Gray Oak Gives Back - Project Reveal (Part 2)

In today’s (long) blog post, we’re sharing the rest of our Gray Oak Gives Back transformation. We’re diving into the details of the coffee table, media center and sofa scene (with the mega grid gallery). Just like last time, we’re sharing details on our design decisions and shoppable links.

{If you missed the first half of the reveal - it’s here. And if you missed the fireplace transformation - it’s here}

Let’s start with the coffee table scene. It’s really an oversized ottoman scene. And we absolutely love it. One of the few “must haves” our client asked for was a soft surface to kick up her feet when she watched TV. She had a large ottoman in her original set up and was used to this feature.

We love the idea of ottomans in place of coffee tables, but for this project we also wanted to bring in furniture with negative space because the room is relatively small. Incorporating lots of negative space, the space around and between objects, makes a room feel airy and even bigger. The ottoman we chose, with an open wood base, was the perfect solution. And we just love the subtly patterned fabric that is neutral but still interesting.

ottoman / rug / armchair

We styled the ottoman with some of our favorites: books, a box and a tray. We created three sections with each section having a purpose. For a deeper dive into the Rule of Three (a simple styling rule), check out THIS blog post.

Coffee Table Book / Similar Box / Oval Tray

For coffee table styling in particular it’s important to make sure beauty and function are in balance. Unlike some styling surfaces (i.e. mantel, console table, bookshelf), a coffee table will be heavily used for cups, feet and a revolving array of things (a new magazine, eye glasses, etc.).

The tray is used to corral the small stuff - a favorite candle, a library book, a small plant, etc. The coffee table book is a conversation piece and a hard surface if your coffee table is actually an oversized ottoman. The box is a place to keep remotes and all the loose change you find in the cushions.

For the days you’re expecting company, our best tip to spruce up your coffee table scene is a bud vase and colorful flowers. They bring the happy, and make everything look a little more special and pulled together.

Ok, moving onto the media console. After much deliberation, we ultimately decided to place the media console and TV right in front of a window. It’s not a traditional choice, but in this space it works really well. And with the light colored wall (Balboa Mist by Benjamin Moore) and the airy drapes pulled close, you might not have realized it.

Here’s why we landed on this layout choice:

1) There was no wall for the TV. You can quick peek at our original Gray Oak Gives Back post to see an aerial view of the room layout - every wall has a window, fireplace or door with the exception of the wall that we placed the sofa. We like a sofa facing a TV where the primary use of the room is TV watching (makes sense), so the fireplace wall was the only option for the TV.

Now, you may wonder why we didn’t put the TV over the fireplace. Well, the rumor about interior designers not liking TVs above fireplaces is 100% true. Televisions above fireplaces are a last resort for two reasons. First, as a general rule, the middle of your TV should be approximately 55” off the ground (this isn’t an exact formula - the size of your TV and the distance that you’re watching are important factors). The height of the average mantel would put the average television way too high. Second, a fireplace is a natural and beautiful focal point of a room, which (ideally) shouldn’t be diminished by a big, black box.

2) This particular window was a good option to block because it faces a small side yard and the neighboring house. It isn’t visible from the street (we didn’t have to worry about curb appeal) and it isn’t visible from the backyard (again, an eyesore if you spend a lot of time in your backyard).

3) There is plenty of light in this room (windows on 3 different walls), so partially blocking some natural light doesn’t have any impact on the look or feel of the room as a whole.

In terms of the media console itself, this piece adds warmth to a cooler palette (blues and grays are cool colors) and is in the modern farmhouse style our client loves. We also like that it has a mix of open and hidden storage. Finally, it’s a low profile piece in terms of short (blocking the least amount of window possible) and narrow (staying mostly in line with the depth of the fireplace).

Media Console /Oversized Woven Tray (under ottoman) / Similar White Vase (left of TV)

Next, we turn to the sofa. The sofa we chose for this project has a beautiful, versatile style and is incredibly comfortable. When it comes to picking a sofa, the biggest piece of advice we give during our Designer for a Day consultations is to splurge because more money equates more quality (to a point). We could go nutty talking about the levels of sofa quality - kiln dried wood for the frame, 8 way hand-tied springs, channeled down wrapped cushions, the hand and rub count of fabric, etc. The important tip here is that a high quality sofa is insanely comfortable and will last a couple decades while a poor quality sofa will be terribly uncomfortable and need to be replaced in 5 years.

