May 17, 2022

Annual Gray Oak Tent Sale Announced!

May 17, 2022/ Gray Oak Studio

For the second year running, we are having a tent sale! The idea is to sell (at deep discounts) as much of our home decor inventory as possible. AND, this year we have a bunch of large and small furniture items. So, let’s get the important details out of the way:

WHEN: Saturday, May 21 from 10 am - 2 pm

WHERE: 18 William Fairfield Drive in Wenham

HOW: Cash or Venmo Only

FINE PRINT: All sales are final

Here is the other sneaky detail: If you’re getting this email, then you’re officially friends and family of Gray Oak. And, friends and family of Gray Oak are invited to the presale on FRIDAY, May 20th from 12 pm - 4 pm. You get first dips on everything.

GAME DAY TIPS

1) Don’t forget your cash money or your phone (Venmo)

2) Bring reusable bags. We will have some disposable bags on hand, but we ran out quickly last year.

3) This year, we will be bringing in groups of 5 people at a time to our actual stockroom. SO, if you’re the early bird friend, you can take photos and videos to send to your fashionably late friends and get them prepped on the good stuff. You can also take pictures of prices to head to an ATM and circle back!

4) Take measurements of the spots in your home where you can use a plant stand or mirror in advance so you’re confident in your purchase because we can’t “hold” items and all sales are final.

Below are a few large furniture items that are for sale. Definitely measure for these in advance and you can also reach out with interest in advance. All of these items will require a large vehicle to move.

SIDE BOARD / BUFFET / MEDIA CONSOLE - $1075

We have 2 and we’re selling both! It retails for $2,500, you can get one online for sale at $2,150 and we are selling it for $1,075. Click here for a link an online listing with all the details and dimensions.

54” ROUND DINING TABLE - $800

This pedestal dining table is 54” in diameter and it’s stunning. It retails for $1,600 and we’re selling it for $800. Click here for details and more dimensions.

CONSOLE TABLE - $500

This console table retails for $1,000 and we’re selling it for $500 (you get the idea, all furniture is 50% off). Click here for details and dimensions.

We very much hope to see you at the tent sale! Whether you’re there to browse or buy or just say hello, we welcome it all. We are so grateful for your support.

Cheers,

Leah

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March 09, 2022

Rolling Project Reveal - Living Room and Informal Dining Room

March 09, 2022/ Gray Oak Studio

Today we are revealing the second half of our Rolling Project - the Living Room and Informal Dining Area. We have a lot to share about living room layouts, asymmetrical built-ins and oval tables. These conversations are all about function and we love diving deeper on our function choices because they can apply to any style. Whether you’re into a boho vibe and your house is dripping with rattan and ferns, or you’re into a new traditional vibe and your house is dripping with jewel tones and bird patterns, these function ideas are for you.

This living room was a standard version of what we’re seeing in more and more new builds - Fireplace flanked by two mini windows that start 2/3 of the way up the wall. Check. Open concept living room and kitchen. In this case, there was a very large cased opening. Check. Big enough to require multiple areas of function. Check.

So let’s address each element.

First, the fireplace set up. We see it All. The. Time. It’s a head scratcher for us. When mini windows flank a fireplace, 2/3 of the way up the wall, it’s calling for a built-in. You can add furniture in lieu of a built-in, of course, but the architecture calls for something on both sides of fireplace. Something to ground the mini windows, so they are not floating by their lonesome at an odd height. And something short enough to not block the windows. Benches or cabinetry (sideboard height).

This mini window trend is not cool, in our humble, but straight forward opinion. It forces a design without executing on that design. Either give the homeowner some creative liberties or finish the job! But, enough whining, it has to be dealt with. And, actually, all homes have immovable elements that must be dealt with…or, ideally, worked with.

This particular room had a slightly bigger challenge. The fireplace is flush to the wall. This meant that built-ins were not a natural solution because they would pop out on either side of the fireplace. We don’t love the look of a recessed fireplace. And, don’t get us started on the builder’s placement of those sconces. Madness.

