Designer: Dianna Dye
Showroom: Arlington Heights
Client Name: Matt and Maryellen Sadler

Designer Notes: Matt and Maryellen already have a beautiful home.  The only room left to finish was their living room.  Maryellen came into the showroom with her pictures of her current living room.  It had a beautiful black baby grand piano in the corner, which would stay in the room and we would work around. It also had bits and pieces of left over furniture from their previous home.  Maryellen’s love of the South inspired us to create the warm feeling of Charleston. She also wanted to create a formal yet livable living room.

We started with the floor plan.  The piano was angled in the opposite corner, which seemed like the best spot for it.  So to continue the comfort of the room we angled the sofa at the same angle, and added the chairs.  To create an inviting conversation area, we switched out the rectangle rug for a round rug which followed the soft curves of the sofa.  We used an oval iron and glass cocktail table to anchor the grouping. Although it is not entirely visible in the picture, to balance the room we added a tall black secretary in the other corner.

To soften the room and to bring out “Southern Comfort” we painted the walls a warm golden hue and painted the ceiling one shade lighter.  I designed the window treatments using the same color as the walls, a soft golden fabric that puddles to the floor and a short sheer top fabric to add sparkle.  This created the right touch of romance without being overly feminine.

Maryellen collected most of her accessories from Atlanta and Charleston, but her great find was the absolutely stunning mirror over the fireplace that she found at an estate sale.

After the children are in bed, the Sadlers enjoy quiet evenings, sipping wine and feeling right at home in their “Southern Living” room.

Designer: Linda Wygonski
Showroom:  Vernon Hills
Client Name: Brenda & Scott Warkow

Designer Notes: 

The Challenge… 

• In the living room Brenda, wanted to keep the white sofa, chair and ottoman, out with the contemporary look and in with a warm and traditional look.

• It was also important that we incorporate the color burgundy.   (The grand piano had to stay in the room too.)

• Painted the walls in warm Benjamin Moore HC38.

• Rearranged the room to a traditional balance. The occupants in the room now enjoy viewing the front of the pianist and a lovely view out the window!

• Found a beautiful luxurious floral fabric with rich colors that included white and burgundy!  Perfect pivotal fabric for the room! Which became the pillows with fabulous trim on the white upholstery as well as a skirted Key City Hamptons round ottoman tucked under the grand piano.

• Added two Norwalk Tremont chairs with in a coordinating taffeta plaid and lumbar pillows all adorned in stunning trim.

• Flanked the sofa with Drexel Heritage Portraits end tables with beautiful Waterford crystal/ brass lamps. The handsome Norwalk Jared leather tufted ottoman cocktail table placed in front of the sofa anchoring our vignette.

• The empty wall is now home for the Hooker shaped curio for all her lovely collectables.

Since the Living room and Family room flow into each other… 

I attached pictures of the adjoining family room. Which we did at the same time as the living room for flow.

Client said they weren’t using the room because it wasn’t functional. 

Again a dramatic difference…. Everything in this room now is from WES

Arranged the sofa Norwalk Watchhill angle sectional to face the fire place and a Hooker pivot wide screen armoire.

Now the fire place and TV can be enjoyed by all.

Note: The fire place is the facing wall from the living room. It was important that it looked terrific!

Mission accomplished!

Designer: Tracy Martin
Showroom: Vernon Hills

Designer Notes: My client came in needing help in what to do with his living room. After a home consultation and assessing his likes, wants and needs we can up with a plan. He really enjoys the beauty in arts & craft but because he wanted a more formal living area that’s different from his family room that is already designed in that style we opted to go for a sophisticated more modern room with some art deco influences.

We used Drexel for the upholstery and used the Uptown collection as well as Charleston Forge for the case goods. We found a simple yet gorgeous rug by Safavieh to warm up the room a tad and added some spectacular lighting by fine arts as well as Fredrick Cooper. We used No Limits Paint in the living room, foyer and dining room. The only thing let to do in this room is to get some new accessories for the mantle and then on to the next room.  

My client wanted simple yet spectacular and I believe we achieved that. He is thrilled with how it turned out and says he gets compliments on it all the time so I thought this would be a great room to showcase.

