Before & After Living Room

10 år sedan

senast redigerad:10 år sedan

To improve our client's cabinets in a cost-effective manner, we added a new coat of paint, tweaks to the crown, and an addition of a baseboard. This redesign added warmth and appeal to the living room.

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mcbriec

10 år sedan

I'm glad the owners like the new look since the house should reflect their personality, but to my eye, the room was stripped of its original character. And painting that incredible crown moulding was a sin.

I am always puzzled when people with modernist sensibilities purchase homes with old world character and then destroy the original architectural features. It seems like it would be much better for them to buy MCMs and then go to town with an architectural style that matches their sense of aesthetics.

I also find the concept of colored books to be very contrived.

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Kommentarer (66)

tlow21
10 år sedan
Love.
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SoCal Contractor
10 år sedan
From creepy to chirpy!
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked SoCal Contractor
jck910
10 år sedan
how does that beautiful master bedroom go in a home with a living room of primary colors?
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked jck910
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123 Remodeling Inc.
10 år sedan
Turned out awesome - Love the bright colors
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked 123 Remodeling Inc.
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Lion Windows and Doors
10 år sedan
Cool upgrade
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked Lion Windows and Doors
vweingarten
10 år sedan
Oh those color coded books! Do they read them? I think books in their original covers add so much warmth and character. I always migrate to the bookcase to check out titles. I find these decorative ones simply souless.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked vweingarten
Nicole
10 år sedan
I think painting the crown molding gray was Brilliant!!! What a breath of fresh air. Love the blue couch. The books in a rainbow of fresh colors. Truly what's not to love. The dark tone of the woods was dated and too dark, better for a ski lodge. You still can appreciate the craftsmanship of the molding even though it is painted. Well done...love it.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked Nicole
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Eutree
10 år sedan
Love the color coded books! Very clever.
Personally I like reading green books the most ;)
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked Eutree
Léo Nadeau
10 år sedan
Really love the grey.... Its my new white in the house..
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked Léo Nadeau
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KBR Design & Build
10 år sedan
Wow...what a difference that made! Great job!
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked KBR Design & Build
areymore
10 år sedan
That bath - wow. Beautiful design.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked areymore
Samuel Benbow
10 år sedan
Those other rooms are beautiful, and they certainly lend perspective when judging this before & after. (I really wish they could take the photos from the same angle/depth!) It is much cleaner and very cohesive with the rest of the house, but the "before" looks more architecturally interesting. It definitely needed bringing up-to-date, but it looks like an office or waiting room now. I never would have guessed it was a "living room." But it's their home, and I hope they love it!
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked Samuel Benbow
Susan
10 år sedan
Ändrades senast: 10 år sedan
Had to edit my comment, the more I look at it. Painting the walls and trim was fine. I would not have used just one color, as the room is large, and it just looks boring. I wish I could see how the fireplace looks against the grey. I'm not sure how the living room reflects the Chinese heritage, as I have been to homes with Chinese owners, but they were exquisite. I don't care for the furniture in either photo. There is just no justification for covering the HW floor. I would have gone with an area rug to give the room some warmth. As long as you are happy with the makeover, that is all that matters. The master suite is beautiful! Love the closet. The master is more in keeping of what I have seen in the homes of Chinese owners.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked Susan
kdcl
10 år sedan
Love the master suite. Good job on that. I agree with mcbriec on the living room. I also think that if you are going to color code your books, just don't have them in the first place.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked kdcl
huzzah71
10 år sedan
Colour coded books: a guarantee that what's in 'em is never going to be read. Nothing says fake like a colour coded book self. IMHO.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked huzzah71
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TKraft Art & Interiors
10 år sedan
Ändrades senast: 10 år sedan
I was afraid to click on the AFTER link and see those great chairs gone. Yep there gone... I would have at least saved one set of them and up-cycled them by painting them etc... thank god they saved the built-ins. But why cover 95% of the magnificat hardwood floor with a rug... a plain-jane-one to boot. I personally think the room now looks the same as any other generic living room in today's mass market magazines, to think it had so much potential before. But then again maybe the chair survived just out of the photo frame... one can only hope. (This room looks disconnected from the other beautiful adjacent rooms which really show cohesive design along with incorporating they're Chinese culture - maybe we're not seeing the whole picture rather just part of the room - and yes the AFTER bookcases are screaming for real books along with vignettes of collectibles)
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked TKraft Art & Interiors
Wyatt Talley
10 år sedan
uggg not a good change to the place. Paint DOES NOT fix everything.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked Wyatt Talley
Trina Newkirk
10 år sedan
The books just ruin everything... everything in your home should have a purpose or reason for being there. I hope those books are just there to fill up empty space while they try to build an actual readable collection.
siska13
10 år sedan
Wyatt Talley, you're right, paint doesn't fix everything, but a lick of paint can make a huge difference and....time changes. Nowadays most of us want to live in light, airy homes. I would not have covered up the wooden floor with a rug, though. And NOT colour coded the books which I think look just silly. The rest of the house, particularly the bathroom, is lovely.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked siska13
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Ridge Carpentry LLC
10 år sedan
Hopefully the took the TV off the fireplace.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked Ridge Carpentry LLC
Pamela Griffin
10 år sedan
Would have liked to see a shot of the whole room, this seems cut off. But I definitely do not like the color coded books. And I feel like all of the character of this room is lost. I can understand updating, but this update I am Not a fan of. I love the rest of the design pics though.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked Pamela Griffin
toomanywhitewalls
10 år sedan
What a transformation! It looks great.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked toomanywhitewalls
7768
10 år sedan
The before looked like an oriental conference room. I do not like the after either, it looks smaller and the colorful books are too trendy and don't go with the grays. I would not have painted the crown either. Who puts carpet over hardwood these days, I thought everyone wanted wood floors? The living room just doesn't go with the rest of the rooms you did ~ which are gorgeous! Love the rest of the redo you did! I just don't feel a comforting vibe from the living room, it doesn't go with the rest of the rooms now or before.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked 7768
equicat
10 år sedan
Too modern for me.
Casey Design/Planning Group Inc. thanked equicat
tpkpap
10 år sedan
What is the exact paint color?
Marilyn Wilkie
10 år sedan
Nope.
hikick
10 år sedan
where is the fire place?--
both shots should be from same angle
so get real before and after--

