Decorating a clients home~E-Style

This is the living room of my Pennsylvania client, Tracy.

I hadn't seen the finished results until today!

Tracy contacted me last fall about consulting with her on redecorating

her husbands childhood home that they would be moving into.

Tracy loved the romantic style that I showed on my blog and 

so we set about remaking this wonderful old home into something that 

reflected more of her style and personality. 

Here are some before and afters of the project~

all done E-style over the web from Boston to PA!

This was the window space before with a piano in front, and you 

can see red oriental rugs cover the floors.

The before pics were all taken as her in-laws were getting ready to move

 and most of the furnishings would be going with them.

Tracy had a blank slate to work with and although she originally 

wanted to keep the rugs and the wallpaper, I convinced her otherwise.

 The walls were painted Benjamin Moore  a warm beige, Monroe Bisque, 

and the woodwork was done in pale blue, Glass Slipper.

 Photo from Elle Decor Decorating by Steven Gambrel

This was the inspiration photo for  the color palette in Tracys room.

 In the initial stages I made up an inspiration board

 I made for Tracy to get a feel for the room~

I also drew up a floor plan to scale.

This is really helpful and necessary before you buy furniture. 

I made 3 floor plans for her to choose from,

and Tracy like this one best.

 To save costs, we used Pottery Barn

 silk drapes in porcelain blue,

 but because Tracy's ceilings were high they 

needed to be altered to make them longer.

 Pleated ruffles in silk the same as the wall color were added 

to the bottoms of the panel with a trim detail.

The full length panels hang on either side of the rad boxes.

 The fabric for the club chairs is a chinoiserie toile in 

blue and cream by Jacyln Smith at Joannes Fabrics.

The before shot of mantel area~

(You are looking at a sunporch through the french doors).

Now the mantel is blue, as is the rest of the woodwork~all done in Glass Slipper.

The sofa reads pink in these pics Tracy sent me,

however it is a beige chenille sofa. This room is so pretty

with those marvelous arched windows on either end.

Her beautiful foyer and staircase: 

Glass Slipper on walls with White Dove woodwork.

Foyer before with Tracy's in-laws furnishings.

What a stunning foyer! We wanted to lighten it up.

This had  a Victorian feel with the dark red carpeting

and antique walnut tapestry furniture stuffed to the brim.

 The dining room "before"~

This room has the same arched windows as in the living room.

 Tracy was keeping the furniture in this room and 

so to work a little magic without paint we had

the chairs upholstered in a blue and white toile.

You can see the foyer through the french doors.

Tracy ordered a transferware collection in blue and white from

Nancy at the Daily Dish .  I wanted the space above Tracy's window to 

be show off a collection of plates that would complement the toile

and follow the arched shape  of the  window.

My sketch of dining room window. 

I drew in the plates so Tracy could see what I was talking about.

See how high I had Tracy mount her curtain rods?

Way up~right under the ceiling molding. 

This is where you want to mount your rods.

It gives the feeling of height and elegance to a space.

This closeup of the chairs shows off the upholstered panels.

source unknown

This was the inspiration photo I found for Tracy's dining room.

Tracy's cane back chairs would now have

 upholstered covers in addition to the seats.

This arched window is very similar to Tracy's.

Its wonderful when you can find an inspiration photo that works so well

in helping a client visualize her space.

I would love to see Tracy paint some of the furniture in her room like this,

like the china cabinet in Old White chalk paint! 

This before photo shows how the foyer 

connects the living room to the dining room.

Both rooms share the same windows and french doors.

Now her palette is serene and elegant in blue and bone.

Quite a transformation~and all done online

with probably 100s of emails and texts.

Hope you enjoyed this tour!