Timeless Neutrals The Second Time Around

Connie and I worked together 17 years ago to initially furnish her living room, dining room, and kitchen. This means it was time for an update for their West Des Moines home! The advantage of developing a long-term relationship with a client is that I already know her taste and style, so we didn’t have to start from square one.

Before

When redesigning these rooms, we went for a casually elegant look that wasn’t too fussy and felt more inviting. The goal was to make this room more usable than it had been in the past. Since we still needed to work around the honey oak floors and a treasured secretary, we brought in tables in a new shaded slate color. This is a warm taupe-colored stain that has a gray wash over it. This nice-looking new slate color made it easy to blend some new gray tones with the warm oak that was already there.

After

I suggested a soft ivory Crypton fabric on the Charlotte sofa. Crypton fabric is stain, odor, and moisture resistant. And while performance fabrics used to be rough and not that easy to live with, Crypton has overcome those hurdles.  We have a wide selection of Crypton fabrics at By Design that have a wonderful texture and hand, and they come in the most beautiful colors.  I knew that Connie would love a Crypton fabric on her sofa to make it easy to care for in the light color that we wanted for the room. The Charlotte sofa is one of our most comfortable pieces. You melt right into it, which makes it the perfect place to relax. The two Eva chairs give a cozy feel by the fireplace. The Ava cocktail table beautifully anchors the room with its rich wood grain and interesting shape.

One of my favorite pieces is the Madison Console with Shagreen doors. Shagreen is a decorative material made to look like shark or ray skin. It adds a softer touch to the room than the previous armoire and is a perfect place above which to display Connie’s gorgeous artwork. We wanted the color in the art to stand out, and we wanted the furniture there to compliment it.

Shagreen Console

The Ginn Fizz bar stools and dining set give a much simpler look to the kitchen eating area. I love the subtle pattern on these chairs.

After photos of client project
After photos of client project

I am so flattered that Connie has continued to work with me for all these years; she’s a wonderful client, and it’s relationships like these that make me love what I do!

I’d love to help you with your home; please give me a call!

Laura Beeler About the author: Laura is a Senior Designer at by Design, having worked here since 1992. She graduated from Iowa State with a degree in Interior Design: ” I’ve always felt that your home and your room should reflect your taste and lifestyle, no matter the scale of the project we work on. If I’ve done my job well, you’ll find yourself feeling “at home” in your new surroundings… and hopefully we’ve had a lot of fun along the way.” | Laura’s Page