Dearest lovely Ewings. Here are some of my thoughts on your gorgeous new space. In listening to what you both like, it seems to me that your style is something like  Hemingway Handsome meets Art Deco Old Hollywood Glamour. Based on that, I have put together the following options which hopefully give you some insights into how we can decorate the space.

Living room inspiration:

Sofa: $999 at cb2

Rug: $400 at Horchow (in speckled too!)

Chair: $1595 at Restoration Hardware

Dining room inspiration:

 

A preview of how the dining room could look with a round table:

 

A round table helps to break up and soften all of the rectangular lines of the architecture, making it feel more homey, yet still sophisticated.

Here is a preview of how a round table would look with a sofa and a chair in the living room, with the sofa’s back oriented behind the table and a pop of color for the built-in seating cushions:

Here is the room with the same elements, but with the couch’s back oriented at the back wall and the chair in the corner by the built-in seating:

Inspiration for the dining room wall behind the dining table:

A magnetic chalkboard wall is an inexpensive way to make a major style impact and helps to define/anchor a space. Plus, with the dining room doubling as a work space, it makes the ultimate “white board” and  inspiration board whether for story boards or dinner party menus.

Table Options:

A rectangular table looks great too, very streamlined and elegant:

Here is the room with the same table, but with the couch’s back oriented to the back wall and the chair in the corner:

This table has an industrial-chic feel with rustic reclaimed wood and metal. It’s available in two sizes at West Elm:

1) 72″w x 36″d x 30″h, seats 6, $680

2) 88″w x 36″d x 30″h, seats 8, $764

Dining  room inspiration with the BoConcept table.

Also streamlined, but a more contemporary meets Art Deco look:

Here is the same look but with the couch and chair in the living room oriented another way:

Couch-less

Here is how the room would look with the various dining tables, but with two chairs and no couch in the living room (I know you don’t want two of the same chairs, but just so you can get a better vision):

Round Dining Table + Two Chairs in Living Room, No Couch:

West Elm Dining Table + Two Chairs in Living Room, No Couch:

BoConcept Dining Table + Two Chairs in Living Room, No Couch:

Hopefully this makes it a little easier to envision how a table, couch and chair would look in your new amazeballs space. Of course, this doesn’t include accessories like pillows, side tables, rugs, lighting, etc. (all those things that really warm up a room), but the first step is deciding which layout(s) you like best and if you want to go with a couch (sorry JR, I’m with the ladies and think it makes sense and looks good!).

After that (or in conjunction with), we should tape off and measure table, couch and chair dimensions in the space to make sure everything scales the way you want it to. Then, the best step: shopping!

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

xx,

k

The Ewings

It’s looking good, guys!

H&M, Living Room

The Inspiration:

 

Gwenny’s gorgeous Hamptons pad…

 

Option 1:

 

See photo below for more of this take…

Pale blue couch + b&w printed chair (or any fabric you choose) + sisal rug  + white flokati rug + white ceramic stool (could do two as ottoman/coffee table alternative or one as an end table, but just wanted to show with white table/ottoman as option — though that decision should come after the couch and rug one!). The important question is do you like the pale blue couch or the grey one, as seen below…

Option 2:

Here’s the option with the grey couch… If you went grey couch, you could do the chair in the same print as Gwenny’s. Another option is to cover the ottoman you have in the fabric above (or any fabric) and then choose a more solid chair… Lemme know what you prefer!

H&M, Living Room

M thinks the zebra rug is too wild animal kingdom (wait, isn’t that perfect in the bedroom?!).   How about a flokati rug in white or grey? Or this solid classic rug (see both below)?

 

Option 1:

Flokati rug (multiple options)+ blue curtains…

Option 2:

Flokati rug + pink curtains…

Option 3:

Or perhaps a classic rug like this one?

Option 4:

Or, same rug as above with white sheers? Let me know what you guys think!

Bedroom, H&M

Hello dolls,

A few more options including the elements you liked (zebra rug + ikea light + white nightstands, but smaller) with more color through bedding, curtains and art. The new smaller white nightstands (these are $249 from Pottery Barn) still give you some storage, but take up much less space.  We can always style the open bottom part with pretty design books too and possibly a small picture frame, etc. Let me know your thoughts xx!

 

Option 1

 

White tufted bed + zebra rug + magical light + white lamps ($195) + smaller white nightstands with a pop of print and texture with the blue bedding ($144 duvet; $38/sham)…

 

Option 2

 

Same as above but with crystal lamps instead of white…

Option 3

Or, perhaps you prefer these white lamps ($139 at Z Gallerie)?

Option 4

 

Same as above with the idea of art on the walls behind the lamps being jewelery in frames ($29-$49 at Pottery Barn)… Perhaps necklaces/earrings on H’s side and watch’s or ties on M’s?

Option 5

Or perhaps you’d like a bolder pop of color? Lacquered frames in red or yellow — or both! — behind lamps provide a fun surprise element in the room (and can easily be changed out to suit your mood or changing tastes).

