I must say, working on this project was one great highlight of my 2020 year! My wonderful clients in West Houston wanted to reconfigure an entire wing of their home, in order to move in their elderly mother. It would be important for her to have her own space and sense of autonomy, so very careful planning was done for mobility and accessibility. But of course we did not want to sacrifice at all on style! I think this project is a wonderful example of improving someone’s life and joy through design.
WEST HOUSTON GUEST SUITE – DESIGN BOARDS
An architect was brought in on this project, to assist with structural changes and optimizing the floor plan. An upstairs game room was to be transformed into an apartment-like room to function as a combined living space, dining area, and small kitchenette. The footprint of the area was not huge, so we had to spend considerable time planning the cabinet and furniture layout in order to have this room fully functional and easy to maneuver. The kitchenette cabinetry was to be tucked into an alcove, opposite a media cabinet and small apartment-sized living room furniture. The dining area would be centered in front of the existing window. I proposed a cheerful and sunny yellow wall color, accented with a charming floral drapery fabric and some deep green upholstery textiles to contrast. Traditionally styled furnishings were selected primarily with scale in mind, as to not overwhelm that small room. Classic pieces would be a great foundation for my client’s mother to bring in her own personal, sentimental accessories.
Across the hall, an upstairs guest bedroom would be renovated to act as the mother’s new bedroom and bathroom suite. Plumbing was reworked to have the room include a wheelchair accessible shower and generous sink vanity. For the room decoration, we started with a whimsical floral wallpaper that I have wanted to use for years! It has a neutral background and pops of coral, sky blue, soft pink, and cheerful yellow. We decided to pull out the coral red to cover a custom-designed upholstered bed in luxe velvet. Large brass mirrors would flank the bed to reflect sunlight throughout the room. In the new bathroom, We started with a charming patterned floor tile in a neutral gray and white. We then selected gorgeous watery blue shower wall tile, to tie in with the blue touches in the adjoining bedroom. Bold brass plumbing fixtures give the traditional nod to the space, and we brought in the same whimsical floral print on a custom motorized roman window shade.
WEST HOUSTON GUEST SUITE – AFTER
Using yellows, greens, corals and blues in this project was a fresh and fun design direction in this project. I think this design is whimsical, colorful and suited so well to my clients mother’s taste. while still feeling fresh. modern, and current. She has now moved in to her newly appointed suite, and is enjoying her stylish new suite and a sense of independence!