kim's decorating chronicles: ch. 1

Last weekend, my friend Kim and I performed some simple, but high impact decorating stunts in three rooms of her home. I will present them each to you in separate "chapters", so as not to inundate you with too much design drama. We had a great time, and got a lot accomplished.

As an introduction, let me just tell you that Kim had a GREAT foundation to start with. Two years ago, she and her husband purchased fantastic, high quality furniture with classic and simple lines. The wall color was the perfect shade of warm and sandy pale gold. Other accents of deep red, dusty blue and spring green were present, but needed to be enriched and enhanced. Kim also felt that her family, dining, and living rooms lacked character. She used the phrase "like a page from a catalog" to describe their look and feel. The spaces failed to portray the cozy welcome she so desired her home to exhibit. In addition, some rooms were not functioning like she wanted them to. With under $600, we were able to transform all of the spaces to suit her needs and reflect her personality in some incredible, yet really easy ways.

Chapter 1: One Family Room's Triumphant Coming of Age
Let's start with Kim's family room. This is where she and her husband usually spend their evenings. Although the sofa is comfy, it didn't necessarily look inviting. The pillows were the only source for color in the room, but they lacked a cohesive look.

We changed that vibe by purchasing four new pillows all with some great texture,color, and pattern. We limited the pallet to red, black, white and blue to bring the sofa into its own.

On the shelf above the sofa, we simplified things by introducing some decorative items that repeated the color scheme, but still incorporated some of Kim's personality.


On the coffee table, we edited the accessories to lend a less cluttered feel.

These changes were very basic, but made a big difference. Now when you enter the room, the red elements delight the eye, providing focal points around the space. The sofa now feels really welcoming and beckons you to curl up with a good book and a glass of wine.

Stay tuned for Chapter Two in Kim's decorating chronicles: A Simply Devine Dining Room.