7.12.10

Design Show and Tell: Sunroom

 

We left off at the living room, shown below, which I opened up to the adjoining sunroom by knocking out the wall to the left of the fireplace. I also turned the fireplace into a double-sided one. The overall effect here is a much more open floor plan, creating the illusion of more space…Picture1

If you were to walk through the opening on the right (above) and turn slightly left, this is what you’d see. The back wall and left corner of this room are all window…CIMG1652CIMG1653

A view from outside…this door was changed to open out and was switched to have the hinges on the opposite side, making for easier traffic flow from the living and sun rooms onto the deck, which was built up to be even with the doors…100_1962

As you can see, the stairs and concrete slab were really just a big eyesore. Building up a deck here made the space much more usable, and being that it is directly off the dining, living, and sun rooms, it was really just an extension of the indoor space…CIMG1633

A view in from the backyard…on the right, looking directly into the sunroom, you can see the built-in white shelving that was removed to create the second opening on the other side of the double-sided fireplace. To the left is the master bedroom window…Picture2

Here is the basic layout of the sunroom and below it, a concept sketch…CCI12022010_00000

The design I created was meant to have a playful and dreamy quality to it. I used crisp yellow-greens, coral, and aqua as my accent colors. The furniture was kept light and low in profile so as not to block the view of outside. In the top right you’ll see mirrored tiles used to cover the fireplace, reflecting everything outside and all that beautiful natural light…

This is the effect achieved by covering the fireplace in mirrored tiles. Antiquing them is a great idea, especially in this case where they’re located in a room filled with sunlight. If you wanted the window treatments raised, the antique finish would reduce glare. Also, using the smaller sized tiles cuts down on glare because the slight irregularity from one tile installation to the next helps break up the rays, causing them to bounce off in slightly different directions…  WY001210

(corbisimages.com)

Anyone who has ever lived in a hot climate knows how important ceiling fans are and we tend to not want to give them up…ever…for any reason. But who says you have to sacrifice style for comfort? Not me. This Artemis ceiling fan from g2art.com was my solution to the whole “have an ugly fan vs. don’t and sweat like a pig” conundrum. With smooth, attractive curves in an appealing group of three translucent blades, this fan solves the problem and everybody’s happy. Beautiful, modern, sleek, and unobtrusive…f803-tl-500 

I loved all the fresh shades of blues and greens with hints of coral (used throughout the room) and fantasy-like qualities in this 1914 Bird of Paradise Vogue cover from the Conde Nast Store. This fantastical nature scene is fitting for a room with a big view of outside…    CCI12022010_00002 

This is a 1970’s ceramic lamp from 1st Dibs. I thought the soft, milky, jade green was just delicious…CCI12022010_00003

In keeping with my belief that something doesn’t have to be expensive to look good and you can certainly mix high- and low-priced items, I picked this acacia wood mini bar from CB2 to bring a little “feel good” into the room, perfect for entertaining…AcaciaMiniBar3QF8 Picture_2

Don’t you dig this fabulous rug?? It’s a 1930’s Chinese Art Deco, also from 1st Dibs. Fun, feminine, and traditional with a funky jolt of color… AAAADKCQ20QAAAAAABsWHQ

Fabrics are always my favorite part!… I just love this print by Schumacher, it’s called Le Petit Oiseau Toile in Aqua. It was used for pleated balloon shades on all of the windows, adding to the light, fresh nature- and sort of daydream-inspired space…CCI12022010_00001

Wouldn’t this be a fun little room to sit and have a cocktail with your best friend in? Sitting on that low-slung studio sofa and Barcelona chair in front of that uber-glam fireplace? Between the drinks from the fabulous little acacia bar and all the pieces hand-picked to spark your imagination and inspire delight, fun times and conversation would never be lacking in this room.