I love modern but the colored books are like a retail store display not real---
you can organize by color /tone but not paint or cover like that
real covers are so much better---just arrange artfully

For catalog and display we were putting the books backwards for a while
so they were neutral --- still like a store-- but way better than paint
Laurel Ennis
10 år sedan
Very nice except books aren't décor!
frogize46
10 år sedan
Not my personal favorite.... stark and cold are not where I want to curl up and call home. Although the before was overkill on woodwork. I would have worked with some of the original design aspects and character by incorporating more viisual variety and dramatic contrast
andj32
10 år sedan
The before would have been so much cozier with more appealing furniture. I think the update took the soul out of the room and actually took away all the warmth from the room.
The books looked cool at first, but I've gotten over them quick.
No doubt the update is fresh and at least the owners like it, but I just don't see any character left in the room.
kailuaaloha
10 år sedan
Ändrades senast: 10 år sedan
I don't know where to start.....the book display looks staged and forced...there is nothing more beautiful with character than the original book jackets..this shows no character. Plus the paint is dull and depressing. Painting woodwork bright white lightens a room, but this brings the room down....it makes it look like you are trying too hard to disguise a traditional wood paneled room....the furniture looks like it came from an Ikea sale and shows no sophistication ...if the walls were white, maybe it would look fresher instead of like a mistake. This is a two thumbs down unfortunately....
Susan
10 år sedan
In response to TKraft Art & Interiors. I didn't realize that the floor covering was an area rug. It is so drab, and takes up so much of the room, I thought it was wall to wall carpeting. I just don't understand this makeover. It doesn't look like it was done by an interior designer. I like your idea of saving one of the old chairs and painting it. Actually I would have saved two. They look more in keeping with a Chinese heritage. It's hard to believe the master suite and the living room were done by the same designer. I have been told my many people that I should have gone into interior design. Looking at this before and after, I tend to agree. I would have done a better job in the living room.
Mark
10 år sedan
The room is unrecognizable ! In a good way. Love the coffee table. Great job Casey
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Lori Dennis, ASID, LEED AP
10 år sedan
Something you'd see in House Beautiful make over section- well done!
Susan
10 år sedan
House Beautiful? My brother-in-law sold his Mediterranean style summer cottage...it was very lovely as it was. The new owner hired Carleton Varney to redesign the home. As most designers know, his work is strongly influenced by Dorothy Draper's use of color. The cottage was featured in House Beautiful in 2010. The attention was well deserved. White matching furniture and grey walls and woodwork are not worthy of House Beautiful. While it may not be so, the furniture looks cheap.
Stacey Kobrock
10 år sedan
Nice, but it looks smaller to me.
gracesi
10 år sedan
much preferred the original space…shame
Cora Torres_Patek
10 år sedan
I am confused about which is the before and after... I like one to the right better.
zmhome
10 år sedan
JCPenney called, they want their Jonathan Adler Happy Chic Spring 2013 store set back! :)
Laury Lujan
10 år sedan
What happend with the beautiful furniture?
dog3mom
10 år sedan
Ändrades senast: 10 år sedan
Lose the colored books....far too phony looking, imo. Ugly! Distracts from the beautiy of the grey built in. A pet peeve of mine along with phony books and book covered coordinating books. Looks so cheap and gimmicky.
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Casey Design/Planning Group Inc.
Författare
10 år sedan
I realize that a lot of Houzz users had some comments and concerns about my client’s living room, and I wanted to put everyone’s mind at ease. The antique Chinese furniture? It was moved into a formal tearoom that the couple set up in another large room after we transformed this room into a TV/family oasis.