Sofa / Floor Lamp / Similar Blue Table Lamp

Above the sofa, we created a big gallery wall. This is a large space and a great opportunity to bring character and interest to the room. Large scale art is gorgeous, but it’s also very pricey. A gallery of smaller frames is a great way to fill a big space without having to splurge and without having to commit to one piece of art.

A clean grid formation is an easy approach if you’re intimated by gallery walls. We also recommend these frames because they’re incredibly light weight and we were able to hang them using command strip velcro. When you use velcro strips you can take the frames off and make micro adjustments to get clean separation lines.

The last vignette in the room to share is this sweet, tiered side table. We love the soft curves, two shelves and warm tone. It also falls into the “save” (opposite of splurge) category, which is always nice.

Side Table / Gallery Frames / Similar Pillow

And that is that! If there are any elements of the room you want to know more about that we missed, just let us know and we’ll be sure to follow-up. This project came to life because we met a special mom with a special daughter fighting a rare disease. Learn more about their fight and this transformation in a wonderful article written by a local magazine.

As always, thanks for following along!

- Leah

All Your Install Day Questions...Answered

Right before our most recent Install Day, we asked our Instagram followers for any and all of their Install Day questions. And today we’re sharing some of those questions and, of course, our answers. But, first, we thought it might be helpful to give you a brief rundown of what exactly Install Day is.

Ahhh…the mystical Install Day! Install Day is the day we complete a full service interior design project. Our client’s room starts the day either completely empty or full of old furniture. When our client returns home at the end of the day, the room is totally transformed with new furnishings and decor.

start of the day

(aka BEFORE)

end of the day

(aka AFTER)

Side Note: Technically, any part of a transformation that involves a tradesperson are done before Install Day. For the project above, fresh paint on the walls, new window treatments (not pictured), a new light fixture and some carpentry work on an existing built-in bookcase (not pictured) were completed in advance of Install Day.

Install Day officially kicks off when our movers deliver all the new furniture. Rugs and rug pads are placed, sofas are moved 2 inches to the right then 1 inch to the left…then back again (our movers are extremely patient), tables are centered, and armchairs are carefully nudged into their nooks. Next, we bring in all the decor. Decor includes everything from indoor trees to lamps. For the next several/many hours, with the help of a handyman and design assistant, mirrors and art are hung, plants are potted, pillows are fluffed and placed, and bookshelves are styled. At last, our client comes home to their new favorite place.

Sounds pretty awesome right? Just like some of your favorite HGTV shows?!? It really is.

And now for the questions:

“Hi Ladies! So you group (decor) by category? Do you also breakdown by room? Love seeing your install day process!”

Gray Oak Answer - After all our decor is brought into the home, we unpack and sort everything by the type of decor: baskets, books, trays, lamps, vases, planters and plants, boxes, objects, etc. And sometimes we’ll further separate categories, for example wire baskets versus woven baskets. The process remains the same whether we’re doing a one room install or multi-room room. However, we have a general decor plan for each room (and each area within a room - i.e. the coffee table plan, the mantel plan, etc.), so certain key pieces will be flagged to go into each room from the getgo and then the remainder of the categorized items act as filler.

We have found that grouping similar decor allows us to work more efficiently. As we’re styling, we know what type of decor we want, it’s usually just a matter of finding the right item within the category. For example, we want a tray on an oversized ottoman. We look through all our trays, try several out, pick the winner and move on.

“So do you guys install everything and give the client a list and invoice and let them figure out if they don’t want any of it to stay?”

Gray Oak Answer - During our creative presentation (check out details on our process here), we present our clients with a proposal for cost of all materials. This proposal breaks down our clients budget by item (i.e. sofa - $2,000, rug - $1,000, etc.). In this proposal, we include a line item for decor. The proposal for cost of all materials is approved by our client before any purchases are made. Then, when Install Day comes, we have a clear budget to use toward decor. While our clients are able to return any decor after Install Day, in truth, they don’t! The cost is already understood and the decor is tailored to the design plan they approved.

“How you decide what goes where. Do you do many tries before you know it’s right?”

