardware, and the little end tables have a bit of sparkle.

For background, please reference these earlier posts:
Planning - The Very TBD Living Room/Foyer - and "t…
Planning: Living Room Furniture
Update: The Perfect Rug - FOUND!
Hardwood Floors
Planning: Lighting!
Cased Archways In

Before: