Room of the Day: New Windows and White Paint Brighten Things Up
A crisp neutral backdrop, built-in storage, shiplap walls and new furniture update a once-bland living room
AFTER: The homeowners hired designer Chad Esslinger for help. He added two windows flanking the fireplace to bring in more light and painted the brick white to further brighten things up. Then he brought in built-ins to increase storage in the room and added shiplap to the walls for a “rustic but farmhouse feel,” he says.
Paint: Revere Pewter (left wall) and Decorator’s White (back and right walls), Benjamin Moore
Paint: Revere Pewter (left wall) and Decorator’s White (back and right walls), Benjamin Moore
Esslinger used plenty of crisp white paint to create a neutral backdrop against which a blue shag area rug and an orange accent chair pop. “That way, your eye moves around and you get a sense of style,” he says.
Lamp: West Elm; end table: Cost Plus World Market; pillows: Surya
Lamp: West Elm; end table: Cost Plus World Market; pillows: Surya
Esslinger replaced the ceiling fan with a starburst light fixture. “Lighting is the personality of the room, and this light is unique and really dramatic,” he says.
Light: Elegant Lighting
Light: Elegant Lighting
Esslinger designed the mirror above the fireplace.
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Who uses it: A busy family of five
Location: Downers Grove, Illinois
Size: 240 square feet (22.3 square meters)
Designer: Chad Esslinger of Chad Esslinger Design
BEFORE: This living room was the most popular room in the house for a couple and their three young kids. But the homeowners didn’t think it would win any beauty contests. Lack of natural light, a dark red brick fireplace and an old ceiling fan created what the homeowners felt was a dreary space.