Living Rooms | domino https://www.domino.com/category/living-room/ The ultimate guide for a stylish life and home—discover your personal style and create a space you love. Thu, 28 Mar 2024 20:22:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 This Sofa Style Has Never Been So Popular—Here’s Lulu and Georgia’s Fresh Take https://www.domino.com/style-shopping/lulu-and-georgia-curvy-shaw-modern-sofa/ Thu, 28 Mar 2024 20:22:22 +0000 https://www.domino.com/?p=332041
Courtesy of Lulu and Georgia.

The perfect balance of curvy and structured.

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Courtesy of Lulu and Georgia.

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Courtesy of Lulu and Georgia

It’s funny how design trends can slip right onto your TikTok feed, tiptoe into your favorite stores, and slide right into your own home before you even realize it’s happening. But chances are you might have noticed a slight softening when it comes to one of the most important pieces of furniture: the sofa. You’re not alone—according to a recent survey from Afterpay, curved sofa designs have seen a 207 percent increase in purchases so far this year compared to 2023. The other item that has seen a significant bump? The curved table.

Sweeping sofa silhouettes have dotted interiors for generations, from Ubald Klug’s Terrazza sofa from the early 1970s to the De Sede DS600 Non-stop sofa of the same era. The new spring collection from Lulu and Georgia shows the range of a single curve. According to the brand, the furniture pieces are inspired by “the craving for everything bright, lighter, and airier.” The Shaw modern sofa is a prime example of this: It serves mid-century vibes with a wavy backrest, but clean lines and caramel-hued velvet bring it right back into the present day—it’s a refreshing (and lighter!) take on the super-curvy sofas of decades past.

Courtesy of Lulu and Georgia
Courtesy of Lulu and Georgia
camel colored sofa
Shaw Sofa, Lulu and Georgia ($3,498)
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But back to the topic of curvy tables for a moment, because this particular trend can be tougher to imagine in this space. You may be picturing wavy edges and drum-shaped bases, but, again, this collection challenges the traditional notion of a contoured silhouette. Take the Kent side table. The design drops a set of spheres right in the middle of the rectangular legs. (It’s fun! It’s quirky!) The Lozano accent chair is another favorite, with its chubby legs and rounded seat. The curvy ethos also trickles into the accessories (give the Kester bowl a peek for proof).

Courtesy of Lulu and Georgia
Courtesy of Lulu and Georgia

Some trends cross that vague and beautiful line into timeless territory, and it seems the idea of all things undulating is (and has been) on that journey. We recommend taking a cue from the Kent table and cozying up your curvy pieces next to a few angles for a splash of fresh contrast.

Shop More Items From the Lulu and Georgia Spring Collection

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The Best Sectionals at Any Size (or for Any Budget) https://www.domino.com/content/best-sectional-sofas-by-size/ Sat, 20 Feb 2021 07:10:00 +0000 https://www.domino.com/content/?p=186535

Cozy up in style.

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About a decade ago, when I asked an interior designer what the best sectional sofa was, she warned me about ones that curve: “They only work in the space you have today—once you move, you’re out of luck.” So for years I took her advice and shied away from couches with corners, too scared they’d dominate my current space and mess up the future floor plan of a down-the-road apartment—one I hadn’t even starting looking for yet. What I didn’t know then is that choosing the best sectional sofa is really about picking a sectional by size. 

Now I’m older and wiser, and I know that sectionals come in all shapes and sizes—and finding one for any kind of room is a total reality, no matter how much space (or cash) you have. So, please, learn from my mistake and treat yourself to a couch you’re comfortable with These are the best sectional sofas for any size home. 

Small Sectionals

Photography by Aaron Bengochea

Just because you live in a studio doesn’t mean you can’t have a sofa that takes a turn. (This couple does!) Each of these options measures up to 6 feet or less, meaning there’s plenty of space to cuddle up without feeling like your sectional is the only piece of furniture in the room. 

Medium Sectionals

Photography by Brittany Ambridge

A one-bedroom apartment or midsize living room provides plenty of space to stretch your legs—each of these offerings is less than 8 feet long—and show off some personality with fabric and pattern. For example, a lilac velvet sectional gives off a luxe vibe (even if it only costs $1,100), while a dark squishy version would go great in your gaming den.

