Turning a house into a home

When renovating a house into a home, those that have previously tackled this type of project know how even the simplest home project seems to take on a life of its own.

 

A fresh coat of paint, and suddenly the sofa looks dingy. New upholstery renders the window treatments hopelessly wrong for the room. Before we know it, we’ve spent twice as much time (and goodness knows how much more money) redoing a room we thought just needed repainting.

For these homes, what started out as a simple project became a labour of love that transformed ordinary houses into homes.

ABOVE: Two living room windows gaze out on a busy suburban street. Flanking them is a single pair of luxurious silk panels in the same blue as the walls, each panel drapes the outside of one of the windows.

The sophisticated design seems to increase the room’s size while placing the view front and centre. Crown mouldings the colour of ginger line the upper walls, drawing the eye upward and making the room look larger still. Other elements contributing to the living room’s tranquility include simple, pale upholstery on sofa and chairs and the opalescent Murano glass lamps, all of which bring an elegant restraint suited to the building.

ABOVE: When a home serves as a meeting place for friends, family and children, the owners have designs on one thing: fun. The pursuit of happiness was the motivation behind this home renovation. Unpredictable and conventional meet, where yellows, whites, blacks and zebra patterns greet visitors as they walk into the living room. Nothing overpowers - everything is grounded by a traditional grey colour on the walls.

Gaiety and good times carry on throughout, even down to the fabric on the formal upholstery. “I used a great indoor/outdoor yellow fabric on the sofa so the kids could sit on it, even if they were just in from the pool and had chlorine on their suits,” says the designer.

ABOVE and BELOW: This 1970's house get a complete revamp with the removal of interior walls, larger windows and a new stretch ceiling. Once the walls were removed it was time to put down new floors and decorate the new space. The artwork was the inspiration for the new colour scheme, with splashes of red, green and earth tones against a neutral backdrop.

 

 

ABOVE: A neutral-toned interior, where subtle shades of soft grey, blue and sea-mist green on the walls set a calming palette.

The open, informal layout leaves plenty of room for a comfortable seating area of plump brown couches and cream-coloured linen chairs. Green in the toss pillows, cashmere throw and artwork above the mantel adds a pop of colour. Texture is provided by the sisal carpet, and the zebra-print window treatments offer unexpected pattern play.

ABOVE: Neutrals predominate in this living room, where the contemporary sofas and lounge chairs wear upholstery in a soft wheat colour. To this serene background is added the occasional jolt of bright red.

ABOVE: Durable furnishings for everyday living, including a genuine leather sofa for conversation or lounging and winged chairs flanking the fireplace, are the highlight of this space. Dark wood panelling was painted for a dramatically lighter feel.

ABOVE and BELOW: Originally a dark room, the homeowners wanted to transform the space into a place to spend more time relaxing. After painting the originally dark ceiling, a whole new vision opened up with a room that was visually lighter and brighter.

new england journal