Alpharetta, GA Residential Interior Design Before and After Images
A Summary Of The Interior Design For This Georgia Home
The Approach To The Homes' Existing Interior Design
As we reviewed the current layout of the family room, it was obvious that their furniture plan was not optimal for the space. The open concept plan, connecting the family room to the kitchen, unifies the main living area. But placing their existing leather sofa at the opening to the kitchen blocked easy access and didn’t allow for the correct traffic flow. There is a reason they placed the sofa there, and it is the well-known “TV location” problem! A lot of my clients argue about placing the TV above the fireplace. They believe that the room's focal point should be artwork, and the height of the TV isn’t comfortable for viewing when it isn’t at eye level. The most important aspect of determining where the TV should go is what the room’s purpose is. If it is a family room and everyone gathers to watch shows together, it makes sense that the focal point is, in fact, the television. If it is a living room and the room's purpose is to gather for conversation, the television takes a back seat. The mounts that are available today make it easy for viewing as they are fully adjustable. Pointing the television downward solves the sore neck problem. Blocking the entrance to the kitchen was not a good use of space, which convinced the family to finally allow us to place it over the fireplace mantel. The fireplace was a two-story structure covered in stone, typical of the Alpharetta homes built in the ’80s. We wanted to modernize the home, add some character with board and batten mouldings, and cover some stones. We decided to leave the stone around the firebox since it was reminiscent of the homes in this area. We succeeded in creating a focal point for the central part of this house. The stone served as a starting point in creating the scheme for this room. The warm and neutral-colored tones defined the selections for the flooring and some fabrics, but we needed the blue tones for ultimate peacefulness. We landed on a beautiful hue of blue for the paint color, Sherwin Williams 9137 Niebla Azul, an airy light pastel blue-gray, and chose a similar tone for the large sofa in the room.
The furniture arrangement was also centered around the activity; the sofa and adjacent chairs were placed facing the fireplace, and two additional chairs were also placed next to it for ease of conversation and reading a book with a glass of wine in hand. A large, round, white marble coffee table grounded the family room and introduced the scheme in the kitchen as we specified all white, Shaker cabinets. Accents of the color red were sprinkled around the room.
A Kitchen's Interior Design Begins With The Floor Plan
When entering the kitchen, the client immediately expressed her concerns about the location of the range, which was centered on the island. Again, this was an older concept, embraced in the ’80s, but it is not wise if you have young children. Children running around the island is a classic concept we cannot disregard. We placed the range on the kitchen's perimeter to solve this problem and added a range hood. We eliminated a pantry closet in the corner of the kitchen and created a full wall of floor-to-ceiling cabinets with pantry space within. We also eliminated the quintessential kitchen desk, which allowed for a lot more storage in this kitchen. A simple docking station was added within a drawer, so all electronics charge out of sight. We have come a long way since the ’80s! The client asked for a countertop surface that holds up to spills and the messes of continual baking. Quartz, an engineered stone surface, was the obvious answer to that request as it withstands juice, oil, coffee, tomato, and wine stains. Quartz is a non-porous surface, unlike granite and marble, which must be sealed at least once per year. It is also a harder product than granite, and it is almost indestructible. The only consideration for using this product is being careful with heat. Hot pads should be used for setting hot pots and pans on this surface. We specified two different quartz surfaces, white, honed quartz with minimal veining on the 8-foot island, Carrara Grigio, which keeps things light and airy in the center of the room, and a darker solid honed quartz on the perimeter, and Cemento Gray Suede.
We added a neutral tile selection using an interesting polished vein-cut grey and white marble and accented with a cool blue-toned glossy glass tile that dictated the island's paint color selection. The homeowner wanted to accent with a deeper island color in the center of the room, so we chose a deep neutral blue tone, Sherwin Williams 9141 Waterloo, a gorgeous and rich accent color.
Interior Design For a Small Bathroom
The only bathroom on the main floor is a guest bath. It was in dire need of a renovation. The bathroom was divided into two spaces - a vanity base with a sink in one room and the tub/shower combo and toilet in the other room. The room with the sink was too small. My clients were unable to move freely in the space. When you are bumping elbows on door frames, it is time to demolish an unnecessary wall!
In keeping with the soft neutrals and blue tones, we chose the vanity for the space first, a soft, minty blue-hued, single vanity with ample storage from the Martha Stewart Living vanity collection. The drawers within the piece were constructed of bamboo, a product well known to resist water. When working with inexpensive tile selections from Floor and Decor, we pride ourselves on combining several materials to create an interesting space. Incorporating a modern white Calacatta marble picket tile with a traditional white and warm grey subway tile kept the cost down. Looking at this play in combination, you wouldn’t guess that this bathroom came in under budget! It is also important to check dye lots and the sizing of each box of tile to achieve a smooth installation. Lower-end tiles tend to have major discrepancies that designers should keep in mind when selecting. Plumbing for the bathroom was also on the affordable side; we used all Delta products. Compared with a splurge in lighting selections, the pendants surrounding the mirror are from Visual Comfort Lighting, which, in this space, creates a careful balance of compromise. The bathroom used as a powder room daily provides comfort and beauty.
Are you seeking an interior designer in Fulton County or Greater Atlanta? Let's talk about your interior design project. Contact me, Andrea Bixler, by clicking here.