Bathroom: Spa Oasis
This single lady had lived with her outdated bathroom long enough and she was ready for a beautiful change. Before, the bathroom was chopped into two spaces making it feel tiny and cramped, and while it had both a bath and detached shower, the shower was a small, scary little cell she hated to use. The sink was too small, and set in a vanity that was at an odd angle.
We knew that a layout change would make this space feel twice its original size, so we took out the door dividing the two spaces, put a glass-tiled, generous shower where the tub had been, and put a sexy soaking tub in the place of the tiny shower stall and detached vanity space.
Together we chose colors and materials that would feel airy and beautiful, and would compliment her mid-century house. Now this bathroom reflects the beauty of the homeowner herself, and is worthy of the care she takes of her home.
We knew that a layout change would make this space feel twice its original size, so we took out the door dividing the two spaces, put a glass-tiled, generous shower where the tub had been, and put a sexy soaking tub in the place of the tiny shower stall and detached vanity space.
Together we chose colors and materials that would feel airy and beautiful, and would compliment her mid-century house. Now this bathroom reflects the beauty of the homeowner herself, and is worthy of the care she takes of her home.
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Living Room: Eliminate Builder's Beige
Filed in: Living Rooms | Paint Color
This single man wanted his living room to have more interest and asked Rivalee to come and do a color consultation. We choose deep, leathery grays that set off the great architecture of the space, tied together his dramatic draperies and mushroom colored sofas, and showed of the white trim and carpets. As an added bonus the color embraced the TV so that the room can be appreciated as a whole and made the fireplace even more of a feature in the room.
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Bathroom: 3 Simple Facelifts
It’s amazing how much of a difference new vanities, counter, flooring and lighting and paint can make! These three bathrooms were all given vanity facelifts with cabinet refacing, fresh flooring, fixtures, stone counters and lighting, making the whole home feel more up-to-date at a fraction of the cost of remodels that also take out and replace tubs and toilets. Sometimes all you need is a makeover.
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Bedroom: Masculine Cocoon
This bachelor was ready to make this space his own. Newly single, he wanted a space that would be sexy and masculine and, most importantly, let him sleep soundly in complete darkness. He also, very specifically wanted ‘layers’. First we chucked out the limp sofa and desk, and made this a dedicated bedroom. Then we completely sheathed the room in fabric - slate grey velvet curtains cover the windows, and the bed itself is surrounded by two layers that can be completely pulled shut, linen on the inside, silk on the outside. This bedroom gives this bachelor uninterrupted sleep and much needed rest so he’s ready to take on the world again.
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Living Room: Urban Awesomeness
Filed in: Living Rooms | Furnishings & Accents
This home owner really wanted to feel at home in thier urban house, but rarely spent time in this room because at night it was a corner-lot fishbowl, on view to the world. The first decision we made, after determining that this would be the ‘living room’ area instead of dining, was to add floor to ceiling turquoise velvet drapes. In addition to giving privacy they added gorgeous color and, along with the white shag rug, eliminated the echo in the room. The fantastic sputnik lighting created a focal point and also illuminated the whole room where before it felt dark even with all the lights on. Now the owner has furnishings to match the great architecture of their home, it feels fun and personal, and the drapes can be closed with ease to create a snug urban cocoon.
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Kitchen remodel: Craftsman Classic
This family had outgrown their home and bought a wonderful new bungalow with a kitchen way overdue for a remodel. Not only were the cabinets falling apart, there was very little counter space, no place for a modern fridge, and it was cut off from the rest of the home. Their goals was to create an open, family-friendly kitchen that would still suit the bungalow style of the rest of the vintage home.
We overhauled the functionality of the space by eliminating the triple window that stared right into the neighbor’s home and replaced it with two generous windows on the wall facing the trees and view. We also opened up the wall to the dining room to connect the kitchen to the rest of the house, and installed radiant heat under the kitchen tile so we could get rid of the big radiator taking up valuable kitchen floor space.
