The Bachelorette Pad - First Phase

Those of us in the design field like to joke that "decorating is soooo glamorous!" (Meant to be read with sarcasm!) And installations are the least glamorous but most satisfying part of decorating! I spend the day at The Bachelorette Pad installing the new furnishings and moving other pieces around. Well, I didn't move the heavy stuff. The fabulous professionals at The Padded Wagon did the heavy lifting. I don't want to turn this into a commercial for them but I've used a lot of movers and they are the best for my needs. They are also handymen who will install draperies and chandeliers and even microwaves like they did today. If you ever need some professional help, they are your men.

Now, before I get some dumb comment that the place doesn't look finished, that's because it's not. We still need to install the artwork, bedroom draperies and headboard, among other things. This was just the first phase but I have to say that it really made a huge difference. The Bachelorette had a family funeral to attend today which was of course rough, so it was so nice to give her something to look forward to at the end of the day! And of course she had a good response and was kind enough to let me share it with you.

"I was so excited to get home today cause I thought you were going to do a great job. But this is truly amazing. I am so beyond thrilled you have no idea. You made me so happy. The best way I can describe is to say that it finally after five years feels like "home." But only that home belongs to a stylish friend of mine. I was having such a crappy day that I thought I needed to go for a run to feel better but now I don't want to leave. This place is so great. You should be so proud of yourself. I can't get over the bedroom. Its amazing. But I agree it needs art. Art will be like the frosting on an amazing cake! Thank you is not enough!"

I can't decide if I love the living room or bedroom best but as you can see below, the living room really did get a dramatic makeover. We had discussed buying a new larger bookcase for this wall and looked at several options but budgetary concerns took precedence. I love working with pieces that a client already owns so I thought maybe I could make it work if we moved it out of the corner (nobody puts baby in the corner...couldn't resist!) and flanked it by a pair of the amazing vintage chairs that The Bachelorette bought from Jayson while on a trip to Chicago. She actually bought a set of four and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the extra two so this seemed like just the place! I also rearranged the shelves so now all of her mementos have a special place.

Living Room - Before

As I mentioned, the artwork still needs to be installed so that is why all the walls are empty. We also had plans to buy a new side table, but the blue and white Chinoiserie garden stool from her sister works so well that we may not need one. I may upgrade the floor lamp though. I knew I wanted a lighter tray on the brown leather ottoman from George Smith so The Bachelorette painted it herself with the left over White Dove paint from Benjamin Moore. I showed her a few wall colors but in the end, we used the same color as my living room, Benjamin Moore Cedar Key. If it ain't broke...

I also move the plaid arm chair to near the window and paired it with a new reading lamp and a brown drum table that she inherited from one of her sisters. We have picked out a new fabric to have the chair reupholstered but since you know that upholstery is expensive, we're holding off on actually having the work done for a little while. While I was there, I also restyled the area under the television so that the picture frames hides the paraphernalia behind them.

I spent a lot of the day ironing linens and creating a dreamy bedroom. Anyone who wants to become an interior designer needs to realize that there is no job that is too big or too small. You will be ironing and cleaning and on your hands knees plugging things in and getting dirty. Be prepared. We still need to find lamps for the bedroom which is my weekend project but even without them, the room looks so much pulled together as you can see from the before photo below. I might also find a patterened fabric for a boudoir pillow to add a little more color to the bed.

Bedroom - Before

We already bought the draperies but I need to buy new hardware before they can be hung. I'm not going to ruin the surprise and tell you what they look like but the will pull the whole room together perfectly! Now I just have to find a chandelier!

I also had the men switch the placement of the large armoire and the dresser. It really does look much better and now the draperies will have more room to drape. The Bachelorette also had some things on the floor so I moved one of her old garden chairs into the bedroom and now she has the perfect place to sit her gym bag.

I read this quote from interior designer Veere Grenney in the November/December 2008 issue of Australian Vogue Living and it really resonated with me. "If I am doing a room for someone, I really care about them and not how it will look in a photograph. I want to make them feel safe, to make them feel important. I really want people to have a happy time when they're in that space Otherwise, what's the point?" I feel exactly the same way. Making people happy is the glamorous part even if the installations aren't!