Gray Oak Answer - This is a tricky one! Not because we don’t want to reveal our styling secrets, but because a lot of it is indescribable…the result of instinct. We definitely consider design pillars like negative space, balance, contrast and repetition. But, there is also a lot of try this and try that. (See the last question for our plan on how to share more styling tips)

Hence, we bring about 5 times the amount of decor we use! If you’ve watched any of our behind the scenes videos on Instagram stories during an Install Day, you’ve seen just how much decor this equals. A Lot. Seeing different pieces and creating different combinations onsite is the best way to find the perfect mix.

This process is a huge reason why our clients love when we style - we’re thorough and meticulous in making sure that a room looks and feels like home. Without the plants, vases, trays and books, a beautifully furnished room can feel cold. It’s the details that really bring a space to life.

“Hanging curtains pls - I need tips!”

Gray Oak Answer - We have a lot of good tips for curtains! First, we recommend using curtain rings (like these). They make opening and closing curtains smooth and easy (no pulling, tugging…yanking!), and they add length. The average ceiling height of many older New England homes is 7.5’ (90”) to 8’ (96”). But the average length of an out-of-the-box curtain is 84” or 96” or 108”. This means that 84” is too short, 96” is too long and 108” is way too long. By using an 84” curtain and adding an extra 2”-3” between the length of the curtain ring and the curtain rod, you’re able to raise your curtain rods closer to the ceiling, which is ideal. The general rule of thumb for hanging curtain rods is high and wide. Go as close to the ceiling as possible and far enough out so the curtain doesn’t cover any of the window when it’s open.

We also recommend “training” your curtains. This means to create folds (knife pleats) starting at the location of each ring and carry that fold to the bottom of the curtain. Then tie the hand pleated curtain together with a piece of yarn or twine. After about 2 days, untie and you will have a beautiful, pleated curtain that’s clean and crisp without being old school (aka pinch pleat, etc.).

“Maybe (show) different options styled and then the one you decide on? Fun!”

Gray Oak Answer - This follower wanted us to post different styling options for a vignette, to give a range of ideas on how it could look. And one day…we will…probably… We just love this idea, but have found that the time constraints we have during an actual Install Day have, thus far, prevented us from doing so.

Install Day is such an intense process because we want everything to look absolutely perfect and we want it to be done for our clients to come home at a reasonable time (our clients are out of the house while Install Day is underway). We know, however, that styling is hard and confusing and time consuming - and so every piece of advice to make it less so is coveted! With that, we would love to collect questions about our styling process - get as specific as you’d like - and we’ll dedicate a blog post on all the styling tips and tricks we have! So, leave a comment here, DM us, email us (hello@grayoakstudio.com) and we promise we’ll answer them all!

Have a wonderful week.

- Leah

Gray Oak Gives Back 2019 - Project Reveal (Part 1)

Today we’re walking you through how we brought our Gray Oak Gives Back project from start to finish. We’re so proud of this one for all the feel good reasons we’ve been talking about from Day 1. And, because it came out so beautifully.

But let’s back up to where we started.

Transforming the Function

Whenever we start a project, we have 3 lists of goals. The first list (that guides the other 2 lists) contains our function goals. How are we going to transform the room so it works for the family who lives there? Every space in a house should have a purpose. Sometimes that purpose will be to just look pretty. But more often than not, a room is used for a specific reason and all the design choices should cater to that reason.

When you have a room in your home that no one even enters, much less hangs out in and enjoys, it’s usually because the purpose of the room is undefined or the needs of your family have changed and the originally intended purpose doesn’t make sense anymore. Start with the questions: What will we do in this room? Why would we want to hang out here? When will we want to hang out here?

For our Gray Oak Gives Back project, we transformed a living room. The primary function of this particular living room was to gather with family and friends, watch TV and enjoy a fire. We also had some specific function requests from our Client. For example, she didn’t want a traditional coffee table - she wanted something soft to put her feet on.

With all the above in mind, here was the list of our plans to make functional transformations.

FIRST, we had several updates we wanted to tackle with the help of contractors:

1) The walls - Remove the 30-year-old wallpaper and repaint with a wall color that would both brighten and update the room.

2) The lighting - Remove sconces from wall behind sofa, relocate sconces above fireplace, and add recessed lights to the ceiling.

3) Fireplace Update - Update the fireplace from 1950 to 2020.

SECOND, we had a layout dilemma: Where to put the television. The angled, corner console wasn’t working, the fireplace mantel was too high to squeeze a TV above it (never our favorite choice even if it’s at a reasonable height), and all other walls were covered with doors or windows.

