Cook Street Interiors: Virtual Decorating Client Project in Boston

Technology is changing the way we stay connected so much that the pace just baffles me sometimes. As someone who has moved to different cities over the course of my adult life, I love that I can connect with friends of old and keep in touch besides just an annual Christmas card. (Although I LOOOOVE getting those, so keep 'em coming!)

One thing I've really enjoyed in business is being able to help friends with their decorating projects even if they live elsewhere. For example, right now I'm working on my high school friend's ginormous house in northern Virginia. She has a son with special needs, and it has been such a wonderful experience to help her make his room match his feisty and delightful personality. It's a great way for us to stay connected, too. I'll ask her to send pictures soon, because I'm hoping she's hanging the curtains we just ordered this weekend, (right, Theo?)

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Recently, my dear friend, Laura, moved from Denver to the Boston area. She bought the most amazing house and asked me to be her virtual decorator. We FaceTimed, and it was a great way for me to receive the grand tour, and then to focus on a few areas where she needed help. The house is new construction, but it fits right in with the architecture of her adorable New England town. The finishes are deeeevine..dark hardwood floors, thick chunky white trim, lots of windows and natural light, coffered ceilings. All the style and charm of an older home, but the modern conveniences of NEW! Her builder, Rob Ticktin, (Laura calls him Rob the Builder) did an amazing job. He only builds one home a year, and you can tell because of the attention to detail.

Laura took me on a FaceTime tour, and I easily got the lay of the land. She wanted to focus on getting her main living space finished. It's in the back of the house where there is a gorgeous kitchen with an eating area opening to a family room/living room. Laura was ready to spring for some new furniture in the family room, window treatments, and a new rug. I did a little online shopping, we talked some more, and she did the rest!

One of the things we discussed was sofa positioning and overall furniture placement. Her fireplace is opposite the sofa, with TV above the mantle, so luckily just one focal point. Her husband is TALL, so the double chaise configuration is perfect for their family. To make the room conversation friendly, we placed 2 custom swivel armchairs in a charcoal gray on either side of the fireplace. (sorry there isn't a picture of those) Laura's red console table is a colorful backdrop for the large sofa, so it's backside isn't too overwhelming when you enter the room from the front of the house. To offset the angles, we went with a round cocktail table with a bone inlay top and open, leggy base. The pair of end tables introduce a smooth, shiny surface and tuck nicely into the wide arms of the sofa. We found an indigo striped rug with red, gray and mustardy yellow stripes to pull the subtle palette together. I love how the ikat pillows bring a new pattern into the room.

Back in May, before Laura moved, her talented photographer cousin, Anne, had her home featured on the popular blog, Little Green Notebook. Laura and I were both inspired by how Anne created gallery walls with seemingly disparate, but meaningful collections. (Read more about that project here.) We especially loved this enlarged old family photo.

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Laura selected a photo she loves of her grandfather with his three brothers and had it blown up on canvas. We decided it would look great hung next to the new curtain panels in the eating nook. (Grandpa is 2nd to left.)

Laura's husband and daughters all play the piano, so we thought it would be fun to frame the piano with a gallery wall. Their collection includes a framed album cover, their Colorado license plate, a large Chinese watercolor from when Laura played volleyball in China, art by their children, and to add dimension and whimsy, a steel steer's head, an homage to Laura's grandfather's dairy farm. I suggested that Laura lay everything out on the floor and mix the shapes up to give it a collected but not too contrived look. I think she did a great job! Don't you?