A FRENCH PROVINCIAL COTTAGE IN LAKE OSWEGO

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

My clients had lived in this home for many years. After being empty nesters for a while, they decided they were ready for a change. They recently remodeled their outdated kitchen, sold most of their old furniture and were ready to welcome in a fresh new updated classic space with a neutral palette and an uncluttered open French Provincial feel.

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THE DESIGN PLAN

I was tasked with 2 areas; the living room and the family room. The living room presented a challenge with a sharp angled ceiling and a constricted "main focus" wall.

Using the existing sofa as our base, I built the rest of the room around their love of the RH modern 18th century French reproduction pieces, A chunky boucle woven jute and wool borderless rug grounds the room and sets the tone for a light and airy space. An injection of natural woods, linens, antiquarian hand bound journals, a hint of burlap and raffia, as well as wrought iron in the cocktail table and the drapery rods, pulled the look together.

A pair of oversized Armorial Engraving artwork pieces wrapped in a rubbed grey-finish wood frame, were placed directly above the sofa. This made the once "short" and seemingly insignificant wall, a handsome feature and a strong and tall focal point in the room.

The family room was an extension of the open kitchen space. The 4 single chairs my clients had (and still loved) were lovely, but they were way too small for the space.

Football was the number one focus for this area. A large TV dominated the wall opposite french doors that folded out and opened onto the outdoor patio.

It was important to extend the neutral palette and same feel as the living room and at the same time, create a football-friendly viewing area as well as a great conversation area around the fireplace they loved to gather around.

The fireplace however was dated. Convincing my clients that this needed to be updated was a huge challenge as they loved the woodwork. Once I explained that an antique white washed paint finish on the mantel and a new pair of less ornate corbels would transform and update their fireplace, they were on board. I also suggested doing a finish on the hearth to tie it all together.

Although we added all new furniture to the room, it was the character of the revitalized fireplace that truly transformed this space. A pair of oversized comfortable custom linen slipcovered armchairs, a well proportioned chair and a half along with an organic rough hewn oak media cabinet for added storage, balanced out the room. The armchairs were covered in the same fabric as the client's small chairs she previously had in this room, so that they could be brought back in as extra seating during football season.

Gauzy linen drapes hung from black wrought iron rods, frame the windows and elevate the height of the room.