Industrial Modern Meets Colorful Fun
She told me "I am not an ordinary person. But I have an ordinary townhouse. Can you help me get some exciting touches in my home?"
She had been to my interior design showroom and seen some other projects I had done. She told me she liked my sense of color, unusual wall treatments and the uncommon furniture I seemed to have access to. She definitely did not want what everyone else has. Spending more time with her, I learned several other things. My client was in love with industrial modern. She has always has loved turquoise, orange and other bright colors. She is an avid collecter of art and mostly, very bold unusual pieces.
Fun Design Ideas for Den, Dining and Living Rooms
I began by changing the fireplace surround which was beige and brick. I hired a finish specialist to paint the surround in turquoise with flecks of metal in it. At the same time I changed the trim from an off-white to a dark & dramatic charcoal. The walls have a layered and textured finish. It very rich and seems to have been done long ago in some mystery way.
In the middle of the room, I removed an existing white painted wood turned post and arch in the middle of the room. That post was structural. So I replaced it with a repurposed, old, cut to size, industrial salvaged I Beam. I continued the industrial theme in the dining room. So now, the dining table is made from hefty salvaged factory flooring. The base is made from I Beams salvaged from the famous, now abandoned, Bethlehem Steel Mill.
Contrasting with the wood and steel, we have used brightly dyed dining table chairs. These are Italian designed chairs. They are fun to look at and amazingly comfortble for sitting. Adding more color, we hung blown glass pendant lights over the dining table. They are different colors we carefully chose and are handblown by an artist in Massachusetts. Breaking things up visually, we have the lights hanging at varying heights.
When it came to choosing fabric for the pillows, my client wanted all her favorite colors and different textures. They sit on a turquoise sectional. Fun color is the theme but so is "comfy." The pillows and seats all fit that bill.