Gray Oak Gives Back - Our Deserving Client

At last we want to share some details on the amazing woman at the center of our Gray Oak Gives Back project.

We first met our Gray Oak Gives Back client, officially, at the end of September. We had known her before that as a true super fan - always commenting on our Instagram posts and showering us with compliments in our messages. A kind stranger who liked what we were doing, which totally and completely touched us. Over the summer, she hired us for a Designer for a Day package and in late September we arrived ready to provide guidance and inspiration for a planned living room transformation.

We walked around her house and learned how after living with the home’s original (1938) fireplace, 34-year-old wallpaper, original light fixtures and decades old furniture she was finally planning a DIY overhaul. And with what little she had, she wanted to be sure we provided our two cents.

As we talked through the project and got to know her a bit, we learned that her daughter was diagnosed with NF as a child. NF stands for Neurofibromatosis. It’s a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form throughout the nervous system (learn more here). It’s a difficult, scary disease as you’re in a constant state of waiting and checking to see if a tumor is forming. Eventually, a tumor did form and it caused cancer.

While the end of the story is happy - our client’s daughter is a happy, healthy, successful 30-something - listening to our client recount just the vaguest of details about her parenting experience deeply affected us. Sonia and I are both mothers to three young children. We are acutely aware of how difficult it is to parent a healthy child with relatively boring issues (runny noses, bad sleep habits, a penchant for drawing on walls with crayons…). Imagining the added layer of something like NF hit home and, frankly, took our breath for a moment.

But our client had never paused to take a breath. She took action in every way she could to nurture and protect her daughter. Nine years ago, she founded the Coast to Cure NF Bike Ride, an annual bike ride to raise money for NF research. Every year, she coordinates each aspect of the ride from finding sponsors to placing route marker flags the night before the ride. And her efforts have raised over $800,000.

What’s truly amazing is that our client’s role as an advocate for NF awareness and research is only a slice of who she is. She is one of these people who does for everyone in her life. For no other reason than she enjoys giving. And so, when we heard her story, we instantly knew that we wanted to give something to her. She is so deserving and we’re just thrilled to be making it happen.

Speaking of - here is the latest on the what’s happening front:

The electrical work 90% there. Here’s a reminder of the plan. First, get rid of the sconces on the back wall. Second, add recessed lighting. Third, move the sconces over the mantel out a bit. They were too tight to the center of the mantel and visually shrinking the fireplace.

BIG thank you to Hanson Electric (Peter and Andy are the best!) for doing this work. They donated their time and were wonderful to work with. Check out the (grainy phone) photo below that shows all the progress!

Next stop is paint. We’ll be back onsite later this week to make final decisions on colors. Keep checking our Instagram stories for all the behind the scenes. AND, we’re busy pinning and planning on Pinterest - remember that you can follow along and watch our ideas unfold there. AND, we’re still collecting furniture and decor donations, so if you’re interested in joining the heart warming fun please reach out (hello@grayoakstudio.com)!

This is such a special project and SUCH a special client. Thanks for being a part of this transformation. It’s gonna be a good one.

We hope to be back in 2 weeks with another update- stay tuned!

-Leah

Gray Oak Gives Back

We have a truly awesome announcement for you.

Since establishing Gray Oak Studio in 2017, we have been fortunate to grow our business tremendously and so much of our success is thanks to the support of our local community. Every word of mouth recommendation, every follow on our Facebook page and like on our Instagram posts, every encouraging word in the grocery store check out line by someone who heard through the grapevine about our leap of faith venture. All of it made us feel supported and encouraged and motivated. We are truly lucky to come from such a wonderful place.

This month, as a thank you to all the inspiring and supportive community members, we are kicking off an annual initiative: Gray Oak Gives Back. We are donating our design services to worthy project - someone truly deserving of a beautiful room transformation. And after finishing a design consultation earlier this month, we knew we had found our special person and our special project.

Okay, so let’s dive into the project itself. It’s a living room and the layout is…interesting. Below is a relatively accurate Birdseye view.

Like many older New England homes, there was no TV wall considered in the design. Eighty years ago (this house was built in the 1938), TV wasn’t the time-sucking, oh-so-magical vice that it is nowadays. But, like most modern living rooms, this room needs a TV. And to make that happen we have to contend lots of windows, doors and a large fireplace. More on this layout dilemma to come in the weeks ahead.

The TV is currently in a corner…and we don’t love this plan though we understand why our Client landed with this option. We’re not 100% ruling out the possibility of keeping it here, but we’re at a 90%.

