We begin this week in Calgary, Alberta (or Western Canada for those who don’t know where that is). Designer Leanne Bunnell was tasked with creating an elegant traditional living & dining space, comfortable for everyday, but also suitable for formal entertaining.
When Leanne first saw the space her first reaction was “Wow. Can we move the fireplace?” Totally builder brilliant move – at the foot of the staircase!
Given the hard budget lines and that the home would need painting, flooring, basement development and furnishings she quickly realized that there was no choice but to work with its non-traditional room placement. So blank slate, typical, traditional – check; now where to start? It just so happened the clients came with an ah-mazing area rug so that was the starting point. As Leanne said “The way we were able to incorporate the client’s bold area rug, an eclectic pattern mix, and a bright young feeling into a space that is inherently traditional. I was so excited that our clients chose the more daring fabric scheme we presented; it keep the space from feeling formal.”
She opened for classic lines and shapes in larger furnishings but installed alongside a vibrantly electric accessories palette and just 10 weeks later the space jumped to life!
What really makes this room shine though is the daring combination of colours and pattern; the magic is in the mix! I mean lets hone in on the drapery and pillows shown below: if you saw those two elements alone would you put them together?!
Short answer for most would be no, but tie them in with the rug and the furniture and there’s most certainly an electric flavour at play.
The above vignette correlates in a traditional sense from a front facing perspective.
Move to the left however and appreciate the pink hued back on the pillows to coordinate with the area rug, drapery and artwork above it; it’s refreshingly brilliant and a theme carried over in other seating options as shown below too!
It’s not every day you see otherwise ordinary living spaces that pack such a punch of energy. Makes us want to do something impactful and uplifting today!
And that fireplace …while it’s technically behind the living space or between the living and dining room, its still present which adds the cozy factor. We loved Leanne’s choice to not draw any more attention to its intriguing placement, instead adorning it with a simpler collection of smaller art and artifacts.
The other half of the space was reserved for dining.
Entirely functional, it was important to keep the lines clean to let the boldness of the living space be the focal point.
We love when ordinary spaces come to life, this one with the help of the likes of Crate & Barrel, Noir, Pottery Barn, JF Fabrics, Robert Allen Fabrics, Duralee Fabrics and of course Benjamin Moore on the paint.
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