I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this picture in my inbox today. Remember my recent post called Can I Work There? I had mentioned an opportunity to help a client transform an underused living room into a study. Well, a couple weeks ago I presented my plan for the study to my clients and I have to say the look and feel is very similar to this room that was just published by Elle Decor. Now keep in my mind that this client’s budget was probably 5x my client’s budget. My client’s study is a couple months from being completed so I don’t have pictures yet but take a look at the items I picked for the room below and see the similarities.

Here’s the Elle Decor shot…
Steven Gambrel
This is a library designed for a young family who just moved into a new home outside of New York City.  The bookcase and fireplace surround are original to the Tudor style house.  Steven Gambrel who is known “for a classic look with modern comfort” designed the sofa, banquette and ottoman.  Both the rug and drapery are silk.  The walls are wallpaper with a custom overglaze which is hard to see in this picture but I bet it’s gorgeous in person.  To see more of this house, click here…A Tudor Reborn.
The look of my client’s room is also traditional. When you consider their house is colonial and the rooms off of the study have a classic look it was a natural direction to go in. But like Steven Gambrel, I wanted my clients to feel comfortable in the room. Now look at some of the items I picked for my client’s study and you’ll notice the similarities to the Elle Decor photo.

A blue wool and silk rug with a consistent pattern through out.

Cream colored upholstered seating with nailhead detail.


Brown leather ottoman (we chose a richer darker leather than the picture below).

Blue high gloss paint to be used on the wainscoting. 

Dark wood bookcases and cabinets will be custom built to coordinate with his and her desks.

Brass lighting fixtures, including a great ceiling fixture, will be used throughout the room.

A fireplace with dark wood surround will have a flat screen television installed above it.

A coffered ceiling will be installed with a paint treatment in between the molding.

Two sets of wood doors with individual glass panes will be installed and painted white.

A pretty piece of art will be installed with brass sconces on either side for additional accent lighting.

My client’s room has lots of details so I placed everything on a cork board so we could easily see everything while we discussed the room’s design.

If you look closely, you’ll notice my space plan in the top center of the board allows for a seating area with 4 lounge chairs set around a leather ottoman.  A space plan is a must and prevents costly mistakes!!  My detail design of the built in bookcases and cabinets is on the left in the middle. The cabinets were designed to conceal all the ugly office stuff.

My client was very involved during the design process so the space plan, cabinet and bookcase design, and fireplace had been agreed to prior to my presentation.  But I always keep a few things a surprise. With every presentation I like to provide my clients a few options for major furniture pieces, fabric, paint and lighting. Who doesn’t like a choice? However, in this case, the cream fabric you see on the right of the board was so perfect for the lounge chairs I didn’t even show them another option. They loved it.

The picture of the rug above doesn’t do it justice so here’s another one…

It’s a wool and silk blend with the details hand carved out to give it texture. It was the jumping off point for the room.

Normally I only do a post a week but I couldn’t wait to share.   Have a great weekend and for those of you in Maryland enjoy this great weather we’re finally having!