I cannot think of a tree I love more than a palm tree! When I started my business nineteen years ago there was trendy palm tree items and loud palm tree print everywhere. It was practically every new Floridians dream to have palm tree printed wicker sofas for the lanai. I would hear many clients say with excitement, “Now that is Florida to me!” As time passed the shower curtains and towels embellished with palms went by the wayside. As well as the boxes from inexpensive décor stores with palm prints all over them. I helped many a client place those items above kitchen cabinets along with palm tree printed plates. We all remember those days and they were good days. Though the cheap palm tree printed stuff is not found that often anymore the real timeless palm tree décor remains. Palm tree printed wall paper is making a comeback and seen in many décor publications and catalogues. Hollywood Regency palm tree décor items are selling for big bucks online and palm tree lamps are popping up on lighting sites again. All of this is good news for those that love that grand and timeless tree. Let’s take a peek into the living room of a Laurel Oak Model to see how we praised the palm tree and gave the room a lift somewhere in the heart of The Villages.
• Open up the living room
The before picture of the living room had one loveseat and one couch creating a faux sectional that closed the room from entry. When I walked into the space for the first time it felt like the living room was not inviting me to sit down and linger. We had to open it up by moving the loveseat to the back of the room so that the faux sectional was weighted toward the sliding glass door. Now, when entering the space the guests are looking at the sofa and loveseat and they look inviting. We were able to add two more chairs for seating by opening the room because it left space at the front of the room to utilize. We chose two beautiful wingback style chairs in a crème fabric without print. The chairs have dark wooden arms and coordinate beautifully with the other dark wood and rattan pieces in the space. I encourage all of my clients to remember the open floor plan concept is best when it remains open. The object of furniture placement is not to close a space, but to create a delineated space that is open and to all the other spaces.
• Treatment on the focal wall
This Laurel Oak model has one big wall in the living room which makes that wall the natural focal point. We have to do something with the wall to make it pop. In the past, the focal point on that wall would be a large entertainment unit but today it tends to be a console and large TV. We have to make the entire wall the focus rather than one piece of furniture when there is no large entertainment unit. We accomplish this by adding Board and Batten to the wall and painting the entire wall and boards white. The wall will have texture and focus. The white will visually connect to the dining room wall, which we are treating as well, and the white kitchen cabinets. The kitchen is located behind the living room and can be seen from the entire space.
• Rattan and wicker furniture
Rattan and wicker furniture have never gone out of style. They have waxed and waned with popularity but make no mistake rattan and wicker are still valuable. The homeowners have Tommy Bahama style side tables and a console for the TV. Not only do the Tommy Bahama pieces look great but they reinforce that tropical look with the rich dark wood.
• Large tree in the corner
To help break up the large wall and make it look more to scale we added a large palm tree in a big pot in the corner. The tree looks realistic since it is a high quality silk and it makes a great tropical statement.
• Chairs need tables
The chair that is looking into the room toward the couch needed a table and a lamp. We added a large table titled the “Olivia table” next to the chair. I love using larger tables because it looks so luxurious if you have the space. The table is gold metal and the top is antique glass. We placed a classic golden elephant lamp on the table and a touch of flowers to create a quiet little moment within the space.
• Pillows
Beautiful, embroidered palm frond pillows were placed throughout the space on the loveseat and the sofa as well as the two chairs. The pillows look so expensive though they were not and they really help pull the space together.
• Rug
The rug is a statement rug that gives so much praise to palms! It is a wool rug with tropical leaves woven throughout the rug. The rug is quite eye catching and looks so good with everything the homeowner already owned.
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Before and After Pics Below