Hola Hola!!! Happy November amigos. We are back on Le Blog and ready to share some late REVEALS. This project, has been in our priority list for a while, no matter how late we are... here we are!!! Montecarlo has been one of our favorites 2019 makeovers. And guess what? it has been one of the fastest projects of the year and we are super excited to reveal this Living -Dining makeover. Wait, why Montecarlo? Well, once we told our client that we named our projects after cities, she was so excited that she picked her own city. She said, she spent so much time in Montecarlo with her family and she had very fond memories of the place. There you go.... we ticked the name of the project.
This post will tackle most of your questions when it comes to our work and hopefully will get you excited to make your own makeover. When we kick off a project, there are many factors that we take in consideration including the style and whether or not, it matches our style. This project in particular was 100% our style, which was a great match with the client. So, this is how are story begins....
Our client, had a very clear vision of what she wanted, however, she didn’t have the time to pull all the pieces together with the right flow. After seven weeks of design heaven, we completed this wonderful living and dining in the midst of Marina.
In a nutshell, our project was a mix of bespoke pieces, local sourcing as well as international sourcing. We like to mix and match our retailers to create a unique look and feel.
Before we start, let's have a look at the BEFORE pictures:
The Design
After one brief meeting and style quiz, we ticked most of our queries and we kicked the concept design. We usually take between one to two weeks for the design stage. Our client hired us for the lux package (the one where we do everything from a to z) which included two concept design options per room. It is actually a great way to get two eyes in one space... the results?? BOMB! Check out our initial proposal vs the end design.
Option 1
Option 2
Final Design
Yep, the merge of the two designs and a unique vision of two eyes (aka Tati and Moni) ended up being one of the fastest revisions for the team.
We have rounded up our 10 top tips that will help you tackle most of your interior troubles. Have a glimpse and take notes.
Tip 1: Keeper and Leavers
When thinking of the designing a Living / Dining room, you must emphasize in your priorities, mainly your keepers and leavers. What does this mean? Firstly, label the furniture that is run out and has served the purpose in your home and MOVE ON. Make a list of your MUST's and identify your most wanted pieces. Our client was determined with the makeover, so we started almost with a semi white canvas. We had two keepers in this room: (1) The white sofa (2) the art (which was key for our inspiration) and the tv. And of course the beautiful view, which was something that we took very much in consideration.
Tip 2: Play close attention to your existing Art Pieces
You must be identified here. We all have a past, wedding gifts or at least one art piece lying in the house with little attention. As you may know by now, Tati aka our curator specialist was WOWED by our client's collection. While sometimes we distract our feature walls with paint in the absence of art, in this case, we made sure that the art was part of the feature walls and color palettes.
Tip 3: Choose wisely your Statement Pieces
Let’s talk about statement pieces. We absolutely love to spend a good amount of tie sourcing unique pieces and creating a special place for them. On this project, we focused in the one and only VERTIGO LAMP BY CONSTANCE GUISSET FOR PETITE FRITURE which was sourced from our friends from THE BOWERY COMPANY . This was the first item bought and our starting point. As the center of attention, we wanted to keep the surroundings as simple as possible.
Tip 4: If you can't find it - Bespoke it
We have a good amount of queries, when it comes to bespoke pieces. The good news is that we absolutely love designing new pieces and collaborating with our favorites from THE LINE CONCEPT. But the question is when do we actually go with bespoke pieces ? Well, as we advice our clients, this happens when we either can't find the product in the market or when we have a specific design in mind. In this project, we incorporated four bespoke pieces. Spot our designs.
1. The Leather Tan Lounge Bench
2. The Tv Cabinet
3. The Carrara Dining Table
4. The Wood Console from the Attic
Tip 5: Budget Bucket List
At C’est ici we LOVE to mix and match between unique finds and affordable furnishings. Rugs and soft furnishings need to be durable and comfortable.
I am sure that you guys have heard about this one a couple of times, but is key, to have this clear vision from the beginning. Part of our job is to keep the client's expectations on the right track, when it come comes to design and also sourcing. For this one, we recommend that you have a clear budget in mind and set priorities. This will certainly help you in going to the right stores and buying the key pieces instead of filling up the space. Here is a useful list, we always keep in mind.
Write down the budget for your makeover
Label statement pieces and less important pieces
Allocate a good budget to the key pieces and keep the budget low in accessories
Map all the stores that are according to your budget
Spend a good amount sourcing online and see the difference of what is available in the market.
Tip 6. Interior Toppings
Yes! Accessories! This is like the ice cream toppings for us, while they come and go, we usually spend a good amount of time sourcing special pieces that will make the look cozy and just right. Have a peek at our favorites for this project.
Coffee Table Must's
Accessories from The Bowery Company, Monochrome box from H & M and Book from Tom Ford.
Side table and accessories from Crate and Barrel
Dining Goodies
Base and tray from Crate and Barrel
Cushions in Pastel
Patterned cushions from Kushaan. Nude cushion from Urbannest and Extra black and white cushions from H & M.
Greens
Tip 7: Be consistent with your Color Palettes
COLORES! Where to start? We can write a whole new post of colors but we will round this up for you. The first step is deciding what you want the vibe to be. Next, choose colors that feel like the mood you want to evoke. In general, pick dark shades if you want to ramp up the drama. Or, if you’re going for a serene feel, opt for lighter hues. Follow the 60-30-10 rule: 60% should be the dominant colour on the walls and rugs, while 30% is the secondary tone, supporting the main colour with soft furnishings. The final 10%, which is the most fun, is the accent colour designed to add a vibrant pop with accessories.
Tip 8: Layout the space wisely
Actually, this should be on top of the list. This is one of the first steps when designing and is crucial to keep the right flow of the room. We recommend that while you may not have the interiors tech knowledge, you can basically map with a pencil the existing space and have different options for the layout. Pin all the important measurements and empty spaces and start your space planning. Have a look at the layout we created for this project.
The result
Tip 9: No need to cover your view
The curtains vs no-curtain situation when you have an amazing view is something to debate and is very personal. Our recommendation for our client was not to incorporate curtains, as the view was one of our feature walls. The result was that the view really complemented our design as it was part of the plan.
Tip 10: Be true to your DNA
One of the reasons we co-founded C’est Ici was because we wanted to help people define their authentic interior style. We live in a world full of trends, so we say focus on what makes you happy, not what is in fashion. The most important part of building a home is to feel comfortable in it, so make it personal by adding your own unique touch.
We believe your home should be a reflection of who you are and a collection of what you love. Showcasing your personality in your space is all about imperfection, it is a combination of your life, encompassing the past, present and future. On this lines, stay true to your DNA.
That is all for now. We hope you like this makeover and our top 10 tips.
See you soon in our next post.
xoxo
M&T