Free Design Services Giveaway 2020

It’s been a minute since we’ve shown up on the blog. But we’re back. And we have some epic news.

We’re going to design one lucky person’s room of choice for free. The winner will send us photos of their room, some inspiration images and design goals. We’ll send back a layout plan, a design board and shoppable links, the whole kit and kaboodle.

this design board from a prior post - shop the furnishings here.

We had hoped to make our Gray Oak Gives Back project an annual occurrence - doing a full service project on the design house, so to speak. But, Covid. Which has been the answer to so many things this year, right? UGH. Well, we’re pivoting. We might not be able to do one mega giveaway, but we plan to do lots of mini giveaways throughout December. And we’re starting here.

How do you enter? Great question. Instagram is the answer. You need to follow us on Instagram, like and comment on our posts any day this week. Or every day this week! Each like and comment will count as 1 entry.

What’s more is that we’ll share the design board and shoppable links for ALL to see right here. It will be a lot like our month of free advice in April. The transformation will be tailor-made for the lucky winner - a layout to maximize the function and flow of their room and furnishings to meet their style. And we’re going to share the wealth here on the blog because there is always a universal tip or chameleon decor item that everyone can benefit from knowing about.

This is an excellent segway into an awesome before and after photo that we want to share. One of our blog posts during our free advice in April was created for a lovely follower who sent us the photos below. Here is the full blog post.

Just last week, we received an incredible email with photos of the completed transformation. Here is what this living room looks like now.

We were so excited to see the layout changes we advised, the fireplace transformation look as beautiful as we knew it would and the window treatments updated per our suggestion. She even added the two poufs in front of the window seat like we recommended! Doesn’t it look awesome?

So, head to Instagram and enter to win. Or tell a friend so she can enter to win. Or enter to win and then give the prize to your mom for Christmas! And remember that you can enter everyday this week. AND, remember that this is just the beginning…we have giveaways coming every week for the rest of the month.

We love the holidays.

- Leah + Sonia

Greatest Hits - Volume 1

The post you’ve all been waiting for - details and links for the most requested elements from many of our projects. We’re starting with some recent projects from this summer and going way back to the beginning of Gray Oak. Enjoy.

The Every Day Stuff

The Best Rug Pad

We want to kick it off by sharing something that we use in nearly every, single project - a rug pad. We were recently asked on Facebook how we prevent smaller area rugs from slipping and sliding all over the place. A great rug pad is the best solve - something that has thick felt on one side and rubber on the other.

The Best Faux Branches

We will always use and support real plants. Nothing better than the real deal. But, we also live in New England where you can’t walk outside year round to grab a fresh clipping from your yard. And it’s not always easy or cost effective to buy fresh greenery from the grocery store every week. So, we found these and we truly love them. And they’re a steal.

Onto the main event…

Hickory Project - 2020

We were so excited to reveal this project over the summer. The dark, moody sitting room hit a note with our followers and the requests for the wall color poured in. We’re happy to share that it’s Midnight Blue by Benjamin Moore.

Stafford Project - 2020

We don’t even have professional photos of this one yet because Install Day was less than a month ago. When we posted a sneak peek of the living room on our Instagram stories, we instantly got dozens of questions about the mirror over the fireplace.

The Flat Bottom Round Mirror

Prospect Project - 2019

We designed a lot of spaces for this amazing family. Starting on the first floor with their dining room, living room, family room, mudroom and powder room.

The Linear Chandelier - There were requests for sources of quite a few things in this project, but the dining room chandelier took the cake. And we get, it’s one of our favorites too.

After completing the common rooms of our Prospect Project we worked on a girl’s nursery and a big boy toddler bedroom. The wallpaper in the boy’s bedroom made a big impact in the room and a big impact with our followers. We even had a follower send us a photo of a room she used it in after seeing it in this project! It made us so happy.

The Blue Wave Wallpaper

Enos Project - 2019

We designed three spaces for this project - living room, family room and dining room. We got endless requests for links to the family room and dining room rugs. Rug source requests are something we get a lot. Understandably so, they’re a costly element of a room and easy to go wrong (by way of size, material or just general look).