Large Sectionals

Families and singles alike will appreciate the roominess of a nearly 10-foot sectional. But with great scale comes great (design) responsibility: The bigger the sofa, the more visual and physical real estate it will take up. A neutral color works best as a base—then pack it with pillows to show off some personality.

Extra-Large Sectionals

Okay, okay, I know what I just said about keeping it neutral—but in the case of an almost-12-foot sectional, bigger and bolder is better. For example, a salmon-colored option sets the tone for the entire room—and has enough seating that no one will have to crane their neck during movie night. Similarly, a blue velvet is the perfect welcome after (or during?) a long day of Zoom calls. Or if a white sofa doesn’t bring you instant calm, then this one’s impressively low price tag ($1,230!) just might. 

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9 Coastal Living Room Ideas, and Not an Anchor in Sight https://www.domino.com/design-by-room/coastal-living-room-ideas/ Mon, 26 Feb 2024 08:00:00 +0000 https://www.domino.com/?p=329453

How to achieve a breezy feeling without being literal.

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When you’re by the ocean, you can feel it. The salt clinging to your hair, the sun warming your skin, the gusts from the sea flipping the pages of your book for you. You don’t need a sign in your house announcing “Beach” or a bevy of anchor-adorned pillows to remind you that you’ve arrived. In fact, our nine favorite coastal living room ideas, full of rich color and sleek furniture, pair just as well—if not better!—with the cool ocean breeze.

The Surfer-Cool Coastal Living Room 

When model Zippora Seven and her husband, photographer Terence Connors, transitioned from living on a sailboat to land, they bought a surf shack in Montauk, New York, covered in humble plywood. Drawing inspiration from the grid panels outside of George Nelson’s Holiday House in Quogue, they devised a checkerboard scheme for the living room’s main wall using a combination of light birch and dark mahogany sheets.  

The Mid-Century Coastal Living Room

Michel Ducaroy’s Togo sofa is a go-to for designers who want to bring some mid-century modern charm to a space, so to see it work nautical wonders in this Fox Island, Washington, home designed by Heidi Caillier is a delightful surprise. It all comes down to the blue and white Scalamandre fabric she had the piece (ottoman included!) reupholstered in.

The Maximalist Coastal Living Room 

British designer Matthew Williamson leaned into island life by doing what he knows best: layering patterns. In his Majorca home, banana leaf and leopard prints, stripes, and ikat collide, and a good chunk of them are on his living room sofa alone. His rule: As long as you’re neat—peep the almost-bare coffee table—the arrangement won’t feel overwhelming. “It is a sort of organized bohemia,” he says. 

The Moody Coastal Living Room

Sibella Court isn’t afraid to admit she has an aversion to white houses. So instead of going the light and bright route in her seaside Australia home, she opted for dark nooks with pooling curtains that double as room dividers (and insulation come winter). Court relies primarily on lamps and sconces for a warm glow; to her, lower light levels feel nurturing. 

The Jersey Coastal Living Room

The reason this Mantoloking, New Jersey, home doesn’t read as your typical summer house? The homeowners told their designers to think New York City. So alongside the groovy rattan lounge chairs are refreshingly contemporary light fixtures. In the kitchen, the tiled island is an unapologetically bold emerald green. “No driftwood and no sea glass,” says Damian Zunino, principal of Studio DB. Still, the space comes with all the practicalities required of a shore home. The clean-lined Crofthouse sofa is covered in indoor-outdoor fabric, so wet swimsuits are no big deal.

The Airy Coastal Living Room

At Winnie Beattie’s crisp white cottage in Amagansett, New York, you will find collections of driftwood and other beach finds, but it’s clear the designer didn’t buy them in bulk from a store. Every piece is personal, down to the the textiles sourced on many surfing trips, which automatically takes any cheesiness out of it.

The Modern Coastal Living Room

Shades of blue and cream come to mind first when you picture a beach house, but this space, designed by Hugh-Jones Mackintosh, makes a case for richer sunset hues like salmon pink and mango orange. Further breaking up the seriousness of the concrete architecture: a cheeky rattan palm tree floor lamp. (Psst: Serena & Lily sells a similar option.)

