The Grand Finale

I was asked recently if I ever get jealous of projects that I do and if so, do I make changes in my home to mimic some of the same looks? The answer is yes! This season I must confess I have been super jealous of the bead board ceilings that we have been installing. I have coveted rugs; I love all the blue rugs that I have used this season. I was so tired of being jealous of the curtains that I installed in a Grandview dining room that I bought the same fabric in a different shade and my new curtains are going up over Labor Day! So though my changes are not frequent they are done to completion. I need my rooms to be finished so that I will not be constantly asking myself, “What does this room need?” In the world of decorating the most difficult step is creating a finished look, so that the space does not feel like it is lacking something. Let’s take a peek at the grand finale of a living room in a Grandview model somewhere in the heart of The Villages.

• Kitchenette
The small eat in kitchen had professional window treatments but they did not completely define the window. We added large molding around all three windows in the space. The existing valence looked more impressive because it was supported by the visually unified window below.

• Wainscot
We added a bead board wainscot to the bottom half of the kitchenette wall. The wainscot tied into the windows and was installed on the three walls of the kitchenette space. This delineated the space as separate but visually tied it to the wainscot that we installed under the kitchen bar. The kitchen and kitchenette are two separate spaces but share visual elements that tie them together.

• Create architecture
When walking into the living room, the first thing in the line of site is the niche at the back of the room. We decided to highlight that area and make it pop. We added molding to the entire surrounding area of niche and created columns on each side. The white highlighted the niche area and made it stand out.

• Paint niche
In the dining room of the home, we had a chest painted the color Loyal Blue 6510. We decided to pepper the living room with touches of the Loyal Blue to visually tie the space to the other part of the home. Also, since the loyal blue is found in the print at the bottom of the curtains and on the accent chair in the living room, we wanted to move the color around the room creating a rhythm of blue as an accent.

• Molding on the master bedroom door
When looking to the back of the space, the entrance door to the master bedroom can be seen as well as the niche. Since we added molding to the niche making it look large, the master bedroom door had to look visually cohesive with the niche. We added a header and large molding on each side of the door so the door would look like it had proper visual balance beside the niche.

• Large art in the niche
We added a tall picture titled “Latitudes” to the space in the niche. The art looks amazing on the blue wall. We added two lamps on each side of the art and the glow of light on the blue looks like a touch of sunshine.

• Glass to cabinet
The cabinet in the niche is a storage cabinet but it had clear glass and everything inside could be seen. We had a glass company put mirrors in the doors. The mirrors will reflect out and hide all the storage items and visual clutter.

• Pot shelf above the niche
We left the back wall of the pot shelf of the niche white. By doing this we were not visually competing with the widow treatment and the space would look great with blue pots that pop against the white.

• New Pillows
We stored away the pillows that came with the sofa and purchased new pillows. We added three to each side of the sofa. All of the pillows coordinate with space and were a variety of colors. Just replacing the pillows added much needed color to tie the rooms together.

• Layered rugs
The homeowner had a very large existing jute rug and we loved it but we needed to add color. We added a thin wool 5×8 rug at an angle on top of the jute. This added a splash of color that reinforces the rhythm of blue.

• New lamps
We replaced the living room lamps with navy blue glass lamps. The lamps look amazing in the space.

• New chandelier
We added a new chandelier to the kitchenette area. This chandelier is a bronze base with dangling glass. The look is sophisticated yet casual and it really pulls the space together.

• Small niche
We added large molding to accent the small niche and we painted the back wall of the niche Loyal Blue. This little niche helps spread the blue throughout the space.

P.S. –Attention all club presidents! We give free decorating seminars. It is lots of fun and very informative. Call and schedule your club today. Also, we are on-line check out our web-site at www.ruthdyer.com and you can always e-mail us at ruth@finishingtouchfl.com. Call Ruth your full service decorator at 352-804-2056.

Before and After Pics Below