Then, to keep to the bungalow feel we installed mahogany cabinets, craftsman style subway tile backsplashes, and tile flooring in happy pale ocean blue and sea-foam green. We knew that granite counters would work against the historical feel so we chose quartz counters that felt very organic and complimented the other finishes, and then finally finished the space with recessed lighting and stainless steel appliances, creating a warm and friendly kitchen with modern conveniences.
We overhauled the functionality of the space by eliminating the triple window that stared right into the neighbor’s home and replaced it with two generous windows on the wall facing the trees and view. We also opened up the wall to the dining room to connect the kitchen to the rest of the house, and installed radiant heat under the kitchen tile so we could get rid of the big radiator taking up valuable kitchen floor space.
Then, to keep to the bungalow feel we installed mahogany cabinets, craftsman style subway tile backsplashes, and tile flooring in happy pale ocean blue and sea-foam green. We knew that granite counters would work against the historical feel so we chose quartz counters that felt very organic and complimented the other finishes, and then finally finished the space with recessed lighting and stainless steel appliances, creating a warm and friendly kitchen with modern conveniences.
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Bathroom: Awesome Accessories
Filed in: Baths | Furnishings & Accents
It doesn’t much to make a room feel interesting and personal. This bathroom was already stylish, with contemporary bath tile, concrete floors and a floating bamboo vanity. It just needed some personality and color. We simply added a statement Makimoto shower curtain and sassy red and grey towels with a brilliant red rug and voila! and bath to be proud to show off to guests!
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Living Room: Urban and Amazing
This woman was newly divorced and had just moved into her own condo. When she brought me in she was still figuring out her new life and said that the space felt empty and lonely. She wasn’t inclined to have people come over.
She said she wanted to feel excited, alive, and happy. Still, was she surprised when we ended up going for brilliant pumpkin-orange paint and a bold zebra print rug! Rivalee custom-painted art for the space and added a few accessories. The space almost instantly transformed from impersonal builder-boring to alive and incredibly personal!
The change in color and fantastic accessories add the drama to the room, but equally important was rearranging the furniture to create a more comfortable seating space and take the emphasis off the tv (which was also switched out for a slimmer wall-mounted flat screen, freeing up precious floor space).
Total cost for this room? Less than $1000, plus the cost of the new rug and tv.
She said she wanted to feel excited, alive, and happy. Still, was she surprised when we ended up going for brilliant pumpkin-orange paint and a bold zebra print rug! Rivalee custom-painted art for the space and added a few accessories. The space almost instantly transformed from impersonal builder-boring to alive and incredibly personal!
The change in color and fantastic accessories add the drama to the room, but equally important was rearranging the furniture to create a more comfortable seating space and take the emphasis off the tv (which was also switched out for a slimmer wall-mounted flat screen, freeing up precious floor space).
Total cost for this room? Less than $1000, plus the cost of the new rug and tv.
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Bathroom: Marble and Glass
The owners of this out-dated bathroom wanted a new look that would make their guests say ‘wow’. We wanted to create a ‘wow’ that would also be long-lasting, so we designed a room that felt both up to date and timeless, with a nod to vintage styling.
First we stripped it down to bare studs and installed an extra deep soaking tub and redid the plumbing to allow for two sinks. We laid marble flooring, installed ebony-colored cabinetry topped with a marble counter, and wrapped the room in fresh white subway tile capped with a chair rail. An impressive wall of glass adds sparkle, as do the bright, shiny chrome fixtures including three sconces and his and her mirrors.
What was once an off-the-shelf standard bath is now a breath-taking beauty, and the timeless, vintage inspired look is one that they and their guests will enjoy for years to come.
First we stripped it down to bare studs and installed an extra deep soaking tub and redid the plumbing to allow for two sinks. We laid marble flooring, installed ebony-colored cabinetry topped with a marble counter, and wrapped the room in fresh white subway tile capped with a chair rail. An impressive wall of glass adds sparkle, as do the bright, shiny chrome fixtures including three sconces and his and her mirrors.
What was once an off-the-shelf standard bath is now a breath-taking beauty, and the timeless, vintage inspired look is one that they and their guests will enjoy for years to come.
