I was a little hesitant to post a sneak peak of this phase of my wounded warrior project just in case Sgt. Erich Ellis might think to check out my blog before the move in date. And, of course I want him to be surprised! But, I’m banking on the near 100% assumption that it’s very unlikely that he will even remotely think to do that. (I seriously doubt he even realizes that I have a blog since it’s not something I ever shared with him.) If you missed it and would like to read his story you can check it out here; and if you’d like to see the last blog post on the paint colors and materials selected for the home you can check that out here.
After my initial interview with him to go over my design questionnaire and narrow down his style and interests I pulled together some optional pieces for him to look at to make sure I was going in the right direction. Once that was established I began pulling together my design plan.
His style is actually a combination of modern traditional/transitional with a slight bent towards a soft contemporary vibe in certain details. All leaning toward a masculine style – no surprise there.
So I set about trying to conquer it all by combining the various styles. With the traditional pieces I made sure to keep the lines clean for a sort of no frills “Pottery Barn-ish” vibe, if you will, as you see with this chest in the entry way here.
In the family room I went with transitional style graphite sofas, large patterned chairs in cream, gray and teal, cappuccino tables and brushed nickel lamps.
For the dining area, after much pondering, I decided on a modern traditional table and buffet chest. It’s a bit more formal than the typical breakfast nook table, but I settled on this for a number of reasons. One – because it’s his only eating area and I wanted it to have the flexibility of both a casual dining area as well as a more formal dining experience when entertaining. Secondly, I had to order all the furniture from one furniture source and I was somewhat limited with the more casual sets for one reason or another – style, seating, etc. And finally, I wanted to be sure that he had a table with leaves so that it can expand to accommodate more people for holidays, parties, etc. (I’m a little worried he’ll think it’s too formal, but I hope he will appreciate the reasons why I chose it.)
A teal and cream chevron rug, contemporary artwork and brushed nickel lamps give it a more transitional vibe. He’ll have four bar chairs for extra seating at his bar.
In the master bedroom I am continuing with the same color scheme: graphite, cream, shades of gray. And crisp, white bedding. The sleek lines of each piece work together to give the room a sophisticated, but warm, rather masculine space. However, not so much so that a future lady can’t appreciate. it!
After meeting him, understanding him more and learning of his personal interests I decided to parlay a couple of them into the guest rooms. These will definitely have a decidedly more “masculine” theme to them in honor of Erich’s character and love of country as well as one of his hobbies.
Guest room one will have a patriotic theme dedicated to his service as a marine and his service to, and for, country. Red, white and blue is the color scheme, of course, and a nod to his service and patriotism, the theme throughout.
Erich is a gun owner and an avid hunter so I decided to dedicate guest room two to his love of hunting. Artwork, pictures frames, accessories, etc. will all reflect this theme.
I have to say a huge, heartfelt thank you to Coaster Furniture Company for their willingness to work with me on the pricing so that this was all possible. In addition to furniture I was able to supply most of the lamps, rugs and artwork for the entire home through Coaster. A special thanks to Rosalind Aragon, Nicolas Ward and Ashley Espinoza for the extra effort they’ve put into helping me tackle the challenges we had along the way and providing the comfort, style and warmth I wanted for Erich’s home. I can’t say a big enough thank you.
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To conclude, while Eric was single when we met to discuss his style preferences I knew the likelihood of a woman was imminent in the future, of course, so I tried to balance the “single guy vibe” with the warmth and style that would appeal to a woman.
Now that he is in a committed relationship I am keeping my fingers crossed that I accomplished that goal!
The installation date is almost here and shortly afterward is the ceremony to turn over the keys.
I’ll keep you posted on the upcoming events and the happy, much anticipated day when he gets to move in to his brand new, fully paid for, fully furnished much deserved home.
So exciting….right?!
Happy Decorating!
How wonderful and exciting!