Summer Whites : Dining Room into a Family Room

I've been touring the country presenting seminars about how to improve your life through good home design via The Life Improvement Project with IKEA.  

In those seminars - I talk about seeing your current home spaces "with new eyes."  Simply put, when you live in a home everyday -  you don't notice the potential that your rooms and home have to offer because you are busy living your everyday life.  Yet, if you take the time to see the room in a new way - it just may hold the potential to giving you a dream room that is more like the dream home you someday want to have or one that you deserve to have.  

I say - why put off having your dream home?  Make a room in your home more like that dream you have in mind NOW.  You want to get excited about your home environment again - it truly can impact your life in so many amazing, empowering ways!  That's what I talk about on the road but I wanted to take the concept and bring it to life here...

So I figured with my next makeover project - seeing is believing.  Instead of talking about what design can do - I wanted this next makeover to be the visual to power you towards seeing (and feeling) what I'm talking about...

Take the case of this family's dining room.  The family has lived in this house for several years now - but this dining room was only used for holidays and special dinners - but they truly did not use it in their everyday life.  It was a very good-sized room with lots of natural light and a good flow to the rest of the house.  However, you can see that they had not really given the room a sense of purpose or an inviting feel to make the family want to be in the space.  

After talking with them and seeing that their nearby kitchen offered up an ample eating/dining area - I offered up something radical:  What about taking your existing dining room and making it your new family room!?  

This is a perfect example of seeing your existing room with new eyes.  If a room is not working for you and your family - maybe it can be used in new ways.  Whether it be a "dual purpose" room - a dining room with a home office area or crafting area that allows you to use it for many purposes.  In this case, it really was about giving this family a welcoming space to gather in that it would take talk an essentially unused room and made it useful.

There were great elements about the room - including the hardwood floors and the French doors leading to the garden.  I felt as though I were in a French farmhouse in Provence because of the doors and the garden outside.  Then, the wind blew in and I realized the room needed a beach house theme to it.  That is simply how I was inspired.  Something that would make this family feel like they were on vacation in their own home everyday.  An example of design that can transport you.  I love that.

The fun part of what I do is that I can share an idea for a space and then I get to bring it to life...
The homeowners were very open to the idea of change.  They liked that their kids could hang out watching a movie near the kitchen, they could have a new entertaining space and the idea of a beach house theme made their eyes light up.  Talk about "Stay-cation."  It was obvious they were ready for CHANGE.  So the change was set into motion...

Starting with removing the pieces in the room. We repurposed the existing furniture into other areas of their house.  So that worked out great.

As I snapped these before images - I began to get a sense of where I wanted new furniture pieces placed based from the vantage points I was seeing from each angle.  It was also interesting how large the room felt after these pieces were removed.  Even the family noted that the space seemed to have more potential than they had even thought.  That was an exciting part of the process...Change allows you to see new possibilities.

Once the room was emptied out - it was time to paint.  I choose a pale green to really make their existing trim and molding stand out.  Plus, the new color was also going to start bringing the beach theme to life...The color is Benjamin Moore's "Croquet" AF-455.

Since lighting is always a big part of any room design, I was very excited to see that the room had existing wall outlets (intended for art).  These had been installed by the home's prior owner but the current owner wasn't quite sure what to do with them.  I had a plan to add frames and frame lamps to finally make them useful.

Now the fun part - adding the layers of life and furniture.  I started with a new sectional sofa.  The Ektorp Sofa from IKEA was perfect.  I wanted the seating to create an inviting area that was causal, useful and comfortable.  Plus, the placement of the sofa would allow guests to enjoy the view to the garden through the French doors as well...

I choose white slipcovered furniture for this room to add to the relaxed, beach house style I was going for.  Yes, you can have white slipcovers with kids around!  I like them because you can throw these into the wash easily.  Air dry them and, to me, they get better with time - more lived in...  I have white furniture in my house with my kids - so I've seen firsthand that it can be done!

Here you see the wall outlets for the new frames and lighting.  The existing electrical source placed all those outlets on one switch - so I added a dimmer to adjust the levels of light.  Key in any room design.

These white frames with wide white mattes called Virserum and the frame lighting is called Ribba will add a whole other layer to this room.  Eventually, I could see the family adding black and white family vacation photos here.  Great images of the kids at the beach would really personalize the space nicely.

For instant artwork, I took some photocopies of images the homeowner had that they liked - along with copies of my own photographs and simply printed them out with a desk printer on regular copy paper.  Then, I tore the edges of the paper by hand to give the images a casual look.  I took tape and simply taped the images on to the sand-toned backing that came with the frames.

I didn't want to leave them with blank frames - so this instant art work idea gave the room even  more of the essence of beach-side style.  You could certainly do this easily in your own home for instant wall decor.

