Love Lives Here

October 17, 2024 Amber Guyton

Life can really come at you fast, but for my new clients, a big wedding, bigger move, and new beautiful home all escalated pretty quickly!

Lauren and Jon are newlyweds and now new parents, but before welcoming their beautiful baby boy into the world, the two of them relocated from Chicago to Atlanta and purchased a gorgeous new home in the heart of the city. Although the home had great bones from the crown molding to the mature, treelined neighborhood, it was a bit dated and needed a dose of color and culture to match it’s character. Here’s where things began…

BEFORE:

I loved the freshly painted molding and trim, but all the gray was a bit drab, and the antique light fixtures had to go. The kitchen was also recently renovated, so we needed to bring the rest of the main floor up to date. Lauren and Jon also tasked me with helping them get out of their modern farmhouse comfort zone full of blacks, solids, and neutrals, and introduce color and pattern into their home without it feeling too overwhelming. Lastly, the couple loves to travel and have collected a lot of art during their trips. It was time to pull them out of their stacks in storage and display them on the walls of their new home - where they belong! With all of that in mind, here’s what I designed for the living and dining spaces, as well as the powder room in the entryway…

MOOD BOARDS:

After giving the mood boards a few tweaks, the couple was nervous but excited about the transformation they were about to embark on! First, we painted the walls and ceiling of the formal living room a warm and inviting plum color that would provide moody comfort for the Mr. and Mrs., and their guests for every occasion. Next, we’d update the lighting, layer on the neutrals, and introduce some pattern play in the space. The room immediately felt more modern and brighter with the addition of the new brass sputnik lighting and wall sconces! We purchased a beautiful cream curved sofa and centered in the room on an antelope print rug. These neutral items along with black and gold elements further grounded the space, allowing the new green accent chairs, botanical drapes, and art pieces become the stars of the show. With registry funds remaining from their wedding, we selected accessories and stylish decor for each of the new surfaces including a coffee table, end tables, and storage cabinet. As a final touch, we hung their wedding broom at the entrance of the space - a loving and sentimental touch that would greet them everyday in their home.

For the dining room, we took things up a notch! I wanted to take advantage of the square space and tray ceiling, and cover every inch with a patterned wallpaper that would instantly grab your attention while also complementing and contrasting with the living space. Because we wanted to add a functional cabinet for Lauren’s growing glassware and china collection, as well as a bar cabinet from entertainment, we decided to go with a round dining table to encourage fellowship without feeling too grand for the couple’s daily use. We brought in more black and brass to balance out the heavy watercolor pattern of the wallpaper, but also added another neutral and subtle pattern with the new wool rug in the dining room. Lastly, we brought in a pop of color with the green velvet dining chairs, mirroring those across the way in the living room, and displayed the couples stunning wedding photos in a gallery wall I arranged with brass frames on the largest wall in the space. I’m obsessed with how the two rooms are a bit different, but so harmonious together, similar to Lauren and Jon. <3

DURING:

Lastly, the naked powder room needed some serious love! The couple also wasn’t crazy about the existing pedestal sink or the nakedness of the space. Nothing a little wallpaper can’t solve, right!? So we introduced another pattern in the space, a new wallpaper collection by my friend, David Quarles IV, that would give the space just the right amount of interest and fun! We also replaced the sink with a larger floating vanity, updated the wall mirror and light fixtures, and added statement art to the once bare walls. There’s nothing like a fun powder room to offer your guests a little of the unexpected, and the changes made did exactly that!
The couple was so grateful that we were able to complete everything just in time for them to welcome and host their family for the Thanksgiving holiday! Here’s how it all turned out…

AFTER:

I am SO grateful to Lauren and Jon for trusting me with their beautiful new home and my crazy, pattern-filled ideas to make it better reflect them and this next chapter of their lives. As their family grows and roots grow deeper in Atlanta, I pray their home provides the perfect place of peace, happiness, and blessings for many years to come! Love certainly lives here…now and forever!

For more behind the scenes, check out #ProjectLoveLivesHere on IG, and additional photos in my Portfolio.

Be Blessed,

ACG

Design Deets:

Paint - Poetry Plum by Sherwin-Williams

Wallpaper - Chasing Paper, Chasing Paper

Chandeliers - Rejuvenation, West Elm

Area Rug - Perigold, Wayfair

Sofa - Crate & Barrel

Accent Chairs - West Elm

Coffee Table - Anthropologie

Accent Tables - Joss & Main, Joss & Main