One Room Challenge - An Introduction and My Home Office

Guys!  It's been quite a while since I've posted here, but I decided to blow the cobwebs off this blog and join in on the fun for this round of The One Room Challenge.  You know the one, it's where a group of bloggers select a room to redo from top to bottom in six weeks, sharing progress updates every week - Thursdays here - I'm one of the linking participants.

If we haven't met, I'm Kim Lemmon, and I own a  little design firm in Chattanooga, TN called The Green Room Interiors.  I'm all about classic design that feels fresh and vibrant, and since the room I'm doing for the ORC is in my own home, I'm excited that I can make it a true expression of my  personality and my personal style.  And isn't that what great design is all about?

Here's the room I completed for my very first One Room Challenge, about 3 1/2 years ago. It's the family room in my circa 1972 French Provincial ranch I affectionately refer to as "Project Dollhouse". The art on my gallery wall gets moved from time to time and I have since replaced the sofa with a vintage hunter green velvet Tuxedo sofa, but for the most part this room has functioned perfectly for our family. If only it stayed this tidy all the time.

My next ORC room was my kitchen, seen here:

I also joined in on the fun as a linking participant with my hall bath makeover seen below. I'm still completely smitten with the Brunschwig & Fils damask wallpaper:

and then finally, my living room and dining room combo: 

Do you feel like you know me a little better now?

Great, because what I'm going to show you now is tough.  Trust me, it's even more painful for me than it is for you.  It's an empty bedroom I'm claiming as my home office. I may or may not have organization/storage issues that need to be addressed.  Luckily my assistant is pretty cute.

When you don't have proper storage, stuff ends up all over the floor.  Infrequently used exercise equipment will be relocated to the basement, where it is even less likely to get used.

Nice.  The upside is that with before photos this bleak, there's nowhere to go but up.

I do hope you'll come back next week  to learn about my plans for my command central.  I'm sure it will come as no surprise to you that you won't see gray walls and neutral furnishings. I adore surrounding myself with beautiful color and find it so exciting to come up with interesting color combinations.  So that's what we'll be doing over here anyway.

Thanks for stopping by!  Please make sure to visit the main event bloggers  here and all of the other linking participants here

And a big thank you to  Linda at Calling it Home for dreaming this all up and hosting.

If you're in the Chattanooga area and in need of some design help,  please feel free to contact me at The Green Room Interiors 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com.  You can also visit my business website here.

See you next week!

Client Entry Before and After - in Neutrals

Hello out there readers of design blogs!  Today I have a postlet to share with you of a recent foyer makeover.  This is one of the "afters" because I think it best to open things up with some pretty.

So now we'll back up to where it all began.

The thing is my clients' home is at the top of a mountain on the most gorgeous wooded lot, and we didn't think this particular arrangement honored the natural loveliness of its surroundings. Although the console table was a step in the right direction, the three shelves with the two mirrors and chairs felt busy.

My clients wanted something rustic and sophisticated.  And they did not want to repaint the walls.

Sorry for this horrifically blurry shot, but its the only one I have the shows the "before" of the feature art piece painted by my client's son.  I immediately knew we should make this painting the focal point of the long wall of the entry.  I had the painting reframed with a wider creamy white mat and a simple black frame for a cleaner, more updated look. (see below)

Here's what else.  We added some whitewashed planks to the aforementioned long wall, hung that pretty painting, put a long chunky console table under it and styled the whole thing up. With some nature-inspired stuff like those twigs I got out of their side yard. And, to keep the look from going all Cracker Barrel on us, we added some modern glam with that amazing Drexel Heritage glass prism lamp and crisp white accessories. 

We also painted the French Doors to the outside living area a rich charcoal gray, which we repeated in the family room on the book cases and exterior doors.  It gives them such presence, doesn't it?

Before

 In this slightly wider shot, you can see we also replaced the fussy wool rug with a black & white cowhide.  Oh how I love it!  And we replaced the generic chandelier with something a little more whimsical. A tall leaner mirror further simplifies the look and is perfect for checking out your head to toe look before heading out the door.

And that's the end!  Thanks for stopping by and having a look.  And did you know if you were following me on Instagram then you would have already seen it? Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and on Facebook!

Collected Family Room Project Reveal

Monday again!  How was your weekend?  Mine was a mixed bag of work, play and rest, with an emphasis on the "rest"  portion.

Most noteworthy this weekend was a nice surprise in my Inbox from a lovely client who happens to be a talented photographer.  She snapped some photos of her family room we've been working on and I wanted to share them with you.

A little background info - this is a very well traveled young family that just relocated to Chattanooga. They've lived and traveled all over the globe and have amassed a nice selection of meaningful keepsakes and family heirlooms - many of which we are working into their decor. Their design style leans very classic, light and family friendly.  They're not afraid of color, and wanted their home to be a reflection of their family and their lives.  

