Renovations Archives - Page 10 of 10 - Kelley Astore Interiors

Bespoke Upholstery for 2021: Living Room Remodel

Your living room is one of the most important rooms in your house. It’s where you unwind, spend valuable time with your family, and welcome guests to relax. The way your living room looks can make or break an entire house design. When working with clients on living room remodels, we always recommend they use bespoke upholstery. Bespoke Upholstery comes with many benefits, from sustainability, creative control, and individuality. Today we’ll be taking you through a living room remodel that used bespoke upholstery to bring the design together.

The Remodel

We started with a pretty blank room. It had a beautiful piano and a wall hanging sitting on the floor. The room had beautiful large windows and the walls were painted in a neutral color with bare wooden floors. The client wanted to continue with a neutral palette, and have gray be the main color. The first step was to install beige-toned carpeting to separate the space from the rest of the floor plan, and to create a more welcoming, cozy, and comfortable living room.

We agreed that bespoke upholstery was the best way to go: it gave us the most control over the design and ensured that the furniture and drapery would be of the highest and longest-lasting quality. Rather than going with a sofa set, we decided to use four armchairs to create a sitting area around a small round table. Armchairs are often cozier than sofas, and using four of them to create a sitting area helped to section the room off. We upholstered the armchairs in a textured gray fabric from Kravet. We made sure to use a textured fabric and add a decorative stud trimming to the armchairs to add dimension and details for the eye.

To match the armchairs, we used heavy gray linen from Kravet for the custom drapery. This room was on the smaller side and didn’t have exceptionally high ceilings, so we made sure to hang the drapes as high as possible and to have them reach all the way down to the floor to create an illusion of taller ceilings and a larger room. The piano stayed in the same general location by one of the windows, so we added black cabinetry on the opposite side to balance out the black of the piano. Two lamps with white shades and gray bases were added on top of the cabinets to provide soft lighting in the evenings. We then added in a small round table that had a grey top with black legs to tie the gray and black together.

The client wanted an ottoman, so we upholstered one in a textured orange fabric from Romo. The final step was to tie the entire design together with details and decor. Every armchair needs a cushion, so we had four throw cushions custom made using a gray and orange patterned fabric from Romo. These cushions were crucial in tying the design together. They had a few tones of gray, dark, and light, which tied the black piano/cabinets together with the gray armchairs and drapes. They also have just a few strips of white and orange running through them that matched perfectly with the ottoman and lamps. We hung some matching wall art of nature and used orange flowers and leaves to decorate the piano and cabinets, completing the nature theme. Lastly, we added a few smaller details such as coasters, a house plant for the coffee table, and a few books.

Overall this was a super successful design, and I’m delighted knowing that my client gets to enjoy this living room with their family for many years to come. Design is making a composition of items that are different but still match and complement each other. Going with bespoke upholstery and custom-made cushions and drapes allowed us to have full creative control. If you are looking to remodel, we highly suggest choosing bespoke upholstery for 2021.

Looking to remodel?

Among interior designers in Northern Virginia, we are nearly unique because virtually all of our cabinets, upholstery, and window treatments are completely custom-designed by Kelley and produced to her precise specifications by craftsmen here in the area. You can be assured that our designs will be expertly tailored for your living environment, and you will not find these elements of your design appearing anywhere but in your home. Head to our services page to get started today!

Modern Master Bathroom Renovation

The bathroom is where you start and end your day. It’s where you get clean, get ready for the day, and wash up before bed. If a bathroom looks worn down, it may not feel clean even if it is. Because of this, it’s important that it reflects the way you’d like to feel. At Kelley Astore Interiors, we renovate and design luxurious bathrooms to create havens for our clients to prepare to take on the world. Today we’ll be taking you through a modern master bathroom renovation we recently did for a client to give you ideas and inspiration, and to show you what a difference a renovation can make!

The client we were working with is a full-time business owner and parent and wanted to renovate several rooms in their house. We always manage projects from start to finish to take the stress out of the renovations for our clients.

“Being a busy business owner & parent of 3 kids, I knew I wanted a beautiful house & home office but didn’t know where I’d find the time & energy to manage all the updates. Kelley & her team were fantastic. From color patterns & lighting to new flooring & bathrooms, our house now has a beautiful, functional look & feel we will all love for years to come. I’m so appreciative Kelley was able to manage it all from start to finish so I could focus on clients & family.”

– S.H. Vienna, Virginia.

Strictly speaking there wasn’t anything wrong with the master bathroom as it was. It had nice gold detailing, a luxurious bathtub, and a large shower. It felt bright and airy. However, it was almost entirely white which left it feeling a bit like a hospital and a bit plain. The white tiling started showing some wear. The cabinetry was a bit clunky and painted white which felt a little boring. Additionally, the frosted glass around the shower and the large borders around the built-in tub made the bathroom seem much smaller than it was. Lastly, there was one massive mirror above the sinks and another one mounted to the wall beside it. Having so much mirror meant that everything in the bathroom was reflecting off itself resulting in a cluttered feeling.

Master Bathroom – Before

As soon as I first saw it, I started to envision all the ways we could transform it into a luxurious modern bathroom. The plan was to keep the general location of where the sinks, cabinets, tub, and shower would go, but update everything. Most importantly, we would play with more textures and colors to add dimension and elegance to the bathroom.

