Family formal

We all know that I grew up in a house that had a formal living room.  Though my current house intentionally doesn't have one, I am feeling nostalgic creating this one for a client.  Our main objective is to design the space for a young family of four, but also to showcase some pretty fabulous family heirlooms, including a pair of 19th century Louis XV fauteuils.

The backdrop of this room is a buttery yellow wall, paired with antiques from my client's grandmother.  To marry the generations and young-up the old, we have chosen to work with a cheery color palette and mix in a handful of patterns.

Here is a picture of what the fauteuils looked like before we redid them:

Because we didn't want to interrupt the integrity of the chair while reupholstering it, we only replaced the rotted webbing but kept the original horsehair stuffing.  We also chose an appropriate Schumacher fabric in keeping with the period of the piece, but vamped it up with a contrasting Stroheim fabric on the back (like the old saying about a mullet - business in the front, party in the back).

BTW, did you notice that the party continues onto the floor?!

To soften up the space, we added in throw pillows in various textures, colors, embellishments, and monograms:

We also took the trim from some of the pillows and brought it back up onto the draperies.

And then we carried the drapery fabric down to the chair and ottoman (or at least a similar version of it).



And now we'll be working on the finishing touches and looking for some accessories and artwork to complete (and reveal) this lovely, cohesive, family-friendly living room.  I wonder if they'll be open to a paperweight collection...