I added the life details to this room - by bringing in elements they had already...sea shells gathered in jars, flowers from their garden outside, artwork mixed with new pieces...and more lighting.  In this case, a glass base with crisp white shade called Jonsbo Barby.  The table with its weathered wood tone (looks like driftwood) is part of the Hemnes Collection from IKEA.  It's a gray-brown color and they have several pieces in this collection.  I like this color tone a great deal.

More theme details... Bowls of shells, books about the sea, flowers, wood tones... I repurposed a coffee table they already had that really brought in a nice layer of warmth to the space.  They loved that because they had never found the right place for this table.

 To make the main seating area more inviting - I added two white slipcovered chairs that are at a scale that works well for the room.  Not too big - but comfortable.  These are called Ektorp's Jennylund Chair.  A personal favorite of mine.  Available with various slipcover options too - but white is perfect for this space.

For storage of toys and DVDs - I took their existing storage baskets and simply stacked them for an instant side table.  Topped with some books or you could do a serving tray - the boxes add to the beach look nicely.

Casual life details....shells gathered by the door - as if you just walked off the beach into the house...

 I took a table they already had, added a new light (filled the glass base with shells) and created an inviting area in an unused corner by the door.

To add visual interest to the existing French doors - I used simple white panels called Lenda to add some softness to that wall.  The bleached fabric was a perfect find for the theme.

The existing coffee table they had works as an anchor for the seating area...The weathered wood works with the crisp whites, the sisal rug underneath the seating area and all the new accents...

When I was snapping these images - I was drawn to these chairs.  I know that one thing that people loved about the home set of the film "Somethings Gotta Give" was the living room set with its furniture placed so that you could walk around it.  This was part of my inspiration for this space. Check out one of my favorite blogs called Hooked on Houses which covers the home in this film and many others.

I love that film - I talk about it in my book too.  Every time I do a seminar and I ask the audience what their style is - I'll bring this film up and instantly people get excited about that Hamptons' Beach House.  One of my favorites too, but certainly a design style that spoke to a great many people.

Now you get a great sense of the new room overall...  Some rooms call for a sectional sofa.   This room was one of them.  It provides great casual seating and it makes you want to gather for awhile...

For the coffee table - if they had not had an existing table to repurpose, I could easily have done a matching table that matched the new side table or I could have done two white storage ottomans instead for more storage.  It all depends on what your needs are for your space.

I heard that when they were filming the film "Somethings Gotta Give" the set decorator sprayed suntan lotion around the set to make everyone feel that they were at the beach (not sure if that is true or not) but there is something to be said about a room affecting all your senses.  I choose linen and floral-scented candles for this room.  Of course, the early summer fresh flowers from the garden added to the aroma too...Yes, I tried the suntan lotion idea...just giving the room a hint of summer getaway living...

Remember to create areas you are drawn to - a simple place to read, relax and entertain too...

Speaking of the Diane Keaton film that I love, here is tray (used in an earlier makeover) that is part of Diane Keaton's own home collection.  The weathered wood was a perfect fit for this tabletop display... Remember to repurpose what you have in other rooms...Be creative and you can save a little money too...

I like how the new wall color truly makes the whites in the room - the trim and the furniture - stand out, but there is something very classic and clean about it all...

The instant artwork is seen here. The temporary art works well - but I can still imagine some classic black and white family beach photos there.  All in good time...

The clear view of the after and a reminder of the before space...  In the end, the room truly felt much larger with the new layout...

The favorite chair.

The white on white accents work great...

I love how the new wall color brings the garden feel inside too...The color on the walls changes with the changing light quality.  This is why doing a test patch of paint on your wall is key in any room you are making over.  Different light will slightly change the mood and hue of the paint.

The new sisal rug and storage baskets - matched with faded wood of the coffee table - all work well together...

Just back from a walk on the beach?   You see, design can change your environment and make you feel like you are somewhere else...

Well, if somethings gotta give in your house - maybe you take a room like the before dining room and make it a new space for something completely new!???  Fresh perspectives on tired, everyday rooms can go a long way for you...

Here you can see the Hemnes media cabinet that displays the family's flat screen TV and stores other items nicely... I like that it is simple and not too bulky in the room...

The layers of light come into play here...The lighting adds warmth and allows the room to change in mood as the daylight changes...

Treat yourself to a new room... Tired of things being the same?  Improve your life - start to make design changes now!!!

This family couldn't believe this was their house.  They walked into a new world.  All their senses were affected by the new room...  The new design got them excited about their home again...I love that.  That is truly what design is for me - a chance to take an environment and its inhabitants and raise them up to something empowering, exciting and life-changing.

I hope that this "visual journey" of this makeover illustrates to you personally how you can improve your life through good home design.

Don't you think the time has come?

Don't you and your family deserve a space that is good to you?

I always say "you cannot control the outside world but you can create a haven on the inside of your home that is good to you and your family."

That is why - there truly is - as in the title of my book:  NO PLACE LIKE HOME.

I only wish I could have had this room makeover for my book!  Well, most-definitely for my next book!  Thinking about that now...

Stay tuned....