Living Rooms

21 Amazing Chairs that Make a Statement

September 21, 2016

In both Monday’s post on creating inviting living spaces and last week’s ideas for styling a bedroom, I shared that adding a statement chair is a great way to refresh your space. An additional chair in a unique shape or material not only provides extra seating but also adds style. Today, I’m sharing a few seating arrangements in living rooms I’ve designed and a round up of 21 amazing chairs that make a statement. Browse these favorites and then make sure to head to my Statement Chair Shop for more ideas. Enjoy!

In my Cadiz Project living room, I chose a wood-framed midcentury-style chair to complement the rest of the furniture and to add warmth to the neutral space. I placed it in the corner to round out the seating without obstructing the natural light from the window across from the couch.

In this San Clemente Beach House, two tufted linen chairs in front of the fireplace provide a cozy nook for reading or chatting. In a large living room, additional seating in a corner makes good use of the space.

In Amber Fillerup Clark’s NYC living room, we selected a beautiful tucked velvet statement chair. The soft blue-green velvet is a pretty contrast to the structured leather sofa. In a small room, using a statement chair adds style and seating without taking up much space.

statement chairs becki owens
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Check out my Statement Chair Shop to view all my favorites!

Have a Happy Wednesday!

Xxo
Becki

Guest Prep: Creating Cozy Living Spaces

September 19, 2016

With comfortable seating, warm lighting, and cozy accessories, the living room can be the perfect gathering place for talking and relaxing. Whether your room needs a complete overhaul or just a few quick updates, in this week’s guest prep I’m sharing tips for creating cozy living spaces.

Start with Comfortable Seating

Calle Tamara Project

One of the most important investments in a living space is seating. I look for clean lined sofas with plush cushions and soft durable fabrics. A fun option when updating your space is to replace your couch’s matching love seat with a daybed. Take a look at my daybed roundup for inspiration and some favorites.

Add a Statement Chair

Amber Fillerup Clark NYC Living Room

Modern Eclectic Living Room

With friends and family visiting, it is nice if your room has plenty of seating. Try fitting a statement chair in the corner or across from your sofa. Pick one in an interesting shape or rich pattern to update your look, or get creative with a non-traditional seat. In the living room of my Talega South project, I paired plush linen slipcovered chairs across from leather sling stools. The stools create a cozy arrangement without using much space.

Modern Coastal Living Room

Style the Coffee Table

Estillo Project Family Room

Redesigning your coffee table is a quick way to get a fresh look. Start new with a reclaimed wood table like I did in my Estillo project, or simply add a plant and a few new accessories to the table you have. Brass accents are on trend and a rich look for fall. Here, I added a marble and brass tray that works for serving and a brass vase.

Layer a Rug

Calle Tamara Project

A favorite trend is to layer rugs. Layering a patterned rug over a large jute adds texture to a space. It is also an affordable way to cover the floor. I wrote more about layering rugs and shared some favorite rug combinations here.

Modern Eclectic Living Room

Another cool rug option is a shaggy Moroccan. Moroccan inspired rugs are a perfect fall update for their cozy texture and warm vibe. Check out my guide to Moroccan inspired rugs here.

Switch Out Your Floor Lamp

Bohemian Eclectic Living Room

Consider a new floor lamp to add light and interest. Pick something unique and modern to mix in with your coastal or transitional home. The mix of styles will feel fresh and add a little bohemian flair. This Arteriors floor lamp is a favorite of mine and I used it in both these living rooms. For a less expensive similar option see here.

Estillo Project Living Room

Find a Cozy Throw

Family Friendly Bohemian Living Room

The fastest and most inexpensive update is to layer a soft throw on your couch or in a basket. Chose a throw in a rich hue for a pop of color, or a textured wool for warmth. I have a cool knit throw with pom-poms that I use in my bedroom, but it would be beautiful thrown on the edge of the couch.

Coto de Caza Project

Living spaces are meant for gathering and lounging. Even small changes can get your room ready before holiday visitors arrive. If you missed it, make sure you browse last week’s Guest Prep: How to Style a Bedroom and check back soon for more guest prep ideas. Have a happy Monday!

Xxo
Becki

Classic Coastal Living Room

June 27, 2016

This time of year has me reflecting on one of my first projects – the San Clemente Beach House. It really has the timeless look and neutral canvas of coastal homes. Today, I thought it would be fun to look closely at the main living area of this project and the specific elements that make it a classic coastal living room.

classic coastal living room becki owens
The main floor of this beach house is an open floor plan divided into several different spaces. With this in mind, the vision for this beach house living room was to create a comfortable gathering place for friends and family while maintaining the elegance of the home. I choose a monochromatic color palette, creating warmth and interest with textures and pattern. The result was a casual yet elegant beach house living room.

becki-owens-classic-coastal-living-room
The foundation for the space was a neutral rug in a subtle pattern to define the space. Then I choose a sand colored, slipcovered, linen sofa with clean lines for a more updated look.

becki-owens-classic-coastal-living-room
A large rustic, wood and metal coffee table serves as a display for aqua glass accessories and interesting coffee table books.

For more seating and to add warmth and interest, I added bamboo wood lounge chairs with custom upholstered, striped cushions.

beach-house-living -room-becki-owens
All of the pillows in the space were blues and grays, but I played with patterns and textured linen fabrics.

becki-owens-classic-coastal-living-room
A ceramic white stool works as a side table and brings a global element to the room.

becki-owens-classic-coastal-living-room
For the final touches, I added a natural stained bench add added a pop of color with a soft chevron throw.

