Look, Mom, it’s like Jackson Hole!
a Stauffer Design Co. furnishings only project
My passion for design is best represented when I can create a space that encourages people to (dare I say it?) gather. No need for the kitschy word sign, this room speaks for itself. These clients wanted a space that the family could unwind after homework and sports. From the cozy, plaid window treatments, the soft chenille sectional, and lived in texture this room is calling for putting your feet up, the game on, and imprinting the memory that family time is what this season of life is all about.
Adjacent to the family room, sits the homes formal living. The clients desired a space that felt simple and comfortable and avoided the stuffiness a traditional formal living space often suggested. Keeping in the earth tone color scheme of the family room and bringing in both soft and heavy textured items like the tweed accent chairs and kilim pillows, this room provided the perfect mix of upscale and down to earth. The rooms biggest wow factor is the updated fireplace with a new cast stone mantle, brick surround and hearth, and the oversized chandelier.
The custom-made embroidered window treatments give this room the level of “elevated traditional” that complements the style of the home’s exterior. The mix of clean lines on the upholstered pieces and curvy antiques give the room charm and character that a too polished room would have missed out on. I love that this room, finished just before the holidays, served as a place for the homeowner to welcome extended family, open gifts, tell stories, and listen to her play the family piano.
In this space, the client wanted to allow as much natural light in as possible. This space featured two extra-large floor to ceiling windows on one side and equally large French doors on the other. The client planned to leave the draperies open so we opted to have stationary panels made for both sides of each window and the French door. We brought the draperies up to the tops of the windows and they perfectly kiss the oak flooring at the bottom to create emphasis on the beautifully vaulted ceiling.
There’s nothing quite like a vintage rug. A perfect accent to any design style; a vintage rug, no matter how colorful or understated, ties the bonds from old to new. This 11 x 16 rug brings a quiet calm to the space even though it occupies so much of it. A perfect neutral; just happy to be present in a happy home.
Accessories certainly play a huge role in finishing a design. Just try and imagine this room with only the rug, sofa, coffee table, and chairs. Instead, we kept it simple, as the client wished, while bringing in the most thoughtfully eclectic, organic colors and textures in the few pieces we selected to give the room the perfect cozy, collected, finishing touch. The antique chair was collected by me several years ago and I was so happy to have found it the perfect home. Bonus points for me were when the client saw the horse artwork and told me, fondly, that her dad had worked with horses when he was younger and that she would connect the memory to this part of the room.
Playing a game of eye-spy, I can count over a dozen pieces in this room that are some of my favorite antique/vintage finds. In fact, we scheduled the installation of this room without two of the side tables that we’d originally ordered. All the other pieces had arrived, and it would be months more waiting on two little tables. As a quick problem solver, I did a quick dig through a few well-known antique markets the week before and found this perfect little table, next to the sectional, to finish the space. The best way to accessorize a room, is with something old. Always.
It could just be my opinion, but I think the biggest influence of comfort in this space is the color scheme. The client’s and I tossed around the idea of adding a heavy textured grass cloth wallpaper to the insides of the coffers on the ceiling, but ultimately, it wasn’t in the stars. Instead of the existing white trim and taupe paint color on the inset, I proposed we paint all the walls and trim, all the way up to the ceiling in a warm beige. The only contrast in the room was a subtle shade darker on the mantle. I could have leaped for joy when I saw it finished. It was so rich and soft; just perfect.
It’s important in my own business that each and every design is fully unique to the client. That being said, I could do plaid in every single space. Seeing these custom draperies is a clear example of why. Plaid just works every time. It’s the perfect blend of traditional, preppy, laid back, and classic.
While you’re gawking, check out the sweet little handpainted stool that belonged to the client’s mother. Just darling.
In the family room cozy casual was the name fo the game. We wanted the sectional to be a place to crash, so we selected a melty velvety upholstery with down filled cushions. We gave it a little flare with the snappy flared arms. The vintage Pendleton throw is the perfect chefs kiss to the pop of color of the red ottoman.