Ann Decker Design

Family Room Blues

From the start of this project my client had a really good idea of what she wanted. A family room where she could entertain, as well as a space for her kids to play comfortably.

The sofa was the one piece of furniture that was to remain and my client was not too excited about it so I had to find a fabric that would enliven the room as well as her love for the sofa.

This teal floral Thibaut fabric did the trick and it became the generator for the entire space. Teal is such a great hue because it works well with many different colors and the oversized florals make the fabric whimsical and fun for this young family.

A bar area was also added for setting out hors d’oeuvres or making a quick drink for friends. A 5′ alcove was the perfect spot to house a custom bar equipped with a wine fridge, wine rack, glass storage, and a countertop for serving.

In order to balance the room, cabinetry was added for toy and game storage. A custom cushion in a striped Crypton fabric on top could be used as a homework spot or for extra seating when entertaining.

The final touch was the artwork. My clients grandparents were accomplished painters but it was a matter of total happenstance that each piece complimented the design beautifully and completed the room.

You’ll never be blue in this Living Room.

This spacious Living Room in a beautiful old stone colonial needed a little freshening up. My client wanted to get rid of the salmon and pink that adorned the room and bring in more blue and green. I felt the best way was to start with the walls and Farrow and Ball’s Cooks Blue, was the perfect color to do it. A gorgeous Stark carpet already lived in the room however, it wasn’t big enough for the main seating area. I pulled the blue from the Stark and selected a wool Karastan to go underneath the matching sofas. Together the two carpets worked seamlessly to bring the seating area into one cohesive unit.

The slipper chairs were reupholstered in a durable Robert Allen fabric and dressed with a beautiful Scalamandre tape along the bottom of their skirts. Throw pillows were added to both sofas and the chairs to bring in a little color.

Lastly, Sconces on dimmers were added along the perimeter of the room to allow for accent lighting when needed. The antique brass against the crisp blue walls was the perfect detail to finish off the room.

Sexy and Sweet Sweet Dining Chairs

These Dining chairs were so much fun to redesign. From the beginning, I knew that I wanted to change the overall look and not just reupholster them. The first step was finding the right material to really make them special. The original armchairs had fabric on their backs and leather on their fronts while the armless chairs were all leather. My client and I looked at mohair, wool/silk blends, velvets, leathers, and finally landed on this amazing paisley fabric. In my opinion, a paisley print can look too sweet if not executed properly, so I had to give it an edge. Thats where the red vinyl tape and nailheads came into the design. The tape also created a seamless transition from back to front on each chair. When upholstery is wrapped around the frame like this there has to be a way to finish it. Cording along the back edge was an option, however, I didn’t think it would hold up as well over time. Ultimately, my client and I both liked the sleek profile that the tape with nail heads added to these beautiful new custom chairs and it gave them the ‘look’ we were trying to accomplish.

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Painted and waiting patiently to be upholstered

Final material selection

Armchair before….

Dining Room Delight

This room got a major refresh when my client said “YES” to painting the walls a deep blue. Farrow and Ball’s, Drawing Room Blue, added the right amount of drama to make this young family’s dining room ready for entertaining. Lucite sconces over the buffet and a sleeker chandelier modernized the traditional dining room table and chairs. The Roman shades, as well as the painting done by local artist, Jeannie Wolfington, were the pieces that tied it all together and gave this room a new life. The final touch will be a custom carpet to add a little softness to this beautiful room.

A Master Bedroom to love….

When this client sent me an inspiration picture of a bedroom created by a Designer that I love, I was more than excited to work on her Master. The room already had a lot of great design elements like a Thibaut grass cloth on the ceiling, a four poster bed, a chair upholstered in a blue bird print and a window seat. The room just needed to feel like a bedroom that she LOVED walking into and I think we achieved that.

A Modern Family Room

This modern family room is a great representation of the way we live today. A multi purpose room that is used for watching tv, a children’s playroom, lounging, and entertaining. When clients ask me to assist them in kitchen renovations more often than not they want a design that opens up the kitchen to an adjacent family room and this project was no different. A wall separating the two rooms was removed and replaced with a Carrera marble peninsula creating an easy transition from one room to the next. Since the first phase of this project was the kitchen, the family room fabrics had to coincide. Another consideration was that space is used for entertaining both adults and children so the fabrics had to be sophisticated yet durable. The white sectional sofa allows for optimal seating and is upholstered in a high performance Perennials fabric. For the drapery, a simple lightweight fabric was selected to allow for optimal light. A five inch Schumacher tape was chosen to line the interior edge of each panel along with a beautiful brass rod with lucite finials and rings. The rod added sophistication and glamor to this window decor.