Regarding the books – they are real books, not painted! All of the books are in their original covers, exactly as Penguin Books originally issued them. The clients had a small collection of Penguin classic books and we were able to source many more to create the striking colour block effect. They look forward to spending a lifetime reading through their wonderful new library!

Regarding the paint colour choices and the cohesive nature of the house, there is no rule that says you have to use the same paint palette for the whole house. In this case, the second floor master suite is painted in serene colours as the couple wanted a soft colour palette to create this serenity. For the main floor/family room, we selected more intense colours to make more of an impact when you enter the room. The kitchen, hallway and powder room are a softer palette in comparison to the living room, for which the client wanted to have a bit more vibrancy.

I understand that not everyone’s style or taste are the same and can appreciate the feedback, but at the end of the day it is the client’s opinion that matters the most. This young couple wanted a home that reflected their youth and sophistication, and with our help we created a design that reflected their lives and their particular style. They were very pleased with the final designs, and that is what matters most.

Thank you very much for all your feedback.
PRO
Signature Home Services
10 år sedan
Looks great!
PRO
Bradford & Kent Home Remodeling
10 år sedan
Great Job!
PRO
Crown Construction Contracting
10 år sedan
I don't understand all of the offensive comments. Clearly, Casey Design completed the project with the client's vision in mind. I think it turned out lovely...might not be my taste in particular, but it's what the clients wanted! Nice job to the design team!
dog3mom
10 år sedan
If they are real books in real covers at least mix them up. They distract and are hokey looking. Really awful, imho.
PRO
User
10 år sedan
Great project! Love the grey!
anatocagni
10 år sedan
I loved the project, don't listen to envy people who pretend to know when they clearly don't. Great idea, perfect outcome!!! Very original, cherry and sophisticated. You can see a professional was involved. Perfect!!!!
dog3mom
10 år sedan
I do not personally envy the remodel. They did a great job. We just did a $2.5 million whole house remodel with about $500,000 left to go. My only objection is to the color arranged books. THAT looks like the work of some very immature or bad designer. Only my opinion which we are all entitled to. However, you know what they say about opinions.....LOL
dog3mom
10 år sedan
I WISH I could get someone to paint over the wood in my husband's den/office! No one will take on the job. It would look so much better painted or stained darker....Heck, I'd even tear out all the built in's and paneling and the coffered ceiling and start with a blank slate. It's his room. Sometimes you have to ignore it. At one time it was gorgeous in someone's eye's.

Before & After Living Room

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