Liz's Family Room Catches a Wave of Beachy Chic

When Liz told me that 65 Canadians were coming this summer for a reunion, I just had to help her update the family room, eh? Here’s her letter…

Dear Lisa, Help! We annually gather in Toronto with a group totaling 65. This year, WE are hosting (along with my parents at their house). Guests will stay in a hotel, but we’ll be gathering here and at my parents’ house throughout the visit. This is motivating us to do some home spruce ups before the big weekend. Our family room could use some help. We need to keep the sofa, chair and TV stand, and like the arrangement (a stager helped us with that). Our style is relaxed traditional, and I’m pretty conservative with colors. We use the room for overflow entertaining from upstairs and for playdates. The room opens to our boys’ (5 & 3) playroom and this is definitely a “hands on” room for them, so nothing too fussy, please. We could use more storage, paint, window treatments (it’s dark!), lighting, accessory ideas. I’ve got lots of family photos framed in black with white mats that I’d like to hang. I always envisioned a beachy look, but never executed my vision! Thanks, Liz

Surf’s up, Liz. Tell your friends to come on over, because this beachy chic mood board will get your family room ready for relaxation and fun!

1. Liz is a self-professed color conservative, and that works for us. Our palette takes its cue from sand and surf. To get some more pop from her existing sofa and chair, we’re recommending that Liz use Benjamin Moore’s Manchester Tan (HC-81) on the walls in a kid-friendly eggshell finish. She can tidy up her trim with White Dove (OC-17) in a semi-gloss for clean, crisp contrast.

2. We love this mix and match lamp base and shade duo for Liz. The simplicity of the glass and beige shade has all kinds of message in a bottle beachy connotations. What we love even more is that right now, this set is on sale for 50% off!

3. This photographic sea shell print pulls the look together in a subtle way. Framed in black, it will complement Liz’s already framed family photos.

4. We want Liz, her family and their guests (small, tall, Canadian) to forget they’re in a basement, so we’re suggesting Liz create an optical illusion with window treatments. By using a floor to ceiling curtain panel mounted right where the ceiling and wall intersect and falling to the floor, they’ll add the illusion of height and hide the small window and lovely view of their garage. This plaid panel pulls together our color palette, and injects more pattern into the room. The price is right, and they’re machine washable–perfect for guests of a shorter stature.

5. What could be better than custom shelving? Buying ready made pieces at affordable prices that look like custom. Liz wants to keep her TV unit, but add more storage. These bookshelves are sold in a pair for an unbelievable price. With each bookshelf flanking the existing TV unit, her entertainment alcove will look like built-ins made just for them. The set will provide enough storage that she’ll be able to remove the big white bookshelf and make a family photo gallery on that angled wall.

6. This trio of pillows punches up our nautical theme and brings new life to Liz’s existing sofa and chair.

7. Ahoy there! This lantern makes us think of bonfires on the beach. At this price, Liz could use several to accessorize her new shelves by filling them with shells, tea lights, sea glass or some other sea inspired relics.

8. These easy to clean, colorful, canvas storage containers can catch the remotes, dvds, and other assorted family room essentials to keep the shelving unit looking organized, because a room with clutter everywhere can never be truly relaxing. P.S., we dig the grommet detailing on these babies.

9. The trunk as coffee table is a clever storage concept, especially in the family room. This lacquered wicker version brings a natural textural element into Liz’s beach chic escape.

10. And what kind of beach retreat would be complete without a beverage tray? This shiny, blue beauty is the perfect topper for the coffee table trunk and just the spot for refreshments.

Well Liz, we hope you enjoy your budget-friendly beachy chic retreat with guests from near and far. Nothing on this mood board costs more than $100! (Even the bookshelves since they come in a pair.) Most items are less than $50. We had a great time pulling it together for you. Enjoy!

Laura's girls study in style

Laura contacted us to reinvent a room in their home as a study lounge for their two daughters. Here is her letter:

Dear Lisa:

We have a bedroom in our home that we’d like to reinvent as a space for our two daughters, ages 6 and 8, to do their homework. We’ll need two desks, some room for books, notebooks and study-type supplies. Also, we want a spot for them to cozy up with a book. They’re not princesses, so no pink walls, please. We want it to be a room they look forward to hanging out in for the years to come since we know the homework load only increases from here on in! Hope you can help us.  Thanks, Laura

Laura, we hope your girls rush home from school and get right down to business in this stylish study space. Here you go!

1. We picked up our color palette from the whimsical rug we found. Since we’ve got bold splashes of aqua, pink and lavender around the room, we thought a muted green shade like Guilford Green (B.M. HC 116) would be the perfect wall color.

2. Laura requested a cozy nook for the girls to read. We love the pattern and price of this chair. Plus it comes in a double size if Laura thinks there is enough room.

3. We think a pair of these poppy magnetic boards would be perfect for each girl to hang above her desk to keep soccer schedules, school deadlines, pictures of family and friends, notes from the tooth fairy and everything else they deem important front and center!

4. This book case is an essential piece for its attractive storage potential as well as how it will function as a divider between the two desks. With each desk positioned on either side of the book case, the room will have two designated study zones so projects and papers don’t get mixed up between the two sisters.

5. A pair of these desk lamps will provide much needed task lighting to each work space without hogging all the surface area on the desk. We love how the leafy green shade color picks up on the green tones in the chair and rug.

6. This set of five flip-lid boxes (or even two sets!) will help the girls corral their supplies, crafts, and knick knacks on the shelves of their desks and the shared book cases. We think their translucent material will make storage and organization a snap.

7. The swirling colors in this rug were the perfect jumping off point for our color palette. It’s not a girly-girl pattern, but instead rather whimsical and fun; certain to inspire creativity!

8. Ah, the desk–the essential study corral. We heart these trestle desksfor their affordability (remember, Laura has to buy two!) and open simplicity. Let’s face it, young kids do not know how to use hanging files. They know how to pile and put things in storage bins.  Furthermore, we dig how these desks can be assembled with the shelves on either side. So the desk to the left of the book case will have shelves on the left, and the desk to the right of the book case will have shelves on the right side. Symmetry–bet Laura’s girls already learned about it in math class!

9. These super stylish desk chairs made of clear polycarbonate plastic and chrome add an air of sophistication to this studious lair. They’re easy to clean and uber-affordable.

10. These cute pencil holders will be a fun desktop accessory. Now, Laura won’t hear, “Mom, I need a pencil.”

11. These incredibly affordable peacock panels are machine washable and a fun splash of color on the walls. If Laura and the girls want to go for another layer of texture and pattern, they can add this striped, crinkly satin set too.

12. I didn’t have room for these on the mood board, but if Laura and the girls decide they want to add some more pattern to the walls, here are a few fun decal sets to consider (butterflies, trees, birds, birds in tree, flowers).

Laura, I hope you and your girls love the ideas for your fun, new homework room–and you didn’t think fun and homework could be combined in the same sentence!