From Bricks to Basics

By Diane Burley

Turning this dreary and dated colonial space into a vibrant contemporary family room was made more challenging by the overpowering brick wall--and a budget of less than $20,000!


Bricks and beams made this room appear dark and heavy	A variety of contemporary elements and unified color scheme bring this room together with style.

Fast Facts

	Chris Kenyon Advance Furniture 2525 Elmwood Avenue Buffalo, NY ( 800) 477-2283
www.advancefurniture.com

Project Location:	East Amherst, NY
Objective:	The couple had very different and distinct design wants. One loved curves and one other preferred lines. One wanted to soften the angles of the ceiling and the room. The other thought it was just fine. The sofa was a key element to solving this problem.
Budget:	$10,000 -- $20,000
Focal Point:	A "strip" of art draws your eye from the carpet to the mantel to the sculpture above the fireplace.
Color Palette:	Periwinkle, Violet, Teal
Products Used:	Linrene Furniture sectional Dellarobbia Studio DR area rug Skovby wall unit H-Studio wall sculpture

This family wanted their new home to be contemporary and modern, but there was one huge obstacle (an enormous brick wall that overpowered the room) and a number of design challenges to creating a contemporary, multi-purposed family room.

The exposed beams, paneling and the large brick wall capping this family room screamed stale 70's and just didn't fit with the adjacent, modern white kitchen. The couple had very distinct needs and design wants – and meshing them was going to be a challenge. One loved curves and wanted to soften the lines of the ceiling, and the other preferred angles and thought the ceiling was just fine. He was tall – and she was not. The sofa was going to be a key element to placating their needs.

Sheet rock provided a necessary face-lift and the floors were re-done in a natural maple. Now it was time to have fun with furnishings and palette.

A substantial and distinct Linrene sectional was chosen for both function and form -- since it featured a rounded edge at the bottom. In contemporary, custom is king, so once the couple picked their color palette (cool colors to help blend with the kitchen) these homeowners chose their sectional in periwinkle, and put the rounded edge and pillows in violet. The curves and colors were picked up in the custom Dellarobbia's Studio DR area rug. The rug anchors the sectional and provides a visual bridge to the new fireplace, which featured a natural maple frame, edged with chrome, and with a ribbon cherry inlay running throughout. One of kind artwork finishes the focal point – literally a strip of art that is carried from from floor, to fireplace to wall art. The room is balanced by the Skovby storage unit, in cherry, set on the adjacent wall.

The lesson: Don't let one large element overpower a room. A variety of complementary cohesive pieces, in this case the rug, wall unit, fireplace and artwork, work best to incorporate a clean contemporary style that fits you (and your spouse’s) needs.