Design that Reveals
Design that Reveals
Creativity is my love, interior design is my focus. Whether it be full service interior design, re-decoration or even online design through Design in a Box, I am passionate about all things creative. Here, I will share insights into projects, inspirations and what's going on in the world of design from Calgary and beyond. Would love to have you follow along.
my bedroom reveal May 10, 2011
exciting news! Jul 13, 2011
design: arbour lake house final reveal Nov 29, 2010
Happy Thursday!
I’m patiently waiting for installation day on a project. The area carpet is taking longer than expected so we’re on hold until further notice. My client would like a one day transformation…and so we wait, but that’s ok, good thinks come to those who wait, right? In the meantime I’m on the hunt for accent pillows for the sofas (see large question mark below). I blogged recently about pillows and how they’re part of the styling stage, meaning one of the last details to be selected in a project. I’ve been keeping my eyes peeled in hopes of finding the perfect, family friendly, yet sophisticated, not too formal, hint of colour kind of pillows. Here’s a peek at a few fabric selections and items we have on order.
1. Kaleigh Ceramic Lamp: Arteriors 2. Carved Chest: Hickory Chair 3. Area carpet: Weavers Art
We have bold pattern in drapery as well as a chair and ottoman working alongside teal velvet sofas. Contrasting this with muted colours, textures and a dose of colour…loving the yellow! It’s my goal to find one pillow and purchase four to add cohesive, not overly fussed accents to the sofa.
Tomorrow I’m headed east again but this time to New York for a shopping weekend. So excited! I’m on a mission to find pillows among many other items. Surely I’ll find something, don’t you think?!
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
While working on a family room space for a client we jumped into pulling together furniture and fabrics for a mountain retreat they are in the midst of building. This is somewhat of a departure from what I’ve been working on, but that’s one of the best parts of my job, each project is completely different.
I have been ooooohing and aaaaaahing over these fabrics and had to share. Wool plaids, rich colours mixed with smooth leathers and chenille fabrics are making my heart sing. Where you would typically expect rustic, this is a modern approach to a mountain home. We have done the happy dance a few times while putting it all together.
Here’s a peek at what we’re up to ~
Fabrics: Moon Fabrics from Primavera, Osborne & Little, fabrics for Vanguard furniture and Alfonso Marina via Domaine Fine Furnishings.
Doesn’t this look OH so cozy?! I can hardly wait until it all arrives.
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
Do you ever find yourself getting to a point where you feel like there’s just something missing? You look around your room and are satisfied, but nothing is saying wow or giving the impression the room is complete. Bringing in those elements of completion, the styling and accessorizing is just as important as the larger pieces of furniture you choose. I was recently (re) introduced to a client who needed just this: finishing touches. We also had a deadline, a Christmas party and we had just five weeks to pull it all together with new drapery, area rugs, art work and accessories. Ready…GO!
Here’s the before of the entrance. This existing furniture was brought over from the clients previous home. The chairs are too large and console not large enough for the space. They also do not have a relationship with the living room and dining room which is important because your eye immediate goes towards these rooms upon entering the home.
The entrance after: We found a high impact chest, not only for storage but with a gorgeous detail that wow’s you the minute you walk into the home. Chairs either side, area rug (not shown) and festive touches complete this space and welcome guests with warmth and sophistication. 
The before of the sitting room included a curved settee in purple ultrasuede. My client loves purple, but this was the only piece in the room with such impact. We needed to create balance with the strength of this colour and also with the number of curved items in the room.
The sitting room after: We selected a 9×12 area rug (not shown) to frame the seating area and bring focus to this portion of a large room. New artwork and accessories including pillows in similar colours as the sofa itself offer just enough contrast without overpowering or creating a colour blocked feel. This is a formal space so keeping items simple and textured rather than patterned and high impact give us the desired sophisticated, calm and luxurious feel.
The before of the dining room. As you can see, it’s good, but it’s missing intimacy and a completed feel. Having beautiful pieces of furniture (the majority purchased from Domicile) is always a great place to start. Gorgeous dining table and chairs as well as a handsome sideboard and stunning light fixture create the base for the room. 
The dining room after: Insert drapery, artwork, a few more accessories, et voila!
I snapped these photos quickly as I wrapped up a few details before the party. Not professionally photographed, but I think these show you how infusing your room with important finishing touches is the icing on the cake, the jewelry for the room and the road to a completed space.
**I want to include a little side note here. Turning drapery around in five weeks is not typical. We found fabric that was in stock, air shipped it and I had my workroom on standby and on board to turn this around in a jiffy. The stars aligned and we pulled it off. Achieving this as well as other selections such as area carpets and art work within this time frame takes trust in your designer and a sometimes a higher budget**
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
Sources:
Artwork: Herringer Kiss Gallery, Side table and front entry console: Domaine, Accessories: Domicile, Peridot, ABC Carpet & Home, Kit Interior Objects, Chintz & Co and Homesense. All other furniture and lighting by Domicile.
