As I posted about last week, I have been working on some inspirational mood boards for my friend Becca. You can read more about it here. Becca is a talented photographer, whose photos are light, bright and crisp. We want to reflect the same feeling in her home.
Like many of us, she has an open floor plan space, where the living room, kitchen and breakfast nook are all open to each other. It is a great setup for family life and also for hosting people. It also helps make a small space seem larger since there are no walls to block your views. But it also can seem a little overwhelming to tackle all at once. One thing to consider is the rooms don’t have to “match”. In fact, its best that they don’t. Too restricting and too hard to make changes later. They should “speak to each other” though. What that means is just repeating a few elements throughout the rooms. That could be the wall color, textures or a finish.
These were a few of the rooms that inspired what we put together for Becca. Similar to the living room space, what we pulled from these was the lightness, a cottage feel, with a bit of traditional and natural elements mixed in.
Here is the inspiration board for her breakfast nook. The space is open on two of the four sides, and the two walls that anchor it have windows. The three priorities in this space (in order of impact) are: 1) a statement lighting piece, 2) light and flowy window treatments, and 3) a round table with chairs that don’t “match” finishes.
Chandelier / Chairs / Table / Rug
If Becca isn’t crazy about any of the pieces, she can make some easy swaps. First off, the lighting. Here are two other ones that are completely different but can work just as well. Mainly, what we need is something with a larger scale and that makes a statement.
For the drapes, I recommend something light an airy. The greek key banding would be a nice touch to make it more traditional and sophisticated without being fussy. There is an awesome online Etsy shop, Martha and Ash, that does custom linen panels and will even add the banding. I think this would be a great way to go for Becca’s home. They have a ton of colors to choose from, and you can always order a few swatches before to help you decide. I envision a lighter color on Becca’s panels.
And a few other options of tables and chairs that could be swapped in based on her preference:
I hope you enjoyed the thought process and planning for Becca’s new reimagined space. Next up…the kitchen!
Becca
Ale, I love it all so much!! You have totally inspired me. I can’t wait to start 2015 with a whole new feel for my house. Thank you thank you thank you. And keep up the amazing work on your blog. I officially am a subscriber now because I don’t want to miss out on any of your awesome posts. I love reading what you have to say!