The Perfect Indoor/Outdoor Rug

The Subtly Tribal Blue Rug

Curtis Project - 2019

It was so fun creating a colorful, eclectic bedroom for this client. From the start, she knew she wanted a colorful rug. When we found the rug we used, it was love at first sight. Turns out many people felt that way. It’s 100% wool, it has tassels, it’s awesome.

The Colorful Boho Rug

Lowell Project - 2018

This project stretched our creative muscles because we used almost no color. It was an exercise in texture as we layered neutral on neutral on neutral. Which made it very funny when everyone gravitated toward the non-neutral (though close) leather chairs. They have a smaller footprint than the average leather chair and a unique sleekness.

The Leather Accent Chair

Lovell Project - 2018

This project has a lot of relevancy to the current state of the world - we were tasked with designing a living room that included a work station for the whole family to use. There was a separate office in the home, so it needed to be simple and beautiful and functional for a laptop or writing. The photo below is by far our most popular Instagram image to date based on like/comments/lots of shares (we have our most popular image on Pinterest that is yet to come…).

The Writing Desk

Windsor Project - 2018

This was a really fun bathroom renovation because our client was a 10-year-old boy. To inject some non-permanent fun into the room, we found a video game controller “blue print” for art above the toilet. We love how it ties in seamlessly with the ageless design.

Video Game Controller Art

Hutchins Project - 2018

This project takes the cake for our most pinned image (bar none) and the most coveted piece of furniture: the nubby ottoman in the family room. It’s even better in person. And as a bonus, the wall color in this room is Nimbus by Benjamin Moore (we get asked about that a ton too).

The Nubby Ottoman - We used the natural wool color, but it also comes in gray.

Windsor Project 2017

This was our first phase with these clients. We designed a family room, dining room and foyer. The overall aesthetic was a mashup of farmhouse and transitional. The elegant (versus rustic) side of farmhouse. Three years later, we still get requests for the the source of the foyer console table with the arch detail.

The Arch Foyer Table

We hope you enjoyed walking down memory lane with us. There are a lot of projects we didn’t cover (Dover, Tappan and Pearl) and there may be elements of these projects that are your personal favorite that we didn’t cover. SO…let us know what you loved most. There will be a volume two. Promise.

- Leah

*this post contains affiliate links*

Art for your Living Room (and All Your Other Rooms Too)

Through a couple fun Instagram polls we learned that design advice about living rooms is the most sought after. Which makes sense. It’s the most used room in the home and we’re in our homes more than ever these days. Plus, there is so much opportunity for simple and truly transformative changes in the living room. So, today, we’re kicking off a series on living room design advice with a post about art.

Art is one of the key elements that completes a room. It brings personality. It elevates a space to something a bit extra interesting and bit extra special. If you were to scroll through photos of some of the most universally coveted living rooms, you would undoubtedly see beautiful art on the walls. So, where do you look for art? And how do you choose a specific piece? And then…what about framing it…or just wrapped canvas? And what about gallery walls?

There are a lot of choices when it comes to art. And we have some great resources for making a plan and executing the plan you make.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a key resource for finding inspiration for wall decor. You can find all sorts of big picture ideas (gallery walls, large scale art, non-traditional wall decor, etc.). You can also find specific pieces. But, it can be confusing where to even begin - what search words to use. We have a Pinterest Board full of different styles of art, all of which we love. You can find some wonderful pieces and you can also find key words to use to search for more options.

Below is a snapshot of our board.

via Gray Oak Studio Pinterest

Etsy

We use Etsy more than any other website when searching for art for our clients (and ourselves). And here is a trick you might not know: when you find a piece of art that you like, but it’s not quite right, first click the art to get to the details page. Then, scroll to the bottom of page until you get to where it says “You may also like”. You’ll find a lot of similar options. It can be a rabbit hole, but it usually reveals exactly what you’re looking for.

One more tip, many Etsy shops have an Instagram account. If you are drawn to an artist, check out their Instagram feed. You’ll see all the newest pieces they’re adding to their shop and you’ll also see different ways the art is framed and incorporated into rooms.

