The last few projects have been DIY’s we’ve taken on in order to get Amanda’s music school ready for it’s big reveal. The school recently moved a few blocks down the road from their original building and so the new digs called for a new look!
We stuck with the same feel as before- fun, colorful, and a bit modern- but we we freshened things up a bit.
The music school is all about fostering creative energy, so we filled the rooms with unique DIY projects, one-of-a-kind furniture, and tons of color! So, let’s look at the before and after’s shall we? (ps- the rooms were not actually white when we started, but I forgot to get pics before the first coat went up! Ooops!)
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
The rooms are somewhat small, so I wanted to hang floor to ceiling curtains to add drama to the space and to draw your eye up. This makes the rooms feel a little bigger than they actually are. The curtains also frame the fireplace nicely, drawing even more attention to the focal point of the room.
Beyond all this, having the same curtains in both rooms give the space a nice flow and feeling of symmetry.
Because the fireplace was obviously going to be the focal point, I wanted to give it a special treatment. Something that would really speak to the edge of the owner and the school in general. I felt the perfect bit of funk came from this black and white chevron pattern. In a few short hours the fireplace had been transformed from a god-awful red to a spunky spectacle.
Not only do the curtains draw your eye up, but so does this gorgeous purply, fusia color. I painted the ceiling because I thought it would be beautiful and unexpected. I chose a semigloss finish so there would be a reflective quality to bounce more light around the space. You also see other reflective surfaces around the room: DIY gold lampshades, wall art, mirrors, ect. I love using metallics and reflective pieces to bring a bit of bling to a space. For me, it adds an attention grabbing layer to rooms.
With this being a music school, we did want to pay homage to the purpose of the building. So, we came up with the idea to use a drum as a coffee table base (which Tim awesomely figured out how to make glow without running electrical wires- read more about that here!!) and cymbals as art above the TV.
Behind the console piece is an incredible piece of art that one of Amanda’s friends made for her. Of course we had to use that in the space!
Lastly and not so overtly, we painted the “pattern” on the rug. The painted portions remind me of beams of light or spotlights, which I can very easily correlate to being a rockstar! You can even see how the beams fade out as they get to the edge of the rug- much like light would. 🙂
Now, not everyone will see that correlation when they come into the space, but the dreamers will. Plus, not everything should be so in your face. . . some things should be discovered over time. That’s what good design is to me.
From an artistic point of view, I really like how the look of the color blocked fusia ceiling in the waiting room is transfered to the floor in the office with the use of a rug in the same color. It creates a balance between the two rooms and brings them together.
We’ve got a fusia ceiling and white floor/rug in one room while there’s a white ceiling and a fusia floor/rug in the other room. Yes, this makes me a very happy designer! 🙂
Painted doors throughout the space add to the fun factor and make me think of an old gameshow voice saying, “And let’s see what we’ve got behind the green door Jonny!” 🙂 HaHa!
And finally, a few more pictures just for fun! 🙂
Well, I guess that’s the end of this little tour. What did you think!?
I love it! One of my favorite things is the curtains going clear to the ceiling – make a HUGE difference in the look of the rooms. Way to go!
I really like the art that looks like little fabric squares on a canvas! Also, I read the rug post yesterday and 2 thoughts came to me: 1 you could use a hair coloring brush instead of a paint brush to work the color in deeper, and 2 you could use a 12″ drywall putty knife thing to stab between the fibers to help keep the colors from bleeding. The room(s) look awesome! Oh and where is your future show going to call home?
Nikki @ the ambitious procrastinator
I think it’s AWESOME!! As a huge fan of color, I love it! I have to say I really enjoy seeing your work, it “speaks to me” 🙂
Keep up the great work!
The whole look is happy! I love the alternating floor/ceiling color. It brings the rooms together without being too obvious.
Thanks Georgia! It does feel like a happy place doesn’t it!? I hope the kids learning there feel that as well! Thanks for commenting! 🙂
Hey Liz!!! Hearing that our work speaks to you absolutely makes my day!! 🙂 I’ve tried to be “sophisticated” and live without color before but I always end up bringing it back in. . . and lots of it! Life is just so much better with color, at least for me it is! 🙂
Hey Nikki! I will actually do a DIY post on that piece of art, so stay tuned! 🙂 Thanks for the painted rug ideas, they both sound like they could really work! We have a couple of networks in mind for our show, but nothing has been decided just yet. We will certainly keep you updated!
Well thanks Jill! I sure could have used your sewing skills on all of those curtains!! If there is one thing that I need to work on, it’s my sewing skills! I love the bell jar arrangement you created in your home and the quote ‘If all you do in this life is praise God then you have done what you were intended to do’. Well, that is just wonderful! I have a bible verse painted on a canvas in my bathroom that says, “I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” I feel like God has called me and gifted me to design and I pray that I am bringing Him glory by doing so! ‘Til the next comment Jill!