ECO-CHIC LIVING ROOM | Room Views: Before & After {slideshow}
before & after: Eco-Chic Living Room
“Sustainable” and “green” design have been buzzwords for awhile. But recently we worked on a project for a couple who consider these not ideas but a way of life.
Our clients, university professors, asked us to decorate the living room of their historically certified 1920s home with this mandate: make it elegant and welcoming for entertaining (which they would need to do on a regular basis as part of their professional positions) but still comfortable and livable for family gatherings … and don’t use one piece of new wood in the process.
Although The Redecorators regularly mix vintage items in with new and custom, the scale of this project—nearly two dozen pieces arranged in three conversation areas of the large room—was unique. Sourcing the lamps, tables and seating from vintage stores, auctions and our workroom’s basement was just the first step. Next we reconfigured shapes and functions—for instance, combining two stools to form a piano bench and turning an old 1980s sofa into a chaise. Then we altered finishes and recovered upholstery with durable yet lustrous fabrics ranging from soft ivory chenille to crisp gray flannel to deep charcoal mohair. When we couldn’t find the right “used” coffee table, we chose a new one made of recycled steel. Even the paint on the walls—Sherwin-Williams’ low-VOC Duration line—made the homeowners breathe easier. And then, to top it all off: our clients’ fantastic abstract art and a sparkling vintage crystal chandelier (of course!).
Soon after we completed the space, our clients reported back: they had used the room for a holiday gathering and it had beautifully accommodated a large crowd of several generations for meals, movies, laughter and animated conversation. Their family had loved the transformation yet still felt right at home. Just what we all wanted: a sustainable space simultaneously good for the environment, pretty to look at and comfortable to live in.
For views of the room see slideshow above. To view transformations of individual pieces, check out the series of photos below.
