Oh how I wish I could find those darn "Before" photos of this room.  This was one of my 2 hour design consultations. I do a LOT of them and I LOVE doing 'em.  The nicest people hire me to come and look over their tired rooms, listen to their hopes and dreams and pay rapt attention as I reel off my ideas and opinions.  It's heady stuff. I rarely get to see the "After," so it was a thrill when this client emailed and invited me over to see the results.  And here they are:

Clean lines, comfortable furnishings and a visually light coffee table sit across from the TV wall.  A pretty rug keeps the look soft.  It's a yummy space.

Here's the other side - you can barely see where the TV sits.  It's a big TV, but not the focal point of the room.  So nice.  My favorite thing is how Savvy Homeowner staged the mantel.  Dramatic yet still easy on the eyes.  So many people put lots of chotchkes up there, trying to make a pleasing arrangement.  In my book, less is more on mantels.  This is a good balance.

Who wouldn't feel the bliss sitting in this chair?  It's a perfect example of Updated Traditional.  The sloping arms, the nailhead trim detail, the square back.  And that pillow....

Baby you had me at Pillow!  Custom accent pillows are THE secret weapon of interior design.  I know how dumb that sounds, but I am here to speak truth to power (okay, now that really sounded dumb).  Accent pillows are the diamond studs on your ears.  Home Goods has some nice ones, sometimes, if you really look, and have a lot of time to do things like that.  But a custom pillow just takes money.  Or you can make it yourself, like Savvy Talented Homeowner did!  The right pillow gives a lot of visual pleasure.

She made this pillow, too.  Oh yeah, the girl knows how to use her sewing machine--and she's got great taste in fabric and she knows the magic of trim.  My second favorite part of this warm and inviting room is the chest of drawers in the corner.  Every Rosamunde Pilcher or Maeve Binchey book I've ever read had chests of drawers in kitchens, hallways and sitting rooms (they're all set in England or Ireland).  They would be frequently polished and hold treasured books, soft lighting and artwork, just like this one.  Those stories, with their loving descriptions of family homes are my comfort food in the book world.

All this loveliness started with a 2 hour design consultation with yours truly.  I'm just sayin.'

Ciao,

Anne