Below is what we came up with: a furniture and decor solution to ground the mini windows, roman shades on the windows so that they didn’t feel so lonely up there on the wall and an asymmetrical built-in on the perpendicular wall that made it feel purposeful (more in a moment).

console table / similar table lamp / similar arched mirror / sconces

Before we move on, a couple details of the fireplace wall transformation.

When it comes to an open concept living room/kitchen, the design advice that is most important is to treat the rooms like cousins, not siblings. Friends, not frenemies. The rooms should strongly relate without feeling identical and without competing. You can repeat colors or shapes or patterns, but maybe not all three. It’s important to design the spaces together (as one large space), but give each room it’s unique personality.

Here, we kept the color story very similar - grayscale with some muted blues. Both spaces have oval tables, both spaces mix black and brass metal. But, the dining area has a big moment with the dramatic chandelier and wallpaper, and the living room area has a big moment with the built-in: these statements don’t compete.

Let’s talk about oval tables.

The beauty of an oval or round table is that it allows for a smoother flow of traffic. Some rooms are pass through spaces versus destinations. The informal dining area of this project is flanked by two cased openings and the kitchen island on a third side. There are entrances and exists everywhere. It’s part room/part hallway. The oval dining table eliminates corners and thereby makes a visually easier path and an actual easier path with chairs tucking a bit tighter. Likewise, whenever a sectional or two sofas placed perpendicular (like a sectional) are in the mix, an oval or round table allows for easier navigation.

The last function element to address is what to do with a really large living room. An easy litmus test to decide if a living room is in need of more than one function: will the largest retail rug you can find (typically 12’ x 15’) fill the space? A living room should have a big rug that covers as much floor as possible with the front legs of all furniture on top. For many living rooms, this will be a 9’ x 12’ rug. For some smaller living rooms, this will be an 8’ x 10’ rug. For big living rooms, this will be a 10’ x 14’ rug. And for huge living rooms, this will be a 12’ x 15’ rug.

If you have a big or huge living room and there is still a bowling alley behind the sofa when the legs are pulled onto the rug…it’s time to reassess the layout. You’ll probably want to size down the rug, size up the bowling alley, and make that bowling alley something intentional and useful. Maybe the area behind the sofa becomes a puzzle table or separate seating area. Maybe you add bookcases and poufs. Maybe a small desk and work station. So many choices.

rug / favorite rug pad / similar coffee table / decorative wood balls / brass display box

When we initially drew this living room and played around with the layout, we found ourselves wavering between a 10’ x 14’ rug and a 12’ x 15’ rug. It was a signal to us that the room was too big for a one-purpose layout. When one person will be sitting over 15’+ from another person, or when television viewing is 20’+ away from the TV itself, call Houston. There’s a problem.

In this project, the solve was to create a wall-to-wall built-in media center. This had the effect of shortening the room by 3+ feet. The built-in itself was 2 feet deep and it needed a good foot of clearance in front of it. With this addition, we chose a smaller rug and pulled the furniture closer together. It’s all about striking a balance between spacious and cozy.

The aesthetic details of the built-in are what makes it feel intentional. This is true of any built-in and is especially important when it is asymmetrical. We united the different sides with a consistent backdrop - the vertical tongue and groove. And the crown molding that bends around the unique corners and connects to the rest of the room is key. There are drawers on both sides with matching hardware (matching in style and size). And, of course, it’s painted in one unifying color that contrasts the wall color.

Thanks for following along! Please feel free to ask questions in the comment section below (or shoot us a DM on Instagram). If you missed the prior post about the piano room and foyer of this project you can find it here. And head to our portfolio for many more photos.

Cheers, Leah

*this post contains affiliate links*

February 16, 2022

Rolling Project Reveal - Entryway and Piano Room

February 16, 2022/ Gray Oak Studio

Today we are going back in time and revealing details behind our Rolling Project. This is a two part reveal. Part one (today) will detail the entryway and piano room. We have a variety of inspiration for you: how to think about your entryway as part function and part pretty, using stripes in a modern way and the impact of layout.

We began this project in fall 2020 (feels like a lifetime ago) and finished in fall 2021 thanks to a stubbornly delayed dining table that was worth the wait. We designed the living room, piano room, foyer and informal dining area (eat-in part of the eat-in kitchen). The goal of the project was to take a recently purchased new build from builder grade to elevated, unique and welcoming. The palette is neutral with some great high contrast moments.

