E{Design} is one of my favorite services to provide. Although nothing beats seeing a large project come together, sometimes these little "design bites" have such a huge impact. For those who might be unfamiliar with e-design is, you can read all about it on my services page here.
Today, I'm going to walk you through an e-design I created for one of my least favorite clients... myself! Why am I my least favorite, you ask?! Well, because I'm picky as heck and have always had an eye for expensive things. Leaning toward high-priced goods is like my secret (and unwanted) super power. If you put two ottomans that look nearly identical next to each other and ask me to pick which one I want without telling me the price, I will pick the more expensive one every. single. time. It can be a curse at times, but since price typically correlates to quality I guess it does give me an edge. And, when it comes to furniture, I do believe that you get what you pay for.
Anywayyyy, without further ado, behold the design board I created for (what will eventually be) my new living room!
Product sources: Bench-seat sofa, curved sofa, marble-top coffee table, tripod floor lamp, leather ottomans, paper wall art, black side table, cane side table, faux olive tree, King Louis XV antique chairs (similar), rug (similar), hanging wall baskets (similar), (similar pillows linked below)
Ta-da! Sometimes I get so blown away by how exciting a simple design board can be. It truly brings a vision together and makes me appreciate technology so much. Although not a perfect science, e-design can significantly help reduce wasted time and resources when picking out finishes for a room. You can essentially knock out the trial-and-error portion of the process by editing on your couch with Selling Sunset playing in the background. I would say that the e-design processes eliminates about 85% of the design snafus you run into when decorating a room. Sign me up!
Now, let me walk you through some of the decisions I made in this space:
I need new sofas, and knew that at least one of them was going to be the Shelter sofa from West Elm. Made with a sinuous spring platform and highly-resilient, foam-core bench seat, this sofa has the quality I'm looking for and the coziness my significant other is expecting. For upholstery, I am going custom and selected their yarn-dyed linen weave fabric in stone white. This fabric is Greenguard certified, which was important to me. From the Greenguard website, "Greenguard Certification helps manufacturers create--and helps buyers identify--interior products and materials that have low chemical emissions, improving the quality of the air in which the products are used." Whenever possible, I focus on sustainability in my design. I look for products that steer away from using pollutant chemicals to treat furniture and aim to eliminate the release of harmful VOCs into the atmosphere (both of which are accomplished with this environmentally-conscious fabric).
I still wanted to add a touch of style to the space, so I opted to juxtapose my cozy, functional sofa across from one with a bit more form. This sofa from Kardiel is backordered until October, but I'm obsessed with the silhouette so it will be worth the wait. (I chose the macadamia velvet fabric, which is more tan and muted in real life than the picture online.)
Fortunately, I already own this rug, coffee table, and tripod lamp. I also will be using antique Louis XV chairs I inherited from my grandmother. These chairs can run anywhere between $650-$1700e each, so I'm certainly grateful to be in possession of such beautiful pieces which will be an amazing addition to this space.
I wanted to keep this room neutral, so I'm adding pillows in creams, browns and black motifs.
I also realized the need for texture once I had the bones (sofa, chairs, coffee table) of this space laid out. The cane side table from CB2, woven leather ottomans from McGee & Co, paper artwork from World Market, and hanging wall baskets will add the natural element I'm looking for.
I'm undecided on whether I'll be using a faux olive tree in this space, like this one from Crate & Barrel, or if I'll be trying my hand at keeping a real one alive. Stay tuned!
Although I'll have to wait up to two months for my new sofas to arrive (the downside of picking custom fabrics), I am incredibly excited to see this design come together. While you wait on the project pics, you can achieve this look for your own space by shopping these links below!
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Let me know what you think of this design in the comments!