It’s one thing to know what you like; knowing how to put items you like together to create a home you love is another thing entirely. In an attempt to understand what professional interior designers know that we don’t, we asked Jess Hutchinson of One Kings Lane Interior Design to share a few recent design mockups she devised for clients and explain the thinking behind them.
Be Our Guest
“This client had a narrow room off her kitchen that we turned into a guest room/formal living room,” Jess says. “Everything in the space had to be very functional. I chose this armless sleeper sofa to make the most of the space and flanked it with two slender floor lamps to frame the sofa. The coffee table is light and easy to move, and the swivel chair allows easy conversation between the kitchen and the living room.” Upholstered in rich green velvet, the chair also introduces a spot of color into the otherwise neutral space, as does the blue-and-white garden stool beside it.
Shown above:
Lion-Motif Garden Stool
Bridget Swivel Club Chair in Emerald Velvet
Rae Ball Pillow in Ivory Shearling
Swing-Arm Floor Lamp in Antiqued Nickel (this lamp has the added benefit of adjusting from 34 to 45 inches in height)
Broche 8-Light Chandelier in Silver (a room should have ambient light as well as task lighting)
Pratt Armless Sleeper Sofa in White Crypton (the high-performance upholstery repels stains and spills—important for a room just off the kitchen)
Hazel Pillow in Dune Linen
Imogen Small Lumbar Pillow in Beige Dots
Cayla Coffee Table in Gold
Dalvin Decorative Bowl in Cloud Gray
Faux Snowball Hydrangeas in Bubble Vase
Harwich Handwoven Rug in Natural
Sweet Dreams
It’s a fine line between serene and boring. To ensure that this bedroom remained firmly on the “serene” side of the line, Jess used organic textures to enliven the neutral palette: a jute pendant, a linen-upholstered bed, stools with rattan seats. The lamps contributed a contrasting sleekness, plus “they added great height to frame the bed,” she says.
Shown above:
La Mirada Handwoven Rug in Wheat
Leila Stool in Black (“The ottomans carried the black from the lamps as well as the woven rattan from the ceiling fixture into rest of the bedroom,” Jess explains.)
Nemus Panel Bed in Ivory Linen
Ada Long Lumbar Pillow in Navy Linen
Highball Pendant in Natural
Port View Diptych
Lighten Up
The artwork inspired this living room’s palette. “The lamps here do a great job of tying in the soft grays and warm undertones from the art,” Jess says. “The scale of the lamps is also a bit large, which helps in anchoring the room. I really wanted to create a space here that felt balanced, airy, and inviting.”
Shown above:
Reilly Slipcover Sofa in Ivory Linen
Geometric Side Table in Oak (the table’s combination of lines and curves echoes the silhouettes throughout the room, which in turn contribute to the room’s fluid feel)
Gaios Table Lamp in Pharaoh White
Tanner Pouf in Tobacco Leather
Ponderosa Rug in Birch
Campbell Coffee Table in Black
Emma Ball Pillow in Dune Linen
French Ticking Pillow in Charcoal
Montauk Accent Chair in Praline (having chairs on one side of the sofas and ottomans on the other maintains a pleasing symmetry without feeling rigid or forced)
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