Mayberry Project Reveal

The Mayberry Project was so fun and so different from anything we've undertaken thus far. Our mission, which we clearly accepted, was to design a home office for an art loving, sports memorabilia collecting man. Our client, however, was not this intriguing man - it was his wife! The office makeover was a holiday gift. We know, HOW COOL.

It was really exciting (and nerve wracking) to design a space for someone who didn't give us direct input on the project. The entire design was based on meetings with his wife and on his incredible collections. The result is moody and masculine with a strong balance of vintage and modern.  

The desk chair is the only thing that remains from "before". We brought in everything else, with the exception of some truly amazing collectors items. We also picked the wall color (yes, that's Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore) and designed the lighting, which includes 4 recessed lights and 2 sconces.

Nearly all of our designs begin with a room layout plan. Layout dictates the type of furniture needed and we don't want to get ourselves into a situation where we fall IN LOVE with a piece of furniture that won't ultimately fit within the space (aka interior design heart break). 

Typically, we love a desk that faces a window - it's proper feng shui and, we believe, it truly creates a happier mood and better work productivity. But this office, like many, didn't allow for it. The ceiling of the room has a deep slant on the window side. We didn't want our client cracking his head every time he stood. That's the opposite of a happy mood and productive work environment.

Check out the ceiling slant (and the best green chair ever).

The room is also too small to float a full size desk in its center - we would have lost nearly all the real estate. So, instead, we faced the desk toward a wall where the ceiling height provided maximum head clearance. And, we used some of our client's favorite landscape art as a focal point. {Design Tip} When a desk can't face a window, use nature art or a mirror to create a similar feel. 

We chose an art ledge, rather than a gallery wall because we wanted our client to be free to change pieces as he accumulates new favorites or simply because he wants a new view. An art ledge is also a bit less busy than a gallery wall and we didn't want competition with the nearby open shelf bookcases.

Where the ceiling slanted, we created a cozy reading/pondering/coffee and/or whiskey drinking nook. This fantastic green chair has a low stature, which perfect for the low ceiling. 

On the opposite wall, we added open shelving for storage and to display some of the amazing memorabilia in our client husband's collection. 

The overall feel of this office is modern with some industrial and rustic moments. The lines of the furniture are clean and simple. Yet, the memorabilia is wonderfully vintage, as is some of the decor we added. We love mixing old and new - juxtaposition makes us do a happy dance, which we will never publicly display, so don't ask.

{Design Tip} When your budget doesn't allow for a built-in storage unit or a large scale storage piece, use two matching bookshelves side-by-side to create a similar feel.

How amazing are the signed Wheaties boxes? 

And the ceramic cacti!

Interesting mention about these bookshelves: the metal pipe frame is blue. Unexpected and awesome. The shade is similar to the Hale Navy walls.

No Gray Oak Studio design would be complete without a mirror.

Or greenery. The snake plant (below left) is always a great choice for a room that receives little natural light. The micro plant in the palm (below right) and the ZZ plant (scroll up a bit) are equally low maintenance.

We are readying ourselves for another project with this wonderful client. A new year, a new space.

We hope you enjoyed this room reveal, we certainly enjoyed designing it! 

Source List

Desk - Wayfair

Letter sorter (similar) - Anthropologie

Paperclip notecard holder - Anthropologie

Art Ledge - Pottery Barn

Sconces - Wayfair

Bookshelves - Wayfair

Horse bookends - Target

White ceramic fluted planter - Target

Black metal bins - Target

Palm planter - Urban Outfitters

White letter tray (displaying mini gavel) - Target

Clock - Anthropologie

Mirror - Cost Plus World Market

Green armchair - Article

Standing lamp - Target

*This post contains affiliate links*

Windsor Project - The Dining Room

As promised, another Windsor Project reveal has arrived! After months (I think it really has been that long...) of teasers with quite a few photos of these glorious chandeliers on Instagram and Facebook, it's time to dive into the details. For the record, you can blame the long wait on that hutch back there. There was a hutch fiasco.

Anyway, here's another look at the chandeliers, because they really are glorious. 

And a close up. 

These beauties are from Overstock. Not what you expected, right? While light fixtures are often something we would say goes into the splurge bucket, especially for an open concept dining room where they are center stage, it's not a black and white rule. Don't automatically skip over the budget-friendly sources.

Back to the chandeliers. They are the perfect compliment to the breathtaking dining room table. They make a serious statement without overpowering the room.