The Not-So-Coastal Living Room

Who says you have to literally be on the coast to have a coastal living room? Emily Henderson’s Portland, Oregon, home isn’t on the water, but that didn’t stop her from filling her navy-colored den with a gallery wall of moody seascapes. Even her Samsung Frame TV (on the opposite wall) features a rotating display of crashing waves and old-timey ships. 

The Artsy Coastal Living Room

Vacation is 24-7 when you’ve got Shannon Campanaro and Nick Chacona’s cushy modular sofa. The Eskayel founders, who own a chilled-out surfer retreat in the Hamptons, created the painterly piece from scratch, filling it with eco-friendly kapok and avoiding any hard structural elements. That way, they can constantly reconfigure the cushions for whatever the day brings. 

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I Asked 3 Pros for White Paint Recs, and They All Agreed on This Undertone https://www.domino.com/design-inspiration/best-white-paint-for-north-facing-room/ Sat, 10 Feb 2024 06:30:00 +0000 https://www.domino.com/?p=328085

My north-facing living room had me puzzled.

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“I prefer living in color,” Los Angeles–based artist David Hockney once said. And while I too love a vibrant shade of blue, I don’t necessarily want my New York City living room saturated in it. Recently, I decided it was time for a fresh coat of paint (the faded patina on my prewar walls left me pining for something new), and so I went looking for a lift, a tint with a twist, something clean yet calm. In other words, the perfect shade of white.

After months reviewing dozens of paint chips, I realized it’s true what they say: White is not just white. Yes, it’s a neutral, a blank canvas tinged with subtle tones ranging from warm red to cool gray, but it didn’t take long to learn Benjamin Moore’s Decorator’s White (an industry favorite) isn’t the same as the company’s Super White—a perfect fit for my dim home office but not quite right for my north-facing living room. 

With so many choices out there, I needed to call in an array of experts. Here’s what happened when I asked two paint brand pros, an interior designer, and an app what white paint I should use. 

What the Paint Brand Experts Had to Say

“White spaces love good light, and if the light isn’t good, more nuanced neutrals are required to bring either warmth or character,” Patrick O’Donnell, the global brand ambassador for British company Farrow & Ball, shared with me when I asked him about his process. Over a Zoom call, he offered me an overview of the company’s historical-inspired palette and then, looking around my place, whittled down my options to Dimity, a pale taupe tinged with red, and Pointing, an uncomplicated white inspired by lime pointing in brickwork. “The former wants a little splash of red or yellow pigment, and the latter something just off-white to bring heightened character,” he suggested.

The lack of sun definitely posed a problem, which I conveyed to Natasha Rooney, a color consultant and showroom manager overseeing the new U.S. outpost of Little Greene, another British paint brand. I was eager for Rooney to do a home visit, and she happily made the trek from Greenwich, Connecticut, to see me. She asked me about the room’s status (was I planning to change the upholstery anytime soon), details relating to the space (do I rely mostly on lamps for lighting or will I install overhead fixtures at some point) and what kind of vibe I was after (moody or airy). 

“Sometimes we need the depth to feel the warmth,” she commented while perusing various shades in the Little Greene chart. Like O’Donnell, Rooney was keen about a warmer combination for the room. She also landed on a red-spiked hue called Hollyhock and Shirting, a pure white. She even shared helpful suggestions to streamline the prep process to ensure best results, like how I should dilute my primer to 50 percent color and 50 percent water and degrease the walls with sugar soap.

While I adored all of their selections, the palettes seemed better suited for a sunny, quaint cottage than my one-window, modern-leaning room. I continued on with my search.

What an Interior Designer Had to Say

Next, I persuaded Brooklyn-based interior designer Danielle Colding to stop by after drop-off at her kids’ school. While sipping an espresso, I asked Colding, a classically trained decorator, what she would do. She discussed various projects she worked on with her former employer and mentor, Keith Irvine. Colding flipped through various paint decks and to my surprise mentioned swatches with hints of cobalt and orange as options. “I love the pops of orangey reds. I’d like to keep that alive,” she said, looking around the room at my existing decor before earmarking Benjamin Moore’s Pink Damask, then selecting White Blush to cover the walls.

