There is nothing quite as rewarding to a designer as being called back into a former clients’ home to do something new.

Not only does the ease of a familiar relationship make the project more fluid, but there is one more very important reward:

You get to see exactly how your former client is using the space you designed for them.

You find out how it has endured, how it has met their needs, and how it has satisfied their lifestyles. You get to see how your work has “worked” in their home. I’m so fortunate to have quite a few of these clients.

In fact, over the past five years, I’ve usually always had at least one client on the books who has been a former client. And I must say: I love going back to see how it all still looks and works for them.

Right now I’m finishing up two projects that were brought to me last spring by two of my former clients.

One of them is further developing what we started several years ago: redoing their flooring and kitchen cabinets and a few other extras. We had made a great start towards getting them to their goal of a more grayed down look, but they weren’t prepared to rip out the floor and refinish their cabinetry at that time. I’m so excited to now be able to see this project reach its full potential!

Here's the kitchen, as it was years ago:
(click pics to enlarge full screen)

Here were the beautiful honed Bianco Romano counters we did back then. Still beautiful!

Here is the island we installed back then. Still looking good!

The island, counters, backsplash, lighting, and hood were all good features that we installed back then.

Fast-forward to today: Those orange cabinets and tile floor have been updated to get rid of the orange color, create less contrast and impart a more subtle, sophisticated, somewhat rustic look. New images coming soon!

My other client had a project where, at the time, we wanted a warm, gold interior with red accents.

We used their existing furniture and color palette to create an envelope that enhanced those items. With a more colorful kitchen countertop and a gorgeous slate floor that had some red tones, we pushed their brown oak kitchen cabinets to a warmer look.

Fast-forward to today: They want a lighter, less colorful look. They still want a relaxed, weathered, comfortable space, but without all the gold and red. It would be a crime to take up that floor. It has stood the test of time and wears so well for their family. It still looks amazing.

I’ve used that overall warm tone in the stone tile, and the countertop, as the contrast in the space. We’ve gone all creamy white in here and are using the warm tones of the stone to provide some contrast. The new wood details we are putting into the space echo that color, strengthening the palette and the overall design concept.

That floor will still be amazing, but it will look more neutral and serve as a beautiful backdrop for the soft, light look we are layering on top in all the major rooms of the house.

Above and below: Sneak peeks at our new updates!

And here's the color palette we presented at our Schematic Design presentation. This presentation is for several of the living spaces open to the kitchen. See that slate floor sample on the table? It works well with the lighter palette, doesn’t it?