With the new year upon us and a bright 2020 already in full swing, I thought there was no better way to celebrate than with a mini makeover! I had the pleasure of working with the talented Anna Petrow, who is a local photographer here in Kansas City, in giving her sunroom a little update. She had never worked with a designer before and I wanted to make sure she had a wonderful time from the initial home visit to the final reveal. Anna has a lovely house in Brookside that has all the charm and character you could ask for. One thing I loved about her space is how she mixes antiques and older pieces with new items and modern touches. We love doing that here at Nell Hill’s, too! She mentioned that she has been trying to figure out how to update an antique daybed that she had picked up years ago and had not been able to successfully place in a room.
Upon hearing this I knew we could be of service! Anna’s home is so light and airy that the dark, necktie inspired fabrics on the daybed were creating a heavy visual space that didn’t quite fit. We agreed that once reupholstered, it would be perfect for her adorable (and so-far, underused) sunroom. Anna herself has a great eye for design, color and spacing, so I knew this would be a fun project! After some chatting, I had her come into the shop to peruse our fabric room (champagne in hand of course 😉) to find out what colors and patterns she gravitated towards. It can be easy to get comfortable in your décor choices, so I thought it would be fun to shake things up for Anna by presenting three very different options for her to choose from. We wanted to help her complete her space but also push her out of her comfort zone a little!
Our first look is one that we called “Calming Chambray” and is made up of muted blues, dark denims and light creams for a dreamy and casual appearance. This collection is light on color variety but heavy on texture. We thought that this would tie in her existing denim chair beautifully to her new re-upholstered piece and fit with her current room theme. Ultimately, we decided it was too “familiar”, even though she did spy one of her favorite fabrics (which luckily, we could fit into our finished look!).
As a second option, we went in the opposite direction! The look was a collection of spicy reds, eye-catching jewel tones, and whimsical prints that we named “Southwest Spice”. Full of color AND texture, this collection was a new direction for her home, but one that created interest and added depth to the space. While this was not the look we finalized, it did offer a nod to her love of animal prints.
The final option we presented to Anna was the fresh and fierce “Jungle Bungalow” look. Full of the beloved animal prints and soft leafy accents, it plays perfectly with the plants that line the sunny space and the natural woven elements found throughout the room. We knew almost immediately that this was going to be our winner. The playful jungle elements fit perfectly in her sunroom and the bursts of color helped tie in her other existing décor. We choose a deep green performance fabric for her daybed cushion (she has a new puppy who loves to keep watch in this room, so it must be durable!) and used some lighter textured patterns to effortlessly tie in her denim chair. We even threw in her favorite fabric from the chambray collection to add another light element to balance everything out (can you spot it?). In the end, it was the perfect way to enhance her room and create a space she would love to spend time in!
I had so much fun working on this project with Anna. One of the things we strive for at the shop is bringing out our customer’s own unique styles and enhancing their already beautiful homes. We want to create a fun and stress-free space to get creative and step outside of your comfort zone to find the perfect design match! Being able to play around with these fun looks to find the perfect fit reminds me why I love design in the first place. Which one of these looks would you have chosen? I think any one of them would have been beautiful!