She then gravitated to her go-to, the brand’s Simply White, for the ceiling, window frame, and door. She’s been a fan of its creamy tone long before it became the company’s 2016 color of the year. And while her former mentor’s strategy for trim was a mix of half linen, half white, Colding insisted I forgo painting the baseboards a different shade and use the White Blush wall color from just below the picture rail, bringing it all the way down to the floor. “Subtle, but it will make a big difference,” she exclaimed.

What a Tool Had to Say

Several companies offer online assistance, with Benjamin Moore going a step further with its Color Match Tool. The pocket device lets you scan any flat surface of any color you like and then instantly finds its closest paint match out of the company’s 3,500-plus options through the Benjamin Moore app. I test-drove it using a patch of superpale pink on a Pierre Frey pillow and landed on White Zinfandel, a possible contender but a tad too pink.  

What I Ultimately Chose

Drumroll, please. The samples I finally ordered were Simply White OC-117 and White Blush OC-86, per Colding’s recommendation. As with any paint job, you won’t know if you love it until you try it. On a recent rainy day in NYC, I watched the small pink-tinged swatch marks warm my space right up, confirming that I’d made the right choice for my dimly lit apartment. Now it’s off to the brush aisle. 

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Chris Loves Julia’s New Loloi Rugs Are a Timeless Twist on Trendy Checkerboard https://www.domino.com/style-shopping/chris-loves-julia-loloi-new-rugs-2024/ Thu, 08 Feb 2024 18:27:08 +0000 https://www.domino.com/?p=327904
Courtesy of Loloi.

Soft grids and staggered stripes steal the spotlight.

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Courtesy of Loloi.

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These days, we pretty much expect to be standing on a checkerboard floor of some sort. We’ve seen the pattern play out in the form of subtle shower tile and as the foundation for an outdoor patio, but especially in the rug world. Not too long ago, Sarah Sherman Samuel designed a Vans-esque piece for Lulu and Georgia, and Kurala began selling a weatherproof one for $34 on Amazon. Now Julia and Chris Marcum, the founders of DIY and design blog Chris Loves Julia, are offering a fresh twist on the trend. 

Chris Loves Julia x Loloi

For their fourth collaboration with Loloi, the pair brings us elongated rectangles, staggered stripes, and blocky prints in neutral colorways that won’t be going out of style anytime soon. The line, which officially launched today on Amazon, Wayfair, and Rugs Direct, spans four collections with pieces ranging from $100 to $1,200. But the Bradley assortment is the most checkerboard-adjacent with its two-tone linear patterns and high-low piles (peep the BRL-01 runner styled in the kitchen above). Made of 100 percent wool, Julia swears in her Instagram announcement that they will “last and last and last.”

Of course, nothing pairs better with squares and stripes than a floral print. And the Marcums already have you covered there: They previously launched a handful of botanical-inspired accent pillows, along with jewel-toned solids and small-scale grids.

Shop a few of our favorite rugs from their latest collab, below.

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How to Cover Your Sofa With Throws—Before You Buy Another Boring Slipcover https://www.domino.com/content/sofa-slipcover-throw-blankets/ Thu, 20 Sep 2018 18:59:38 +0000 https://www.domino.com/content/sofa-slipcover-throw-blankets
Photography by Brittany Ambridge

A blanket statement if ever there was one.

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Photography by Brittany Ambridge

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There are plenty of good reasons to put a slipcover over a not-so-cute (or not-so-clean) sofa. Chief among them, it beats dropping thousands on a new one. The challenge is finding a slipcover that won’t look as bad as what you are trying to hide in the first place. And we’d be willing to bet you’re searching in the wrong places—because the best textiles for mending your sad sofa situation are probably already in your house. The best sofa slipcovers? Blankets.

Grab a bright sheet, a patterned coverlet, or a vintage handira and get to camouflaging. The tucking bit is optional; a peppy stripe or bold fringe appears especially effortless when loosely cloaked over the cushions. Here’s how to cover a sofa with throws in seven different ways.

Swaddle the Cushions in Mismatched Blankets

Photography by Jason Frank Rothenberg; Styling by Kate Berry

“It’s not me to have a white couch or a white anything,” Los Angeles–based streetwear designer Beth Birkett told us. So it’s no surprise that she dyed her family’s two RH Cloud sofas seafoam green, then swaddled the cushions in a rainbow of textiles. Rather than choose one look or the other, she left the base uncovered for a bright contrast.