I’m styling a dining room today, adding the finishing touches and accents. We started out with an existing table, chairs and sideboard and added drapery, area rug, new lighting, changed the paint colour and my client found new art for the space. The room also includes a hit of wallpaper. You might remember a post I did about thoughts on wallpaper and whether the commitment was daunting or not. I’m happy to report, my client said yes to the one you see below. We changed the area rug from what you see here to one that I found during a visit to Elte. It is stunning! It’s a traditional style home where we have infused modern and transitional elements to update and complete the room. Here are a few of the materials we have selected along with lighting and a few accessories I’m planning to bring in. Pretty sure it’ll be ready to photograph in the New Year so stay tuned for a final reveal.
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
My clients have recently moved to, and renovated a house in the country. We are at the finishing stage, although there is still lots to do. I’m heading out of town tomorrow to do a site visit (as well as participate in a cooking class by sharing tips on quick and easy decorating ideas for entertaining during the holidays). A number of months ago I created a living room inspiration board which has since come together quite nicely. The coffee table seems to be our biggest hold up right now but I think we’re making progress.
We seem to have many irons in the fire right now with remaining furniture pieces, media unit being built as well as window coverings required for several windows, including the ensuite. Below are the materials we used in the master bathroom. I’m thinking something soft and airy, possibly a linen sheer with a slight pattern to it.
The cabinetry is painted in Benjamin Moore Duxbury Gray (that’s the grey/green colour of the two), with backsplash in the white glass/marble mosiac. I’m contemplating a silver framed mirror accented with a very small gold edge detail to add an unexpected element and shimmer. It will be really subtle but often those details are what add impact and make a difference in a room. Keep ya’ posted on that one…
That’s all for now!
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
The start of a project is always so fun isn’t it? When I first walked into this space, my heart skipped a beat. For real. I know, you’re dying to see more but I just can’t show you right now. I have to keep some secrets, right? I will share a peak at the fabrics we used in the living room for furniture and accents. We are ninety percent done. Remaining items include accessories as well as an area carpet and custom console recently ordered for the dining room that shares space with the living room.
Selecting mohair as the upholstery for the sofa will be cozy for Fall and Winter, while linen slipcovers were also ordered to freshen things up come Spring and Summer. An easy way to change the look and feel of your space.
Linen, mohair, velvet chenille and geometric patterns in soft colours along with walnut and antique brass materials are below for your viewing enjoyment :)
Nyla Free Designs is a full service Calgary Interior Design studio. Our goal is to bring your home to life by revealing your style and infusing unexpected elements of design and detail. If we can help with your project please let us know! See the contact page to get in touch.
Nyla Free Designs also offers an online design service through Design in a Box.
Here’s a little colour story and idea board I’ve got on the go for a fabulous young girl and her new bedroom that we’re working on. Just like her, it’s bright and cheery, so I thought I’d leave you with this as I head out for a long weekend. Happy Easter everyone! I hope you have a lovely, relaxing weekend filled with lots of love and chocolate :) See you back here on Monday.
Flower pom poms, bedding, floral fabric, area rug via Layers and Layers
Long time clients of mine are moving to the country. We’re going to make this house their own while still respecting it’s surroundings of prairie goodness. It’s going to be french, country, modern with a little bit of industrial chic. I put together an inspiration board of some of the pieces we have selected for the living room and perhaps dining room, showing lighting, fabrics, sofa idea and flooring.
We’re making decisions quickly as move in is fast approaching. I’ll be sharing what we’re up to in the kitchen on another post, so come back and visit!
The beginning of a renovation is always so exciting. I’m thrilled to be embarking on a new project with a client I’ve been working with for years. This time around is a bathroom overhaul. The walls are down and the renovation has begun. A well used, but tired space is getting a face lift. Actually it’s more like reconstructive surgery because it will hardly be recognizable once we’re done. Like a warm cup of coffee or a creamy, caramel ice cream cone this space is going to be soothing and filled with depth and texture…not to mention this fabulous bathtub.
Next up is finalizing the design of the cabinetry. Stay tuned my friends and thanks for stopping by!
I’ve just started working with a new client on a dining room re-decoration. The furniture is existing and very nice so the next step is to make this room go from basic to beautiful. Right out of the gate I thought about wallpaper. Here are some of the choices ~
Nice huh?!
Here’s the thing, from what I gather everyone seems to visually love wallpaper, but I wonder when it comes down to actually choosing it for their home if one would have the tendency to shy away.
I would love for you to really tell me what you think about wallpaper.
1. Is it too much of a commitment for you?
2. Do you think about re-sale and what potential buyers might think?
3. Are you worried you’ll tire of it?
4. Which one of the above is your favorite and would you put it in your own home? Or are the above patterns too bold for you?
Tell me! I would love to know your thoughts.
Thanks, as always for stopping by!
Wallpaper: Designers Guild
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