By Elizabeth Yeager Cross
WV Design Team
“I finally have grown up furniture!” said Jaime Hayes as she was reintroduced to her home after Yeager Design and Interiors completed our design transformation.
Approximately two months ago, YDI was contacted by Jaime’s husband, David, in an effort to surprise his beautiful wife with a consultation and to put a plan into motion to finish the first floor of their home. The initial consult went without a hitch and left our team’s heads spinning with ideas and solutions for this project. The areas to address included:
• Entry hall
• Formal dining room
• Open plan family room and informal eating and sitting areas
• Lighting and fan replacement for all areas.
David Hayes decided to set up a second meeting with our team in the YDI showroom, where he would bring Jaime and reveal the surprise that we had already been to their home. Can I just say, this woman was one heck of a sport? I can’t even be sure that I would be as wonderfully pleasant and as open to change as she was that day.
We presented our plan for the couple’s home, which included mostly items straight from our showroom floor that they could sit in and make sure were a good choice visually and the right fit for their bodies.
After only about an hour and a half, the Hayeses left our showroom with a solid design plan, a date for installation and huge smiles on their faces.
On the day of installation, we focused first on the large entryway. We replaced a too-small open frame table with an expansive storage cabinet with a gorgeous fretwork design. We chose this specific piece to hold all of their shoes, backpacks and even serving pieces that would overflow from the adjacent formal dining room.
What better place to make a statement than right in the front door? Dramatic lighting and metallic accents transformed the Hayes’ entry
Dramatic iron candlesticks, a metallic gold circular mirror paired with a rope and chain bronze chandelier transformed this entry way into a warm and welcoming experience.
The formal dining room was such a fantastic design puzzle to figure out. We ended up borrowing/stealing the dining set from their informal eating area because we loved it for its bigger size as well as its lighter finish qualities. Simply by adding wing back captain’s chairs and gold and black accessories, the room became a luxurious glowing formal space perfect for entertaining.
We also incorporated the sister chandelier to the entry way, but this time in a larger rectangular size that provided unity and flow between the two spaces. Perhaps our favorite accent was a custom canvas from our favorite local artist, Patty Stewart, named Manhattan, which became the finishing touch over the server.
Upon my first time entering the open plan family room, kitchen and sitting/dining area, I realized that in order to really make this space work, there needed to be more delineation between the individual uses for the rooms.
With a space large enough for multiple uses, designate a focal point, like this neutral tweed sofa and patterned ottoman, and build the other areas around it
The family room area was large enough to create multiple uses and seating sections on its own. An area for a desk was designated off to the left, while we kept the center area mainly for seating and relaxation. A large scale 110-inch sofa was chosen in a gorgeous neutral tweed to bring all other upholstered pieces together. We included a smart gunmetal leather recliner, a woven black open arm chair, a striped swivel detailed with polished silver nail heads and a “to die for” storage ottoman in a bold gold and black print. We filled their white built-ins with luxurious metallic accents and topped off the space with a giant orb chandelier.
To separate the family room from the kitchen bar and seating area, we installed a rustic pine and iron tall sofa table and added even taller gold leaf lamps that would not only provide special divisions, but also illuminate the area while being aesthetic art pieces.
The next space to tackle was the kitchen breakfast bar and open seating area. First, we provided the Hayeses with brand new X-back bar stools that would stand up to their two children’s every meal. We replaced their builder grade pendant lighting with unique bronze, mercury glass ombre pendants as well as an adorable semi-flush crystal and bronze pendant over the new seating area. We custom ordered two comfortable, white, gold, and silver striped slip covered chairs that would be conversational to the kitchen and both adjoining rooms.
A beautiful square herringbone parquet table sets the tone for the new casual dining room that also allows the family to sit closer together than the traditional rectangular table.
Just beyond the seating area was the informal dining room. We ordered a drop dead gorgeous square dining table that meshed together a contemporary chrome leg configuration with a rustic herringbone parquet top. Installing super chic and colorful wall art and a funky orb chandelier made this new room a magnet to be seen all the way from the front of the family room. The square table also allowed their family to sit closer together and provided for better conversation.
When speaking with the Hayeses after the completion of this project, we asked them for some of their thoughts about the process and what their favorite parts were. Jamie said, “I would have never been able to pull this all together on my own.
“For that matter, the first night we just sat here, no TV, and just looked around at all of our new things and how beautiful it all was,” she said.
“I just really like the fact that the vast majority of the pieces we got, we chose from your showroom,” Dave added. “It was great to have everything there to see and to have tangible pieces that fit for us.”
While we adore receiving compliments, our favorite part is getting to work with such fantastic families like the Hayeses. We especially love to see their faces light up during the reveal and watch them walk around in awe at their new home once we’ve finished.
If you find yourself in need of a helping hand to pull it all together, help is always within reach.
– To see more pictures of the projects featured in this article: Hayes Home
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