Mi Sueno Project: Living Room

Magic can happen when good friends become great clients. Of course, it can also go very wrong. Luckily, my team is pretty darn good at what they do, my friends had full faith and trust in our vision, and we had an excellent contractor. The result is a dream come true.

In fact, that is what is our clients named their Palm Springs home: Mi Sueno, or My Dream. Because it literally is their dream come true.

After less than a year in their first condo, my friends were able to upsize to a home on one of the most desirable streets in historic Indian Canyons. In fact, it was just a few doors away from my own previous home.

The home was for sale by flippers, and my friends were paying top dollar. Of course they initially thought that no major work needed to be done, but we rather quickly embarked on a nine-month renovation as they discovered that much of the work was not done to their standards -- nor taste.

Read on to see the transformation of their living room...

The Seating Area

After

Before

The living room of this home is where all the action happens. It is the heart of the home and hosts both formal and informal entertaining. It also boasts the home's large television.

In my designs, I tend to prefer a "formal" living room with no TV and a separate media room, but this 1968 house just didn't accommodate such a layout.

I needed to make sure that the living room was both glamorous and comfortable. My team and I designed a large custom sofa that is simultaneously sleek and cozy. It is covered in durable stain-resistant Crypton fabric and accented with colorful custom throw pillows.

The Television Wall

Before

One of the first projects we tackled was replacing the dark brown flooring. Even though it was brand new, I convinced my clients that it just wasn't right for them. It's important to literally get the foundation right, and build up from there. I knew that they wanted bold colors and a cheerful interior, so we replaced the dark brown tiles with bright white ones in a terrazzo look.

After

We surrounded the large 85" television with a beautiful custom shelving unit by Julian Chichester, made of antique brass and turquoise blue lacquered parchment. Swivel chairs rotate so that everyone gets a good view of the television. Game days and movie nights are popular events in this house!

Creative Repurposing

Most of the furnishings that came with the house were not to our clients' taste, and were either donated or sold.

The pair of curved back chairs, shown below, had potential. We replaced the brown vinyl with a gorgeous chartreuse patterned silk from our friends at Dedar. Our clients enjoy the fact that the chairs came with the house. They are both an homage to the "before" and a reminder of how far they have come.