New Year’s Guest Post: Sallie Kjos

Happy New Year everyone — I hope your Roaring Twenties are off to a wonderful start! Since beginning a new year tends to inspire thoughts of reinvention and renewal, I thought I would start 2020 with a guest post by my decorating friend, Sallie Kjos of GreyHunt Interiors in Northern Virginia, whom I met when I wrote about her stunning black and white bathroom for Washingtonian Magazine.

I noticed that Sallie was posting some Instagram stories about giving new life to old chairs, and I asked her to share. Take it away, Sallie!

I am so excited to officially kick-off the new year with a guest post on this amazing blog! This year marks my 20th anniversary of becoming an official interior designer, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to commemorate it in this way. The year 2020 has us all really assessing the choices we’ve made, our past mistakes, and what exactly we can learn from them. It also has people looking toward the future. We’re all thinking about the things that we need to redo, and frankly how we should be doing it right this time! This all holds true for your furniture and your home as well.

I feel so blessed that my clients not only trust me with their homes, but they trust me to create a space where their future memories will be made — where their life moments will happen. That’s why I really see the beauty in bringing life back to a great piece, because it holds so many memories. There are moments when I look at pieces of furniture, especially chairs (I LOVE chairs!), and I can see the beauty in the lines. That tired old chair just needs a makeover, a second chance, and its own design refresh. Not only is this an eco-friendly option, but you can really be creative and customize your piece while retaining all of its wonderful memories.

This cobalt and white room was really special for me.

The client was very attached to the sofa, as it was her late mother’s, and she feared that redesigning the room would mean losing her special piece. Not a chance! We made the sofa the star of the room with a rich cobalt-navy velvet fabric. Now the entire family enjoys this room every day.

Before:

 

This one is coming soon — a sneak peek of one of my latest makeovers! These chairs are another great rejuvenation story using paint and fabric by Fabricut, but it’ll have to remain a secret for now as this room redesign won’t be released until later in 2020!

 

Before:

 

As I mentioned before, I love chairs, seriously I DO! I purchased the chair shown below while I was in college for only $20.

It clearly was in need of some serious TLC once my kids got ahold of it. So, I painted it black and we recovered it in a Sunbrella White fabric, and wah-la! A totally brand new look!

I also changed out a boring white bench with a more vivid Grass Green by Kate Spade, and now it really pops:

 

This is one of my favorite transformations of all time, below. Isn’t it just fabulous? Okay I’m not just talking about the Manolo Blahniks, but the curves on this chair! When I first saw this chair I fell in love with the lines and I could see it fully reimagined in my head. Isn’t she just gorgeous? Who would have thought that this plaid, dark, outdated chair could become so feminine and modern? Once we painted the frame, I chose a nubby neutral by Kasmir Fabrics for the cushion and back pillow:

 

 

This project is another one of my favorites (Yes, I do in fact have lots of favorites). A new home called for a new look, so before my friend and client even moved in, we got to work planning out how to give this fabulous classic chair a new vibe.

Look at how elegant this pair turned out!

 

I could go on and on with all of these before-and-afters, but I won’t. As you go about redoing a space, I want to really encourage you to look at furniture pieces you already have and assess their overall lines. Getting a new space in 2020 for some will mean a redesign, a makeover, or a complete start-over. What will this new year look like in your home?