Kitchen Roman Shade

Master Bedroom Makeover

After living in this Master Bedroom for thirty-five plus years, my clients decided it was time for an update. Their stone colonial has all of the beauty and character of an older home, but with that character comes small closets, limited lighting, and very few electrical outlets. It became obvious that the main objective for this project was to achieve optimal storage space. Unfortunately, creating a larger footprint for the room was not a possibility. In order to optimize storage, I designed custom bookshelves with docking stations, accompanied by high hats over the bed, and outlets in the baseboard. I also added a seven foot closet with built-in drawers and shelving, a window seat with storage inside, and an additional closet for shoes.

Having skilled carpenter, Mark Campbell on board was very important to the success of this project. He was able to repurpose old doors saved from previous renovations and reuse them for the new closet. A key factor to the design of the room was to keep the same characteristics of the woodwork which Mark was able to do by matching the new trim, molding, and baseboards.

At the start of this project my client told me that she wanted her new room to “feel happy and bright.” A floral Kravet fabric that was selected for the window treatments was the key ingredient to bringing in a variety of accent colors. The crisp white built-ins and Aberdeen Green walls were the final elements that tied everything together to make their new Master Bedroom feel updated and fresh. Check out the before and after photos below!

BEFORE

AFTER!!!

The custom woodwork was done by Mark Campbell of Greengate Woodworks. www.greengatewoodworks.com

The custom roman shades & pillows were done by Claudia of Urban Loft Window Treatments. www.urbanloftwindowtreatments.com

Devon Kitchen Remodel

This kitchen renovation was such a wonderful transformation from the dated and dark space that existed in this beautiful house when my clients purchased it last January.

The main goal of this project was to open up the kitchen to their soon to be family room. I felt the best way to remove the wall separating the two rooms was to create a large cased opening that would frame the new bar seating and create a smooth transition between the kitchen and family room. It also worked structurally since the wall that was being removed was load bearing and aesthetically, it was an architectural detail that matched the rest of the house.The pallete is neutral and classic with white cabinetry and a light grey island amongst stainless steel appliances and polished nickel hardware. The Carrera marble countertops are accented by a Carrera and Thassos marble backsplash in a chevron pattern for added interest.

The final part of this kitchen remodel was the addition of a window treatment on the big beautiful window overlooking their back yard. I proposed a relaxed roman shade so that a minimal amount of the view would be obstructed. The Family Rooms accent colors are navy and coral so I found this great Schumacher fabric and trimmed it in a navy tape to tie the two rooms together.

Construction: Duddy Construction

Www.duddyconstruction.com

Cabinetry: Sterling Kitchens

Www.sterlingkitchens.com

Window Treatment: Urban Loft Window Treatments

Www.claudiaclobes.com

In-Law Suite

One of the things I enjoy most about my profession as an Interior Architect is being hired to reconfigure a space. This particular project was a great challenge because I was able to redesign a garage and adjacent sitting room into an in-law suite. The new dwelling had to include all necessary living spaces as well as storage, a washer/dryer, and an enclosed entryway with a small sitting area to allow for a smooth transition from outdoor to indoor living. I created a few different layout options for my client to consider and construction started last week. When the project is completed, I will post the final layout selected along with pictures.

Rosemont Re-Design

This project began with my good friend and fellow Drexel grad Cindy Allan. Our clients beautiful oriental carpet was the generator for the decor of the room. Because the carpet was so ornate, we had to make careful color and furniture selections to compliment it. This client also had a few family heirlooms like her mothers china cabinet, a small dresser, and an antique Queen Anne style chair that were to be incorporated into the new Living Room Design. The desk got a new look with an upholstered back done in a beautiful chinoiserie fabric, the dresser was transformed into a colorful dry bar, and the antique chair was recovered in Brunschwig & Fils, Les Touches.

Rather than replacing the existing sofas we had them reworked, resized, and reupholstered in an extremely durable and washable Perennials fabric. The idea of having the sofas reworked was not only to make them look more modern but also to make them completely different from one another. This was accomplished by skirting one of the sofas and placing a detailed tape along the bottom. The second sofa was then floated in the floor plan and reupholstered without a skirt showing off its legs and lifting it up off of the carpet.

A colorful mountain landscape was placed over the sofa to accentuate many of the jewel tones in the room. Emerald Green taken from the painting was carried throughout the room by installing two upholstered and framed silk panels to the walls behind the new Etageres. The Etageres framed the clients large picture window and were stylized with a mixture of new and old blue and white pieces. The layering of bold and soft jewel tones throughout this living room brightened and updated the space.