Room of the Day: Green Walls Raise the Energy in This Living Room
A vibrant paint color takes a pale yellow space to an upbeat place
A lazy afternoon spent reading a magazine by the pool sometimes prompts a splurge on new sandals or nail polish, but for this homeowner, it was a dramatic living room makeover.
Smitten with an image of a sophisticated master suite painted in a lively green, navy and brown color palette, the homeowner marked the page in the magazine, and then noticed that the project was by designer Ann Lowengart, with whom the homeowner had worked on a previous project.
The homeowner called Lowengart and hired her to help tackle a lackluster living room. The designer introduced similar vibrant green walls and bright furnishings to create a comfortable but energetic hangout space for family and friends.
Smitten with an image of a sophisticated master suite painted in a lively green, navy and brown color palette, the homeowner marked the page in the magazine, and then noticed that the project was by designer Ann Lowengart, with whom the homeowner had worked on a previous project.
The homeowner called Lowengart and hired her to help tackle a lackluster living room. The designer introduced similar vibrant green walls and bright furnishings to create a comfortable but energetic hangout space for family and friends.
The room is the family’s primary gathering place to watch TV, read and entertain friends, so Lowengart needed to address the all-day sunlight that spills into the space. Roman shades in a subtle faux bois pattern not only neutralize unwanted light, but also ground the lively hues in the furnishings.
Sofa fabric: Beaucaire in color Prairie, Manuel Canovas; sofa cording: 1/4” French piping in color Marine Blue, Samuel & Sons; sofa skirt trim: in color Gulf, Samuel & Sons; lumbar pillow: Jonathan Adler; sofa throw pillows: Serena & Lily; shade fabric: Brunschwig & Fils
Sofa fabric: Beaucaire in color Prairie, Manuel Canovas; sofa cording: 1/4” French piping in color Marine Blue, Samuel & Sons; sofa skirt trim: in color Gulf, Samuel & Sons; lumbar pillow: Jonathan Adler; sofa throw pillows: Serena & Lily; shade fabric: Brunschwig & Fils
To temper the high-sheen fabrics, Lowengart used others that have a softer hand, like the woven sofa fabric.
Adding even more texture is the blue coffee table, which is wrapped in an embossed faux ostrich-skin vinyl. Despite being refined, it’s actually family-friendly, so watching movies and eating popcorn doesn’t become a tragedy in fingerprints.
Coffee table: Society Social
More: 9 Fashionably Cool Living Room Color Palettes
Adding even more texture is the blue coffee table, which is wrapped in an embossed faux ostrich-skin vinyl. Despite being refined, it’s actually family-friendly, so watching movies and eating popcorn doesn’t become a tragedy in fingerprints.
Coffee table: Society Social
More: 9 Fashionably Cool Living Room Color Palettes
Living Room at a Glance
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Year built: Late 1800s
Size: 400 square feet (37 square meters)
Designer: Ann Lowengart
Benjamin Moore’s Richmond Green paint replaced pale yellow walls and white trim, instantly upping the energy level of the room.
The location of the TV in the existing built-in cabinetry determined the furniture layout, so designer Ann Lowengart set her sights on finding an eclectic mix of touchy-feely fabrics and details that mingle traditional and modern styles.
Lowengart re-covered some basic X-frame benches in shiny orange leather. Those, mixed with the high-gloss green paint, the animal-print rug, linear print on the armchairs and the fiddleleaf fig tree lend cheeriness to the room even on the dreariest of days.
Wall and trim paint: Richmond Green, Benjamin Moore; chair fabric: custom, Quadrille; benches: Crate and Barrel; bench leather: So Slick, Keleen Leathers; carpet: Stark; lantern: Darlana lantern, Circa Lighting