Before and After

L. Rudolph is a hard working, stylish woman with great taste of her own and a penchant for the best things in life.  She already had some terrific pieces of new and vintage furniture, and some architectural interest in her southwest bungalow style home.  She was tired of the existing colors though, and wanted a more subdued, clean, yet elegant look to her great room.  Using her existing furniture, we re-worked the layout and changed up the paint and tile to great effect.

 Before was a yellow wall with blue Mexican tile.  L. had lived with the tile for seven years and was just sick of it.

So starting with paint, we covered the yellow with a beautiful warm gray color called 'Tarnished Silver,' made by a local studio.  I had in mind wide horizontal stripes to help visually widen the room. I suggested the idea to L., and she was very receptive!

I custom mixed a lighter color of the gray to provide a low contrast presentation. It instantly changed the look of the room into that of a hip, uptown loft, even though this is a stand alone dwelling.  Now we needed to deal with that blue tile, which also encased her hearth and fireplace surround on the other side of the room.

I decided to simply work over the existing surface and execute a technique I have used many times in my own home, as well as that of others. Using ceramic tile adhesive, I proceeded to glue glass craft pebbles right on top of the tile.  Since I chose clear and white glass, I primed the tile first so there wouldn't be any blue showing through the back.

The process worked brilliantly, and the whole room was completely transformed.  After grouting each area and clean up, I left Ms. Rudolph to enjoy her new space.  She was excited to share her beautiful new great room with her daughter, who would be visiting from afar later that week!

This co-ordinates BEAUTIFULLY with the poured concrete counter top!

I am very pleased with the way it turned out, and hope it gives L. many years of enjoyment!