Before & After: A Little Chair

I love antique Japanese and Chinese fabrics and have several in my collection that will make gorgeous cushions. Then out in the shed one day, I found this old French country chair I had stashed out there years ago. In sad shape, but very sound. So this weekend, I repaired the woven seat, and gave the frame a new life with cool glossy green paint.

Now I'm trying to decide which silk to go with for the cushion. What do you think? The black, the coral, or the purple?

chair after with black embroidered

silk from Chinese jacket

detail in this black embroidered

silk from Chinese jacket found at

an estate sale locally

chair after with gorgeous vintage Japanese kimono

fabric in coral, green, yellow, blue

a bolt of kimono silk found at local

consignment shop

chair after with purple Japanese kimono silk

purple Japanese kimono silk

given to me as a gift in Japan

***

the old French country chair when I found it in the shed

the chair half painted with glossy green paint

A Fireplace Makeover: A Small Before & After

The client had inherited a flush marble tile faced fireplace with no mantel. Stopgap measures included experimenting with a unique screen (didn't go too far!) and settling for hanging a couple of oil paintings from France over the opening and hoping it didn't attract too much attention to itself.

fireplace, afterwards

With tiny budget, we were able to create an elegant fireplace surround and mantel, and place a wonderful Empire style gilt mirror over the mantel. We bought the mirror at a local thrift store for $12.00, then with a few cents' worth of gesso and $9.00 in gold leaf from Michael's, we created a gorgeous gold-leafed mirror for $21.00. A friend arrived and guessed the mirror had cost $1200 so we knew we had succeeded!

The mantel was found at the local building materials salvage yard for $75.00. It was sanded and prepped for priming and painting, then mounted on the fireplace surround for a perfect fit and a wonderful nod to Louis XV in design.

Total cost: Mirror: $21.00, Mantel $75 plus paint and labor to attach to wall (about $125 here in the Bay Area) Total: $221. and change.

What do you think?

fireplace, before

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

A Recessionista Redecorates: Before & After's of a Silicon Valley Living Room

The clients had inhabited a Restoration Hardware meets Anthropologie living room for quite a few years. The colors were calming and restorative (blue, cream, brown and silver), and that worked for the frantic pace of Silicon Valley in the early 2000's, when we all needed sanctuary from the frightful rigors of the rise of e-commerce.

But that was before the Downturn of 2009; now there is a distinct need for energy, zing, cheer, a bit of glamour, some fun and comfort. Enter the interior designer on a mission!

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Let's take a peek at the { AFTER } pictures first:

The clients wanted to keep two non-negotiables: the colorful and graphic Turkish rug that had been in the dining room, and the whimsical chandelier sitting now in the left rear corner. Since the rug brings lots of energy, color and pattern, it was perfect. The chandelier, with its bounty of treasures of the sea---coral, pearls, silver, mercury glass---becomes the room's folly, injecting a bit of fun and cheer.

An unequivocally warm and sunny yellow was chosen for below and a warm cream above the dado. The dado itself is stenciled with a favorite motif, coral, in a favorite color, coral.

The Picasso print from the thrift store, brought in for its calm nature and happy palette, looks perfectly happy leaning against the wall with that large coral piece for company.

The room was transformed by the curvy, nod-to-Louis XIV mantel, and by the nod-to-Empire style mirror above. The mantel and mirror were salvage finds, now painted and applied with a gold leaf finish. Stunning!

View of the living room entering from the dining room shows how all the elements fit together. The citron draperies, the coral sofa, the yellow walls, the jade green of the carpet all form a sophisticated, citrus-y palette that draws you in and ties the room to the outdoors just beyond. Peeking in from the left side is the citron media cabinet. The cabinet is a dresser found at Afterwards, a favorite resale shop in Menlo Park, California. With its modern lines, lucite knobs and citron color, it was the perfect candidate for repurposing as a media cabinet.

Is there anything fresher or more cheering than a

bowl of lemons on a white mantel?

The dahlia is a motif also beloved and repeated in all the cushions, tying the varied seating pieces together visually. The mohair was chosen because it is green and sustainable; it repels stains and it's naturally fire-resistant, and certainly for it's undeniable glamour factor.

A stencil of coral was found in a book and repeated around the circumference of the living room. It is subtle but adds grace and charm to the walls. The yellow below defines and warms the space of the living room, which is open to the kitchen and dining rooms. It repeats a theme found in the chandelier of treasures from the sea.

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Now for the { BEFORE } pictures, below:

A Plain Jane flush mantel was too depressing.

A sweet, clutter-y space without a shred of glamour! The before living room had too much going on, and an awkward floor plan. The chilly blue-green wall color did not awaken the spirit.

Some of the elements..the Chinese cachepots on the table...made it into the redesign, but others were moved to different rooms, sold on Craigslist, or given to a grown daughter for her apartment.

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We created an energetic, cheerful and room with a bit of glamour!

