Usually when I plan to take a long break from blogging or social media, I normally give a little heads up. I wish my re-entry could boast a "big" reveal that has been under wraps, but perhaps I should simply start with that my distraction has been of the non-quilty kind. About two months ago my husband asked me if I could help him with a "little" re-modeling project at work. What started out as a small remodel of a dining room in a elderly, coma & therapy center, turned into a whole house renovation. So, should I share a little more?...
We started on the elderly care unit, which have a few common dining and sitting areas. The facility is one of several remodeled buildings on a family farm estate, and is traditional in style, which needed to be taken into consideration for the design concept. In the main dining room we opted for a soft, lacy botanical wallpaper in a light sage. The subtle greens are actually quite calming, and dark chocolate antique furniture has been incorporated into the design, for a nice contrast with the light and airy design.
For the main sitting areas, another major consideration was that there were several existing furniture pieces that needed to be worked into the design, such as these teal wing chairs. Since there are also dementia patients to be considered, it was important to have clear and identifiable prints that also ekoke memories of things that are pleasant. The focal wallpaper has several species of birds, which is allows the patients the opportunity to stop and identify them.
A smaller, open dining area adjacent to the birds wall, is now adorned with this sweet honeysuckle wallpaper from Sanberg. We used several natural design elements to connect the areas. Since textiles can add a soft accent to a space, it was important to include coordinating table linens into the design.
For the last two sitting areas that we addressed, we decided to use a historical wallpaper from Morris & Co. If you are not familiar with the British textile designer, William Morris, then I would highly recommend adding him to your must-look-up list. This brilliant artist, who was a major contributor to the British Arts and Crafts movement in the 1800's, produced some of the most amazing wallpapers, fabrics, tapestries, and stained glass, that are timeless to this day.
With so many considerations like selecting paint, wallpaper, curtains, artwork, home decor, accessories, and even fresh plants, perhaps it sheds a little light what has kept me so busy these past months, but this was only a small tip of the iceberg...
