CASE STUDY #1: Greenwood Condo
Melissa has owned her one bedroom condo in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle for ten years. Although she loves her home, it never felt quite finished. There was no art hung on the walls, and she had very little decor, aside from a few small plants on a windowsill in the living room. Over the past few years, she made some improvements to the condo by replacing the carpet with vinyl wood flooring and adding black accent paint to the main wall in the living room. Despite her efforts, Melissa's condo still felt like it was a work in progress and she wasn't sure how to make it feel more complete and more like home.
With minimal preparation, we were able to completely transform and improve her home in only four hours. The only items Melissa purchased were a couple of throw pillows, a few lamps, some plants, and a handful of art pieces she found at thrift stores the previous month. The total cost for these items was under $200.
“Thanks to Amanda my house now feels like my home.”
BEFORE: The bedroom looks unfinished, and doesn't feel like a very cozy place for restful sleep. It is difficult to access the closet because of the current bed position.
BEFORE: Blank walls and clutter on the headboard makes the space feel transitional and messy. The mismatched lamps feel out of place in contrast to warm wood tones in the bedroom, and the lack of art is uninspiring.
BEFORE: This beautiful mid century dresser feels out of place as it sits partially under the window.
AFTER: We moved the bed in order to create better flow and functionality in the space. We added large palm to create texture, color and interest, as well as a more luxurious vibe to the space.
AFTER: By simply adding a new lamp and a sculpture she had in the closet, the feeling of the bedroom is transformed. Meaningful and inspiring objects now greet Melissa in the morning, setting the tone for her day.
AFTER: We moved the dresser to a more functional location, and added a classic gold lamp and thrifted vintage fabric art to create warmth and texture in the space.
BEFORE: Beautiful mid century modern furniture pieces fill her living room, but it doesn't feel quite polished.
BEFORE: The space feels unfinished. The white bookshelf is in the love and relationships area of her home, but it feels too heavy, and there is a sense of unbalance in the space.
BEFORE: The love and relationship corner of the living room felt heavy with the rectangular bookshelf blocking the corner, and a lamp that felt out of place. Overall, the space was lacking softness, plants, and intention.
BEFORE: The wealth and abundance area of the condo was stark and cold, with a single bamboo plant, and a modern bar.
AFTER: Reducing clutter, rearranging furniture and adding some plants and artwork creates a much warmer, welcoming living space.
AFTER: Moving the location of the bookcase softens the corner of the room. Switching out a floor lamp and adding a couple plants and artwork creates a warmer, friendlier space.
AFTER: Love and relationship spaces should include pairs of objects, and the colors red, pink and/or green. Two plants to care for create a symbolic practice in her home, focused on nurturing and attracting love in her life. A pink journal and rose quartz crystals rest on the table.
AFTER: Adding healthy plants represents a healthy flow of financial abundance. The guitar and thrifted artwork with a gold frame add a sense of warmth in the space. A few crystals that work to aid in attracting money (citrine, green aventurine and carnelian) sit on top of the bar, to represent her intention of attracting wealth into her life.
CASE STUDY #2: a young family's first home
When a young couple, Chris and Tracey, bought their first home in Seattle's Central District neighborhood, they contacted us to help them with a design concept, space planning and furniture selection. The project was completed in 2013, but has adapted well to their changing lifestyle and growing family. We worked within a reasonable budget to create a home that is beautiful and functions well.
“We would definitely work with her again!”
DESIGN CONCEPTS: After meeting with our clients, we start by creating a concept board to help visualize all aspects of the design together. Each piece is carefully selected according to function, price, scale, design and aesthetic.
DESIGN CONCEPTS: We work with the furniture, art and other objects that our clients already own and would like to keep. By adding pieces that compliment and contrast these items, we can create a space that is both functional and beautiful.
SPACE PLANNING: We create unique floor plans for our clients to assure that each piece will fit before purchasing, and to study circulation, scale and function.
This minimalist entryway creates a space to help keep things organized when coming home from a busy day at work. This functional, yet beautiful entryway is perfect for dropping bags, keys, shoes and jackets.
CASE STUDY #3: capitol hill condo
After living in an apartment in Belltown for many years, Peter decided to purchase a condo in an iconic building on Capitol Hill, featuring sweeping views of the Seattle skyline and South Lake Union. The furniture he owned was minimal, mostly vintage hand-me-downs. Instead of the traditional design process, we worked within Peter's budget to provide him with the coaching he needed to improve his space and make it his own. We provided guidance on changes including paint, replacing the carpeting with wood flooring, updating the kitchen cabinets and pulls, furniture selection, lighting, layout and decor. Instead of selecting every detail, we coached him on style and where to buy furniture. With our help, Peter was able to eventually complete the space on his own, by adding furniture and artwork that he loved and found meaningful.
“ She is sensitive and super creative about working within budgets. ”
Details make a house a home. I love the little collections of books and objects that clients have in their homes. They tell a story and add beauty and interest.
The contrast of this rustic wood dining table and the crisp white and cobalt velvet seating gives this dining room an eclectic, yet sophisticated look. Notice the booster seat added to one of the chairs so their toddler can join them at the table.
The open, bright living room provides plenty of space for their toddler to play, while maintaining a comfortable, sophisticated mid century aesthetic.
Colorful books and whimsical objects fill this crisp, white bookshelf, adding color and texture to the space.
This wood console with gold details conceals their electronic equipment beautifully.
One of the few furniture pieces this couple already owned were this pair of mid century chairs. They purchased leather cushions to replace the old ones, which creates an updated, more comfortable space to lounge.
This is a great example of using what our clients already have and making it work. Luckily, this client had some beautiful pieces. This dining table looks great against a wall when not being used as a dining table when guests come to visit.
We replaced the existing carpet with new hardwood floors and for a low budget upgrade, we painted the kitchen cabinets (gray lower cabinets and white upper cabinets) then added new hardware for an updated look.
This lovely little reading nook is so inviting! I just want to curl up with one of these books in my client's collection.
The view of South Lake Union and downtown Seattle is gorgeous! The afternoon light fills the warm, mid-century inspired space.
The Space Needle makes an appearance in the background, as light floods this masculine, mid-century condo.