Resources:

Paint:

Benjamin Moore Frittata

Benjamin Moore Linen White

Custom blends

Fabric:

Mohair sofa: Sloan Miyasato (to the trade)

Damask on recliner: Sloan Miyasato

Trevira for draperies: Sloan Miyasato

Draperies by Correia and Rosetti, San Carlos

Cabinet repurposing: Joe Annuzzi Cabinets

Sofa: Pascual's Upholstery, San Francisco

Recliner: Decorator's Upholstery, Redwood City

Mantel: Whole House Building Supply and Salvage, East Palo Alto

Mirror: St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store, Redwood City

Smoky glass coffee table: Alemany Flea Market, San Francisco

Media cabinet: Afterwards, Menlo Park

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Banishing the Blues: Before & After's of a Washington Townhome

He was her sunshine; his southern charm never failed to chase the blues away. For forty years she thrived on the joy and light he brought into her life. When Michele lost Tom, she lost her world. We needed to create a cocoon where she could retreat, heal, live and thrive again. Her friend Julie helped her invest in an historic building minutes from our nation's Capitol, and I was brought in to help with the redesign.

Michele travels the world over; she loves all the fuss and liveliness of entertaining and planning the next big adventure. So we chose vibrant and uplifting colors that were at once feminine and sophisticated: coral, soft jade, honey, cream, soft ochre. When she fell for a gorgeous Italian paisley in these sunny colors of Provence we had our design inspiration.

First, the AFTER pictures. I hope you like them! The BEFORE's are at the bottom of the post.

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{ A F T E R }

Her "Mas in the City" Living Room

The Beautiful Coral Hallway That Greets Her

When She Returns Home Each Evening

A View Towards Her Cozy Media Room From the Living Room

We Loved This "Fortuny" Silk Chandelier

Coco Feels Right at Home as She Heads for Her Kitchen!

Coco Definitely Approves of the Paisley!

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{ B E F O R E }

When we found the townhouse, the decor and colors were anything BUT soothing and feminine. See the strong masculine lines and colors, below:

The Media Room Before...We Removed the Fireplace,

Creating the Perfect Place for Her Big Screen TV

I Can Hardly Bear to Even Look at This Before Picture of the Living Room!

Another View of the Living Room and French Doors

Before We Worked Our Magic

We turned her Old Town hideaway into a sunny slice of Provence that reflects her vibrant and lively personality perfectly. She and Coco are very content with their new digs. Michele says that every time she comes home to the beautiful colors it makes her heart sing. We know that we have invoked the magic of color once again.

She is quite sure Tom would love it too. What more could we ask?

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Safe, and Now Lovely & Green Too: Before & After's of the CORA Project

Welcome to a special tour of a very special home...the CORA safe home I have been remodeling and refurbishing is almost ready to provide refuge for women fleeing abusive partners {see "What is the Color of Safety?"}. My friend, architect Roger Hagman invited me to work with him on this project.

I think you will love the transformation! First, the happy AFTER pictures. You can compare these with the BEFORE at the end of the post.

AFTER

Three Original Paintings for Safe House Living Room

by Kit Golson and Camilla Calder

A Welcoming Mural in Soft Colors in the Hallway

Which is Now a Play Area for Children

The View From the Front Door

A Comfortable "Mother's Chair" Awaits

in One of the Bedrooms

A Completely Remodeled Kitchen with New Appliances,

Cabinets, Bamboo Flooring, Bottlestone Countertop and Backsplash

Additional Storage in the Large Bedroom

A Sunny, Cheerful & Restful Bedroom

A Former Eyesore Center Hall Turned Into

Children's Play Area

A View Towards the Front Door

A Redesigned Dining SpaceIncludes

Sub Zero Refrigerator and Study Area for Teens

A lot of the design plans... transluscent 3-Form cabinet doors on painted green kitchen cabinets, for example, had to be abandoned because of costs. Likewise the art was not donated; an intrepid artist friend visiting from France, Camilla Calder, stepped up to do two of the paintings with me.

I think we've created a lovely, feminine, upbeat and soothing place for these women to call home while they are transforming their own lives. Especially when you consider the BEFORE pictures, below, of the shelter before we began our work.

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BEFORE

A Dreary Dining Area

The View From the Front Door

A Smaller Bedroom...Where's a Mother to Sit and Relax?

A Center Hallway Used for

Closet Storage with Curtain Doors

A Cramped and Dreary Large Bedroom

Storage in the Largest Bedroom

The home is being furnished with donations from kind people in the community, with the help of Agnes Moser, a designer and friend. {If you would like to donate towards nice new furnishings, please do!}

I am very proud of our local community. The amazing bamboo flooring, Neopolitan by Plyboo Strand was donated by Smith & Fong of San Francisco. All the tile and the amazing blue Bottlestone countertops were donated by Fireclay Tile in San Jose. The General Electric kitchen appliances were also donated. These donations were secured by the untiring efforts of great designers and friends, Annie Cronin, Lilley Yee and Peggy Deras.

I like to think this home will uplift the battered spirits of the women and children who will live there. What do you think?

Kit Golson

elegant sustainable pragmatic

Chic Provence Design