Favorites Round-up: White Poufs

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Every now and then an email rolls into our inbox (hello@grayoakstudio.com) asking for a source from a project photo found through Pinterest/Instagram/Facebook or our portfolio. The most asked for source (by far) is the pouf from the family room in our Hutchinson Project.

Ivory Wool Nubby Pouf

We get it. They are sort of the wow moment in this room. They’re oversized and textural and right in the middle of the action. So, to start this round-up, here is the link to get your hand on one of these (they run out of stock frequently, keep checking back if they’re not currently available).

 
Gray Oak Studio - Boston Interior Design - Favorite Pouf
 

In addition to being frequently out of stock, they are not budget-friendly. So, we wanted to throw out an alternative option. It’s our version of the look for less (it’s only $60!). Link here.

 
 

But wait, there’s more! In the girl’s nursery from our Prospect Project we also used an ivory, wool pouf. It gets a lot less fanfare, probably because the star of that room is the wallpapered ceiling, but it’s also really good. And also more cost effective.

 
 

It’s round, which is important in some spaces. It also has a more modern feel with the clean lines instead of the nubs. Here is the link.

 
 

And here is the full roundup with all the price points for your shopping enjoyment.

White Pouf Roundup.jpg

Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

- Leah

*this post contains affiliate links*

Lessons from Before and After - Mixed Up Molding

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Today’s blog post is inspired by our Fairchild Project. It’s a lesson in how molding and paint can change everything. Plus we’re going to share some thoughts on window treatments and cased openings. It’s a bit of a design lesson and we’d love to hear whether this type of content interests you (versus shopping round ups or project reveals) - leave a comment with your thoughts!

Ok, here we go. Below is a photo of where we started.

 
BEFORE

BEFORE

 

In this 6 foot stretch of wall we have 3 wall colors and 5 types of molding (two different types of box molding, trim around the cased opening, beadboard, and chair rail. It’s very confused. It’s way too much.

Here is a labeled version of the photo so you don’t miss any of the madness.

Wall paint and molding transformation - Boston based interior designers

 Lesson 1: One wall = One color

We’re talking about the wall, not the trim (not baseboard, not door/window trim, not crown molding) and not the ceiling. The trim and ceiling will most often be white or maybe a different contrasting color or maybe everything will be the same color (that conversation is for another lesson!). And yes, there will be the occasional wall with stripes and wallpaper with a million colors. But, without further confusing the matter, the rule in its most simple form is that each wall should be one color only. You switch colors at natural and intentional places. A new room can be a new color. If you’re painting an accent wall, you switch colors at the corner.

In this before, the blue wall ends at one side of the cased molding without any natural stopping point. It’s not a corner and there is no full floor-to-ceiling-trim to define the end. The painter had to freehand a straight line in two spots. If you have to free hand the end of one color and the beginning of a next, don’t.

Lesson 2: Pick a molding and stick to it

Pick one style baseboard, one style crown molding, and one style window and door trim for your home. Then if you’re going to do decorative molding on the wall - shiplap, beadboard, box molding, etc. - pick one per room. Too many different ideas will fight with one another and become a distraction. You don’t want people to wonder if something was on purpose. Good design looks (and is) intentional.

Now let’s talk about the after.

Fairchild-50.jpg

We resolved the paint problem by continuing the blue to both sides of the wall, ultimately ending the blue at a corner (not pictured). We resolved the molding mixup by removing most of it. We 86’d the box molding above the cased opening. It was connected to nothing…just sort of floating up there. We also removed all the beadboard and the chair rail. Not only is the beadboard and chair rail (on the right in the original) different from the box molding (on the left) in actual look and construction, it’s also a different in style. Box molding is a traditional woodwork. Beadboard with that specific chair rail has a cottage/country feel.

Why did we choose the box molding over the beadboard? A couple reasons. First, the box molding continues down the hall and is a big presence in a connected area of the home. Second, box molding is traditional (aka classic) and not niche or trendy. Classic elements mix with everything. They play nicely.

Two more quick lessons while we have you.

Lesson 3: Drapes make a room feel taller

We are the first to concede that drapes are not for every room. We don’t use them everywhere and we don’t love them everywhere. However, in a dining room with short (or just not tall) ceilings, they are magic. Check out the side-by-side below.

