Everyday Elegance (Candice Olson) by Candice Olson

Author:Candice Olson [Olson, Candice]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: 2013-08-20T00:00:00+00:00

A pair of antique French armchairs balances the sofa and chaise at the entry to the room. I hung the shimmery button-tufted silk drapery panels on a rod mounted on the fixed valance to soften that architectural element. A recessed light in the ceiling is positioned to wash light down on the draperies, highlighting the texture and iridescent color.

STYLE ELEMENTS

The inspiration for the entire color scheme came from one of my favorite sweaters—I loved the way the fake fur trim blended undertones of creamy beige with gray-blue and icy blue, so I used those tones for the wall colors, draperies, and accents. It just goes to show, you never know where inspiration will come from!

To pick up on the wall color, I covered the windows with an incredible champagne-colored crinkled silk sheer. Then I framed the sheers with draperies made from the most amazing iridescent blue silk. It’s pre-sewn to look button-tufted and adds a real sense of luxury to the rooms.

The drapery fabric inspired an equally gorgeous iridescent paint treatment on two accent walls. Venetian plaster is a tricky and time-consuming process that involves priming and base-coating the walls with two coats of paint. That leaves a toothy, somewhat rough surface for the smooth plaster coat. Finally, a top coat of gel medium mixed with metallic paint is troweled on to give a glowing iridescent effect that matches the silk draperies.

The whole look I was after in Pat’s living room was casual, soft, and elegant, so I chose a sectional and chaise that combine contemporary, clean, straight lines with traditional tufting on the seat cushions. Two antique Louis XVI chairs bring in the timeless elegance that Pat likes. For the dining room furniture, I selected chairs and a table with the same long, tapered, sleek legs, but the woods are different, so the furniture doesn’t look too matched.

Area carpets bring in lots of soft, subdued color in both rooms and anchor the two areas. In the dining room, a medallion carpet lends itself to having furniture centered on it. In the living room, the allover pattern means you’re not committed to just one furniture arrangement.

Pat had a group of watercolors that I reframed as a series to give them more dramatic impact. A new beige mat with a blue liner pulls out the color in the paintings and picks up on the room’s new color scheme.

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