Guess Which Room To Win...

Happy Wednesday.  To get us over the weekday hump, I thought we could play a little guessing game.  A room in my home just underwent a total makeover in less than two days. 

Here's a sneak peek…

Hmmm…which room is it?

For a chance to win the cutest prize,  take a guess!!

Click here for my home tour if you would like a little help.  Leave your guess (and your email address) in the comments below.  Everyone who takes a guess will be placed in a drawing where one winner will be selected at random.  I will send the winner a set of four "Chippy Terracotta Birds" from my home decor collection ($87 value based on MSRP). These little birds are cute inside or outside, I plan on using them on my outdoor dining table this spring/summer…

  

 The reason for the crazy two day time frame on this makeover…I'm in training {Queue "Eye of the Tiger" and hand me my sweats}.  I am gearing up for my upcoming trip to Denver where I have accepted the challenge of installing a nursery design in two days for a lucky online design client {Click here if you missed that post}.  

I'll announce the winner of our hump day guessing game at the end of this month when I reveal the new room in my home.  Until then, good luck!  One guess per person, two entries if you share the contest on facebook or twitter, just be sure to leave an extra comment letting me know.  Winner must reside in the United States for shipping purposes. 

Don't forget to leave me your email address so I can contact the winner! 

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod

Click here for information on my affordable online design service. 

Rustic-chic Nature Inspired Lake Cottage

Today's featured online design plan is an indulgent post as the location of this gorgeous northern Michigan lakefront cottage home is dear to my heart.  The home is a gorgeous A-frame style cottage nestled along the shore of a serene northern Michigan Lake, one of my families favorite summer vacation spots. 

I'm always excited to design a new space, but I was REALLY feeling this one when I got to work creating this two room design plan for their kitchen and family room…

The cottage itself is stunning, but the real beauty of this home is the outdoor surroundings.  The setting is that of a story book cottage, therefore this design was created to embrace the lake and showcase the homeowners love of nature.

The kitchen…

The kitchen was recently remodeled with brand new ash cabinetry, granite counters and tile floors that mimic the look of slate.  The space itself has an amazing two story vaulted ceiling.

To lighten and brighten the space I suggested painting or whitewashing the tongue and groove ceiling warm white.  This will create a light, bright, open atmosphere while complimenting the warm wood tones used throughout the home.  A warm white ceiling will look amazing with the new kitchen finishes as well as their natural wood toned trim, doors and staircase.

Another element we brought to the kitchen design is a gorgeous stacked stone backsplash.  This element will compliment a special feature we added in the adjoining family room (which I'll get to in a minute).  You can see here how amazing natural stacked stone looks with their new countertops and cabinetry...

Along the open staircase leading to the second floor, I suggested staggering a series of large, character rich prints like these…

This set of four shoreline bird prints are double-framed in reclaimed, lightly distressed barn wood.
(Alpena Bird Prints available here)

Natural textured rugs and simple cotton roman shades soften the kitchen and provide beautiful organic texture.  The accessories in this space were kept simple and functional to keep the overall appearance neat.  Glass front cabinets are the perfect place to display a new collection of green dishware.  

These little chippy terracotta birds are a fun accessory for the kitchen island countertop. 

(Chippy Terracotta Birds available here)

The family room…

A fantastic wall of windows provides a panoramic view of the lake.  To accentuate the view, I framed the windows with simple, elegant, straight panel, banded linen drapes.  Another amazing feature in this space will be the new stacked stone, floor to ceiling fireplace hearth we will be adding behind the wood-stove to give it the look and feel of a large rustic fireplace.  The color palette inspiration for this entire design was pulled from this natural stone...

She likes a clean, updated, chic aesthetic while He is an avid outdoor sportsman.  To combine the two loves, I used carefully chosen art and accessories to create a custom, "rustic-chic" design theme. 

For example, this amazing antler lamp has a streamlined modern shade and metallic accents…

(Rustic Chic Lamp available here)

  I placed this gorgeous pair of oversized fish prints, double matted and framed in bronze frames over the new sofa.  These prints are the perfect compliment to the antler lamp.  The fish pay homage to the his favorite pass time while the large scale, refined matting and framing make them sleek-ly "rustic-chic".  

(Long Lake Fish Prints available here)

The coolest thing about designing online is the places I get to "go" and the people I get to work with. This project was so much fun, I could go on about it forever.  Thank you, to these clients for giving me this opportunity.  

For information on  my affordable online design service, please click here. 

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod

**There is more to this design plan, however out of courtesy to my client, I am unable to share more detailed information.  Thank you, for understanding.  Feel free to use this design as inspiration for your space, or click here to reserve your custom design plan.  

Real Life Two Day Room Makeover Challenge Accepted!

I have a really fun announcement.  To demonstrate how easy it is to implement one of my online design plans, I am taking one a step further than usual… I'm flying to Denver, Colorado for two days to personally install a nursery I designed online AND I'm taking YOU with me!   As if that's not exciting enough,  the design will be a total surprise for the homeowners, at their BIG REVEAL. 

It's going to be the ultimate reality experience, a REAL LIFE, two day room makeover in a real home.  Not like a TV show with a big crew of carpenters, design assistants, and camera men behind the scenes.  Just me, two helpers, my camera, my design plan and two days to get the job done.

{via}

I'm SO excited about this nursery design, the photo above is a little inspiration hint. 

It's so hard not to share my plan for the space ahead of time.  The homeowners want to be surprised, so I'm keeping it under wraps.  

Here's a look back at a few of my recent kids rooms, you can see in these examples how inspiration boards came to life…

Hannah's Room:

Hannah's finished room...

Jack's Room:

Jack's finished room…

Bennett and Grady's Room:

Bennett and Grady's finished room...

