Let's dive right in.

This is our Southend Project. And today we're revealing the living room.

For those who follow us on Facebook and Instagram, you got a sneak peek of this completed project last week. Michele and I had SO MUCH FUN playing with succulents and blue pillows as we watched our design come to life. Where was Sonia?!? Good question. The afternoon before install, she spiked a 103 degree fever. Apparently the flu cometh early this season. (I know you have the sudden urge to wash your hands and your computer keys/phone screen, which isn't a bad idea, but you can't catch the flu through the interweb...not as far as I know). Before I get too off track...too late...poor Sonia wasn't there, but she edited and tweaked from her bed. Thank goodness for the magic of FaceTime.

Let's quick go back in time and show you what the living room looked like when we first took on the project.

And now...

Our aim for the entire project was to create a minimalist, serene and inviting space. The color palette is neutral: white, gray, beige and tan. We brought in shades of blue through decor (and an amazing chair) and green through plants, but otherwise kept it really light and simple to create a calm vibe. The wood tones are light to medium and the wall color is Whisper by Benjamin Moore, a perfect pale gray that can reveal some blue/green undertones in certain light. We leaned on lots of texture and subtle pattern (just a bit) to add interest.

This sun splashed nook at the far end of the living room is a seedling play area. Our client's daughter is one, so the explosion of toys and chaos is still on the upward trajectory. For now, our task was to keep it simple and add storage. When their little one is ready they want to add a little table and chairs, a play kitchen and those next level toys.

The storage bench is a Kallax bookshelf from IKEA turned on its side. We chose a combination of drawers for hidden storage and open cubbies for easy access by a one-year-old. We, unfortunately, can't take credit for that amazing Patriots pull toy - it was already our clients - but we did find where to get one and some other fun options, if you're raising a Tom Brady fan. (here, here and here)

The most exciting part of this little nook is the cardboard chandelier. It adds just the right amount of fun without overwhelming the space, screaming KIDS PLAY HERE!!! or taking away from the peaceful vibe of the room as a whole.

We hung it with some clear fishing line and a tiny white hook in the ceiling (it doesn't weigh much). We should mention, this is completely for looks and doesn't actually contain a light bulb. That's not to say that you can't find (or make) a cardboard chandelier with a light bulb - we found some tutorials on Pinterest. But, for this space we didn't need more light. The natural light from those big windows is amazing during the day and well place recessed lights take care of nighttime.

The TV console is custom. Sort of. The base is the Besta drawer unit from IKEA. The top was hand crafted by our carpenter who used pine and sealed it with a matte poly finish. The big, deep drawers can be storage for just about anything (even more toys if the play area finds itself at max capacity in a few years).

Here it is from the other angle.

The couch and coffee table were already owned by the client, we just added one or two or...lost count...blue pillows to make it feel finished and tied into the rest of the space. Also, everyone knows that a good pillow fort needs lots of building material.

Let's switch perspectives to behind the couch.

This console table might be my favorite piece of furniture in the entire space. It's so simple, but not. It's chunky, but refined by the design. It works fantastically (real word?) in this modern/transitional/scandinavian space. But it could just as easily go farmhouse or industrial. I could also see it in a lake house or ski lodge or beach house...or my house. If you need to maximize function, you could throw counter stools under it and create a workspace. For our clients, it made the most sense to add large baskets for maximum storage in this city home.

Both sides of the couch are flanked with a set of three hexagon shaped side tables (two smaller tables on one side and a larger table on the other side).

On the opposite side of the room, between the TV console and the fireplace (which we'll get to in a future post about the dining room), we added an occasional chair. A blue velvet occasional chair.

It creates a perfect conversation zone between the people on the couch and the person in the chair. And it's gorgeous.

Now that you have a sense of the space as a whole, here are some highlights of the low key pattern and texture that we added to keep it interesting without distracting from the overall mood of the room.

And, at last, before we wrap up this long post we need to give a quick shout out to the fiddle leaf fig plant and some of those succulents.

We had so much fun designing this room and putting it together. Below is a source list for just about everything you see in these photos (let us know if we missed something you love!).

Play Area Nook

Storage bench - IKEA

Cardboard chandelier - Amazon

Solid blue pillow - Target

Tufted diamond pillow - Target

Lamb stuffed animal - Amazon

Patriots pull toy - Ebay (owned by client, but we found exact same)

Gray knit stool - HomeGoods

Living Room

Rug - Wayfair

Woven large blue pillows (22" x 22") - Target

Pleated blue pillows - Target

Semi-circle pillow - West Elm (no longer available, sad face)

3-piece hexagon side tables - Walmart

Console table - Industrial Home

Wood bowl (on console) - HomeGoods

Rope balls in wood bowl - Target

Silver bowls (on console) - HomeGoods (clearance!!!)

Tall baskets (under console) - West Elm

Blue chair - West Elm

Silver drum table - Target

Throw blanket - HomeGoods

White/blue low bowl with blue interior (on coffee table) - HomeGoods

TV console base - IKEA

Basket for fiddle leaf fig - HomeGoods

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Each interior design project has it's one (sometimes more) tricky element. The paint color that needs to look as serene in the sun-soaked corner of the room as in the dimly lit back wall. Or, the rug. Oh, the rug! Or, the frame gallery...it's just not coming together organically. There's usually something that needs tweaking and editing and more tweaking before we land on the perfect finished design.

For one of our recent projects, it was the dining chairs. We quickly found so many gorgeous, affordable, kid-friendly dining chairs that fit our big picture design. But getting approval from our client wasn't so easy. The importance of dining chairs is huge, especially in designs (like our clients) where there is no formal dining room. When your dining chairs are your everyday dinner chairs and your holiday hosting chairs and your pull-it-over-to-the-TV-for-extra-seating chairs and everything in between chairs, they need to check many boxes. And so, finding the perfect chair was a journey.

Here was our original vision for the dining room, in mood board form.

&nbs… — Wall color / Chandelier / Dining chairs / Dining Table

We were inspired by this lovely dining area that seamlessly mixes modern with rustic.

And so, we proposed ghost chairs! The perfect everything. Right?! If your little one spills grape juice, it takes a few paper towels and all is restored. They're also chic, cost effective and the ultimate design chameleon. Unfortunately, our client didn't love their look. They're also not always the most comfortable choice, especially those that are affordable.

So, we went back to the designing board. After some back and forth...okay a lot of back and forth (hence the "tricky" part)...we landed on the right chair for our client and for our design. We'll get there in a minute. But first, we thought you might be interested in some of the chairs we researched and considered. So many great options under $200...with one fabulous exception.

1. Ecole chair from Article (on sale for $179)

2. Viena white wood dining chair from Crate and Barrel ($109)

3. Marley arm chair from All Modern ($259.99)

4. Hugo dining chair from Wayfair ($176.99)

5. Madeleine side chair from Restoration Hardware ($132)

6. Parker dining chair from Target ($146.99 for set of 2)

7. Kelly-blue teal indoor metal chair from Amazon ($56.78)

8. Molded chair from Rove Concepts (on sale for $79.99)

And now, where did we land with our client? The Madeleine side chair from Restoration Hardware. We went with the white finish, which is no longer available (bummer). It's kid-friendly, comfortable (and cushions can be added in the future when little hands spill less grape juice), both classic and right now, well-priced and really pretty. Covers ALL the bases.

We can't wait to show you the finished project later this month!

- Leah

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