Living Room | Design Happens

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A Sneak Peek Into BPF’s LEGENDS Window Display

by Farima Alavi May 8, 2013 No Comments

Today marks the first day of LEGENDS, a three-day celebration of design in Southern California. The event brings together tastemakers from the world of interior design, decor, art, fashion and architecture for keynote panel discussions, book signings, exhibitions, special events and more.

This year’s theme is Time Capsule: The Past, Present and Future of Design. Interior designers from across the country have been invited to decorate the windows at the La Cienega Design Quarter, a shopping destination for top quality home design. Designer and HGTV friend Brian Patrick Flynn gives us a sneak peek into the inspiration behind his window design — a mixed look and feel of a 1950′s nuclear family and a present-day nuclear family.

Design by Brian Patrick Flynn

“There’s a mix of traditional and global-infused, as well as an updated color palette. And while the furniture and overall style is a big mix of the past, the family for which it has been conceptualized is all about the present, and more importantly, the future,” Brian says.

When asked what he would add to his own design time capsule, he said “a stack of current presentation boards, which would allow me to look back in 30 years to see how much my style has evolved and/or changed,” but his personal one would include a photo of him “sporting a full head of hair circa 2013, neatly stashed inside my metal Mork & Mindy lunchbox.”

Tuesday Huesday: Retro Living Room Color Inspiration

by Liz Gray April 30, 2013 3 Comments

I’m kind of obsessed with all things 1950s: houses, furniture, dishware (this is my dream collection!) and even motels. Some might prefer shiny new hotels, but to me there’s nothing cooler than a well-kept time capsule along the side of the highway. This atomic-era motel caught photographer Paul Vanzella’s eye, and the amazing combination of pink and aqua caught mine, too. (The pink Cadillac doesn’t hurt.)

A slightly more muted version of this palette takes on a sophisticated tone in this living room created by Portuguese designer Maria Barros (spotted via House of Turquoise.) I especially like the way Barros used bright orange accents to add a little bit of vibrancy to this easy-on-the-eyes room.

Coral and Aqua Living Room Color Palette - Tuesday Huesday on HGTV's Design Happens

1950s Motel :: Aqua + Coral Living Room

What do you think? Would you try this color combo at home?

Get more color palette inspiration from our previous Tuesday Huesday posts.

Budget Beach Cottage Before and After: Living Room

by H. Camille Smith February 27, 2013 24 Comments

My sister bought a fixer-upper beach house almost two years ago which we’ve slowly but surely been hammering back into shape. In addition to a long list of structural changes, we needed to find a house full of beachy furniture and accessories on the cheap. I hail from a family of bargain hunters/diy-ers so the beach house has been a fun challenge for us.

Before: We started in the main living area which was dark, crowded and just plain sad. Sunny yellow trim did nothing to brighten up the driftwood gray paneling. Unfortunately, you can’t see the pitiful greenish-gold shag carpet which, thanks to leaking windows, had mildewed and actually smelled worse than it looked (hard to believe, I know). Dark, dated and dingy beach house living room before makeover

See the Afters

Answer to “Decorate This Space: Pick the Right Sofa”

by Farima Alavi January 24, 2013 1 Comment

You guessed correctly if you chose option C. Designer Lori Dennis placed a dark brown suede sofa in this living room to soften the bold artwork.

Loft-Style Living Room

SEE ALSO: 5 Ways to Style a Sofa

We randomly chose one person from the comments, and Cindy is the winner of an HGTV notebook. Congrats!

Check back next Wednesday to decorate a new space.

Home Survival Skills: How to Start a Cozy Fire

by Jessica Yonker January 15, 2013 8 Comments

I don’t know about you, but this gloomy weather has many of our editors ready to go into hibernation (the rest are still bright and cheery from their encounter with Color Splash superstar David Bromstad).

January may leave your home feeling a little cold and empty, so what better way to add warmth to your home than by lighting a beautiful fire?

If your fireplace has gone untouched this season, never fear. As long as you’re prepared, starting your own fire is just one flick of a match away.

Get Fired Up

Answer to “Decorate This Space: Pick the Right Wall Art”

by Farima Alavi November 8, 2012 3 Comments

You guessed correctly if you chose answer B. Designer Madelyn Simon brought the outdoors in with this stand-out wall hanging that consists of 740 individual silk roses.

Silk Rose Wall Art

We randomly chose one person from the comments, and franrayhorn13 is the winner of an HGTV notebook. Congrats!

Check back next Wednesday to decorate a new space.

Answer to “Decorate This Space: Pick the Right Chair”

by Farima Alavi October 4, 2012 7 Comments

You chose correctly if your answer was B. The green pillows and patterned chairs bring life to this spacious, mostly-white living room.

White Living Room Designed by Fiorella Designs

We randomly chose one person from the comments, and Jessi is the winner of an HGTV journal. Congrats!

Check back next Wednesday to decorate a new space and for a chance to win an HGTV goodie.

Divide and Conquer: How I Faked a Foyer

by H. Camille Smith August 15, 2012 33 Comments

When searching for my current home (my first!), I had a pretty long list of must-haves: a fireplace, crown molding, hardwood floors, a fenced-in yard for my pups and an en-suite bath for myself. I also wanted a foyer — a separate antechamber with enough room for an entry table and a few decorations plus a closet for hidden storage. Well, as is true of many first-time homebuyers, I got most of the things on my list but something had to give. You guessed it: I didn’t get a foyer; the front door opens directly into my living room. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.

Luckily my living room is pretty big (15′ x 21′) so I just designated a 6′ x 10′ area to use as a foyer:

traditional home entryway with collection of framed photos

Staycationing? Update Your Living Room on the Cheap

by H. Camille Smith July 11, 2012 28 Comments

If money woes or the recent crazy weather has you vacationing at home this summer, now’s a great time to tackle some of the updates you’ve been putting off. Let’s start in the living room — after all, it’s where you gather with family and friends and often the first room people see when entering your home. Time to show it some love. To get you started, I’ve gathered a few of my favorite living room updates that will add a lot of style for just a little cash.

With some lumber and trim, you could update your fireplace surround:

Media Makeover: A Living Room Addition

by Erin Loechner February 17, 2012 20 Comments

See that giant TV on the left? It is about to disappear...

Televisions and entertainment centers are often the biggest eyesores in any space, and our bulky, ten-year-old TV was certainly no exception. (Remember spotting it in our living room makeover?) Still, it was functional and I happen to live with a man who would marry function if he could. Me? I choose form to a fault.
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