Cover Just the Seat With a Wool Throw

Photography by Brittany Ambridge

You wouldn’t normally think of a crisp white sofa as kid-friendly, but Jenni Li and Hans Gissinger managed to make it so in their Brooklyn, home. Their trick: encasing the seat in a wool blanket. When juice inevitably spills, it can simply be dry-cleaned.

Gift Wrap Each Section With Tablecloths or Quilts

Photography by Jessica Antola

At Bird Brooklyn founder Jennifer Mankins’s Shelter Island, New York, retreat, tablecloths are bedding, denim is wall insulation, and vintage kantha quilts are sofa upholstery. Each section is wrapped individually, almost as if they’re presents (and aren’t they?).

Drape Striped Blankets Over the Top

In the case of a classic pattern like stripes, scale is everything. Flea Market Fab founder Jennifer Harrison sewed two blankets with different takes on stripes together: a chunkier, blocklike print and one made up of thin lines. The variety lends some soul to the neutral arrangement.

Cluster Block-Printed Botanical Bedspreads

​​Sean MacPherson and Rachelle Hruska’s fort–meets–surf shack in Montauk, New York, is overflowing with the Moroccan pillows and oversize blankets they’ve collected over time. A couple in subtle leaf and flower patterns—no ubiquitous palm leaf prints here—have ended up folded around their two daybeds.

Layer in Texture With Embellished Coverlets

Fashion designer Keren Craig went heavy on texture for the sofa in her reimagined farmhouse in upstate New York, loading up the backrests with a shiny tasseled Moroccan handira (known as a wedding blanket). An embroidered burgundy textile gives the celebratory pieces a down-to-earth spin. Cabin vibes but with a little glitz.

Toss a Breezy Linen Sheet Over the Top

Photo Courtesy of Brigette Muller

In the middle of Brigette Muller’s Brooklyn rental, an anything-but-boring beige sofa sets the tone for her French-inspired scene. In lieu of a stuffy slipcover, she chose a sheetlike option of breezy linen draped over her three-seater that looks as effortlessly chic as any Paris flat.

Ask Domino

Q: What size throw blankets work best to cover a sofa? 

The number and size of throw blankets you use will largely depend on the size of the sofa, so your first step is to measure. In order to make it look as integrated as possible, Natalie Rebuck, principal designer at Re: Design Architects, says to choose a blanket that is either large enough to cover the couch in its entirety or use smaller throws and wrap each cushion individually. 

Q: Are certain materials better than others? 

Artem Kropovinsky, interior designer and founder of Arsight, says there are a few things to consider. First, aim for a material that feels soft and cozy—think: cashmere, wool, and cotton. Second, durability is key. Choose a material that can withstand wear and tear (wool and cotton also work here along with linen). And finally, make sure the material selected coordinates with your home’s aesthetic.

Q: How do you keep throw blankets from shifting around?

There are a few ways to keep these covers from slipping off your sofa. Kropovinsky recommends using blanket clips. These handy little metal fasteners help hold the throws in place over your couch’s arms. He adds that throw pillows can serve as weights to secure the fabric. Also, by simply folding the blanket in half before positioning it on the couch, the added width makes it snugger and less likely to shift.

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An Epic Skylight, Barely There Windows, and More Sunroom Ideas to Get You Through January https://www.domino.com/design-by-room/sunroom-ideas/ Sat, 20 Jan 2024 06:00:00 +0000 https://www.domino.com/?p=326064
Photography by Anson Smart

Find your place in the sun.

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Photography by Anson Smart

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If you were to ask someone what part of their home gets the best light and when, we’d bet they’d have an immediate answer for you. Natural light makes a space—and makes people happy (while the negative side effects of not getting enough sunlight are also well documented). Enter: the sunroom.

The word might evoke images of your grandmother’s screened-in patio fully decked out in wicker, but we’re here to expand your expectations. Technically speaking, a sunroom can be your living room, kitchen, or office nook—it’s simply your sunniest room, designed to be enjoyed from a morning coffee break to a sunset dinner party. 

So whether you’re contemplating putting a glassed-in addition on the side of your home or looking to maximize the windows you already have, keep scrolling for 16 bright sunroom ideas. The colder months are sure to be easier, and the warmer months even more cheerful. 