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Living Room: Lovely Rental
This single gal was renting this queen anne condo and couldn’t paint, but still wanted to really make it feel like home. She’d already been there a couple years, knew it would be at least another couple, and decided she no longer wanted to live like she was still in college.
She already had two beautifully reupholstered pieces, a chair and sofa handed down through family. Unfortunately the rest of the room was a mish-mash of unmatched wood pieces, all too small for the room, and a much-too-little area rug with no personality. She asked for a beautiful room where her friends would love to gather, and to make the view and her books the focus of the room instead of the tv.
By bringing in a soft, oversized rug and a contemporary entertainment unit that was more about books than media, adding more seating and fresh accessories, we created the room she wanted without changing the paint color at all.
She already had two beautifully reupholstered pieces, a chair and sofa handed down through family. Unfortunately the rest of the room was a mish-mash of unmatched wood pieces, all too small for the room, and a much-too-little area rug with no personality. She asked for a beautiful room where her friends would love to gather, and to make the view and her books the focus of the room instead of the tv.
By bringing in a soft, oversized rug and a contemporary entertainment unit that was more about books than media, adding more seating and fresh accessories, we created the room she wanted without changing the paint color at all.
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Dining Room: Beautiful Built-ins
This family had a gorgeous craftsman style dining set and a Restoration Hardware ceiling light that they brought with them to their new home. We installed built-in white-painted cabinets to serve as a display and buffet next to the table area, and stained cabinets for the bar area off the patio door area leading to the barbeque out back. Opting for painted cabinets for the built-in hutch area set off the lovely cherry dining set they already owned, while the stained wood let the bar area recede.
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Media Room: Play Time
Oh this was fun! This guy had lived in his new home for over a year but had never fully ‘moved in’. He wanted this room to be fun and playful, a space where he could screen movies from his projector system and have a dozen people all lounging around for a night of hanging out. We started by getting rid of all that college ‘decor’ - sheets over the windows, mattress on the floor, and sagging, legless sofa. We brought in his leather corner sofa and draped the windows in velvet blackout roman shades for movie-watching at all hours. Then we layered in a shaggy flokati rug, lots of floor pillows and fluffy bean bags, and added a coffee table that would be easy to use whether laying on the floor or the couch. At the last minute ‘Waffles’ the bear came in - and he turns out to be a great pillow, too! This room went from creepy to cool and he and his friends love it!
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Bedroom: Bland to Bold
This woman had moved into this bedroom after her divorce. She didn’t have a large budget for new furnishings, but it was important to her to create a space that felt grounded, bold, and finished. She had some great pieces to work with and a furniture layout that made sense, so this was really a project about paint and accessories.
We painted the walls a dark, deep charcoal grey, painted the dressers, trim and doors fresh white, replaced the hardware on the dressers to suit the beautiful French Country mirror, and painted the desk to match the new curtains and bed pillows. After we added some new accessories and lighting we spent some time reorganizing the desk and closet for efficiency and created a sophisticated, calm room that makes the owner smile.
Total cost for this room, $200 in materials, 16 hours time.
We painted the walls a dark, deep charcoal grey, painted the dressers, trim and doors fresh white, replaced the hardware on the dressers to suit the beautiful French Country mirror, and painted the desk to match the new curtains and bed pillows. After we added some new accessories and lighting we spent some time reorganizing the desk and closet for efficiency and created a sophisticated, calm room that makes the owner smile.
Total cost for this room, $200 in materials, 16 hours time.
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Living Room: Hiding a big TV
A recent and significant job loss helped this couple take a critical look at their life in general and acknowledge that they were feeling really unsatisfied, especially with the state of their home. It was so cluttered that they felt too embarrassed to have friends come over. It was time for a change. They wanted a room they could be proud to share with guests and that also felt great when it was just the two of them.
They actually had great furniture, but just too much of it for the space. The light yellow walls didn’t do anything but show off all the clutter, and their giant flat screen tv dwarfed everything else. We found new homes for much of the furniture, then painted the walls a medium, warm grey that would help both the furniture and the tv recede. Lastly we added soft, colorful accessories like the rug, drapes, art, and new lighting to create an inviting, cohesive space.
