One Room Challenge Spring 2020 ~ Week 4
image via Architectural Digest, courtesy of Joseph Dirand
Hello Wednesday and welcome to Week 4 of One Room Challenge! Time truly flies and despite the extra two weeks we all have this round, there are still lots to do and the heat is on! If you are new to Design Maze, my name is Tim Lam, a Toronto-based interior decorator, who loves streamline contemporary designs with a light hearted approach to modern living. This is my 6th #ORC (you can see my previous transformations here) and I am tackling an open concept living room, dining room, kitchen space in a brand new condo.
More behind the scenes footage on my Instagram and here are my weekly recaps:
Today I am sharing the color palette of my living room. I am very drawn to calm, elegance, and cocoon-like spaces as a sanctuary for our mind and body in this hectic world (more so now than ever given the current global health crisis). These two fantastic spaces designed by Sarah Ellison Studio exude a sense of serenity and provoke the desire to explore the beauty in organic materials and to embellish our homes with natural elements. The very idea I hope to achieve in my space.
From inspirations to design concept, here is the color palette for my soon to be living quarter in the sky. I took me a little while to narrow down to this selection, and I must have pulled over 75 samples from Calico, Trend - Fabricut, and Tonic Living. It’s hard to believe I need this many fabrics in the space but it’s the layering of the colors, textures, and patterns that makes this room feels welcoming and super special.
While we are on layering of patterns and textures, let’s have a chat about area rugs. It is the foundational piece of the entire room; a single element that covers the most square footage and sets the tone in your space. Of course rugs come in a huge variety of colors and patterns. Our job is to determine whether the area rug will be the star of the show or the best supporting actress.
My rule of thumb is to pick a rug that mimics the overall vibe and energy of the room. Here are two examples of how I’ve used area rugs (very different in colors / patterns) to accentuate each of these rooms.
For this compact yet visually limitless space (see that gorgeous view through the windows), I have decided to embrace the challenge of breaking boundaries, whether it’s the transitioning from one zone to the next or in this case, from one floor covering to another.
This handcrafted rug from Loloi (available at Rugs Direct) has the perfect blend of cream and grey that echos my overall palette, while the herringbone pattern and the combination of natural hide + soft viscose add luxury and a timeless classic appeal. I wish you could feel the rug. It is so soft to touch and to walk on, and it is solidly constructed to stand the test of time.
As I was talking about boundary between floor coverings, see how my floor transitions seamlessly to this stunning rug? LOVE!
P.S. If you are unsure about rug sizes for your room, be sure to pick one large enough that most of your furniture pieces could sit on.
Another foundational element I want to talk about is lighting. A chandelier in the living room is key for overall illumination and for ambience. Pot light is an expensive upgrade in new condo, and I frankly don’t think it cascades light in a flattering way, especially while entertaining. Don’t get me wrong, I do like pot lights in kitchen and inside the shower for a more utilitarian application. I just want my living room to be more inviting and charismatic. Here is an absolutely gorgeous living room by Yael Weiss Interiors with a statement chandelier.
image courtesy of Yael Weiss Interiors
image courtesy of Yael Weiss Interiors
On that note, please say hello to the new love of my life: the 3-Tier Orbital Chandelier from BluePrint Lighting. Based in NYC, this boutique lighting studio is known for its high quality, handmade fixtures in a wide variety of styles, fully customizable in finishes, and most impressive of all, most fixtures are available to ship within 3 weeks!
image courtesy of Blueprint Lighting
Before I placed my order, Blueprint Lighting asked me three questions:
finish of the fixture
overall height of the chandelier
As you can see, we went with a very non-scientific way to establish the overall height. With my trusty water bottle + rope, I determined 33” would give me enough clearance (not that people will walk underneath it) and still feel intimate in the space.
A few weeks later, my custom chandelier has arrived! I picked the matte black finish to echo the kitchen hardware and other accents in the open concept space. The 3-Tier Orbital Chandelier comes with three counterweights and instead of having them all in the same color, I have opted for a combination of Perfect White + Dust (one of the new colors in 2020) and they are sensational!
From design concept to installation, I simply couldn’t be happier to see my new lighting fixture in the room!
If you are in the market of a new fixture, today is your lucky day! Blueprint Lighting is offering free shipping for the month of May and you will get an additional 35% off with coupon code MAZE35! Have fun shopping and please do let me know which fixture wins your heart!
One more topic to chat about today: the chaise. I have purchased a preloved Harry chaise from the Sarah Richardson collection years ago (I still remember which episode of Design Inc it came from). I quite like the original fabric it was upholstered in but sadly part of the seat cushion was torn. Instead of attempting mission impossible (to find that same paisley fabric), I have decided to start fresh and hence my inspiration. Solid fabric with contrasting piping for a simple, sophisticated, yet joyful new lease on life.
image courtesy of Gubi
image courtesy of Gubi
Here is a quick recap of my chaise’s former glory:
And here is my vision to give the chaise a whole new outlook with two beautiful fabrics from Calico:
Bale Mill Canvas in Oyster, a performance fabric from the Ralph Lauren collection
Luciana CI in Russet, a durable and buttery faux leather
The fabulous pillow cover in chalet embroidered by Kelly Wearstler is from Evia Mae & Alex and I am going to get creative with the Amber from Trend. Stay tuned to see what I am up to in a couple of weeks!
As for my newly upholstered chaise, ta-da! The upholsterer has done an amazing job and the two Calico fabrics work so beautifully together. Guess who's prince charming now?
That’s my progress update for Week 4. A lot more to come and not a whole lot of time left. All 20 featured designers are working overtime and so are the guest participants. Be sure to stop by and see what they are up to this week.Blueprint Lighting
A Glass of Bovino | Beginning in the Middle | Beth Diana Smith | Clark + Aldine | Coco & Jack
Deeply Southern Home| Design Maze | Dwell by Cheryl | Erika Ward | Home Made by Carmona
House of Hipsters | Hunted Interior | Kandrac & Kole | Kate Pearce | Katrina Blair | Liz Kamarul
Veneer Designs | Rambling Renovators | Renovation Husbands | Studio Plumb | Media BH&G
A big thank you to my sponsors who have partnered with me on the project:
Area rug: Loloi (available via Rug Directs)
Custom chandelier: Blueprint Lighting
Chaise fabrics: Calico
Kelly Wearstler pillow cover: Evia Mae & Alex
Accent fabric: Trend - Fabricut