Before and After: This Living Room Gets Upgraded with Pattern and Color
Gorgeous hardwood floors, a large window, posh location, a fireplace, and built-ins galore? Yes, please. This Upper East Side apartment’s living room was already dreamy as hell, but one bold client-designer team knew it could be so much more.
My favorite part of this transformation is the way the newly painted built-ins echo the tone of the fireplace, creating, along with the mirror, a delightful triptych. The coffee table appears to be the same hue, further unifying the space. Similarly the peachy-rose hue is nicely interwoven throughout the room in the armchairs, art, bench, and coffee table edges without veering anywhere toward matchy-matchy. This makeover was undertaken by Raychel Wade of Raychel Wade Design, who worked closely with a bold client:
The client bought the apartment and wasn’t sure how she wanted to tackle it so it sat in the original state until we met about a year later! It was important for her to keep the feeling of the old, pre-war vibe but was open to colors and patterns. In every room we started with one thing we would find that would be the jumping off point. For the living room we knew early on we wanted the walls to be Venetian plaster and then we quickly found the Python embossed mantel at Chesney’s. We knew we wanted to keep the millwork looking similar but update it. Luckily she completely trusted me in mixing patterns and textiles so we spent a lot of time at the Zak & Fox showroom. We added a bit of quick details with some pieces from The New Traditionalists as well.
Confession: I didn’t know what a python embossed mantel was, and had to look it up. Nevertheless, the new mantel is gorgeous and striking, and I love the new fireplace guard. Keeping the walls pale was a smart move in a room that appears to only have one window, but the newly dark millwork works with the mantel to add drama to the airy space. This execution is sophisticated and refined.
Thank you, Raychel Wade Design!