The homeowners now feel proud of the space and never hesitate to invite friends over for a movie or glass of wine.
They actually had great furniture, but just too much of it for the space. The light yellow walls didn’t do anything but show off all the clutter, and their giant flat screen tv dwarfed everything else. We found new homes for much of the furniture, then painted the walls a medium, warm grey that would help both the furniture and the tv recede. Lastly we added soft, colorful accessories like the rug, drapes, art, and new lighting to create an inviting, cohesive space.
The homeowners now feel proud of the space and never hesitate to invite friends over for a movie or glass of wine.
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Living Room: Craftsman Classic
Like many families these homeowners already owned a number of nice pieces of furniture, and also like many families who take on a big remodel, there wasn’t much money left in the budget afterwards to buy new furnishings, regardless.
We chose colors that would both compliment the new remodel and also perfectly incorporate all their old furnishings into their new home, creating a wonderful space to raise their kids for years to come. The deep pine-forest green on the far wall not only tied in their large area rug, it also grounded the large armoire and made it fit snugly into the room. The rich burgundy in the far room (dining) also tied into the rug in the living room, making the whole space feel thoughtfully planned, warm, and inviting.
We chose colors that would both compliment the new remodel and also perfectly incorporate all their old furnishings into their new home, creating a wonderful space to raise their kids for years to come. The deep pine-forest green on the far wall not only tied in their large area rug, it also grounded the large armoire and made it fit snugly into the room. The rich burgundy in the far room (dining) also tied into the rug in the living room, making the whole space feel thoughtfully planned, warm, and inviting.
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Office: Luxurious Library
This bachelor wanted a cozy, rich library and reading room where he could escape, his own intellectual cocoon. The problem was that the room was not only bare (concrete floors, plain walls, uncovered windows) but it also had an unsightly electrical panel showing, an unnecessary second door to the bathroom and a door to a rarely used closet. We softened the room with a fun black and white shaggy rug and added dramatic bright-coral full-length drapes to conceal the doors and panel. We made the room inviting with generous, comfy chairs complete with a shaggy pillow and cozy tweed throw, and finished it with a graphic piece of art and a great arc light for reading. Now he has a room that can be the perfect retreat for cozying up with a favorite book, and a great place to settle in with a colleague debating their latest discoveries.
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Kitchen Remodel: Bungalow Classic
This energetic family of four had outgrown their home and bought a vintage Ballard bungalow that needed a serious kitchen remodel. The color palette was inspired by the handmade-in-Seattle tile the homeowner found at Restoration Tile, and the overall style was designed to compliment the architecture of the home. Architect Tom Kayser developed the layout, then Rivalee worked with the homeowners to choose all the finishes, combining painted cabinets, stained cabinets, stone and butcher block counters, antique inspired hardware and lighting to create a vintage feeling in this new, updated room.
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Guestroom: Fun and Fresh
Guest rooms are the perfect place to have a little fun in your home. In this one we wanted to create a space that would be inviting to both adults and young kids, so we brought in both lively lime green and grounded coffee brown, and accessorized with oversized leafy art and some clever frog and dragonfly treasures. We also were able to pull in a number of photographs the homeowner had purchased years ago and, of course, make it all work with the furniture they already had on hand. A great guest room for grown ups and kids alike.
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Bathroom: Subway and Slate
This was one of those gut-it-and-start-over remodels. We completely remodeled the space creating a larger bathroom area and separate toilet closet opposite the sink area. Though larger than it had been, it was still a modestly-sized bathroom so we opted for a light color palette of sea greens and white painted cabinets and topped the half-wall in the shower with glass. Then to anchor the space we finished the floors and lower half of the shower in slate tile.
