Real Postbox Project: Neutral Transitional Living Room Design
Transitional Living Room Makeover Reveal
Hi friends, thanks for joining me today as I reveal a recent Postbox Designs room makeover! If you are familiar with how Online Interior Design works, you know that everything is done virtually so I get to work with clients all over the country. After I custom design their homes, I then send their entire room-inside-a-box (full of drawings, shopping lists, instructions, and material samples) right to their doorstep. Recently, I worked with this family as their moved into their new Colorado home, designing several different rooms. In fact, you can check out their Home Office Makeover that I shared last week with you.
And today I want to share their Living Room Makeover with you. Here was the “Before” we started with:
And just like eating ice cream before dinner, here is a sneak peek of their Transitional Living Room “After”. And I’ll show you exactly how we got there:
What is a Transitional Living Room Design?
I’ll be honest, whenever someone says their design style is “transitional”, it means I need to do a little more digging. “Transitional” basically means a mix of several design styles, and can mean a lot of different things to different people. You can call it “updated classics” or “a twist on traditional”. If you like a clean look that is still warm and comfortable, this might be a good description of your design style! In this case my client wanted a mix of modern and traditional elements, having mostly a neutral palette with some pops of navy and soft blues/greens.
So we paired up some modern elements like this sleek Article leather sofa (#1), marble side tables (#11) and soft blue abstract prints (#5) with more traditional elements like this chandelier (#3), wingback armchairs (#6), and a leather tufted ottoman (#2). In fact this ottoman is a bit of a transitional piece itself: sleek gold metal legs with a traditional tufted top makes it the perfect piece for this room. To pull the neutral and navy pieces together, I found several soft but modern patterns in these throw pillows (#7-10).
Transitional Living Room Decor Pieces
After we selected the main pieces, I sprinkled in some inexpensive decor items from places like Target and West Elm. Items #12-#15 created a simple coffee table vignette for my clients, all corralled in this square tray. In the “Before” Living Room, my clients knew they wanted a TV area that was more pulled together than simply a TV on the wall. So I started with this Ballard Designs gray media cabinet (#23). Then, flanked on either side of the TV are these wood oval mirrors (#21) with modern plug-in brass sconces (#20). Crisp white Target curtains and a modern black rod finish off the space.
Transitional Living Room Design: Take II
I always create two different mix-and-match custom designs for my clients! After I create Version #1, I send it to them to get their feedback and thoughts before creating their second design. Sometimes they want to see an all new design, and others want to see just a few changes to their second design. In this case, my client liked Version #1 and simply wanted to see a few swap outs:
In her second Transitional Living Room Design, all we changed out was the chandelier, to this modern geometric glass fixture (#3) and a different armchair (#6). In fact, check out below where I also found her several other armchair options. I also included material samples for many of these armchairs so she could see the fabric in person before ordering.
Again, just a few simple swap-outs give a twist on this Transitional Living Room design. More modern sconces (#20), a blue Target lamp (#16) and acrylic lamp, and a loveseat with navy velvet lumbar pillow give an additional seating option (#22A and #23).
Armchairs for a Transitional Living Room
A lot of times, I will also include an “Alternates” Mood Board that has other options that I really liked for my client that would also work in their design. When you are designing for a Transitional Living Room, you want to find seating that is cozy and comfortable while still keeping a sleek silhouette. Look for pieces with square arms (as opposed to rolled arms), or scooped arms like several of these armchairs. Look for comfortable pieces that aren’t overstuffed, or pieces that have an upholstered back as opposed to pillows. Since she wanted a soft, subdued look, all of the furniture is in soft tans, creams, grays, or pale blues.
You can still have traditional elements like tufted (as in this gray loveseat), but when paired up with the sleek body, it gives it more of this in-between “transitional” look. I also included a few other transitional decor pieces in this Mood Board:
Transitional Living Room Makeover Reveal
After choosing all of her pieces and putting them on her Mood Boards, I also created detailed Floor Plans, Shopping Lists, and step-by-step instructions (not shown). Also included were paint and upholstery samples inside her Postbox. But finally… included is my favorite drawing in all of my Postboxes: the 3D rendering drawing! This drawing shows exactly what her new Living Room design will look like before she orders a thing. She can see how her furniture and decor accessories will lay out, and help her envision her new room.
Her new Transitional Living Room is very neutral, soft, and subdued. Gray walls, neutral furniture, and soft white curtains create a soft background. But then we popped in some color and texture with this grouping of throw pillows, and this gorgeous (and budget friendly!) World Market navy leather ottoman. Inexpensive Etsy artwork and mirrors help bring some warmth to these gray walls. And finally, these navy geometric area rug pulls everything together into a cohesive look.
Love a Transitional Living Room Look?
If you have now discovered that “Transitional” is your design style, here is another Postbox Designs Living Room you might love. Grab some ideas for your new Living Room design! This is an entirely new design for a client in Florida, but her Living Room also has a transitional, crisp look with traditional elements, and pops of navy blue. You can check out Part I and Part II:
Transitional Living Room Makeover in Florida
Free Design Ideas: 24/7 Access to my Free Resource Library
And if you aren’t sure where to start with your design project, you are going to love my FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY! When you sign up, you will get a password emailed to you so you can 24/7 access to the ever growing Library of free design Guides, Worksheets, Mood Boards, and Shopping Lists. You will find items for every room of the house…and it is all free.
P.S. You will also get an exclusive $50 off your first project with me…the ONLY place you can grab a discount on my services!
If you want to know more how Online Interior Design works, you can see how this simple 3-Step process works right here at How E-Design Works. You can also check out my fixed priced Room Packages where you and I work 1:1 with you to create a custom design for any room of your house. If you are looking to work on a whole house, I even offer discounts when we work on several rooms at the same time.
Have fun checking it out!
Cheers,
Kristin
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