Room of the Day: Making Over a Harlem Living Room From 3,000 Miles Away

Looking for a refreshing space to return to after weekly business trips to San Francisco, this entrepreneur tapped designer Jacqueline Palmer to help turn his New York City living room into an energetic space for entertaining friends on weekends. Playing off an exposed brick wall, Palmer punched up the urban vibe with graffiti art, a broken-in brown leather sofa and a splashy blue rug.

Living Room at a Glance
Location: Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan
Size: 12 by 15 feet (3.6 by 4.5 meters)
Year built: 1910

Favorite element: “The cognac leather sofa is the hero of the room,” says Palmer, of A Design Lifestyle. “It sets a masculine tone and sensual mood. It is a brand-new sofa from a popular retailer, but already it looks broken in. The color and texture complement the original brick wall, and the warm hue creates an inviting atmosphere.”

Why this room: “This room is the hub of the house,” Palmer says. “It is the first room you see when you enter the home, and it opens into the kitchen and entry.”

What goes on here: Intimate dinners, brunches, movie nights, game days and small social gatherings.

Biggest challenge: Designing the room almost entirely from across the country in San Francisco. “I had a few dimensions, photos and a video, and that’s all I had to work with to develop the design,” Palmer says. “We completed the entire project over email and Google Slides. After everything had been ordered, I flew to New York City to stage the items and pick out the art and accessories.”





Game plan: “The sofa and rug came first, establishing the color palette, and everything else fell into place,” Palmer says. “We ordered the upholstery and case goods online and then selected the soft goods, art and accessories in-store in NYC.”

Style sources: West Elm, CB2, Room & Board and BoConcept. “We started fresh and got rid of all of the existing furniture,” Palmer says.

Breakdown: Sofa, coffee table, breakfast table, side table, floor lamp, mirror, bar cart, pouf and window treatments: West Elm; rug and console: CB2; chairs: Room & Board; pillows and art: BoConcept; throw blanket: Room & Board; paint: White Dove OC-17, Benjamin Moore

Team involved: Chastity Cortijo (photographer)

See more Rooms of the Day

URL: Room of the Day: Making Over a Harlem Living Room From 3,000 Miles Away http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-26858.html