The fireplace has the potential to be an amazing focal point, but it’s looking a bit underwhelming at the moment between the original (Yes, original.) brass door, the red brick surround and the dated details in the wood mantel. Oh, and the hearth. The red tile hearth, sigh. We got big plans for this guy.

This room is also covered in very old wallpaper with original wall sconces instead of overhead lights.

And the furniture is several decades old…several.

So, here is our list of To Dos for this transformation:

• Remove wallpaper and paint the walls

• Remove old sconces and add recessed lighting

• Relocate old sconces above fireplace

• Update fireplace - new hearth, new surround and maybe a couple other tweaks…

• New window treatments

• All new furniture - sofa, armchairs, coffee table, media console, rug

• New decor

Here’s the really fun part, we have started a Pinterest page with all of our inspiration and ideas for this project. Please check it out. Leave comments. We would love for you to follow along as we create this special space. And stay tuned for more information on our amazing client. So much fun to come.

- Leah + Sonia

PS - We have a video tour on our Instagram highlights if you want to get a better feel for the room!

5 Easy Updates to Your Family Room

By now, the kids are all back to school and mostly readjusted to the bus, bagged lunch and homework. September is a hectic time of year for families transitioning from the wonderful chaos of summer to the regiment of school and extra curriculars. But, once the dust settles, parents can find themselves with a bit of extra time on their hands. With said extra time the focus is often - Let’s get this house in shape before the holidays are upon us!!! (This line is screamed in true and deep panic as one suddenly realizes that Thanksgiving is 2 months away)

Today, the 2nd day of October…if you’re counting…we’re breaking down 5 easy ways to completely update your family room. And a plan to get it done before Turkey Day!

Below is a “before” photo from our Hutchins Project. This is the state of many a family room before we got our hands on it - fine. Serving a purpose, more or less.

Below is a photo of the same exact family room after we did a little number on it.

floor lamp / ottoman / brass wall frames

You’ll see that 4 existing pieces of furniture stayed the same: sofa, armchair, rug and media center. Now let’s breakdown what changed.

1. Lighting

   We added a semi flushmount light fixture, a floor lamp and a table lamp. A variety of light sources allows for multiple activities in a room (one person watching TV, one person reading), adds ambiance (a little mood lighting goes a long way) and creates a wow moment (ceiling lights are masters at creating beauty and interest).

2. Window Treatments

   Window treatments are the eyebrows of a room. There are definitely exceptions, but as a rule of thumb a room will feel like something is missing without some sort of window treatment. Here we replaced the shorter gray drapes with ivory linen drapes that “just kiss” the floor. When in doubt, white/ivory drapes are always the right choice. They are style chameleons and simultaneously timeless and modern. They cover all bases.

3. Wall Color

   A fresh coat of paint is an instant refresh to any room. Here we changed the darker puddy color to a crisp, light gray (Nimbus by Benjamin Moore).

4. Decor

   New throw pillows, blankets, books, baskets, vases and decorative objects are a must of this process. Even if you don’t have time or money for a complete overhaul, be sure to curate a cohesive batch of current decor. Pick a color palette (sticking with 2-3 colors is the easiest way to stay cohesive) and hit up your favorite HomeGoods. We also love Target’s Threshold and Project 62 lines.

5. Plants

   If you’ve been following us for any length of time, you know that you always incorporate plants in our designs. For good reason. They bring color and texture and height (if you’re going indoor tree style). And, most importantly, they breathe life into a home. They give the feeling of a nurtured, loved home.

The Plan to Get Er Done!

Okay, so, your mind is now bubbling with all the wall color choices you’ve seen on Pinterest (Revere Pewter, Alabaster…could you go dark with Hale Navy?). And you had been eyeing a pillow at HomeGoods last week. But how are you actually going get it done?

1. Order the light fixture and the window treatments. Anything that needs to be “installed” should be your first purchase.

   - We love these linen curtains and these linen-like curtains. (click links to shop)

2. Paint the walls.

   - We recently polled our Instagram followers to tell us their favorite white paint color. Check out this post for the results.

3. Install the light fixture and window treatment. The room is already looking so different!

4. It’s accessory shopping time. Here is our not-so-secret trick to accessorizing: buy a lot more than you need, bring it all home, mix and match, try this, try that, see it all in the space before you make your final choices, then return what you don’t end up using.

5. Plant time. If you have a local nursery, we highly recommend going to pick out few plants. The people who work there are a wealth of knowledge and can recommend species that will thrive in your home (amount of light, direction of light, etc.). If you don’t have a local nursery, we have found some awesome, budget-friendly plants at both WholeFoods and Trader Joes.

This is totally doable in 6 weeks - You got this. Happy October!!!

- Leah

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