The table is custom. It's made of reclaimed wood and it's enormous. We spent a lot of time considering all sorts of equally enormous captain chairs for the table heads. In the end, we loved the simplicity and clean lines of a full table of matching chairs. Especially these chairs. They are a modern take on a classic Parson shape. The nail heads bring a touch of elegance and tradition. And the size is the right amount of substantial to fit the table and the space.

And here's the hutch. Oh, the hutch. Without boring you with the details, it was backordered. And, yes, worth the wait. It's glass front doors are perfect for displaying your favorite/obligatory china set or displaying all your fun HomeGoods finds. 

This console table is maybe our favorite part of this room. (I know...but, those chandeliers!!!) Here's why: we DIY'd/customized it to fit the space and style. We added the casters to give it a more height and more interest. And, we accessorized it to our hearts content, which is always so. much. fun. Oh, and the mirror! It's got that glam feel, which plays off the chandeliers, but doesn't stretch too far into the fancy realm to feel out of place.

And, here's how we accessorized the extra large bay window.

We filled the lanterns with some simple remote control LED candles and the vases with faux eucalpytus for a neutral, any time of year, feel. But, both the lanterns and vases are perfect vessels for holiday decor. The lanterns can be filled with acorns or cranberries or LED string lights as the seasons change. And the eucalyptus can be traded for dried wheat in the fall or glittery branches in the winter and dried lavender in the spring.

And that's that! Thanks for waiting so long for these photos. Again, blame it on the hutch! That beautiful, back-ordered hutch. Sources for all these treasures are below. 

Wall Color - Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore

Ceiling Color - Dove White by Benjamin Moore

Chandeliers - Overstock

Dining chairs - Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

Hutch - Ballard Designs

Drapes - Pottery Barn

Drape rods and finials  - Drapery Rods Direct (telescoping rod and Kirsch finial)

Lanterns (in bay window) - Pier 1

Remote control candles (in lanterns) - Pier 1 (on sale!!!)

Vases (in bay window) - Crate and Barrel

Dough bowl (on dining table) - Wayfair

Candelabras (on dining table) - Crate and Barrel

Console table - Birch Lane

Casters (added to bookshelf) - Caster Connection

Mirror - Pottery Barn

*This post contains affiliate links*

Windsor Project - Entryway

If you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you may remember seeing this moodboard a while back. 

Today we're showing you how this vision came to life with a mini reveal of a BIG project we've been working on. It's kind of a sneak peak. A trailer. Who doesn't love a good trailer?! 

This is the entryway of our Windsor Project.

And here's a side-by-side before and after photo - such a fun transformation.

BEFORE

AFTER

This is the formal entryway for the home - there is a separate, family entrance off the garage. This meant we didn't need to focus on coat and shoe and key storage (much like our Southend Project). Instead, the goal was to create a beautiful and welcoming space with a touch of function.

We started with the key pieces - a console table, mirror and light fixture. Proportion was key. This is a relatively big space, so we needed pieces to fill it but not overwhelm it.

The console table is great because it's substantial and at the same time the open, arched design keeps it light. We chose a window pane mirror because it's elegant and almost architectural, which plays well with the wainscoting and crown molding. And, of course, it reflects the natural light streaming through the front door. The pendant light has no glass (easy to clean) and the open, round design compliments both the mirror and the table.

Next came the fun, finishing touches. The faux cotton stems are so beautiful we had a hard time parting with them. They look so real! The little plant (pepperomia), on the other hand, looks so fake...but it's real. And the cute, gray/blue pot is self-watering. Did you know such a thing existed? Perfect for the plant lover whose love isn't shown in proper watering. The vintage books are another favorite find. Sonia went to a local used bookstore and scored as many vintage art books as her little body could carry (hint: you'll see more vintage books when the full project is revealed). 

This transformation is a wonderful example of how small spaces can have big impacts. Don't underestimate how changes to small and seemingly insignificant corners of your house can affect your whole house (and mood!). Starting in the nooks and crannies of your home is a manageable way to give you motivation to tackle the bigger projects.

Here is your source list to shop these finds. Enjoy!

Console table - Houzz (get %5 off with our code: 4E318)

Rug - Magnolia Home

Mirror - Houzz (get 5% off with our code: 4E318)

Pendant light - Boston Interiors

Recycled glass jug - Houzz (get 5% off with our code: 4E318)

Cotton stems - Terrain (We got ours at Anthropologie but they're sold out. Boo. Thankfully the dried cotton stems at Terrain are seemingly identical!)

Hurricanes and candles - HomeGoods (here are two similar ones from World Market: here and here)

Baskets - West Elm

*This post contains affiliate links*