Dear Lisa: Our family is wrapping up a big home renovation. Now we are stumped on what to do with our sunroom. It’s a long and narrow room that is accessed off the kitchen and houses our pantry/storage closet. We walk through it to get to the master bedroom on the right and our outdoor patio on the left. We need this room to function as a home office for me, as well as a place for our two kids to do crafts and homework. Also, we have two dogs who regularly use the patio door, so we’re dealing with a lot of family foot traffic. Since the room is open to our kitchen we’d like to tie it in with the colors we have used in there (Benjamin Moore Coastal Fog on the walls and red and blue accents). We want this to be a creative space with some style instead of white oversized hallway. Thanks for your help! Stacey
Stacey, what a blank slate you have! This room is ripe for a reinvention. We hope you love your snappy new sunroom. Here we go!
1. First of all, kudos to Stacey, for using Benjamin Moore’s Coastal Fog (AC-1). It’s one of our favorite neutrals. The greeny undertones in the beige work with almost any palette, plus the contrast with the white trim and doors will make them really pop. For an accent color, we would love to see Stacey paint the back wall with the plantation shuttersWaterfall (BM 2050-50). This beautiful turquoise leans more toward the green side of the fan deck, so it works well with the Coastal Fog. An accent wall will add an unexpected splash of color once you enter the room, but won’t be totally visible from the kitchen. To complete the palette, we’ve added some fun doses of red, white and turquoise throughout the room to blend with some of the colors Stacey is using in the sunroom’s adjoining spaces.
2. These embroidered red and white curtain panels have a cool, bohemian vibe. The Moroccan-inspired pattern will soften the many angles in the room, reduce noise and frame the two windows that overlook the patio.
3. In a narrow room like this, Stacey’s already done a great job of creating two zones: one for her desk, and one for the kids’ workspace. It’s a smart use of the space; what busy mom doesn’t want a desk near the kitchen? Stacey would like a bigger work surface for herself, and we dig the open and airy look of this console desk. With this design, Stacey has tons of room on top, and the open compartments below can store books, storage bins, files and decorative nick-nacks, too.
4. This rug looks like sisal, but it’s made of olefin and bordered withSunbrella fabric, so it’s a great choice for a busy sunroom. Stacey can use this dog-proof, spill-proof, kid-proof indoor/outdoor rug to further divide her two work zones. The 5′ X 7′ size, positioned with the short ends centered between the patio and master bedroom doors, should workhorse perfectly.
5. We love the turquoise splash on this affordable ceramic gourd lamp. There will be plenty of room on Stacey’s desk surface, and it’s much prettier than your typical utilitarian desk lamp.
6. These fire engine red barstools are the perfect perches for the young artists, scientists, writers and mathematicians that live in Stacey’s house. Their super glossy powdercoated finish beckons with fun and creativity. A set of four will slide neatly under Stacey’s current round table.
7. To counter the shiny gloss of the barstools, we think this wood veneer pendant lamp brings a natural element into the room in a funky, industrial way. Just imagine how it will pop against that turquoise accent wall. Mmmm…love it.
8. While her kids are busying themselves at their new work/craft station, Stacey will be large and in charge in this white swivel armchair, multi-tasking all over the room without ever leaving her seat. Sounds fabulous…and kinda fun.
9. We love how the angles on this bookshelf mimic the angled ceiling in Stacey’s sunroom. The open style speaks in kind to the desk on the opposite side of the room. Positioned just to the left of the master bedroom door (facing), this unit will provide storage a plenty for crafts, games, school papers and more.
10. When you’re working round the clock (and what mom isn’t, we ask?) the official timekeeper may as well look good! This retro cool clock will keep the troops on time and look stylish right above Stacey’s desk just to the left of the curtain panels.
11. These affordable and durable canvas bins are perfect for stashing and corralling the unsightly business in both work zones. They’ll add color and style to the bookcase and desk, plus they come in multiple sizes and have a space for labeling.
12. We love how this pair of prints beautifully ties all of the colors in the room together. After curtains are hung and furniture is positioned, Stacey can keep this pair together side by side, stack them on top of each other for a more vertical look, or split them up. We think they would look gorgeous on any of the walls painted Coastal Fog.
Stacey, we hope you have as much fun in your new sunroom as we had pulling this look together for you.
If you want to truly love where you live, please contact me about design services.