Splurge Where It Counts

Photography by Marcella DiLonardo

For four years, Marcella DiLonardo and her husband saved for their Ontario home’s addition, a light-flooded studio where DiLonardo, a food photographer, blogger, and stylist, could capture her work. Ultimately, the black-framed Andersen E-Series windows and doors were one-third of the budget. “I didn’t want to ruin the whole room by not splurging,” says DiLonardo with no regrets.

Amp Up the Contrast 

Photography by Skye Parrott; Produced by Kate Berry

These storybook arched windows belong to L.A. artist Carly Jo Morgan, who left almost every detail of her 1920s Topanga Canyon home intact after moving in, dark wood paneling included. Combining the old with her new space-age decor challenges the idea that a sunroom has to look light and airy. Why not go sleek and moody instead? “I love the juxtaposition of past and future. I always try to make things that either conjure up the feeling of an ancient relic or a sci-fi badge,” says Morgan.

Reimagine a Reading Room 

Photography by Virtually Here Studios; Styling by 1000 x Better

This sunlit space in shades of pale pink, yellow, and navy gives new meaning to a reading rainbow. L.A. designer Elspeth Benoit wanted to lighten up her “mid-century nautical” home, while keeping all the charm of the circa-1940 post-and-beam structure. The result: a living room with all the airiness of a ship at sea, thanks to a series of bifold and Dutch doors.

Double the Family Fun 

Photography by Madeline Tolle

When faced with an already sizable sunroom in a client’s three-bedroom home, New Jersey–based interior designer Hollie Velten-Lattrell carved out two harmonious zones. Following the inspiration of a floating treehouse, she designated the kids’ play area closest to the windows, then positioned the cozy sitting room down just a step. This way, the family can feel like they’re together even when they’re apart.

Level Up the Terrarium Vibe

Photography by Julien Fernandez; Styling by Amandine Berthon

French creative Julia Rouzaud and her husband struck real-estate gold with their home, located 20 minutes outside Paris. The previous owners doubled the size of the structure to 3,200 square feet with an addition that includes this steel-framed bay room that looks out on the garden. Adding a low-profile dining set (it’s all about that view!) and even more plants inside makes for truly immersive family meals.

DIY Your Way to an Industrial Look

Photography by Richard Oxford

Getting the look for less is ideal—especially when you’ve just purchased a 500-year-old, 21-room manor home in Somerset, England, like interior designer Sarah Southwell did. She opted to repaint the conservatory’s wood window frames black instead of replacing them with expensive steel, creating an industrial feel with just the right amount of contrast.

Bring On the Staycation

Photography by Jason Frank Rothenberg; Styling by Kate Berry

L.A. streetwear designer Beth Birkett painted her sunroom in Farrow & Ball’s ocean-inspired St. Giles Blue, carrying the color into the main living room area and beyond via the adjacent molding. Just out of sight, a tucked-away, fully stocked bar completes the sense of being “out-of-office” in room form.

Upgrade to Bifold Doors

Photography by Derek Swalwell

Architect Ray Dinh built a circular beach house for his clients just outside Melbourne that’s essentially one giant sunroom, touting 360-degree views of St. Andrews Beach. Rooms are connected by way of outdoor patio space (hallways didn’t make the cut in the final design), and some of the external walls open up completely thanks to bifold doors that practically disappear.

Design for All Seasons

Photography by Spacecrafting Photography

A sunroom could be the answer to warding off the winter blues, so cozy up your seating with extra blankets and sheepskins or even a crackling fire, as in this Nordic-inspired Wisconsin chalet by PKA Architects and Minneapolis-based Martha O’Hara Interiors. “Expansive windows have a big impact on our senses,” notes Krystal Kellerman, a senior designer at the firm.

Pair Sun With Symmetry 

Photography by Erin Kelly; Styling by Courtney Favini

The perfect furniture placement is often about balance. Pittsburgh stylist Courtney Favini estimates she swapped the sofas between her sunroom and living area four times before settling on the current layout. Now the adjacent spaces mirror each other to create a calm, cohesive whole. (It helps that the exterior windows feature the same panels as the interior French doors.)