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Living Room: Soft Sophistication
The rich burgundy wine colored accent wall was quite pretty, but this family wanted a change to something more updated and sophisticated. While they were not yet in a position to update the larger furniture pieces, we swapped out the old and too-small rug for a new, larger rug, and exchanged the very traditional coffee and end tables for a more contemporary look. We added a new floor lamp with more substance and a shade that was a better compliment to their existing table lamp, and refreshed the items on display on the mantle to showcase their treasures instead of being spaced evenly in a line-up. Of course, we also changed the burgundy paint to a soft, rich sparrow grey. The result is a room that is more sophisticated and yet less formal, a grown-up, elegantly relaxed room.
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Living room: Going Global
This client was a fabulous woman embracing her new single life. She decided to buy a wonderful house with box beam ceilings, warm wood floors and picture windows, but wasn’t quite sure how to make the most of it and make it really feel like her home. We painted the ceiling and walls in a warm Citrine yellow, enhancing the warmth of the room and showing off those fantastic ceilings! We worked together to select a new L-shaped sofa to create a cozy seating area, then filled the room with accessories she’d collected during her world travels. This project was a wonderful example of client and designer working hand in hand to transform a space and make it really personal!
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Bathroom: Simple and Clean
No matter how functional a bathroom might be, starting every day staring at a dingy, outdated room in poor lighting doesn’t make you feel your best.
This homeowner wanted a clean, simple, contemporary update, so we tile the bath and floor, brought in a new, elegant vanity and mirror that made the most of her limited space, updated the lighting, and installed under-floor heat and an efficient toilet. These simple changes added value to the house both for the homeowner and to the house itself should she ever decide to sell.
This homeowner wanted a clean, simple, contemporary update, so we tile the bath and floor, brought in a new, elegant vanity and mirror that made the most of her limited space, updated the lighting, and installed under-floor heat and an efficient toilet. These simple changes added value to the house both for the homeowner and to the house itself should she ever decide to sell.
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Office: Feminine Den
Officially this was the homeowner’s office space, but she rarely spent time in the room because it was just a cold, ugly, cluttered space. She wanted a room that looked beautiful and would be less of a clutter magnet.
We rearranged her office furniture so that nothing blocked the windows and so her back wouldn’t be to the door when she worked. We painted the room a yellow the color of deep summer sunshine, and brought in elegant, comfortable seating where she could linger over a book. That made the space a room of rest, not just work and bills.
We rearranged her office furniture so that nothing blocked the windows and so her back wouldn’t be to the door when she worked. We painted the room a yellow the color of deep summer sunshine, and brought in elegant, comfortable seating where she could linger over a book. That made the space a room of rest, not just work and bills.
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Exterior color: Dressed for a Party
Filed in: Exterior Color
Repainting the outside of this house was the homeowners final step in making really feel like her own place, and she’d always hated the outdated turquoise trim. We took a bold move and painted the body of the house deep charcoal gray and changed all the trim to bright white. The front gate, front door and plant posts were painted vivid red and now the house looks more substantial, grown up, and dressed like it’s always ready for a party!
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Bedroom: Eliminating Clutter
This couple’s bedroom was overrun with laundry and clutter, leaving no room for rest, relaxation or romance!
We spent a day sorting and clearing, going through every piece of clothing and through every drawer. We painted the walls a lovely island-waters blue and had our contractor flip the door so it would open out of the room instead of in. As a result we could rearrange the existing furniture so the headboard no longer blocked the window. Then we accessorized with gauzy white curtains, recycled mirrors, the homeowners’ art and knickknacks and some new throw pillows.
We created an island-inspired retreat in less than three days and for $1150. Two years later, they’ve still maintained their new, clutter-less lifestyle! To quote the delightful words of the homeowner, they’ve gone “from Piglet to Peace.”
We spent a day sorting and clearing, going through every piece of clothing and through every drawer. We painted the walls a lovely island-waters blue and had our contractor flip the door so it would open out of the room instead of in. As a result we could rearrange the existing furniture so the headboard no longer blocked the window. Then we accessorized with gauzy white curtains, recycled mirrors, the homeowners’ art and knickknacks and some new throw pillows.
We created an island-inspired retreat in less than three days and for $1150. Two years later, they’ve still maintained their new, clutter-less lifestyle! To quote the delightful words of the homeowner, they’ve gone “from Piglet to Peace.”
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