I live near Fort Myers Beach and so the majority of my design clients live in the Fort Myers and Beach areas of southwest Florida.
My clients, Amy and Brad, live in the Chicago area and own a condo on the north end of Fort Myers Beach that they use as a rental as well as for their own family.
The condo community is in a very desirable area of the island, so my clients wanted the interior of the home to reflect that.
As you can see, when they purchased this unit there was not a lot of personality to the space. Dated, dark blue carpet, white ho-hum walls, a sofa that got lost in the room...while functional for family, guests and renters, there was not much you could call memorable about the interior of the condo.
After determining the budget - very necessary to the success of any project - we discussed these things:
The first step with room makeover ideas is to figure out how the space will best function. Does the furniture currently in the space make the best use of it? Don't assume that because something is in the space it should stay there.
For example, this living room had a large entertainment center/armoire that was perfectly functional, but it took up a big chunk of visual space. This piece of furniture literally blocked your view of the breathtaking gulf waters as you entered the condo.
Our conclusion was that we still wanted a TV in the living area, but not enclosed in a bulky armoire. That piece had to go.
We discussed the other pieces in the living and dining areas and decided which ones would stay and which pieces would go, a very important part of room makeover ideas.
Amy and Brad decided to keep their dining table, an end table and the coffee table. Their budget would allow for the purchase of new furniture for the rest of the living/dining area.
We discussed the function of each piece; Amy really liked the idea of a leather sofa because of the ability to keep it clean while the place is being used as a rental. So, that was the starting point for the new furnishings.
Second, consider how the current colors in the space enhance or detract from it. Consider the floors, walls, and everything in-between.
This beach condo is not large, and one of our room makeover ideas was to remove the dark blue carpet from the living area, because it made the space look smaller.
We installed a laminate floor that has a light bamboo look to it, and the room instantly became larger!
Then the walls...old, dirty white was just not going to cut it.
When I asked Amy what colors she would like to see in the space she mentioned blues, greens and yellows. So we chose a light golden cream color for the walls, then selected an accent color for the kitchen area in deeper tones that picked up the colors of the granite.
Now came the fun part.
We had the plan for the walls, floors and knew that leather was Amy's preference for the sofa - a sleeper sofa, too. (Remember, it is a rental so we just added sleeping space for two more people).
We wanted to add one more chair to the living area to allow for additional seating. This told me that the two chairs could not be overly large or things could get crowded.
I had lots of fun shopping and selecting the pieces for the living room, implementing the room makeover ideas we had discussed. Fortunately I was able to find a beautiful leather sleeper sofa in a soft shade of green that became the foundation for the other pieces.
Two side chairs were added - one in a cheery stripe that is a wicker rocker/glider, and another colorful floral barrel chair.
We decided on 'chili pepper red' dining chairs and everyone loved the look! Fun, functional and well priced.
What is the last step in redecorating a room? The final touches, of course.
I found some unique lamps and interesting accents for the side tables, coffee table, dining table and a really cool wire sculpture for the wall behind the sofa...those touches are what makes a room truly unique and memorable.
Our room makeover ideas were turned into a reality, and Brad and Amy are very pleased with the results. Their beachfront condo in Fort Myers Beach will truly be a memorable haven for their family as well as guests and clients for years to come.
Til next time,
Candi