Choose Barely There Windows

Photography by Justin Chung; Styling by Scott Horne

At first glance, textile designer Heather Taylor’s Laurel Canyon sunroom could be mistaken for an outdoor covered patio—that’s how few and far between the window mullions are. Further blurring the inside-outside line: The living and dining rooms are connected by way of even more glass. For Taylor, a front-row seat to the lush yard was as much a selling point as the home’s open floor plan.

Carve Out a WFH Space

Photography by Stacy Zarin Goldberg; Produced by Kate Berry

Sunroom ideas are usually centered around lounging, but when the sunniest space of your house is also the smallest, there’s an opportunity to put it to work. See: Melissa Colgan’s 712-square-foot Washington, D.C., apartment, where the interior designer brought in a slim-profile desk along with elements that nod to the office nook’s conservatory past, from bamboo blinds to plenty of potted plants.

Look Up

Photography by Anson Smart

A brick-walled sunroom can only mean one thing: an epic skylight. In this ’70s-era home, designed by David Flack of Melbourne’s Flack Studio, checkerboard tile in swimming pool hues and pale pink walls feel as fresh as the transparent ceiling overhead. “The family spends a lot of time out there reading and working, and the kids use it to play,” says Flack. “What I love is that they can have friends over in this space and it’s a completely different atmosphere for entertaining than anywhere else in the house.”

Double Down on the View

Photography by Nicole Franzen

When designing his latest vacation rental in Montauk, New York, designer Robert McKinley did the sensible thing and expanded the window openings to stretch almost floor to ceiling. The change exposed the 1,500-square-foot beach bungalow to an abundance of natural light—plus sweeping ocean vistas. “The makeover was like telling someone to stand up straight and smile,” he says.

Turn It Into a Playroom

Photography by Sarah Elliott

Josh Kay and Susana Simonpietri of design firm Chango & Co. went an unexpected route when assigning bedrooms in their family’s East Hampton saltbox home: They gave the largest, sunniest room to their daughter, Lola. “She’s going to end up having tons of friends for sleepovers when she’s older,” Simonpietri explains. For now, though, the space also functions as a place for post-bath-time dance parties against the perfect backdrop: a wall mural in poppy pastels by artist Tiffany Lusteg.

Skip the Window Treatments

Photography by Virtually Here Studios

If privacy isn’t a concern, consider skipping window treatments altogether to take full advantage of those rays. Shanty Wijaya, founder of Allprace, renovated this L.A. home with the goal of seamlessly connecting inside and out. “I wanted to bring people as close to nature as possible,” she explains. She squeezed a mini built-in reading nook in the corner for a true moment in the sun. 

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Leanne Ford’s Holiday Mantel Decorating Trick Doesn’t Involve Any Stuff at All https://www.domino.com/design-by-room/fireplace-mantel-decor-sketch-leanne-ford/ Wed, 29 Nov 2023 21:04:45 +0000 https://www.domino.com/?p=321529

Just some charcoal and a blank wall.

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Our fireplace mantels have our undivided attention. Come December 1, we’ll load as many bottlebrush trees, bits of garland, and pillar candles on top of the 5-or-so-inch-thick shelf as we can until we reach peak holiday spirit. But what if your mantel is so skinny it can barely hold a branch? If you asked Leanne Ford this question, she’d tell you to draw on the wall, of course! 

The interior designer recently posted a glimpse of a client’s living room where sketches adorn the empty space above the mantel—not potted plants or taper candles. The sweet illustration isn’t a DIY but rather the work of Bay Area–based watercolor painter, illustrator, and printmaker Carolyn Kelly. Also in true Ford fashion, the designer salvaged the stone for the fireplace from a wall in her own house. 

Photography by Erin Kelly and Hilary Robertson for Feel Free Magazine | Ford completed the scene with a vintage pendant light and a side chair from her Crate & Barrel collaboration.

Using charcoal, Kelly chose to depict fitting details like jugs and a bowl of fruit for the homeowner, Michaela Blaney, the owner of micro-grocery store and restaurant Mic’s. On her own Instagram feed, the artist noted that she was particularly inspired by still life paintings and imagining objects stripped down to the fewest lines possible. To ensure the creation lasts, they sprayed canvas sealer on the wall to seal it. “The best part is, when you’re ready to redecorate it’s a paintbrush away,” Ford tells Domino.

