Now these rooms were already beautiful: high ceilings, stacked stone fireplace, neutral color scheme, and open to the whole first floor. Our goal was to make the space more personal, celebrate their family, and add comfortable furniture for guests. Ashley told me, "This is where we all hang out and where our guests enter. This is the center of our home."

I got the opportunity to meet and get to know the whole family during their photo shoot. For me, this is such an important step in designing a space that really speaks to them. The design is centered around a beautiful table Trevor built and finished by hand. It matches their Pottery Barn entertainment center spot-on! It's perfect.

The photo frames were designed with coordinating stain, rusty nails, even galvanized metal from an old barn we found in Buffalo, MN. These details are so much fun to incorporate to make the project one-of-a-kind. Speaking of one-of-a-kind, one of my very favorite details was inspired by Joe's plumbing company: a vintage brass spigot we installed as a hook for the wall bucket we found at a local antique store. I chose a linen and leather chair and we created accessories (a lot of accessories!) to finish the space.

The second wall we styled is welcoming and personal, perfect for their entryway! In fact, I liked it so much, it inspired the one we made for our house (that's another blog post, though!) I painted their last name and an Irish blessing I knew they'd love. Their family photo is a cute little scallop-edged canvas hanging within the wreath.

We completed the installation, including painting the wall, moving furniture, hanging art, and placing the accessories while the family was out of town. One of the best phone calls I've received was from Ashley when they returned home. She was delighted! "Oh my goodness, Kelly! You and Trevor did such a great job! Even better than I imagined! Oh my goodness!!!"

And after they had the opportunity that evening to take-in all the details, examine our work, and discuss their thoughts, she emailed me to begin planning their next project...