Expert David Jimenez shows you how to transform your living space.

House Dressing
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SOLUTION #1
family time
1 room 3 ways
Expert David Jimenez shows you how to transform your living space.
TROUBLE SPOT—FIXED!
Do you long for a tasteful living
room, reserved for book club gatherings? Or would you prefer a room where
the kids go to do homework and stage
Scrabble tournaments? Because most
of us find it a challenge to make our
living space fit everyone’s needs and
feel just right, we turned to an expert:
“The key is to use the full scope of the
room without cluttering it,” says David
Jimenez, who laid out these brilliant
arrangements for us, grouping the same
big furniture pieces three different ways.
(David was part of the team that created
the signature looks of Pottery Barn and
Restoration Hardware; most recently
he’s redesigned many of Hallmark’s
Gold Crown stores.) He suggests that
you start with the trouble spots (every
room has them!)—like a sloping floor
or an off-center picture window—that
keep your room from looking balanced.
“The biggest challenge in this room was
a large, louvered double closet door. It’s
the first thing you see when you walk
into the room,” says David, whose three
simple solutions turned the problem
into an asset. Get ready to make your
living room look like a page from your
favorite catalog! —Amy Palanjian
DISPLAY NICHE Here, David turned the clunky closet into a pretty showcase. It dis­­plays
collectibles, like these bright blue goblets, while tucking them out of the way of foot traffic.
TO DO We simply removed the louvered doors, added a ceiling spotlight and painted the
interior walls to match the living room. Then we layered a tray on top of a leather otto­man to
contain a collection of magazines, and a little antique chair on the desk to hold fresh flowers.
➤
42
H A L L M A R K M A G A Z I N E f e b r u a ry / m a r c h 2 0 0 8
Photographs: Scott Gibbons; Photostylist: Andy Newcom. Renderings: Bryan Thomas and Doug Bazzel
This arrangement is perfect
for anyone wanting to
use the living room for, well,
living. David imagined
Mom helping kids with
homework at the round table
while Dad catches up with
e-mails on the sofa. The long
trunk in the center of the
room is quickly converted
from coffee table to a
late-afternoon snack spot.
1
#
Solution
simply
d
n
a
,
s
u
o
e
n
ta
n
o
p
s
“Be open to being til they feel right.”
n
u
d
n
u
o
r
a
s
g
in
th
e
mov
hits of Color
David says: Use Small
room is subdued, so we
“The overall palette of the
t the space to brighten
used vivid pops of color throughou
’s-egg blue of the
robin
the
way
things up. Check out the
es piled into
appl
the
of
red
the
jar,
ry
glass apotheca
green of the
the
h and
the elongated bowl behind the couc
love to
also
I
life.
to
plant in the corner bring the room
.”
color
of
s
block
add
to
s
use stacks of book
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2 0 0 8 H A L L M A R K M A G A Z I N E
43
Solution
2
#
so
m
o
o
r
e
th
f
o
t
s
o
m
e the
“ You want to mak out being cluttered.”
le with
that it’s comfortab
TDOORS IN
s: BRING THE OU
David saybey
we added
ond the French doors,
“To echo the yard
d subtle
branches, which len
a tall vase filled with
te garden
cre
con
ite
wh
ed
also add
texture and color. We
ich
wh
ck garden stool—
ornaments, and the bla
end
an
as
use
den store—to
was about $40 at a gar
.”
irs
cha
o
table between the tw
House Dressing
SOLUTION #2
maximizE space
This functional yet stylish arrangement makes
sense for anyone who wants to use every square
inch of the living room. David started by
grounding the center of the room with the
oversize leather ottoman—which makes the room
feel more relaxed than a wooden piece would—
and hanging a chandelier above it. This inexpensive home-center fixture adds warmth and
ambience, and David made it more elegant by
painting its parchment shades a neutral light
beige. Then he created this attractive home office
behind the sofa, using a table wide enough to
accommodate both a laptop and trays for papers.
➤
WINDOW DRESSING This fix of David’s
turns the awkward closet into a faux window
that matches the real one on the same wall. The
symmetry of two windows flanking the fireplace
unifies the room, putting it into balance while
keeping the closet available for storage.
TO DO We bought two fluted rods with ball
finials at a home center, painted them white and
hung one over the closet doors, the other over the
window. We then added inexpensive tab-top
curtains to each. Finally, we slid a low trunk in
front of the curtained closet to provide extra
storage space for papers and files.
TROUBLE SPOT—FIXED!
HOME WORK Using
desk accessories in
neutral colors helps tie
the work space into the
overall decor of this superfunctional room.
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2 0 0 8 H A L L M A R K M A G A Z I N E
45
House Dressing
SOLUTION #3
entertain friends
If you love to have friends over, this is the
arrangement for you. Moving the round
table toward the window leaves plenty of
room for guests to mingle by the French
doors (and spill out onto the patio in warm
weather), and the positioning of the sofa
and chairs encourages chatting. By putting
the table in front of the screen, David
created another spot to linger—and a place
to put food and drinks. To keep the room
feeling personal, he used one of his favorite
tricks, filling it with family photos.
Scattered photos can look cluttered, so he
made a family gallery wall behind the
couch. Hung in a group, a hodgepodge of
pictures turns into an impressive display.
TROUBLE SPOT—FIXED!
➤
CONVERSATION CORNER Here, David
masked the unattractive closet door with a folded
screen to make another place for guests to gather.
TO DO We hinged together hollow-core doors
from a home center and painted them to blend
with the walls. We then added thin strips of
molding in contrasting white to match the formal
architecture of the room. Finally, David moved a
table (to double as a bar) in front of the screen
and slid an inviting fabric ottoman under it. The
finishing touch: a textured throw draped on top,
which adds softness and an air of comfort.
FAMILY GALLERY A collection
of photos has a cohesive impact
when hung together. David echoes
this effect by layering photos on
top of the mantelpiece.
Solution
er
th
o
n
a
e
n
o
f
o
t
n
o
fr
in
s
to
“Layering pho
inviting.”
e
r
o
m
l
e
fe
e
c
a
sp
a
s
e
k
a
instantly m
3
#
HTS
s: DIM THE LIGsub
David sayand
dued light.
feels better in
looks
“Trust me, everyone
, 15- or 7.5-watt
seven lamps with 25or
I’d rather have six
overhead lights.
or
lbs
bu
er
ps with bright
bulbs than fewer lam
lows that make
ps creates highs and
Having multiple lam
le and relaxing.”
a room feel comfortab
FEBRUARY
J u ly / A
/ MARCH
ugust 2007
8 HALLMARK MAGAZINE
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