Nearly everything you see in the room above was theirs, with the exception of the drafting table against the back wall, the lamps which I sourced for them and the Asian wing chair, (which was purchased from me and reupholstered).   We also reupholstered their existing sofa and love seat with a neutral velvet and had her throw pillows re-made with a mix of new fabrics. The walls were coated with Benjamin Moore's Manchester Tan for light, neutral envelope. 

Just a few weeks ago we installed the photography wall so it could be seen from the new banquette in the kitchen (photos will be coming soon!).  I think the photography wall is the thing they love most about the space.  

The end tables are antique family pieces and the coffee table was purchased while they lived in Asia.

Everything we used to style the mantel has special meaning to this family.  The oars belonged to the husband's side of the family and we hung them with jute.  The brass lantern and green camping box also hold special meaning, as well as the books and pottery items. We have since added some fresh greenery to soften the look.

This is my favorite shot. I think it really speaks to my client's photography skills. Such a beautiful image!

While most of our efforts have been concentrated in the main living areas downstairs, we also added a book case in the upstairs loft area. Just last week I styled the book case for them using some of their favorite possessions.

I'm excited to share more of this special home with you as projects get completed, so please stay tuned for more!

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

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What I'm Working On Now

Hello, my name is Kim and I used to blog here on a regular basis.  Not so much lately.  Here's the thing.  I've been blessed with a pretty heavy workload.  And that's great because when I get up in the morning I can't wait to get to work.  How man people are lucky enough to say that?!?

Want to see one of the things  I'm working on?

This is the initial mock up for the "Sophisticated Beachy" dining room my client requested.  It's for a sweet young family with three of the cutest little girls I've ever seen.

So some of the selections shown above have been modified to suit my client's taste, but overall the dining room will have the same feel.

One of the things we revised was the wall treatment.  Being the smart and stylish gal she is my client requested plank walls - which of course works perfectly with what we've got going on.  And guess what - they're done!

We painted the planks Benjamin Moore's Moonlight White. It's the same color as my family room and I love it because it's clean and it's warm without looking yellow.

Also in the mix is this vintage Drexel Heritage set we scouted that is currently getting refreshed with a little paint and some crisp new fabric.  I love this because you know it warms my heart to add in some good vintage furniture.

And I don't want to spill the beans but there could be navy velvet with white piping involved.  I think it's going to be real good so stay tuned for further updates. 

In other news, I have continued to stock my online storefront over at Hunter's Alley. 

 This is my my most recent addition.

A set of 6 vintage glasses that I adore.  They're already in somebody's cart but they're still up for grabs until checkout is finalized!

And there's more, but we'll leave that for another day.  So now that you're all caught up, tell me what's new with you!

The Green Room Interiors provides Interior Decorating and Design Services to happy homeowners in Chattanooga, TN.  If you'd like to discover the joy of living in a well designed home, contact Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

One Room Challenge - the Befores/Challenges/Direction

That's a long title for a post, isn't it?  Anyway, let's get the "befores" out of the way.  They're completely underwhelming but hopefully when I finish up and the room is complete it will make the "afters" more dramatic.

The challenges are many.

1. As you can see, it starts with an empty canvas.  And  I mean really empty, because there's nothing of architectural interest in the room.  No beautiful moldings, no book cases - not even a fireplace.  And yes, that's circa 1972 faux wood paneling that's been painted a lovely shade of peanut butter.

2. The room is shaped like a bowling alley.  It's twice as long as it is wide.  Now factor in this: the entire north side of the room can't be utilized (for furniture)  because it serves as a walkway that connects the kitchen to the foyer.  Also, my basement door is along said north wall. That means I have about 10' of usable width to place furniture.

You're getting the bowling alley effect now, right?  This  shot was taken at the opposite end of the room, showing the entrance to the kitchen and the inherited light fixtures.  Pretty!

I could go on but I think you get the scope of the task at hand. Now for the inspiration:

Source: s752.photobucket.com via Kim on Pinterest

I want the room to feel fresh and mostly classic.

Source: sara-kate-studios.com via Kat on Pinterest

and even a little sophisticated

Source: justsweetnothings.blogspot.com via Kim on Pinterest

with lots of black & white (+ gold) - so it's a little mod, too!

And I love to build a room around a beautiful fabric.  Here's where I'm starting. This is Greef/Schumacher's "Lemon Tree", which I discovered at a small fabric store near my mom's house in Atlanta.  I had never seen it before and haven't seen it since - but I'm so happy we found each other. 

I'm dying to see what everyone else is doing, aren't you? Here are the links - be on your way!

Chinoiserie Chic 

Classic Casual Home 

the Cottage Mix 

Cottage & Vine 

Design Indulgence 

Design Manifest 

Everything LEB 

Hodge Podge 

Kim Macumber Interiors 

Little Black Door 

Matters of Style 

My Crafty Home Life 

Nicole Scott Designs 

Pacific Family Homes 

Pawleys Island Posh 

the Peak of Tres Chic 

the Pink Pagoda 

Powell Brower Home 

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