Almost a year and a half ago my client-turned-friend Tami contacted me to be their interior decorating consultant to help with styling the home she was about to move into. I helped her set up a playroom for her kids. When they finished a big renovation on the house and they wanted help to finish styling it and making it feel more like home. In many ways it was a completely blank slate. There were sofas and some beautiful pieces they had custom made, like the coffee table, end table, and desk. So, working together, we filled in the gaps. The night I was finishing up all the styling, Tami’s four year old ran around looking at everything I had done and asked me to “Do it again! Do more!” like I was a magician, and it was one of the best compliments I have ever received! We worked on quite a few rooms together.

Adding Colour to the Living Room

Let’s start with the living room. Tami and her husband, Matt, wanted to keep the two existing sofas, and then they had the beautiful coffee table and end table made custom. Tami and Matt wanted to add in some colour. They love mustard yellow, navy, and purple, so we added them in with pillows, throws and accessories. We also added a rug, lamp, and plants. The pops of colour really made the room feel cheerful and inviting. I moved some of the furniture around. This helped the room feel a bit more balanced, and then I styled the accessories.

I painted a console table for another part of the room so I had some leftover paint, and also a large tray. I thought I would paint the tray and see if it would work for the living room’s coffee table. Their coffee table is even more gorgeous in person! Adding the tray in a colour I knew they would love and that complemented other pieces made the styling neat and purposeful.

Some friends of mine had a garage sale and they had all of these amazing plants for sale, so I scooped them up for Tami. They breathed so much life into the space.  

Adding a Gallery Wall

The next area is the old dining room that they turned into an office. It is also a thoroughfare into the kitchen, so they wanted to keep it open and feeling spacious. It had an empty wall, so I suggested a console table with a grid of family photos.

A cool thing about being an interior decorating consultant is that I get to give my clients items that I got for free. These picture frames are a really good example. One of my friends had hundreds of picture frames that they just wanted to get rid of, and so she gave them to me. Then I was able to pass them on to Tami. The family pictures add a personal touch and a great graphic punch. Tami wanted to bring in the colour from the living room somehow, so I suggested we paint the console a mustard colour. This console came from Wayfair and then I painted it.

Small Playroom and Library

They also have a small playroom/library off of their kitchen. They knew they wanted to keep it mostly open space for the kids to play. I suggested adding a reading chair, rug, and a table with a lamp. I styled the bookshelf and moved the board games to the cupboard. Tami and Matt keep all the kids’ toys in the cupboards. Now the kids can reach their board games too. When I left, their daughter was already on the rug playing with them.  

We were looking for a new chair for this space, and I found this stunning one at the Cottswood Clearance Centre. It was $500, but it was a good deal for the amazing quality and it’s so beautiful. It will definitely last them for years and years. Tami and Matt already owned the colourful paintings.

Finishing a Spacious Entryway

Moving on to the entryway. They have a wonderful spacious entryway. I simply added a bench, a mirror, and a rug. This gives people a seat to use to put on and take off shoes and check themselves when they leave the house.

The last place I touched was their primary bathroom. I wish I had a before picture but I forgot to take one. It was just a blank slate, and I added plants and accessories. Tami really likes clean spaces and she would rather have less than more. These few touches turned her bath into a spa-like retreat. I just love the way a few items made the space feel so inviting.

I love working with Tami and she has become a wonderful friend. As an interior decorating consultant, I loved helping her and her husband make their space feel special and finished. This is a great example of how styling and adding some key pieces can make a huge impact on your space. Thank you, Tami and Matt, for trusting me with your home.

If you would like an interior decorating consultant for the finishing touches on your home, visit my services page.