The combination of comfortable linens, natural woods an a tone on tone neutral palette created a long lasting beachy look, perfect for entertaining family and friends. To get the look for your own homes see below. Have a wonderful day!

Xxo
Becki

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Classic Coastal Living Room

Estillo Project Family Room

May 23, 2016

Recently, I had the pleasure of working on a home for a young, Southern California family with a love of clean lines and a white palette. They wanted a home with a modern coastal look that was polished, yet livable. It was a lot of fun realizing their vision, creating fresh, comfortable spaces for them to live in and entertain. I’m excited to share the family room of the Estillo project with you today.

Estillo Project Living Room

When shopping for white furniture, we looked at Restoration Hardware. My client knew they wanted white seating but wanted to be able to clean it easily and have it wear well. Restoration has a huge selection of modern and transitional furniture pieces to choose from, but more importantly their perennial fabrics were a perfect option for the white furniture in the room.

Estillo Project Living Room

Since all the walls were painted white (Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee), we picked a charcoal rug for high traffic and to ground the space. It’s nice when white is the main color in a space to create contrast and take some of the cleaning pressure off with a rug that doesn’t show wear.

With such a clean, minimal foundation, we decided to add vintage textiles to the sofas. I love adding the boldness of black against white for a more polished look. The unique patterns and colors of the hand-woven pillows pulled the space together,creating a more comfortable, casual vibe.

Estillo Project Living Room

Estillo Project Living Room
The accessories in the room were key. The large wood coffee table created a perfect space to add some style with unique objects and coffee table books. Some of my favorites were the brass vases and a marble tray that could work later for serving. Then, I added an organic element of live greenery. Plants always add so much to a space.

Estillo Project Living Room

From the sideboard to the european oak flooring, the light wood neutrals in the space blend with the light pallette of the room and add to the modern, coastal style.

Estillo Project Living Room

Thank you for checking out the Estillo project family room. To see more of this project stay tuned. I will be sharing the kitchen soon. To get a similar look for your own home see below. Have a wonderful day!

Xxo
Becki

Resources

Rug – Similar
Side Table
Floor Lamp – Similar
Table Lamp – Ralph Lauren
Sideboard – Similar
Coffee Table Books – Juxtaposition Home
Tray
Brass Vases and Here
Pillows

Get The Look

Tastes and Textures – Moroccan Style

October 12, 2015

moroccan spiced roasted vegetables
/ Moroccan-Spiced Roasted Vegetables – Recipe Below /

The warm cinnamon scent and rich colors of this healthy, Moroccan-spiced dish are the essence of fall. It’s the perfect way to add a surprise to a typical meal. I love the idea of mixing in some global influence through tastes and textures. This dish, paired with the exotic textiles, shiny metallics and unique graphic prints of Moroccan-inspired design will add interest and a more curated feel to your home.

Styling with Moroccan Inspired Rugs Becki Owens
/ Before and After Pics of this Family Room Here /

You can incorporate Moroccan style with just a few new pieces that will have a big impact on the vibe in a space. One of my favorite ways to introduced global style into a home is a Moroccan style rug. These rugs are soft, comfortable and do well in high traffic areas. They look beautiful layered with metals and eclectic textiles.

moroccan inspired interiors
/ Gilt Mirror/

I love the shine from moroccan shaped mirrors and unique lighting. The moroccan inspired star pendant in this bathroom, via m.elle design, adds the perfect amount of charm. Too add some character, consider layering these gilt moroccan style mirrors above nightstands for a beautiful accent in a bedroom.

Today, I’ve gathered some fun Moroccan inspired finds for you to browse. Several have rich colors and are warm updates that are great for fall. I hope you have enjoyed these inspirations for tastes and textures. Have a wonderful Monday!

Xxo
Becki

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Moroccan Style Finds

Moroccan Glass Pendants – On Sale now + Extra 20% off!
Tear Drop Chandelier
Arabesque Gilt Mirror
Jo Malone Cardamom and Moroccan Rose Home Candle
Carved Wood Side Table
Blue Kesh Throw
Linen Handloomed Moroccan Pillow
Black and White Diamond Print Pillow
Moroccan Handmade Rug – On Sale

A Few More

Moroccan-Spiced Roasted Vegetables and Quinoa

3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (12-cm) pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch (12-cm) pieces
6 Tbs. (3 fl. oz./90 ml) olive oil
1 Tbs. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml) low-sodium vegetable or chicken
broth
1 cup (8 oz./250 g) quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz./45 g) dried apricots, quartered
3 Tbs. slivered almonds, toasted
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat an oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, toss the parsnips and carrots with 2 Tbs. of the olive oil, the cumin, turmeric and cinnamon. Spread the vegetables in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and season well with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring a couple of times, until the vegetables are very tender and caramelized, 35 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over high heat, bring the broth to a boil. Add the quinoa, cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until all the broth is absorbed, about 12 minutes.

Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and add the roasted vegetables, apricots, almonds and parsley. Stir in the remaining 4 Tbs. (2 fl. oz./60 ml) olive oil, season with salt and pepper and serve. Serves 4 to 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Healthy Dish of the Day, by Kate McMillan (Weldon Owen, 2014).