I wish I had the words to describe how crazy the last 3 weeks of life has been but even now, searching for them, I simply can’t find any to do it justice. I guess it’s more of an undefined feeling that lies somewhere between sheer exhaustion and utter exhilaration that accounts for most of the blur, but truth be told, it was all in good messy fun! And when presented with the opportunity to work with Lindsey Hughes, Beauty Baby 44, I knew I wasn’t going to let myself off easy. So I guess I had it coming!
But let’s get to the reason why you’re here, the transformation of Lindsey’s newly renovated downtown loft. When I first met Lindsey she had just moved in, and what she was lacking in furniture, she was actually bursting with in ideas and inspiration. She had a vision of her space and even some pieces on the way, but like many, was having a hard time putting it all together and getting past simply visualizing it in her head. So that’s where I came in, to help her get a little clearer on what was percolating in her imagination and make it a reality in her living room, and bedroom, and kitchen… Yup! It’s a loft and it’s hard to say where one room ends and another picks up so we decided to just go for it all!
The first step in our ambitious undertaking, understanding Lindsey and her wants and needs, what was a necessity and was a “wouldn’t it be nice.” And lucky for me, she made it easy and did her homework. I left with a very detailed account of what was missing in her day to day along with images and tears from magazines of interiors and products that resonated with her. And with that I got straight to work on finding her a couch.
Being a loft, the couch is pretty much visible from anywhere in her space, so that meant we needed one attractive from just about every angle too. And after a few color changes and a size upgrade, we finally settled on her dark grey scroll arm Tribecca Home Chesterfield sofa. And once that was settled, the ball really got rolling.
Lindsey already had her coffee table ordered so for me, next up was her rug and accent chairs. A grey shag was on her list and after a lackluster one arrived that was anything but inviting, I decided to go for quality on the rug and found the perfect pile for her to sink her toes into at Living Spaces. It was slightly more than I was hoping to spend but the feel of this rug well surpassed the others I was eyeing and I’m now thrilled that Lindsey not only noticed how luxurious this rug feels but, loves it as well!
To finish off her living room I found what I think is the sore of the loft, the blush colored side chairs I stumbled upon on Wayfair.com while doing an exhaustive search for something totally unrelated. I knew Lindsey wanted teals and silvers as her accent colors for the loft but I just knew these would be stunning with the rug and sofa and work like magic with 2 art prints Lindsey already owned and I wanted so desperately to use. So in the end, I went for it and found the perfect excuse for everything.
With the living room pretty much complete, minus finishing touches, I turned my attention to her bedroom. To keep the bed frame was up in the air as was keeping her night stands, but I really saw no need to ditch either and opted to work with them instead. The main focus was going to be the wall, so I kept the frame as is and simply dressed up the night stands by adding some easy to apply nailhead trim ($20 for 5 yards!) and switched out the knobs ($1.98 each) for the perfect amount of drama. Not only was this the easiest upgrade ever, the impact to the budget was nothing! Gotta love that!
As for that big 10 foot by 12 foot wall, to wallpaper it with something fitting was going to run a whopping $600, and I wasn’t totally convinced wallpaper was the way to go anyway. So I stuck to what my gut was telling me and opted for a couple of stencils ($36 each) and a can of silver spray paint ($3.99 x2) to create the dramatic yet elegant wall of art behind her bed. The visual impact has some serious payoff for 1/6th the price tag of the wallpaper and the entire wall was well worth the hours spent upon the ladder!
To finish off the bedroom I swapped out her old lamps for some new Ikea ones, added the storage bench in front of the bed, tossed on some new pillows from Pier 1 and anchored the space with another rug I found at Living Spaces.
Also from Living Spaces, the incredible circular mirrors I placed in her kitchen for a mere $150 each! With these large mirrors acting as art pieces, I was not only able to cover some serious real estate and keep it clean, but also fuse together the industrial vibe she wanted for the kitchen with the romantic and chic feel of the rest of the space. And anchored above an old dresser acting as a console, the mirrors are the perfect addition for purpose and drama.
Next to the dresser, I placed 2 mint green stools I scored on clearance from Target, added a wooden tray on top of one for function, a plant for fashion and a pretty cup for chalk and created one of my favorite nooks in her loft. Topping it off with a mail bin and a larger planter used to store her pooch’s poop bags and a ball or two, I simply love the colors that come together here, the mint green of the stools, the wood tray that works back to her table (when it arrives) and matching butler, the white vases and the white and pink orchid stems and the silver mirror. It’s clean, bright and happy. And to hear it was one of Lindsey’s favorite areas made my heart sing.
And all of this would look even more amazing had the counter high bar table we purchased from CB2 not been damaged and now on backorder. But in the end, it’s not the worst that could have happened and it will be worth the wait. I tried to find a substitute table to no avail so for now, the 2 bar stools Lindsey chose from Joss & Main will be sitting pretty and solo in the kitchen until the Stilts table is back in stock later this month. But if they get too lonely I suppose we could always draw a table for them to sit with on the pillar I covered in chalkboard paint!
I love chalkboard paint, and I love it even more for Lindsey because it looks amazing in her loft. To me, chalk board paint just adds the perfect amount of whimsey to any room but also has the ability to serve some serious function! Perfect for laundry lists and need to know at a moments notice info, it’s also ideal for holiday decor and celebrations galore! Chalkboard paint can keep you orgainzed, keep you informed or just keep you busy, that’s the beauty of it — you decide if you want to chalk a little or chalk a lot! Either way, it looks great and is just plain fun. 
And that pretty much brings us to what’s still missing with the bar table being the major item. A bar cart and possibly some shelves for the kitchen should do it along with a runner for in front of her sink and range will finish us for sure. But these are all little things that just require a good internet scour and some final staging to make it feel completly done.
As for an unfinished projects, Lindsey’s vanity and the collage wall top the list. I knew she wanted an update to her vanity and a collage wall behind it but I was hesitant to make that call on my own and I’m glad I waited. Painting her vanity was a no turning back kind of decision and I really wanted the color choice to be her own. And furthermore, that could really only be done after she saw the overall aesthetic and the color palate already in place. I wanted the green light on what was removable if necessary before committing her to something more permanent. So, armed with more paint options than she probably wanted, we not only chose the perfect smoky teal green for her vanity but decided to make it a real statement piece and stencil it as well. And I have to admit, I’m really looking forward to transforming this vanity! I think it is going to be the ideal eye candy she’s after and the perfect backdrop for her vlogs.
And back to the collage wall, I have no doubt that it will fall into place simultaneously with the vanity. I left 2 of my favorite inspirational photography books with Lindsey to sort through and once I get a feel for her vision, along with the stenciled vanity, the collage will practically assemble itself!
So, if you want to be Livinlikelindsey and see more info on the products I used or just check out our inspirations, you can find my Design Client Beauty Baby 44 board on Pinterest for more details or leave me a message! I’ll keep updating the images and products as I check off the the remaining list items one by one!
And for the full tour, check out Lindsey’s vlog here!
Follow Messy By Design’s board Design Client Beauty Baby 44 on Pinterest.
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