The first step was to totally gut the entire bathroom to its bones to allow us to start from scratch. The contractors got to work demolishing the cabinetry and shower, removing the tub, sinks, and mirrors, and taking out the tiles and light fixtures. Meanwhile, the client and I got to work choosing and planning the changes for the bathroom. We made some decisions, including featuring a free-standing tub, and headed to the stores to take in all our options.

Once everything was gutted and all the materials and fixtures were chosen, all that was left was fitting everything. My contractors and I got to work to create the modern bathroom of my client’s dreams. We installed new larger stone tiles all around, including in the shower walls and around the bathtub. Unlike the plain square tiles previously installed that were uniform, each stone tile had a very subtle veining. Even that small detail gave so much texture. The new tiles had a smaller seam which meant the whole floor and shower looked smoother and cleaner.

Next, we installed a beautiful floating vanity. The floating vanity really opened up the room with the empty space beneath it and on either side of it. We painted it a pale gray to compliment the color of the tiles. Nothing feels more luxurious than marble, so we topped the vanity with white marble. We installed two mirrors with a textured dark gray border that paired well with the tone of the vanity and tiles. We added new modern faucets and lights above each mirror. We kept the trim of the bathroom white to provide contrast and had the walls painted a neutral pale color.

We then replaced the tub with a free-standing whirlpool tub. Similar to the vanity, having the tub unattached to the walls gave the whole room so much more space and made it feel so much more luxurious. Lastly, we tackled the shower. Because we were opting for transparent glass doors, it was important the shower still had a clear separation from the rest of the bathroom. Because of this, we chose a fun mosaic for the shower floor and I absolutely love it! With the white, black, and gray tones, it does such a good job of tying the rest of the room and colors together. We installed a new rainfall showerhead coming out of the ceiling to get rid of clunky shower pipes and further open up the bathroom

Overall this was a super fun and successful modern bathroom renovation! I am so pleased with the results and even more happy that the client is pleased as well. If you’re interested in renovating, be sure to head to our services page to book a free consultation. Whatever the nature and scope of your redesign, we take full responsibility for seeing that the entire project is finished on time and on budget and that all work is of the highest quality. We take the worry out of the process for our clients!

5 Reasons to Add a Fireplace to Your Home This Winter

Across the country, many states are being hit with big snowstorms and all-time low temperatures. We’re in the thick of winter and keeping warm seems to be on everyone’s mind. There is nothing more cozy and homely than a freshly lit fireplace to keep you and your family warm. Here are five reasons to install a fireplace or light yours up this winter!

It warms your home…and your spirit!

The most obvious reason to get a fireplace is to keep you physically warm. Before radiators and electric heating were invented, many people would use fireplaces to warm their entire houses. After all, nothing is hotter than fire! With a working fireplace, you’ll likely be able to save on your heating bills. With the fire burning, you won’t need to use your central heating as much. But besides providing actual heat to a room, fireplaces will warm your spirit. Cuddling up by the fire with a cozy blanket, a warm drink, and a book is the best way to unwind on any winter evening. They’re relaxing to look at, hear, and feel. It instantly adds a cozy atmosphere to a room that truly cannot be replicated by anything else.

Provides a great place for family fun

Arranging your living room around a fireplace creates a fantastic space for family fun! If you have kids you can gather around the fire and tell stories to each other, read books, or even roast some marshmallows. In this age of screens and TVs, fireplaces provide an important space where the whole family can spend time together without the help of electronic devices. While keeping warm, you can teach your children about fire safety and find new ways to bond as a family!

It ties a room together

The designer in me loves a good fireplace for the simple reason of how it quickly ties a room together. A well-designed fireplace looks amazing and elevates a space from a house to a home. The mantlepiece provides a lovely platform for your favorite decor and the space above the fireplace simply begs for some artwork or family portraits. A plain wall is transformed into a cozy, beautiful area with the simple addition of a fireplace.

Adds Value to your home

A working fireplace is definitely sought after for homebuyers, so installing one is an easy way to add value to your property if you ever decide to move or sell. Not only does it make a room look beautiful, but especially if you live in an area that gets cold in the winter, your fireplace could easily become a selling point for your property. Everyone wants to cozy up next to the fire during winter. Making the investment now will likely pay off in the long run.

There are no excuses!

Getting a fireplace may sound like an intimidating or impossible venture to take on your home design journey. However, they’re easier to install than you might think. Many houses, especially older ones, may already have a chimney and fireplace that was covered up with wallboards. Either way, a team of designers would be able to put in the work for you.

The photos below are of a room that I designed, which involved adding in a custom-made fireplace. It was originally a blank wall before we started, and I decided to design the room around this bespoke fireplace. We started by creating custom made windows on either side and then built the custom-made working fireplace with a chimney. On the adjacent wall, we added custom-made built-in bookcases with a desk in the middle and finished the room off with bespoke club chairs, an ottoman, draperies, and roman shades. I’m very happy with how this room turned out and know that my clients will be enjoying many cozy evenings in this beautiful room!

What are you waiting for?

Adding a fireplace to your home is an investment that will pay itself off in the years to come. It provides heat (saving you money on your heating bills), adds value to your property, warms the family’s spirit, and looks amazing! If you’re looking to get a fireplace installed, head to our services page to see how we can help you.

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