This project is one I worked on several years ago, before this homeowner had a baby. Isn't he a cutie?!
This space was right off the main entry and with the beautiful piano, it had a more formal look.
There is a family room and more comfortable living space in the back part of this home, where the homeowners spend most of their time, but this space gets some traffic nonetheless. There are also a few pets and lots of guests and parties that go on here.
I wasn't able to photograph the space when we finished back then, there were a few items still not complete and the timing was inconvenient. However, I recently did this little update and I'm happy I can share the finished photos now.
Formal Living Room With Baby Grand Piano
When we first came to this project, the whole house was painted a pinky beige.
Making a formal living room a little more child-friendly | BEFORE - Living room painted pinky beige with brown travertine fireplace surround
Making a formal living room a little more child-friendly | BEFORE - Living room painted pinky beige
When it came time to paint, we ended up painting walls, trim, and ceiling, all the same white. It brightened the spaces, put the focus on the pretty furnishings we were bringing to the room, and made the whole house look more up to date.
We were going for a gray / cream combination with a bit of warm brassy accents thrown in for a pretty, neutral-yet-layered aesthetic.
Silvery gray drapery panels with patterned linen Roman shades and gilded drapery hardware grace the windows in the living room | Designer: Carla Aston, Photographer: Charles Behrend #drapery #windowtreatments
The ceiling height is so nice in this space and the window treatments weren’t doing much to accentuate that feature. Beautiful new silvery-gray drapery panels with a patterned linen Roman shade underneath brought height and some glamour to this room.
A Carrara marble slab was installed at the fireplace surround, replacing the very brown travertine there before. A new brassy mirror, a pretty chandelier, a new greek key patterned rug and velvet ottoman pulled it all together.
It made their beautiful classic piano feel right at home.
Making a formal living room a little more child-friendly | After - Living Room with baby grand piano and marble fireplace and gilded chandelier | Designer: Carla Aston, Photographer: Charles Behrend #livingroomideas #livingroom
Until this happened. :-)
Making a formal living room a little more child-friendly | Oopsie! A little toddler got their little hands on the velvet ottoman! :-)
It’s almost impossible to keep a toddler’s hands off a piece of furniture and such was the case with the velvet ottoman. :-)
Making a formal living room a little more child-friendly | BEFORE - Stained and worn velvet ottoman
When this happened, we knew we had to add in some durability without losing the luxury.
In came Crypton velvet from Calico Corners. Crypton had noticed a blogpost I did previously about the stain resistance of Crypton and how I am using it on many of my projects.
They happened to contact me the day after my client had sent me this pic of her son and the dilemma of the stained ottoman. The timing worked out perfectly for a brand collaboration, and they offered my client some free fabric in return for this post and some pics about how we updated her ottoman.
It was serendipity!
With the ottoman reupholstered in this durable fabric from Crypton, the room can retain its beautiful look without the worry of staining.
Making a formal living room a little more child-friendly | AFTER - tufted ottoman reupholstered in Crypton velvet | Carla Aston, Designer
Formal Living Room Made A Little More Child Friendly
Making a formal living room a little more child-friendly | Formal living room with Crypton fabric on ottoman | Designer: Carla Aston, Photographer: Charles Behrend #livingroomideas #formallivingroom
This living room is looking all fresh again, ready for some parties and maybe a few concert duets. :-)
Making a formal living room a little more child-friendly | Formal living room with Crypton fabric on ottoman | Designer: Carla Aston, Photographer: Charles Behrend #livingroomideas #formallivingroom
Want to learn more about Crypton? Follow the link to find out more.
See how it works for yourself and get your own test kit here.
Making a formal living room a little more child-friendly | Formal living room with grand piano, white marble fireplace, gilded mirror and chandelier, Crypton velvet ottoman | Designer: Carla Aston
I was featured on the Design + Style Podcast this week! So lovely to chat about all things design, business, and blogging with these Visibility Warriors!