Client Project: Moody Historic Loft

If this room had a celebrity twin, I think it would be Ryan Reynolds. Not like the Van Wilder Ryan Reynolds, but the scruffy and super stealth spy Ryan Reynolds in Safe House. Sometimes #decorpersonification just expresses my thoughts about a room better than fancy schmancy design speak. 

When I first saw this room, the only furniture it housed was two mauve recliners. Yes, they were as bad as you’re imagining them.

It’s come a long way since then, and I’m excited to take you on a tour of this historic loft living space. This is a local design project that I finished over a year ago but just recently got around to shooting. 

This particular loft had massive windows. Thankfully all were intact, but in older homes glass repair is a necessity when cracks or breaks occur.

The room feels moody and masculine and a tad rough around the edges. This project was such stylistic shift from the typical rooms I’m hired to design. It was actually really fun to get the chance to work on something so different. My clients live in a historic loft in downtown Springfield, but wanted a mid-century vibe in the space.

The structure itself was actually built in 1890, but the building was renovated to be residential lofts within the last few years. Ok, so let’s talk about the character in this place for a minute…The original exposed brick is just gorgeous. Then there’s the wall of windows. Anytime you pair 18 foot ceilings with massive windows, beautiful things happen in a room.

Natural light for days.

My goal was to marry the clean lines of mid-century furniture with monochromatic earthy neutrals. Texture plays a big role in this room too.

(This media stand from West Elm was purchased for the room but is currently being used in another room in the house right now.)

The client didn’t want a whole lot of color in this space, so it was only used in small pops. I wanted to keep things feeling layered and a bit rugged.

 One of my favorite things in this space was the vintage theater chairs. I had seen some all wood theater chairs on Craigslist that I showed my client thinking that would be a cool concept for the loft. Luckily he happened to stumble upon a local place that was selling their old chairs for a renovation. (He got them for a song.)

What’s really neat about this is that the chairs came from a historic theater just a few blocks from my clients’ loft. The three adjoined chairs fit in the breakfast nook perfectly (which never happens), so this really was an unexpected gem.

Funny thing…the fabric on these is similar to what was on the mauve recliners. But somehow, I don’t mind the fabric here so much:)

One of the challenges was finding a mid-century style sofa that could serve as a guest bed and come in under budget. The one I chose was a convertible sofa from Urban Outfitters. (Model shown is no longer available.)

The pillows were a big hit with this somebody. (PS: Using rougher fabrics like canvas for throw pillow covers is always a good idea if your pets are sofa dwellers.)

As a fellow Texan living in the Midwest, my client has a deep rooted love of the motherland. Because of this, I wanted to tie in a little hint of home and incorporate some “wild west” touches like the woven leather rug and “The Streets of Laredo” poster in a rustic wood frame.  These rougher elements paired with more polished finishes like the marble table and the arc lamp help to keep things balanced.

This rug was the first leather rug I’ve used in a project. It’s actually scraps of leather woven together to form a really textured rug. One surprising thing is how heavy it is, which helps it stay in place on the hardwood floors.

Talk about bringing the Texas vibe…it smells like a boot store, y’all.

Completely unplanned aromatherapy bonus.

The clients have some neat pieces they’ve picked up on travels that were also used.

This “Streets of Laredo” artwork was a flea market find. Buried under some quilts and crocheted doilies, I found a stack of vintage literary posters. From the 1960’s, they were stamped as being used in one of the local high school libraries. I snatched up 6 of them for under $20 bucks. Each print defined a different literary element and illustrated it in such a unique way. This one was about a ballad. (Be still this former English teacher’s heart. I kept three for myself🙂

The leather chair is full of personality and really comfy. This little corner was begging to be a reading nook, so I simply listened to its request. Because of the open floor plan and wall of windows, this was really the best place to add some artwork and the only space where a clock could be hung.

Because we didn’t have the floor space to add a full bookshelf, I found these zig-zag wall shelves from CB2 that added just a bit of book storage.

The industrial side table was also a flea market score. It has a little tray that slides out for some extra table top space. (If I remember correctly, it was under $30.)

This arc lamp is no joke. He’s huge and glorious and has a marble base. For a room with ceilings as tall as this one, an arc lamp works great.

This is still available on Amazon for $115! (All source links below.)

 This project was such a fun one. Revisiting the pictures almost a year later makes me want to dig into other projects with a more masculine vibe. (Anyone want to give their husband a man cave makeover for Christmas?? Let’s chat.)

When I work with clients, my personal style is really the last thing that matters. I can get behind almost any style (modern glam, country farmhouse, mid-century eclectic, minimalist and modern, rustic lodge). My main goal when approaching any project is to help uncover the style and the story of the people who live in that home.

The tricky part is letting the space help dictate how we carry that out.

Work is fun when I get to experiment with styles different than my own aesthetic. It’s less about what I like personally and all about how I can make your style come to life in your home.

Make sense?

SOURCES:
Sofa // Urban Outfitters (Similar one here)
Coffee table // CB2
Arc lamp //Amazon
Orange pouf //CB2 (similar one at World Market)
Orange Pillow // (Target -2014)
Cross pillow (Etsy -2014)
Skull pillow// H&M
Chair // Overstock
Rug //Rugs USA
Side table // (vintage)
Zig-zag book shelves (no longer available)
Ball clock // Eurostyle lighting
Drop leaf table (client’s)
Movie theater chairs (vintage)
White task lamp (Target- 2014)
Artwork: 
“Laredo” (vintage) // Photo (client’s) // mountain pic- Minted

A COUPLE THINGS…

 A Client’s DIY Chandelier
So just to balance out this manly post, how about a girly glam chandelier? In my last post I shared about my client Lisette whose master bedroom is almost finished. She took a cheap Craigslist light fixture and turned into this. If DIY is your thing, head over to her blog for a full tutorial.

 The Bookshelf Styling Class…COMING SOON!
If you follow me on Instragram, you might have caught wind about my first online decorating class that’s in the making. (I’m so flippin’ excited about this, you guys.) This first class will focus on bookshelf styling…one of the trickiest tasks in decorating. After styling dozens of clients’ shelves, I’ve figured out some things that work. I’m spilling the beans on my secret sauce and putting this class together to teach you how to get a gorgeous shelf without the stress.

Yes, it’s possible. Even for you, my friend.

If you want to be one of the first to know when the Bookshelf Styling Class launches, pop your name in over on the classes page.