I alluded to it, hyped it up. Even sold it hard as “my favorite room in the house,” and today you are going to see it (and judge for yourself). Although I love LOVE the living room (coming soon) and I probably give out that trophy too often, I nailed this room with very little effort (fine besides paneling the walls after a bad dark blue paint). I actually think this is way more my style than my own home at times (which, as you know, is more of a traditional farmhouse, which I love so incredibly much, but an all wood scandy blue/green and wood room has my heart).
Entry Rug
This room had a lot of help from Anne Usher, the architect who placed this room in the house with really pretty light, huge windows, and extremely high ceilings. So architecturally, we were already winning with her design. Or maybe I should give Stuga credit for that flooring we put on the walls (we used Drift – it’s perfect) because once it was up, I swiped right and am now fully committed to this room, emotionally. Til Death Do Us Part (or them eventually selling and moving, lol).
The Walls
Wall Wood Paneling | Wood Flooring | Electric Piano | Artwork | Frames
So yes, all the walls are clad in Drift paneling from Stuga, horizontally installed. We had a ton leftover from all the ceilings, and when we didn’t like the room in dark blue, we were THRILLED to be able to pivot hard to wood. It just makes a room so warm and easy to design. It’s instant-vibe. The electric piano is the same one that we have – Roland encased in a really nice-looking faux white oak. Above it, we framed 6 drawings of odd men by “Bedeupree” that are so whimsical and fun (and look perfect in here). Target frames FTW.
Cabinet Paint Color | Glassware | 4 in a Row Game
The cabinets and shelving are painted in a soft taupe called Malabar, pulled from the lighter tones of the wood. Inside the cabinets are their printer and home office stuff. And above I styled with a lot of things I had in my inventory and sent Katie and Ken on a trip to Powell’s to buy a bunch of books they’d want (then supplemented with these, which are both awesome and so embarrassing).
Katie says they all are so drawn to this room for games, chess, puzzles, homework – it’s just a room they want to be in that is still so close to the kitchen and living room.
Rug | Chairs | Table
We furnished it with a rug from our old collection, which has so many tones of blues and greens in it. I always wanted this rug to be more plush (because I want every rug to be plush), but man, the color is so good, and that light stripe is really pretty. We found the perfect darker table from AllModern, and Katie splurged (on my request) on these chairs from Soho Home. Listen, this room is the first room you see coming into the house, right off the entry. These chairs had to be pretty and special. The color is DIVINE.
Planter
Oh, and yes, they have glass pocket doors that close it off, although I’m unsure what the purpose of them is, except they look really pretty. They don’t mask much of the sound, but maybe a little? I love the look of them and wasn’t responsible for designing them, but I love how they turned out.
Oscar Sofa | Long Lumbar Pillow (similar) | Cabinet Hardware | Drawer Hardware
OMG. What is she doing up there??! Giving “Belle” hard (but in a French maid outfit and heels?). We put our Oscar sofa in green tweed in here, the cushiest, most comfortable (and best-selling in navy blue velvet) sofa in our collection. We always meant to install sconces on the sides of the cabinets (and I think even wired for it), but haven’t yet (and not sure we will).
Chandelier | Decorview
The chandelier kills me. It’s huge, both in width and length, really commanding attention in the really tall ceilings. It’s a work of art, a sculpture, and still provides perfect lighting. It’s from Blueprint Lighting, which means you can customize the colors of the enamel and the metal. We chose Pearl and Charcoal with Natural Brass and had it drop enough that you could see it fully without looking up, but it wouldn’t obstruct the view too much. It’s PERFECT.
This room needed window treatments due to it being west-facing, so we partnered with Decorview to install motorized shades in a soft taupe. We wanted it to kinda disappear instead of being a feature. And since the top window is so high, the remote easily controls them up and down.
Putnam Ladder
It’s not a super eclectic room with a lot of surprises. But my goodness, the vibe, tone, light, and simplicity draw you in and make you want to just flop on the sofa or play connect four (apparently, lol). The ladder is from Putnam, which we wrote about here. We chose the Quiet Glide version with the Walnut stain and Double Roller. It can be pushed in to be more vertical for easier storing, but passes along in front of the sofa easily.
Green Stool
The piano came with an adjustable bench that matches, but I found this stool from World Market that simply looks so much better 🙂
Faux Potted Plant | Entry Table (no longer available) | Blueprint Sconce
A big shout-out to one of the best faux trees I’ve ever seen (used multiple times in this house). I love this shot so much. The table in the background was mine, from Urban Outfitters years ago, and it doesn’t live here, but we added it for the shot. It made me motivated to get a small piece for here (the round is way too invasive, but could be a sideboard or a demilune).
Chandelier
The tones, the colors, the richness, and yet lightness. Y’all, I know that this may not be everyone’s cup of tea (perhaps too simple or not maximalist enough for many), but I’m really proud of this room and how it just sings softly and cohesively.
And my brother’s family LOVES it. I think it’s Katie’s favorite room, too (although again, wait til you see the living room). It’s easy to live in, easy to maintain, bright, and yet warm space that invites you into the house and sets the tone. It feels so balanced with warm and cool tones, with enough contrast to pop, but extremely calming. Its 100% my vibe, and we are going to live happily together, forever.
Game Room Resources:
Flooring: Stuga
Cabinetry Paint Color: Malabar by Sherwin-Williams
Rolling Ladder: Putnam
Sconces and Chandelier: Blueprint
Window Shades: Decorview
Windows by Marvin Windows and Doors
*Architect: Anne Usher
**General Contractor: JP Macy of Sierra Custom Construction
***Interior Designers: Emily Henderson (me!) and Max Humphrey
****Styling: Emily Henderson (me!)
*****Photos by Kaitlin Green