We want to share one of our favorite Etsy artists - Rachel Elise. Rachel Elise has a shop full of gorgeous, abstract pieces with a sprinkle of botanical pieces. They are all digital files that you can instantly download and print at home or through your local print shop (Staples, Costco, etc.). And they’re all $4.99. We used a series of prints in our Prospect Project Nursery and a single print in a gallery wall in our Lovell Living Room.

via Prospect Project Girl’s Nursery

via Lovell Project Living Room

Here’s a glimpse of her shop to get a sense of everything she offers. Something in every color combination. It’s all so beautiful and serene.

via Rachel Elise Shop

When choosing a frame for your art, we are big fans of CB2 frames and West Elm frames. We also use Pottery Barn frames, but like to warn that some Pottery Barn mats are not a true white. They’re creamy cream.

Minted, Artfully Walls and Iamfy

When you’re not looking for a DIY (purchasing the digital image, printing the digital image, finding the right frame, purchasing the frame, and putting it all together), we suggest Minted, Artfully Walls and Iamfy. There are endless pages of gorgeous art with frame and mat options. And all three websites have lots of filtering options when you search - color, size, theme, etc. It’s a one stop shop to find the art, choose the frame and have it all arrive at your doorstep.

We used a beautiful cloudscape from Artfully Walls for our Stafford Family Room.

from stafford project family room

Art Hanging Guide

Once you’ve found your inspiration on Pinterest, found your piece of art (or several pieces) on Etsy or Minted or Artfully Walls or Iamfy, it’s time to know where and how to hang them. First, not every wall needs a piece of art. In fact, typically just one wall per room needs art. Less often, two walls. There can be an instinct to fill every blank space with something, but resist that urge. You don’t need to fill every space and art is not always the answer when you do.

The large scale option. We love this option because it’s a statement and creates such a mood for the entire space. On the other hand, it’s a big commitment…that statement and mood you’re creating. It’s also not the most budget-friendly option. Bigger pieces come with bigger prices (mostly because of the frame).

via prospect project family room

The fail proof, three piece, eclectic gallery. Eclectic galleries can be intimidating because there are so many micro-decisions. You’re choosing multiple pieces of unique art, multiple unique frames, different size everything. The goal is for everything to compliment, not match. It’s a tricky endeavor. But, we have a formula.

1) Choose one color and make sure all three pieces incorporate that color.

2) Choose one large piece and two smaller pieces. The larger piece will go on one side and the two smaller pieces will be stacked next to it.

4) Choose two matching frames and one non-matching frame. Maybe two stained wood and one brass, two gray and one white, two thin black and one thick black.

5) Frame two pieces with a mat and one without a mat.

Scroll back up to our Lovell Project and you’ll see this formula in action. And now you can visualize it many different ways - the larger piece on the right, different frame colors, etc.

The grid gallery. This is great for a big and entirely blank wall. And also for someone who doesn’t want to deal with too many choices (as needed with an eclectic wall). You measure out the wall and plan for maximum coverage. Don’t forget to include the space between the frames in your calculations. If you have a piece of furniture grounding the wall, then your gallery is just above the furniture top. If you have millwork on the lower half of your wall (wainscoting, beadboard, etc.), then your gallery is just on the top half. If you have a fully blank wall, go for it - floor to ceiling. Here are some tips:

1) Hang the frames approximately 2” apart. For larger frames you can stretch the distance to 3” apart.

2) Smaller frames will read more busy, so choose simple art (black and white photographs, minimal abstract series, etc.)

Via Hutchins Project Sitting Room

The series of three. If you’re looking for something truly easy, this method is for you. This is extremely similar to a grid gallery, but it’s just three frames hung in a horizontal row. The human eye loves sets of three because there’s a natural center. You can go slightly more interesting and bold with the art because the scale is in the mid range (not a huge commitment, not a busy cluster) and keep the frames matching.

VIA Dover Project Living Room

Stay tuned for a lot more in this series on living room design advice. And leave us a comment or send us an email with your question! We’ll answer everything we can.

- Leah

*this post contains affiliate links*