Option 6

Or perhaps you prefer grey bedding instead of blue with blue curtains ($51/panel from West Elm) as an accent…

 

Option 7

And here’s the grey bedding with pink curtains…

 

Option 8

 

Another white table option ($179 from Pottery Barn) – this one has skinny gams!

Option 9

Same as above but with the pink curtains…

Option 10

Or with glam little mirrored lamps ($69 from Lamps Plus)…

Bedroom, H&M

Glamorous mirrored nightstands…

Plus a chic white tufted bed…

 

Plus gorgeous wallpaper and crystals lamps add up to one jaw-dropping boudoir.

Or, perhaps you prefer pink and grey?

Here’s the same look, but with the white nightstands…

And here’s the blue wallpaper with the white nightstands and crystal lamp…

Preferences?

Pink or blue wallpaper?

White or mirrored nightstands?

Or, do you prefer something from the original inspiration set more?

Let me know which direction you’re liking more and we’ll go from there!

H&M

Darlings,

Some bedroom inspiration below. I hope you like! Keep in mind that any elements below can be mixed, matched and totally scratched!

The Project: Darling newlyweds seek to make current beautiful modern home feel less like an art museum and more like a happy chic hug.

The Players: H&M. Foodies, Francophiles and jetsetters extraordinaire with a penchant for jumping, a fondness for Marfa, a love of Isabel Marant, Phillip Lim and deadpanning. And Happy Cafe.

Their style: The perfect mix of uptown ladylike and gentlemanly glamour with casual downtown cool. They are champagne and lollypops. Cashmere and cupcakes. Sophisticated and sweet. Trend savvy, but timeless.

The Mission: Add vintage-inspired, warm, playful and personal elements to make house feel like home, chic home.

The Inspiration:

I love how two simple yellow lamps and and pillows make this entire white bedroom pop. Chic and playful, just like a certain couple I know!

Option 1:

I like how you can achieve this look easily with what you already have.  Atop the Bungalow 5 nightstands (or a less expensive alternative — see below), you’d just need to add two fab yellow lamps (these are $120 each) and then one or two of the white and yellow pillows ($80 each).  You could keep your current rug and toss an inexpensive IKEA sheepskin/faux fur Flokati rug at the end of it ($40). I love this light, which is also a steal at IKEA for $89 (see how fab it looks in the room below). You could pick up a soft grey faux fur throw to drape at the end of the bed (about $99) or go with the all-white bedding you already have. If you’d like to add curtains, the ones above look very soft and pretty for the room — and are very Carrie Bradshaw! — ($78-$108 per panel). Or, you could opt for grey velvet (see below).

The Look for Less:

These nightstands (just $90 on Overstock and eBay) have a similar vibe to the Bungalow 5 nightstands and we can personalize and glam them up a bit with new hardware/handle pulls like these from Anthropologie ($10 each). We can also go hunting for vintage ones…

Light Inspiration:

Does it light up your life?

Option 2:

Same look as above, but with grey velvet drapes instead for a richer look (more luxe, less airy)…

Option 3:

If you prefer to change out your current rug entirely for something softer, I love this take on the zebra rug from West Elm (about $1000), which could also look great in your living room.

Option 4:

Looking for more color? This Anthropologie rug is so pretty – a sea of blues and purples (reminds me of Gwenyth Paltrow’s Hamptons home!). It could also be very cool in the living room.

Option 5:

If you’d like more of a pop, another option to consider is to wallpaper the wall behind the bed. There are thousands of options, but I’m fond of this brand new Oh Joy wallpaper, which is graphic yet soft at the same time (also could be very fun for the powder room downstairs). If you’re not keen on using wallpaper, but want more of a dramatic look, an accent wall of pretty grey or pale blue paint could be lovely, like below. Grey would work very well with the yellow accents.

Inspiration 2:

Feeling blue?

Option 6:

Accent walls and wallpaper aside, another fun pop could be to add custom silhouettes! Helen’s would be hung on her side behind her lamp, Mike’s on his side (framed, each would be about $50). I love a monogrammed pillow and these Mr. and Mrs. ones are cute for your newlyweds (just $16!). We could also do an “H” on one and an “M” on the other (Pottery Barn does them for about $50). An alternative to a faux fur throw at the end of the bed would be something like this more organic looking one from Design Public (on sale for just $52!), which would look lovely with the Carrie Bradshaw curtains too.

Option 7:

Another lamp option — all white.

Option 8:

Liking the white, but still crave a pop? This je’taime pillow in the center of the bed would be sweet for you Francophiles (you can even leave love notes in the back pocket — aaaaw)! Mike. Mike. Wake up!

Let me know what you think, what you love, what’s not working for you.  Mirrored nightstands could be a nice option too (see below). If none of it is what  you’re feeling, that’s totally fine, just tell me what you want. What you really, really want.

Inspiration 3:

 

All of the images and products (and prices) are linked to on Pinterest under the categories Helen and Mike and For the Home  (I am loving Pinterest because it lets you bookmark images so easily)!  I can “invite” you to join if you’re not already members (it’s free – whee!) and you can bookmark things you come across too if you want, that way I can see what you like.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts xx!

k

p.s. K says I should tell you which option is my favorite, but I want to see what you like best first.

H&M