Makeover by Monday | Art-Filled Livingroom

In last weekend’s episode of Makeover by Monday, I got to create a gallery wall with ALL the homeowner’s art. So I was totally in my element! The challenge was combining this couple’s two different styles. Laure is a Creative Director who comes from a family of artists. Her husband Emanuel is an engineer from Ghana who was very attached to the livingroom as it was. The furniture set was the first big purchase he made for the home 25 years ago. The livingroom was where they raised their 3 children, who are now all grown and out of the home. I was definitely the most nervous about this reveal, and thankfully they both loved it. And Emanuel’s reaction may be my favorite of the season!

The plan

I wanted to capture the feeling of the original room, just organize and elevate it. My goal was for the room to feel like a classic, art-filled sitting room or library, with hints of African prints and decor. A tall order right?!

Laure had a few pieces of art on the wall, but a huge stack of unframed art. I have been collecting brass frames from Goodwill for years, so I was excited to put my collection to use. I framed a bunch of art passed down through Laure’s family to create a big gallery wall.

Shopping

Paint colors:
Walls: Farrow & Ball Oval room blue
Trim: Farrow & Ball Inchyra Blue
Dining Room: Behr Rodeo Tan
Poly & Bark Napa sofa
Burnt Orange Velvet Curtains
Sheer Curtains
Double Curtain Rods
Oval Jute Rug
Dining room Chandelier
Rattan Chairs
Pillows by Penny & Ivy
Chasing Paper Warri Palms wallpaper
Pillow fabric from J&S African Center
Vintage Turkish rug
All art/busts are by the family.
Coffee table, sidetable and pedestals were thrifted and painted black.
Thrifted dining room chairs

Dividing the Rooms

One of the most impactful changes was bumping out the wall below the header just a little to create a distinct opening that could be trimmed out. It created a hard separation between the rooms that could be painted different colors.

Contrast Trim

I wanted to go bold with color, so I painted the whole room blue and then installed all new trim, crown molding, and chair rail with a darker blue. I love the impact it made! We moved the piano and opened it so it became more of a focal point and less of surface to put stuff on.

There were two DIY projects in this episode. The first was painting a bunch of thrifted furniture with glossy black paint to unify them. It also takes traditional furniture and gives it a more updated look. The second project was creating a plaster vase.

I painted this little side table black and created a space for Laure’s birds. And her 6′ statue found a new home near the entry.

The Dining Room

I also did a few updates in the dining room! I painted her table a dark green, added chairs I scored at a flea market, and installed new lighting. We also added crown and a pink/tan chair rail.

In the cubby, I installed Warri Palms wallpaper from an African artist, Shadé Akanbi. Then added floating shelves and created a coffee station.

I think that’s about it! Let me know if you have other questions in the comments!
You can watch Makeover by Monday on the Magnolia Network on Saturdays at 12p/11c or stream on discovery+ and the Magnolia app.