Remote Control

WHEW. We've been busy with a wide range of design projects over the last few months, so--with my client's blessing--I thought it would be fun to take a peek behind the scenes of the evolution of one in particular.

This one is especially interesting, because the project is in California and, well, I'm not (though what with it being Oscar night as I write, I wish I were!).

It began with an inquiry about a vintage dining table for sale at the shop, and evolved into a conversation about collaborating remotely on design ideas for a new home in California. Imagine my delight when I saw these photos of said new home:

Ummm...gorgeous! You had me with the front door and the geometric screen. Imagine when she sent me pictures of her newly painted hallway showing this:

A vertical version of my beloved shop wall.... I was convinced then and there that it was a match made in heaven.

My client recently purchased the home in Marin County, where she lives with her husband and infant son. They wanted to make some aesthetic changes to the Living and Dining Rooms before undertaking an extensive remodel a few years from now.

Here's how the Dining Room looks currently:

(Don't you love those kelly green chairs? They are getting a new life in the Living Room, redone in a geometric black-and-white print.)

My client (like all good clients should) supplied plenty of inspirational photos to give me an idea of her likes and dislikes. Here are photos of some of her favorite dining rooms, rooms I know all of us design junkies are familiar with:

Thanks to my client's photos, supplied measurements, and detailed feedback on her desires and needs for the room, I was able to lay out a suggested furniture plan that incorporated all of the pieces I envisioned for the space.

I had so much fun putting together a concept board for the room, filled with a mix of high and low items from sources like Jonathan Adler, Visual Comfort, Wisteria, Oly, and Bungalow5...even a vintage chandelier identical to the one of my client's dreams!

Always the most interesting part of the process is the client's response to my ideas; here she took a number of my top recommendations and tweaked them to reflect a revised plan: Navy walls instead of peacock blue, black Chippendale chairs instead of lime green, a more classic Oly dining table over my more modern choice. And we lost out on the 1st Dibs chandelier, so back to the drawing board there...

Additionally, she dug a little deeper into my list of alternate selections to pull in more formal crystal lamps from Visual Comfort in place of my more casual Bungalow 5 ceramic option, and a more elegant mirror from Horchow over the bone mirror from Wisteria (one of my all-time favorites).

Here's what she came back with:

You can see the origins of her plan in mine, but it evolved in such a different way. I love what she came up with; so different from mine....more quietly elegant though retaining bold strokes like the dark walls and graphic dining-chair seats.

We've started ordering items and made a few changes from both plans, and I can't wait to see how the room comes together.

Stay tuned for a peek at plans for the Living Room!