Formal living rooms are becoming obsolete, but oh do we harken back to the day when we didn't have to design around a television!

Transitional Living Room Interior Design

This transitional living room located in Upper Arlington needed to be functional as well as beautiful for their growing family. Though a formal living room, it gets used daily and needed durable fabrics. The sofa fabric is a solution dyed indoor / outdoor fabric which will survive in direct sunlight and is easy to clean. The elegantly striped sheers are washable polyester, and we installed the custom cornices high on the window to expose as much natural light as possible. Dual hall chests were selected for additional storage as well as symmetry. They also hold table lamps for additional lighting in this long room.

The bold machine made area rug really helps to balance the baby grand piano, and because it is machine made, helped to keep the budget in check. The exotic wood coffee table single-handedly blended all of the wood finishes. We are most proud of the custom fireplace surround and mantel. The surround is made of layered and beveled pieces of limestone. Our fabricator was both excited and terrified starting this intricate custom design. The wood mantel is also our custom design and includes a stripe of limestone bringing both elements together for an amazing presentation of skill.

Stunning Home Decor & Refreshing Redesign

For something a bit more traditional, we transformed this Bexley space by flipping the living room and dining room. In doing so they were able to extend their table to a usable size. The result is a comfortable living room with just the right amount of seating, and a sizable dining room with plenty of room for school projects.

Cafe shutters supply privacy while still allowing much needed natural light into the space. The client had many great end tables and lamps we were were able to steal from different rooms. Their hand knotted area rug set the color palette, and their fabulous Duncan Phyfe sofa set the style. We reupholstered it and selected two club chairs pitched in such a way that screamed for a tufted leather cocktail ottoman to prop your feet upon. In true Kellie Toole Interior Design, Ltd fashion, we couldn’t settle for just any ceiling light fixture. This star burst flush mount really makes a statement!

Functional & Formal Living Room Remodel

Sadly, a Gahanna golfer lost his indoor putting green when we teamed up to furnish his living room. The custom art glass installed at the entry set the color palette for the entire home. Heavily textured woven wood shades were selected primarily for sun control, but add to the hint of British Colonial styling paired with the strong wood turnings of the wood drapery rod. We love the exaggerated dips created in the fabric when just a few rings are used. We don’t normally place area rugs on top of carpet, but in this instance, it worked perfectly to add color and interest to the floor. The round metal cocktail table was selected with their two little one’s in mind, avoiding sharp corners. Wouldn’t you love to play chess in front of that window? Small end tables make fantastic game tables for lovely picture windows. This wood and metal accent table has an embossed chess board ready to go in the leather top.

Creating The Best Seats In The House

City homes, like this one in Grandview, often don’t give you a chance for a formal space, so we must make them multi-purpose. Their front door opens into their main living and family room. Though not ideal for the life of a television, we opted to mount the television above the new gas fireplace allowing us to manipulate the floor plan enough to offer a foyer area, complete with drop front desk and “hall table” which does double duty as a sofa table in the seating area. A cozy barrel chair, next to a curio cabinet offers extra seating as well as a reading nook. Window seats were added for additional audio visual storage as well as additional seating. Who wouldn’t want to watch TV from the sofa with chaise? It is definitely the favorite seat in the house!

Our clients loved their existing orange chair and a half. We had a lot of fun using it as our basis for their color palette. They also love very earthy details, which brought forth the custom iron drapery hardware shaped like branches. We love the juxtaposition of the traditional swags and jabots with the more contemporary look of the rods. Recessed lighting was installed under the mantel giving the stacked slate fireplace a spectacular glow accentuating the beautiful natural stone.

"She Den" Decorating With An Artistic Eye

Newer open concept floor plans, popular in the suburbs present the same challenges as city homes, just usually on a larger scale. Keeping these open spaces presentable for visitors, is especially difficult for young families. Basements, man caves, and lower level living areas have become increasingly more important, as a space to let go and be a little messy, out of sight from the front door. Speaking of man caves and basements, living areas don’t always have to be where the original floor plan designates.

At the Decorators’ Show House 2011, in Columbus, OH, we transformed a ho-hum bedroom into a She Den, complete with a custom entertainment center recessed into the closet. By taking over the closet, plenty of floor space was left for a gorgeous cocktail table made from an old tree stump. Ants had completely devoured the inside of the tree leaving behind a unique piece of natural artwork.

The unusual artwork above the sofa is an ever changing display of shoes inside a custom frame. The light filtering roller shade with grommet details helped disguise a less then desirable view with style! A smart leather sofa and chair are perfectly proportioned for a small space and a woman’s frame. There was an odd bump-out, assumed for HVAC runs, we chose to enhance with a brick facade for character and texture. The She Den is feminine without being fussy.

Great Rooms: Traditional, Transitional & Modern Style

The family room will never go out of style, no matter where it is located in the house. It’s were we spend so much of our time together. The owners of this New Albany estate were craving a more intimate family wing for their home. The walls between the kitchen and family room were removed and a bay area added for a family dinette. It is a much more cohesive great room that is bright and inviting. Dark wood blinds were replaced with light filtering sheers and drapery panels on traverse rods. We kept their existing leather sofas and reupholstered two beloved swivel chairs. Adding two cocktail tables allows this large family to have two conversation areas as well as added seating with the perching stools, when the television isn’t the focus of the day.

Walking into a room and seeing the back of a sofa isn’t ideal. Sofa tables create interest as well as surface space for a table lamp or beverage. In this generous space, we added a desk and chair that can be used in a variety of ways. The grand hand knotted wool rug pulls the entire space together.

Enchanting Wall Textures With Enhanced Utility

A decidedly more contemporary family room in Pickerington features original artwork, acrylic and metal accented furniture, lamps and sconces as well as an entertainment console complete with a pop up flat screen television arm. Strong navy and tan walls balance beautifully off of the neutral cream and grey upholstery of the sofa and chairs. The luxurious cut pile carpet with its subtle linen weave pattern increases the textural interest of a primarily neutral décor. This client obviously does not have children or pets.