When redesigning a room, Gentle Readers, we start by thinking about how we want the space to feel.
Not how it ultimately will look — that reveals itself during the design process — but how it will feel.
What vibe are we going for? Bright, cozy, or stimulating? What will you be doing here: eating, watching TV, playing games? At what time of day: weekday mornings, weekend afternoons, evenings? And with whom: your children, dog, spouse, friends, or by yourself?
It’s always important to gain clarity around those questions before we redesign a space. But it’s especially important when you’d like to work with an item that you already have.
Case in point.
One of my clients had an under-used family room. It was essentially a pass-through — a long narrow room connecting the living room and kitchen.
The client was a landscape architect, and the extra-tall windows in this room looked out onto a beautiful, lush garden. Lucky!
These are some of the words she used to describe the family room she wanted us to create: bright, sunny, happy, lighthearted, joyful, fresh, playful, garden-y…
But then the kicker. She really wanted to keep her dark burgundy Oriental rug.
We tried, Gentle Readers. We really did.
But we couldn’t reconcile her goal with a dark red traditional rug. To me, that kind of rug is better suited to a space described as cozy, library-like, traditional…even somber and serious.
This is the room we ended up designing:
She LOVES it. (As do we!)
Would this sunny, happy room have been as successful with that burgundy rug? Methinks not. The light gray and cream wool flatweave (stain-treated) was the perfect option, design-wise. As a bonus, it’s a broadloom, so we could cut it to fill the entire room. It has a unifying effect.
Listen. Do I want perfectly good rugs and furniture ending up in landfills? Of course not.
But when I gently suggest that there is NO WAY you’ll be happy if we keep X, Y, or Z in a room we’re designing, we have other options.
We can find another spot for it in your house, give it to a friend, put it on your neighborhood listserv, or donate it to an amazing charity such as Furnish Hope.
I love re-using an existing piece when we can. But when “working with” turns into “tail wagging the dog,” sometimes you have to let it go to achieve the effect you want.
Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C. It’s holiday party season! And luckily, my book, My Neighbor Saw Me Naked, and Other Reasons You Need Drapes, makes a terrific host or hostess gift. You can buy it right here!
