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Client Sneak Peek: Living Room Before and After

By Lane McNab on February 25, 2013

For a lot of my clients who are new to using a designer, the transformation is a slow process. Also, a lot of people want to have a general plan that they can implement over time as money becomes available. That’s actually how we do it in our family most of the time too unless it’s a big construction project.

I’ve been really excited about a couple’s beautiful downtown Oakland Victorian condo that I’ve been working with them on since late summer/early fall. We have been ordering furniture and fabric and getting things framed and it’s starting to come together. We’ve been focusing on the living room but the rest of the house is starting to get transformed as well. Although we are still awaiting several items in the LR, here’s a sneak peek of their sofa area.

First the Before (aren’t the windows gorgeous?):

And now the After:

We still need lamps, some more throw pillows and accessories over here but I wanted to show off this beautiful sofa. The large nailhead trim is killing it for me as well as the upholstered back and soft lines. These ladies have fantastic taste and I would describe their style as hip/antique/global. You can’t see it but on the other side of the room are two mid-century chairs and a beautiful tansu.

And you can see which coffee table they went with from my previous post and I think it was the perfect choice. Such a nice combination of wood and metal to go with the vintage typewriter side tables. I also applaud their bravery in following my recommendation to go with this antique Persian rug. The color and wear in it adds so much warmth and texture.

And the gallery wall was a very important piece of the puzzle for them as they have many photographs of friends, ancestors, relatives, etc. I love the history and personality it adds to their very social space.

Also, one partner in the couple just returned from a trip to the Galapagos Islands and brought back the adorable little carved turtle. Such a great accessory!

Thanks for stopping by and happy Monday!

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Office Refresh-Sneak Peek

By Lane McNab on February 1, 2013

I spent the morning working in a client’s office in downtown Oakland today. He had wanted a little refresh to his space which is an office in a large financial institution with strict rules about uniformity. For instance, we can’t paint, change out the furniture, alter the furniture, etc. Also, there are no windows or any natural light so it’s a toughie. And the client wants to be sure that whatever we buy for the space can be used in another office in the future if he ever changes jobs.

So today I got started. I had bought a few accessories and the client had brought in a table and bookshelf from home. I also planned to paint both the book shelf and the table but only got the bookshelf done today. He still plans to buy some art for the walls and a mirror he purchased hadn’t arrived yet so there is still plenty more to be done. But just the little changes made today are starting to make a big difference. Here is the before:

And here is the (preliminary) after:

(Please forgive the iphone pics). When the table gets painted and the mirror goes in on that wall I think it will make such a difference (as will the art). It’s been interesting designing a space and trying to keep it somewhat impersonal which is the opposite of what I do when working in someone’s home. Also, designing around that orange veneered desk has been a fun challenge.

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Bachelor Pad Dining/Office Space

By Lane McNab on July 1, 2012

You may remember the bachelor pad from my previous post. The next photo is probably quite familiar:

Well, here are a few more shots of parts of the apartment that I worked on. This is the dining area which doubles as a desk–Before:

After:

The client is a nice mix of city/town, old/new, country/rock n’ roll, so I wanted the apartment to reflect that as well. It’s definitely an eclectic vibe. You may remember the table from this previous post. It serves as a desk most of the time but can be pulled out and the matching chair in the living room can be pulled up for a nice intimate dinner for two.

I may have mentioned he is a musician with some really cool instruments, posters and books…

We had a large blank wall in the kitchen that needed filling and he is a big Johnny Cash fan so I painted this canvas for him featuring a line from I’ll Walk The Line. Although the client really likes it, I just see it as a place holder until he can find some art he really likes and might like to start collecting.

And here’s just a shot of a curtain I made to hide a very unattractive water heater…

View of the table area from the kitchen…

We are officially finished with this project but he has hired me to do his work office soon too. Please see my previous post for more shots of the living room and the art wall. And for details on it, see this previous post. I have also been busy working on more projects for the flea market–can’t wait to show you those!

Thanks for stopping by!

Linking to this Before and After:

beforeAndAfterButton thumb1 Bachelor Pad Dining/Office Space

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Another Client Design Board

By Lane McNab on June 29, 2012

I’m working on another client design board this week and it is so different from the one I posted a couple of days ago that I had to show it too. This is for another young family–for their living room. They are kind of funky, hip and eclectic and although they moved to the burbs a year or so ago, they still have a city vibe to them.

This is really just a style board–I still need to add things like storage, etc for the kids’ stuff, more seating, etc–but you get the idea. It’s so fun to have so many different styles to get to try things out for!

Also wanted to give a big thank you to Rene at Cottage and Vine for featuring my guestroom in her post yesterday–what treat and an honor! Thanks also to everyone who stopped by. If you don’t know Cottage and Vine you should definitely check it out–Rene has such beautiful style and so many great ideas.

Have a great weekend!

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Bachelor Living Room–Before and After

By Lane McNab on May 26, 2012

Here are some of the final pictures of the client’s living room I have been working on. This is the bachelor who was going contemporary eclectic in his one bedroom condo. We are still waiting on some light fixtures in the kitchen and dining room so those photos will have to wait. The living room before was a basic rental–all white with carpeting: