part one: design challenge, getting started

I'm so excited to be getting started on the design challenge project I posted a few weeks back. I went to see the room the other day and was so happy to meet with the homeowner, Liz. She couldn't have been nicer. Their home is an adorable cape cod. The pictures of the room are below and here is how she described the issues with her room last month during the challenge posting;

"Our living room is a problem design wise for us for 2 major reasons. First, one entire wall is wood- built in shelves, real wood paneling, and a wood fireplace and mantel. I can't for the life of me figure out how to break that space up or what color to paint the room because of that whole wall being wood. The second issue is that we use a door from the outside into the living room as the main entrance of our home, so we need entry way living, along with a clear path to enter the rest of the house. Can't figure out how to set up the furniture in the room to do that. The room drives me nuts considering it's the first thing I see every time I walk in the house."

Liz and I talked a lot about the room, her biggest concerns, and what she would like to get done in the space. I think we came up with some pretty good ideas. To start, I will be working on a color scheme. Right now there isn't much color in the room, the walls are white and there is a white rug and a dark leather chair and sofa. There is also a lot of wood in the room - besides all the wood on the fireplace wall there is a wood coffee table, a TV cabinet and a beautiful secretary. I want to break up some of the wood tones but I've not yet decided on painting the wood paneling. Maybe portions of the wood paneled wall should be painted but not necessarily the whole thing. I am thinking it would be a good idea to have the TV cabinet and possibly the coffee table painted. 

To address the other issue in the room, how it is being used as a main entrance, I suggested some type of bench with baskets below or a bench with a lid for storing things. She could even add space above to hang coats. Putting this behind the door will be a handy spot to unload things when the family comes in. 

The room also needs a natural walkway through the space, so by adding a runner it will create a natural flow to the rest of the house and also help reduce any wear and tear on their hard wood floors. I will devise a new floor plan, by moving around what she already has and working it into the room to create a better arrangement to suit their needs. There are also some issues with lighting so I will be suggesting some new lighting options. 

Lastly, I will offer suggestions for some window treatments. Overall, there are many possibilities to be able to bring color into this living room to create a cozy and inviting space for the family.  I will follow up with an updated post as I plan out the space and share my progress. But look at the pictures below and check back soon for the transformation.

There is a good spot behind the door to put a bench for storage and move cabinet out of the room.

This chair should be moved, as it's too big for space and sits in front of fireplace

This is the beautiful secretary that belonged to Liz's grandmother

Stay tuned for more to come.