Joanna’s Condo Interior Redesign – Part 1

Joanna’s story is the perfect illustration of how to create beautiful spaces and why you need to go back to basics.

I knew Joanna only socially through leadership and networking groups, and I knew she loved the colour purple, but I was not aware of her plan to move into a high-rise condo downtown Burlington.

She was about to be on her own for the first time in many years as both her sons had graduated, left home and moved closer to their work.  She had given away or donated most of her furniture to the women’s shelter and wanted a clean slate but had no real idea of how to make it “hers”. 

So naturally I was thrilled when Joanna reached out to me as she loved the way I am able to create beautiful spaces.  She was also bringing with her too many surplus bins of clothes, shoes and bags which, under considerable pressure from well-meaning friends, were also donated to a local shelter.

The process:

By the time we started the project, I came to know a brilliant, funny, unique individual whose entire colour world consisted of black, white, silver and purple.  Oh dear. Thankfully, she had only 3 major requirements regarding décor:

1. It had to reflect her British heritage.
2. It had to provide flexibility in the use of space, as she works from home; and
3. It had to be conducive to entertaining – Joanna LOVES the holidays and family dinners!

My first visit revealed an open concept kitchen and combined Living/Dining space, one large master suite and 2 reasonably sized bedrooms, all of which had south-facing lake views.  It was also completely bland… contractor white walls and yellowed white trim.  This definitely was not Joanna!

Before

We started with the basics:

1. We had the entire condo painted in a warm gray with crisp white trim, white doors and ceilings to instantly update the look and provide a neutral backdrop for furnishing, lighting, art, etc.  Starting with the basic colour scheme also allows for seasonal decorating without a major do-over.
2. We determined a function for every room, and the feeling Joanna wanted to invoke in each space:

After

• Living/dining room; “Big Wow”, contemporary, colourful but elegant
• Open Kitchen: functional, uncluttered
• Principal bedroom: calm, soothing, restful
• Bedroom 2: fun, nostalgic, “the British room”, telephone booth and all
• Bedroom 3: elegant, functional Multi-use office

3. We decided on a basic colour palette to support the purpose and feeling she wanted for each room, none of which would include purple!

Because the kitchen/living/dining area was not really large enough to have an island and a separate dining area without crowding, we decided to use that entire space as a Living Room.

Black and white became the dominant colour, with red accents. We considered the basic colour formula of 60% (walls), 30% furnishings and 10% (accent pieces) to make the Living Room really pop.  We also installed a fireplace to provide ambient light and a feeling of warmth to soften the look.

In the Principal Bedroom, we created softness with soft teal, white, mirrors and crystals to provide a sense of calm and luxury.  A bold piece of complimentary art completed the look.

The second bedroom became the British Room, in which I created a stylish guest bedroom with white, red and blue.  Joanna had a large custom built union jack ottoman and it looked perfect under the window.  This is the room where all her lovely British things go! It’s the fun room!

The third bedroom became a multipurpose space.  It would be used as an office for most of the time, but when company came, it would be a dining room. 

It was originally constructed as 2 rooms and had been made into one, so it was perfect. We hung a proper chandelier, Joanna chose a fabulous piece of art, and we styled the room around it. We used the same colours as the living room, because there is an adjoining door.  This arrangement made it very easy to convert the office into a spacious dining room when she is entertaining.

Multipurpose Dining and Office Space

The two full bathrooms and laundry room were all white which made it very easy to style.

I have now styled this condo in the sky in every season, including Christmas and it looks different each time. How to create beautiful spaces starts by going back to basics. Now Joanna has a versatile and flexible “condo in the sky” that works all year round without becoming boring.

Part 2 of Joanna’s story will tell how we created Spring in the Condo!

If you would like a consultation to see how to create beautiful spaces in your home or condo by re-styling, please connect with us or call us at 289-880-0500.