 I hope you will join me for this fun two day room makeover challenge.  

As we get closer to the big reveal, I'll share more details, until then…let's get started on your space.  I have a few openings left this month, Click here for details on my affordable online design service.  

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod

Amazing Room Transformation With Coffered Ceilings

I typically don't blog about a room makeover mid-project, but I can't keep this one to myself.  When I popped in on this client last week, my jaw hit the floor.  The space we are working on is a semi-formal living room.  We are waiting for furniture to be delivered before implementing the design, but the room has already undergone a major transformation.

What was originally two rooms, an office and a small dining room separated by a wall with pocket doors is now one large space.  Here is what the spaces looked like before the wall was removed...

{The Den Before}

{The Dining Room Before}

Here is what the space looks like now…

Removing the wall left a support beam where the two spaces used to be separated.  To camouflage the beam, the homeowners had a gorgeous coffered ceiling installed by Rob Toth {Carpenter, Grand Blanc, Mi} and Architect Chris Macklin (Macklin Design).  The two small dark rooms are now one large, open, light-filled space with

one. amazing. ceiling. 

 Rob also installed a gorgeous built in bookcase with special attention to detail, as he replicated the molding style used throughout the rest of the home.  I'm just dying to style them.  For the new wall color, we chose "Gray Squirrel" by Martha Stewart to provide contrast and highlight the beautiful woodworking throughout the space.

 I'll be back with the room reveal, until then we will just have to relish in this gorgeous empty room dripping with custom detail and fantastic moldings.  Here is a little sneak peek into the furniture we've ordered…

Eric and Sara, thanks for letting me share your room transformation.

For information on my affordable online design service, please click here. 

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod

Amazing carpentry/painting by Rob Toth of Grand Blanc, Mi.
Architect, Chris Macklin, Macklin Design.

The Final Layer~Finishing Off a Great Space

Hello, friends.  I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  I did, I spent some time with the family and was also able to get caught up on exciting design projects I have in the works. 

I'm now accepting new online design clients.  If you have a room you would like to tackle this spring, my online design service will give you a step by step plan of attack to implement a professional design (at the fraction of the cost of a conventional on-site interior designer).  Whether it's working with what you have, making all new product recommendations, or a combination of the two, your space has the potential to be amazing.  I live to help you achieve it. 

 There are a few spots left this month (please click here for more info).  

  

Today's featured online design plan is for a gorgeous formal dining room…

  This space already has beautiful bones.  A spicy orange wall color,  warm white picture frame moldings, a gorgeous wood toned dining table and fabulous custom drapery (made by the homeowner's mother).

All it needs is the final layer to pull it all together and make it complete.  We started the design consultation by preparing a true to scale floorplan illustration that includes the product recommendations we made for the space.  This birds eye view shows how the items we suggested should be placed in the room.

For a centerpiece, we recommended either two large live boxwood urns (like these) or one extra large arrangement of dried hydrangea purchased from her local florist and placed in a large vase.  

We chose this gorgeous 8 x 10 area rug to ground the space.  The amazing large scale trellis pattern will make statement.  The white border along the edge will create a frame around the dining table.  

This mirror will be an eye-catching focal point over the new black console table (shown in the inspiration board from Ballard Designs).  The black finish of this mirror and the new console will provide amazing contrast to the white moldings and warm wood tones throughout the space. 

A pair of lamps has to be my most favorite dining room accessory.  Soft accent lighting provided by a pair of lamps during an evening dinner party creates the most relaxing atmosphere.  These lamps are gorgeous enough for a formal space.  The gentle glow they will provide will soften the room like nothing else.  Their large scale will make a statement in the space even when they are not lit.

Thank you, Denise, for inviting me into your home.  

I can't wait to see how this space comes together. 

To make your reservation for my affordable online design service, please click here. 

**There is more to this design plan than what is shown in this post.  Out of courtesy to my client, I am unable to share more detailed information.  Thank you for understanding.  

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod

A Custom Room Design Inspired By A Photo

Have you ever browsed Pinterest and absolutely fell in love with a room and wished your space could look like that?  If you have, send the picture to me when we start your room re-design.  

Today's featured online design plan is for Lynn's sitting room.  Before we began this project, Lynn sent us a photo of a space that she loved.  Using that photo as inspiration, we gave her a custom design with a similar feel...

Sending us an inspiration photo at the beginning of your online design consultation is a great way to start the project.  Even though this particular inspiration space was a nursery, it was a great way to illustrate the general look Lynn was drawn to.  Here is the photo she sent us:

(photo found here)

We applied a lot of similar elements in Lynn's plan to give her a room that has the same feel as the inspiration space, but is not an exact replica.  Lynn's custom design plan is a unique design created specifically for her home.  

Lynn's sitting room is not a large space, however the new design is big on style and on function.  

Here is the true-to-scale floorplan we provided for Lynn's new sitting room...

The furniture arrangement we recommended gives her a cozy seating area under a sunny window, perfect for intimate conversations.  

Etsy was the source for this fabulous graphic artwork.  We recommended that Lynn purchase these gorgeous prints and have them framed/matted at her local craft supply store.  

If one gorgeous, oversized lamp is good, two is better.  These lamps will have a big presence in the space.  They are large in scale, yet their translucent quality keeps them feeling light.  

To warm up the cool color palette and to create a tidy display in Lynn's bookcase, we added dark natural textured baskets.

This is the second time we have had the opportunity to create an online design plan for Lynn.  Thank you, Lynn for having us in your beautiful home, again. 

For information on my affordable online design service, please click here. 

**Out of courtesy to my client, I am unable to share more specific details of her custom design plan.  Thank you for understanding.  

© Copyright 2013 The Yellow Cape Cod