design soup: a room for family: part one

over a year and a half ago my friends, kira and dave, contacted me with some questions about renovating their family room. one thing lead to another and before i knew it i had drawn a rough sketch and she loved it. we got together a couple of times and discussed what her and her husband wanted for the space, colours, budget, etc. this was such a fun project, mostly because it was my first time working and designing for someone else. i learned so much through this process, like just because i like something doesn't mean a client will. and always remember to check the paint can lids when dropping it off at a clients house, my winter car mats were nice covered in benjamin moore misted fern.

because this project lasted almost a year, planning, waiting, budgeting, deciding, shopping, designing, etc, i thought i would break it into a few parts. so for part one i though i'd share what we were working with. their home is a bungalow and parts of it are still stuck in a 1970s/1980s renovation. and although there are plans for a more extensive renovation of their kitchen, like blowing out a wall, their family room was something that could be tackled and not break the bank. it did mean hiring a contractor and electrician, but the rest could be done by kira, dave and myself.

here's a break down of the space and what they wanted for it:

- the room to have a natural/nature feeling and zero feeling of a log cabin
- functional storage
- greens and browns, no grey
- get rid of the horrible fake stone on the east wall (fireplace wall)
- add more light and a ceiling fan, gets hot in the summer because of large south facing windows
- add gas fire place, get rid of wood burning stove insert
- new furniture that is more them

not such a huge list. the room is a good size and has an abundance of good light coming through the front south facing window. down side was the lack of lighting when the sun goes down, in that there is none. also, the giant "stone" wall.

have a look for yourself.