Entryway

This home has a two part entryway - one that is more driven by function and one that is more driven by beauty. This dichotomy exists in every room. There is usually a woven balance within a single space. But the footprint of this foyer happens to naturally divide the function from the pretty.

When you first walk in the front door/formal entrance of the home, conveniently hidden behind the front door as it opens, is the function. Without a closet, and no place to build one, it was important to create a spot for guest coats. Any guest facing space needs to lead with pretty even if it’s grounded in function. The coat rack is part cool and part vintage, and adds a great touch of character. Some interesting, statement hooks (like these) could have been another option if the wall had been just a touch bigger. We also added a landing space to put on shoes or rest a hand bag. And, finally, a mirror to check your teeth before you head out or flatten your hat head when you come in.

It’s a tight spot that manages to handle a lot of purpose. We were able to accomplish this by keeping each element skinny and taking advantage of the vertical space.

We also made a big visual impact by adding a stair runner. Stair runners are an investment, but also really worth it for families with young children and dogs. They also bring color/texture/personality to a space. And when the first thing you see when you open a door is the stairs, these things matter. The rug style we chose is classic with just a little something. The subtle chevron pattern with the contrasting stripes add the right amount of interest for this project, which has subtle, moody and modern vibes.

Sitting against the side of the stairs is the pretty part of the entryway. Along with the stairs, the side profile of this space is the opening glance of the home when opening the door. With this, the aesthetic factor took precedent. But, that didn’t mean we threw function to the wayside.

oversized black basket / console table / UFO book / botanical photo

We chose a console table with a lower shelf and two drawers to provide lots of open and hidden storage. We also added functional decor. Oversized, shallow bowls are excellent for corralling keys and mail. And big baskets are excellent for incoming and outgoing packages…or the “quick throw everything in the big basket before the guests come over and throw a pretty blanket on top” move - don’t we all do this?!

Piano Room

When we started this project there was nothing in the Piano Room other than the piano. We were tasked with creating a transformation using existing furniture (from another room). Designing around existing pieces is a different thing than having creative control over the whole shebang. It’s about finding the perfect pieces that complete the puzzle, rather than creating the puzzle.

Here is a photo from the first day we came onsite.

We started by completely reimagining the layout as we considered fitting the existing piano, sectional, coffee table and rug. So often layout is the main thing holding a room back. Here, there is extra, bumped out space thanks to a bay window. By shifting the piano into this bay window nook we were left with a squared off room for squared off furniture. Everything fit cleanly and the room felt bigger. The lesson here is not to fight with the natural angles and shapes of a space.

With all the large furnishings in place, we layered in ancillary furniture that increased function and added personality. A side table next to the sofa arm, a swivel chair/side table/floor lamp scene, lots of decor and art, and a pair of poufs. Poufs are work horses. They are seats, foot rests, plant stands, side tables. They are whatever you need them to be short of a good spot to nap.

black and white flower print / pleated pillow / our favorite off the shelf black frame

For the swivel chair, we chose a plush fabric with oversized ribbing. The texture was important because the color palette of this room is neutral and muted. We love mixing up shapes and/or sizes and/or colors when it comes to side tables within a room. The side table by the sofa is black, rectangular and tiered. The side table by the swivel is round, pedestal and naturally stained wood.

One more fun thing to note about the big picture design for this space: stripes. We introduced and repeated stripes everywhere. The rug is the most obvious stripe pattern. We also added the “striped” swivel and reupholstered the piano bench in a channeled, smoky blue velvet. And if you scroll up, you’ll see lots of stripes in the pillows and even the striped lines of the books we stacked on the piano. And yet, even with all the stripes, ribbing, channeling, pleating and everything in between, it’s not overdone because it’s almost entirely tonal. The stripe concept is more of a texture than a pattern.

floor lamp / side table / Bob Dylan print / similar bust planter / mini glass box

And now the details of the room. We always encourage attention to detail because decor sets a room a part. Some easy things to note are mixing shapes (straight lines with curves), repeating colors but playing with the shade (i.e. dark gray and light gray), and adding as many plants and greenery as possible (says the two plant ladies).