THIRD, we needed all new furniture and decor that created a better flow.

Transforming the Style

The second list contains our aesthetic goals. How do we want the room to look? This includes color palette, patterns, textures, furniture shapes and styles, etc. This list is a marriage between our Client’s vision for their room and Gray Oak Studio’s unique design perspective.

The specifics of the list are based on lots of conversations with our Client - the simple stuff, like color preferences (blue or red?), and the more complex stuff, like how should the room make them feel (calm or energized?). We also ask our clients to give us specific feedback on inspirational images and we share a Pinterest Board. For our Gray Oak Gives Back project, some of our aesthetic goals included transitional style furnishings, light/neutral palette with blue accents, nickel metal finishes and modern farmhouse touches.

Here are the mood boards we created, based on our aesthetic goals.

You’ll notice that a few details changed from the mood board to the completed room…but more on that later.

Making it Unique and Personal

The last list is our unique and personal touches list. These are our ideas to add unique touches and create personal moments within the room that speak directly to the passions/history/hobbies of our client. We a bit of a broken record this point, but we feel strongly that there is a special difference between a beautiful room and your beautiful room. When our clients walk into a room, we want it to feel like theirs. The tiny, personal details we speckle throughout a room are key to this element. And our ideas for these touches begin from our very first client meeting.

For our Gray Oak Gives Back project, we knew we wanted to include frames for family photos and we were even able to surprise our client by secretly getting our hands on a family photo, printing it, framing it and hanging it on Install Day. Along the journey, we learned about a favorite trip to Italy she had taken and her husband’s passion for vintage cars. We brought in tiny nods to these loves through art and a coffee table book.

a spot for a special photo

a coffee table book about vintage jaguars

And now for the fun part - all the (shoppable) details on the choices we made.

When you first walked in the room, we updated an existing console table to a modern farmhouse-esque piece that is more proportional to the space (longer and narrower) and more functional (2 hidden drawers). We styled it with vintage books (our favorite), plants (also our favorite), some decor and a table lamp.

Table lamps are great for function. They provide soft, targeted light, the opportunity for color, texture, interest, and height. People tend to think of the horizontal space in a room and forget about the vertical space. Adding tall items draws the eye upward and either highlights existing high ceilings or gives the illusion of high ceilings.

In the before and after photos below, we had already moved an existing table.

BEFORE

AFTER

Fresh paint and new furnishings play a huge part in this updated view, but also note the small change of removing the sheer covering over the French door. This is one of our favorite recommendations when we’re on a Designer for a Day. In most cases, this sort of “window treatment” doesn’t serve a function and also dates a room (big time).

And now let’s talk console table decor.

In terms of function, we’re obsessed with the hidden drawers on this console table. Both sides have a long, narrow drawer. We also love the bottom shelf that’s perfect for storage baskets. And, in this case, adding some decor to the bottom shelf is a great way to distract from/hide the older radiator.

In terms of styling - here is a list of tried and true decor to consider: vases, frames, plants, books, lanterns/candle holders. And here are a couple quick tips. First, height on the sides of the table (i.e. a lamp, a tall vase with stems, etc.). Second, mix large and small objects. Here we placed one large basket on the lower right and a cluster of smaller objects on the lower left.

Console Table / Lamp / Similar Storage Basket / Square Ottoman / Similar Wall Basket Decor / Similar Woven Stool / Lantern / White Vase

Next stop, the fireside reading chair. The scene might be our favorite. It’s just oozing cozy. And at the moment, in our freezing Massachusetts temperatures, cozy is everything!

This gorgeous armchair is an updated take on a classic wingback. The high back makes it a great chair for a stand alone moment in a room. If you’re placing a chair by itself (not next to another chair or sofa or other larger piece of furniture), it needs to have the size/proportional to hold it’s own. We had fun stacking some lidded baskets instead of a traditional side table and, of course, added a pouf for a footrest option (or another seating option if there’s a crowd).

Armchair / Knit Pouf / Rug / Similar Stacked Baskets / Throw Pillow / Similar Throw Blanket

If you’ve made it this far into the post, you can understand why we’re going to stop here and come back next week with the second half of this room transformation. We’ll cover the media center, the coffee table and the sofa. And we’ll recap the fireplace transformation in case you missed it!

Until next week!

- Leah