Client Reveal: Neutral & Bright Living Room

I'm so very excited to finally show you a client living room reveal. I've been waiting to share this home reveal with you until I got my new website and blog design up. We finished this project last year, so it's been a long time coming to show you the final design! I shared peeks throughout the process on the blog, so if you've been following along, you might remember we completely gutted the main floor of this family home. We redid the living room, kitchen, dining, sunroom and mudroom & laundry room. I'll be showing them all over the next few weeks, but first up is the living room!

And now a walk down memory lane, because everyone loves a good before and after. I always think of the old proactive commercials when I see before and after photos. The before pictures have bad lighting, the people aren't smiling and of course, they have blemishes. Same with the interior photos! The before makes the after look even better. Take a peek...

No curtains, a medium/dark wall color, oak trim, oak mantle, older furniture, and carpet...

Now for the after! Lighter paint color (revere pewter), fresh white trim, curtains, white mantle, new furniture, gorgeous hardwood with a plush rug on top and so much more...

How cute is my sweet client + her pup, Burton?! :)

Just for some perspective, below is a BEFORE of this long wall with a small opening that leads to the entry of the house. The opening was just so small and didn't create that more grand entrance into the home that we were going for.

This is that same wall AFTER the reno, and as you can see, the homeowner had the idea of opening up that wall to reveal the staircase and I couldn't have agreed more with this choice. She chose some beautiful spindles, so these changes made the front door entry way a real statement. The curtains frame both of the windows and offer SO much height to the living room. Can you tell how much higher the ceilings look now with the addition of the curtains? We hung them much higher than right above the window, which makes such a difference! Anytime you can do this, do it!

Ashley Slater PhotographyA few sources: pair of chairs / main light fixture / gray bar with marble top: vintage find from Reimagined Just for You / white curtains / 

Isn't the transformation beautiful?! I just love how it came out, but love even more how happy my clients are with it. One of the reasons I loved working with this homeowner so much is because she already has such a keen eye for design. She knows what she likes and has incredible style and ideas, so working with her to bring the space together was extra fun. It's always a joy when a space is a collaborative effort between me + the client.

Hope you enjoyed this client tour!xoxoMichaelainterior design website / services / portfolio

New Pillows for Our Sofa + Caitlin Wilson Textiles Giveaway!

I thought it was about time to show you some summer touches in our home, seeing as we are halfway through summer now! Where does the time go?! I'm super excited to show you some our new pillows for our sofa for a few reasons! 

First, pillows are one of the easiest ways to update your space on a budget. They also do WONDERS for adding texture, color, and pattern to your space. I can never understand why people don't have pillows on their couch ;) My husband is one who throws all the pillows off the couch, except for the one he's using, when he plops down...and that's fine with me, but during the day while I'm working, you can bet the sofa looks just like this. Karate chopped pillows are my jam. They just make this little apartment of ours look more put together than it actually is! Mess on one side, perfectly chopped pillows on the other...that sounds about right ;)

The other thing pillows do is make a living space feel inviting and homey. And I'm all about creating a warm and inviting environment for us + our guests. I loved the pillows we had before, and will be keeping them to change out every now and again, but these watercolor floral pillows have me swooning big time. They have just the right softness, while still providing a pattern that mixes well with our lattice print curtains and work well with the seaglass colored accent pillows.

Lincoln insisted he get in on the photo action ;)

The final reason I'm over the moon with these gorgeous pillows is because this watercolor pattern was designed by my sweet friend Jenny of Graceline, who designed our wedding floral pattern, envelope liners, and did all of our calligraphy!! How special is this, that now her work is also on our sofa?! Jenny did this GORGEOUS collection of floral pillows for Caitlin Wilson Textiles, my favorite textile designer, and the result is stunning. Gold zippers, linen fabric, perfect attention to detail. I would expect nothing less of these ladies! 

Our wedding invitation suite (see more here):

Our pillows:

I love how recognizable Jenny's beautiful art and illustration is! I can tell something is her work from a mile a way.

DETAILS | similar coffee table / sofa with a chaise-- thank God it's slipcovered because we may need to order a new slipcover after Lincoln's puppy stage / wood sign -- custom piece, they take custom orders! / curtains -- on sale now! / similar garden stool -- under $30 / gold moroccan pouf / rug 

I can't even handle this last picture. The hairs in front of his eyes kill me!! Look at that blurry tail wagging!

Okay, want to know the REALLY exciting part about this post?! Not only does my couch look really pretty with these pillows, but one of yours will look equally as beautiful with the Graceline Collection for Caitlin Wilson Textiles soon! That's right, the next giveaway are these gorg pillows!

One lucky winner will get to choose 3 pillows (either in blush, gray or navy) for their own home. You can enter the giveaway on my Instagram. It will start around 12pm EST.

blush / gray / navy

Do you like the pillow combo in our living as much as I do? Hopefully this sparked some inspiration for minor updates in your home that bring you joy!

Happy Tuesday,

Michaela