Teresa is a busy wife and mother, but at every available opportunity, she escapes into a fantasy world. You see, Teresa is a romance writer, and her active imagination is helping write her third book.
But Teresa had a real-life problem. She lacked an inspiring place where she could compose her novels. She spent most of her free time writing in a local coffee shop, but she wanted a space at home where she could write and gather with fellow romance authors to work out ideas, celebrate victories and commiserate over rejection letters.
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She had an empty living/dining room in her large suburban home that suited the purpose perfectly, but the cold, blank slate of the room lacked passion — and furniture. So I decided to bring in my team and transform the space into a sophisticated and romantic writing retreat for Teresa.
The space had great bones — high ceilings, Palladian windows, crown moldings and hardwood floors — but lacked the “wow” factor. To help achieve this, I infused the room with a bit of color. I put up silvery floral-patterned wallpaper in most of the space, and then painted the rest in a serene shade of cream.
Then, because the space was originally fashioned as two rooms (living and dining) and had columns that separated the two areas, I decided to divide it into two functional spaces — a writer’s retreat and a meeting area.
In the writer’s retreat, I installed a new desk that blends function and fancy. The piece is a combination desk and bookcase done in a light cream with a beautiful dark-wood work surface. I also added a great writer’s chair in a soft green — the perfect spot for Teresa to create masterpiece after masterpiece.
I worked in a little seating area for Teresa and her friends, which includes an L-shaped sectional in subtle, silvery linen, and a gorgeous gas fireplace surrounded with stone and a stunning mirror above.
I hung soft and gauzy sheers with gold-satin trim that diffuse light softly through the large windows at the front of the room. I then put the same type of sheers up to separate the writing space from the meeting space.
In the meeting area, I put in a beautiful wooden table where the romance writers can gather (and maybe Teresa’s family for the occasional meal) and chairs in a green patterned fabric and velvet. Along the back wall, I placed a beautiful mirror-back hutch, which serves to reflect the windows and detailing in the writer’s area.
Lighting is always an effective way to add ambiance. So I put in two antique silver-and-crystal sconces above the fireplace and installed an elegant silver- and gold-gilded crystal chandelier above the sectional. Above the table in the meeting room, I put in another shimmering fixture that acts as a companion piece to the larger chandelier.
After adding some final romantic details — area rugs, vases, pictures and books (Teresa’s, of course) — the redesign was complete.
This space was crying out for a happy ending. So I gave it a dreamy makeover full of traditional details, cool colors and feminine inspirations. Now it’s the perfect blend of fantasy and reality — definitely No. 1 on this year’s “best rooms” list. Now that’s divine!
For more ideas and information go to www.HGTV.com or www.divinedesign.tv.