While Blaney’s display is the work of a professional, that doesn’t mean you couldn’t try something similar on your own after a trip to the art store. When you’re decorating in 2D, anything is possible. 

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Drew Barrymore Just Debuted a New Chair, and It Might Be Better Than Her First https://www.domino.com/design-by-room/drew-barrymore-wrap-me-up-chair/ Fri, 17 Nov 2023 19:02:00 +0000 https://www.domino.com/?p=320228

For living room lounging and reading nooks alike.

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On the heels of winning a Good Design Award this week, Drew Barrymore has done it again.

When she launched her furniture collection in April, the cult-favorite swivel chair sold out three times. It was a reader favorite, becoming one of the most-shopped products for months. We get why. It’s a nubby bouclé lounger that goes with anything, is basically a chair-and-a-half, and only clocks in at $298. Her follow-up act to its success was to introduce a new color—soothing sage—and a matching upholstered coffee table. Those were also hits, and now she has debuted the next addition in her line: the Wrap Me Up chair.

Beautiful by Drew Wrap Me Up Accent Chair

Courtesy of Walmart

Here’s why we love it so. The price is even more affordable ($100 less!) than the swivel lounger, but that doesn’t mean the materials are lacking. The frame is solid wood, and the cushions—complete with a removable back and snap-on armrests—are covered in stain-treated upholstery that is, you guessed it, bouclé. Available in a minimalist cream or pleasing cornflower blue, it’ll mix right in with Drew’s other designs. We’ll take two, thanks.

Shop the Beautiful by Drew Furniture Collection

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A Brooklyn Creative Based Her Entire Living Room Around This One Piece https://www.domino.com/design-by-room/anna-albury-brooklyn-living-room/ Thu, 26 Oct 2023 05:41:00 +0000 https://www.domino.com/?p=315969

Hint: She designed it herself.

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Not everyone loves coming home still thinking about work—but not everyone is Anna Albury. The textile designer, freelance interior stylist, and cofounder of Cool Stuff NYC seamlessly blends her personal style (“colorful, joyous, and human,” in her words) across Instagram peeks into her Brooklyn home; the newsletter she runs with her husband, Garrett; and beyond. By day, she’s a rug designer for Crosby Street Studios, helping interior designers bring their space-specific visions to life. So it only makes sense that when it came to refreshing her own living room, she designed something custom. 

“In a way, I designed the living room around the rug, and also designed the rug around the living room,” she continues. “I had the original rug idea a few years back and always dreamed of customizing it.” The design started out as a cut-and-paste collage that she digitized before she tweaked the layout and colors. “I love integrating hand-drawn elements into my work as a rug and textile designer,” Albury says. “I always think back to one of my college professors telling my textile class: ‘Anyone can repeat a flower out a bunch of times and call it a pattern, but the flower needs to be rendered and drawn beautifully to be a successful pattern.’ I still apply this idea today when I start creating a new design.” 

But reworking a room around a single item is also an act of elimination—choosing what stays and what goes is the first step. For Albury, the items that made the transition from old to new included a navy couch, chartreuse side table, and pink reading chair. She got rid of a pair of red velvet curtains, replaced a media console, and gave a wood coffee table a new home in the bedroom at the end of the bed. A new set of curtains behind the couch now plays with the icy blue rug while simultaneously obscuring a set of closets.

Sure, going custom isn’t a reality for everyone, but Albury has a recommendation for finding a floor covering that no one else has: “I love sourcing vintage rugs for interior styling clients to use as a starting place for a room redesign,” she says. “I typically find [them] on Etsy, and I get superspecific with keywords. If the rug needs to have green in the palette because there’s an existing green couch, but you want to introduce pink and yellow into the space, use those colors as keywords in your search.”

From there, she evaluates where the rug’s pattern or details will fall in relation to her furniture. In her own home, “I made sure to keep in mind what shapes were landing where within the rug design in the actual room,” she says. “I thought about what I wanted to have slightly under the couch, and where I thought the pink dots should sit. I also made sure that each color within the rug was sitting next to an alternating color in the space: I wanted the light blue close to the navy couch, and the pink dots close by but not touching the pink chair.” The result is a textile that is 100 percent an extension of the designer, one that everyone who encounters it enjoys as well.

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