Designer: Alfred Beam
Showroom:  Naperville
Client Name: Shauna and Tom Winters

Designer Notes: I still remember the first time I met my clients Shauna and Tom Winters. They stopped by our Naperville Showroom last November to work on her home office. We instantly developed a great connection. One of the first things Shauna asked me was about my accent; there was something in it she could pinpoint but did not know what it was. Having lived in Puerto Rico, South Africa, Florida, I sometimes confuse myself when I speak!!! I told her that I was originally from Puerto Rico, and instantly her face lit up. Tom, Shauna and their kids had lived in Puerto Rico for a couple of years, so our conversation quickly went from design, to their favorite restaurant in San Juan!

Working on their office was easy compared to her family room. Two story rooms in this scale always are tricky as they often lack coziness. They feel cold and most importantly, controlling the noise and echo is key. The first thing we did was ADD COLOR! The kitchen had already been painted Benjamin Moore’s Mystic Gold by the previous owners, but once you walked through the archways into the family room, everything went white! The room was so sterile & cold looking especially due to the fact that it has 22’ ceilings. The white paint did nothing to highlight the hardwood floors or the trim around door openings or the big sliding glass door/window leading to the patio.

Shauna and I got together and searched for “the perfect sofa” ending on the McDermott Sofa from Drexel Heritage. It’s deep, it is comfortable and from what I hear, Shauna, Tom and the kids fight over who gets to sit on the sofa these days. Our favorite piece in the room has to be the two Carly chairs. We stumbled upon a fabric that was PERFECT!! It embodied everything we were looking for in the room. Add a little leather, some quilted chenille, a crushed velvet accent pillow and we finally had somewhere to sit!!!  

But what about tables? The one thing I had to work around was an existing cocktail table. Tom had made this table for Shauna 15 years ago. So we complemented the existing table with some small accent tables, a painted chest from Butler, a bookcase and the piece that took us the longest time to find….a dining room server to house their new TV. Little by little we have been piecing this room together, from artwork, to accessories, lamps & floral arrangements. We can finally say the room is done!

When she invited me over to look at the final result, I was impressed!! Our room was finally complete. When I stopped by to take these pictures, I looked around and saw a perfect room with a little bit of everything! Drapes made and hung by the owner, a coffee table made by her husband, photos of friends and family, and scattered throughout, photos from when they lived in Puerto Rico! In our line of work, there is nothing like making a great connection with a client! I can now say that not only have I great clients in the Winter’s, but I also have great friends in Shauna and Tom!

Designer:  Robin Stumreiter
Showroom:  Geneva
Client Name:  Rochelle Gobetz

Designer Notes:  Master Bedroom.  The client wanted a “spa” like atmosphere for her room – calming sea-inspired blues, sandy neutrals, and a lot of natural texture to create the look and feel of a four-star tropical hideaway.  In order to create this look, I blended two collections from Lexington’s Nautica line - both featuring an espresso finish yet different textures to help create a more collected and interesting grouping.   The bed and left side table are done in an espresso oak while the right side table, chifforobe, chest and mirror are all from the cherry collection and feature woven details and mullioned doors.   These pieces helped give the room an overall calm feeling and provided a base to begin layering on the details.

Before the furniture arrived, the background of the room needed to be transformed as well.  Two fresh blue paint colors were selected from Benjamin Moore.  Kentucky Haze (AC-16) was chosen for the bedroom, while the bathroom was treated to wide stripes in Kentucky Haze and Smoke (2122-40).  We positioned the new chocolate brown silk dupioni drapes at the ceiling line in order make the ceiling feel higher.  The ceiling was painted Palest Pistachio (2122-60) from Benjamin Moore to add warmth.  The finishing touch was replacing the basic builder’s white ceiling fan with a palmetto-inspired woven fan.

With all the major pieces and changes in place, the rest was in the details.  Murray Feiss lamps in silver leaf flank the bed to add a touch of glamour.  A starburst clock on the tall chest also adds a bit of Deco glam and is a nice contrast to the woven mirror hanging above.  Framed prints of a trip to Europe were reprinted in sepia tone add warmth, depth, and a personal touch to the room.  A club chair that was previously purchased from Smithe could not seem to find its place in other areas of the home.  We integrated the chair into the sitting area and it looks like it was ordered specifically for the room – what luck!  A few tropical plants and a tall basket filled with twigs were all the room needed. 

Designer:  Michael Adams
Showroom:  Lincoln Park

Designer Notes:  What do you think of this AWESOME transformation?! Coronado sofa, Zebra chairs, Safavieh rug, Romwebber entertainment armoire, Bernhardt coffee table, MR screen. Seating increased from 4 to 6...I could go on and on and on and on!