Fairchild Project Before Dining Room
Fairchild Project After Dining Room

Without the visual context that curtains provide, the room looks squat. Add the curtains and everything is taller and bigger. Curtains draw the eye up and finish the space. Hence, the second half of this lesson is to install your curtain rods as high on the wall as they will go!

Lesson Four: Use a Cased Opening Like a Picture Frame

The glimpse of a room that you see through a cased opening should be intentional. We’re coming full circle back to Lesson 1 because it really is all about being intentional with your choices. You can center something in the cased opening - a fireplace, a table, a sofa, an oversized piece of art. Or you can give part of the furniture story, purposefully revealing only half the scene. It’s the same principal as photo composition. Sometimes asymmetry and the thing not pictured are just as good (if not better) than the carefully centered portrait.

In our furniture plan for the dining room, you see half the dining room table and half the chandelier through the cased opening. It wouldn’t have been nearly as beautiful if you saw just one candlestick of the chandelier. That’s not enough to give you a sense of what’s happening. It also would have been a fail if the cased opening framed a mostly empty part of the room. Unlike a fully open concept space, a cased opening requires you to consider what will be seen when looking from one room through a somewhat constricted lens to the next room. So, compose your vignette purposefully.

Design School is out for the day. Now go and enjoy your weekend!

- Leah

* this post contains affiliate links*

Sevinor Project - Girl's Bedroom Revealed

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Last week we shared the details behind the boy’s bedroom from our Sevinor Project, today we’re talking through our design choices for the girl’s bedroom. For this project, our (young) client asked us to incorporate turquoise and lots of fluffy/fuzzy stuff. And the rest was up to us!

In this room, the layout was the the biggest challenge. It’s a relatively small bedroom and every wall has a door or window. In order to maximize the floor space and allow for multiple functions within the room, we specified a day bed. Without a large headboard, we were able to tuck it into a corner of the room and free up plenty of room for a bookshelf and reading nook.

The reading nook incorporates four key elements that each and every decent reading nook should have (no judgment if you’re down an element or two, now you know). One: a chair. This faux fur butterfly chair is the epitome of retro coolness. Two: a lamp to illuminate the situation. Three: a pouf for feet or a friend. Four: a surface for a drink or to rest a book, in this case it’s the bookshelf. Rather than add another piece of furniture to the small space, the shelf is on double duty.

 
 

For the color palette, we were off to a great start with turquoise and white (sherpa, faux fur). We added gray and expanded “turquoise” to all related shades from aqua to teal. These colors organically created an ocean vibe. We then added woven and natural wood details - the globe chandelier, the rattan wrapped mirror and some decor on the bookshelf - to play into the beachy feel. When colors coexist in nature (ocean and sand), they will pair up just as beautifully indoors. Naturally paired colors will also feel comfortable and inviting.

The custom roman shades are one of our favorite design moments in the room. We used a cloud fabric in the soft white and gray to tie into the neutral foundation of the room. It’s just a touch whimsical without being juvenile. With tween (and teen) spaces there is a fine line between creating something youthful and intentionally theirs without crossing over to the hokey or overly trendy. Our best piece of advice here is to reduce the number of colors and lighten the shades - choose muted and soft versus neons and saturated gem tones. In other words, go with the black and white poster of Harry Styles instead of the color. Sigh, shrug.

 
 

With the daybed in place, we wanted to include all the function of a proper bedroom set up without all the footprint. With this, we specified a wall mounted sconce that can be turned on and off from in bed, just like a lamp without the required surface space. We also chose a small, round nightstand. The petite size is, of course, key, but the round shape is also really important. In this tighter space, there are no sharp corners to lean into. AND there is still a big drawer. AND it’s aqua. This is what we call a design unicorn.

similar plug-in sconce / other similar plug-in sconce

For art in teen bedrooms, go fun and budget-friendly. Art is a great opportunity to bring personality to any space and teenagers have quite a bit of personality…right? And remember that art doesn’t just have to go on the wall. Smaller framed pieces can sit on a dresser (like we did below) or in a small frame on a nightstand or bookshelf.

And that’s a wrap on our Sevinor Project reveal. For more ideas on decorating kid spaces, check out the nursery from our Prospect Project (blush, blue and brass - with a wallpapered ceiling), the boy’s bedroom from our Prospect Project (ocean themed) and the playroom from our Brigham Project (pink and sage with lots of furniture that can transition to a teenager hangout).

Have a wonderful rest of your week!

- Leah

*This post contains affiliate links*