Mosaic backsplash

The Wine Room Before & After

Welcome to the Lower Level! We warmly refer to it as the “Lower Level” because it’s no longer just a basement.

Our client’s request for a wine tasting room served as the catalyst for our creative inspiration, which took the form of a barrel top. This choice holds profound significance, as it originally belonged to our client’s mother and hails from her picturesque hometown in Germany.

Inspirational start to our project

The door entering this area offers a tantalizing preview of the Lower Level experience; in each panel we integrated embossed leather.

As you make your way downstairs, you’ll be greeted with the sight of an illuminated handrail. It’s not only a pleasant surprise but also adds an extra layer of safety!

The stairwell walls are treated with raised panels that seamlessly flow into the adjoining room.

The Before (left) and After (right)

As in any basement, the space had become a repository for all cushions and discarded items. (stay tuned for our solution in Part Two)

Before photos of the wine room area

Our aim was to capture the ambiance of a warm and inviting German restaurant. To bring this vision to life, we incorporated a built-in banquette, opting for a mustard-colored indoor/outdoor fabric. The flooring was replaced with cobblestone-like porcelain tile. We introduced a navy blue embossed crocodile wallcovering throughout the space.

The low ceiling height posed a unique challenge, which we addressed by adding embossed tin ceiling tiles. These tiles not only reflect light but also create a visual illusion of greater height.

Along the back wall, antique glass panels draw attention to our focal point: the captivating barrel head! On the right side of the room is a tasting bar, complete with two custom leather barstools. On the left is built-in cabinetry designed for display purposes as well as storage.

Ta da!

The pièce de résistance: A photograph of our client’s mother’s hometown was meticulously recreated in the form of a mosaic backsplash.

Mosaic backsplash
Details of the handmade mosaic.

We replaced a closet with a full-size refrigerator that holds more than 70 bottles of wine.

Before, during and after!

A custom wood and wrought iron floor to ceiling wine rack holds red wine.

Before and After

One of the most rewarding aspects of this space is the profound emotional experience it imparts to our clients. And what could be better than that?

If you’re thinking of updating an unused space in your home, book a discovery call. We’d love to collaborate in designing new memories!

Stay tuned for Part Two…The Theatre!

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How we designed it…

Why would anyone what to leave this guest room? Here are the steps we took to create it.

We started with measuring and drafting up a basic scaled floor plan.  Our client already had the majority of what she needed for the space, so our job was to interject color, personality and to create a space that flowed with the rest of the house. 

We decided to use this embroidered floral fabric on the window treatments.  Simple panels on a rod with black out lining were chosen. This fabric’s vibrant colors make such a statement and need no additional embellishments.  The once dark green walls were replaced with the office white ground found in the fabric.  We used a no VOC paint.

We discovered (and fell in love with) this artwork at High Point Market on our most recent trip.  A trio above the headboard injects color and joy to this space.

An overscaled wool navy striped rug was chosen to ground the space and balance the scale of the floral embroidered panels.  The bedside lamps we chose were a perfect indigo blue.

We were fortunate to be able to use the client’s chair and ottoman.   The vibrant Hermes boxes were pulled from storage and used as an accent and accessory in this space.  The last piece to this space was the artwork above the chair that blended perfectly with the two!

….because sometimes the best inspiration starts with what our clients already own.
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Five ways to create an energizing guest room

Our goal for any space we are designing is that it becomes a place where you will gravitate.

Here are our top five (simple yet effective) wellness tips for creating a space that is bound to make your guests want to stay longer.

1. Inject color – How do you want to feel in this space? Our client wanted this room to energize her as it’s also her home office. So we used saturated oranges and electric blues to do just that. Fun fact: orange is associated with joy and radiates warmth. In the body, it’s associated with circulation and the nervous system.

2. Material selections – Use materials that can alter your guest’s experience of warmth – when people are physically warmer, their levels of interpersonal warmth increase.  Because who needs a cranky guest? Simple additions include adding a warm throw and a few colorful pillows on the bed. Soft fabrics on upholstered pieces such as the chair in this space add to the comfort of this room.  (teaser for our next post!)

3. Lighting control – Lift your guest’s mood with natural sunlight but also give them the ability to control the amount of sunlight the room. Window treatments should not only be operable but also have black out lining to ensure a good night’s rest. (Did you know that direct access to daylight and views reduces blood pressure, lowers the incidence of headaches, and in healthcare setting results in the need for less pain medication and shorter stays in the hospital?)

4. If you have bare wood floors, adding a throw rug serves two purposes: added warmth to the space (who wants to wake up and put their feet on a bare floor?) and also addresses any acoustical challenges. The bold, large scaled striped throw rug that we used for this project injects personality and warmth to this space.

5. Artwork – We chose artwork that energizes…that “sparks joy” in our client. Artwork personalizes the room and becomes the perfect finishing touch.

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House Smart Fiori Interior Design

Multi-Function Rooms: Making the most of every inch of your home

We all have rooms in our homes that simply aren’t used as frequently as we would like. Perhaps these rooms have a more traditional function, and are not used as often as they were in the past. As an example, when was the last time you used your formal dining room to entertain guests?

For most families, a formal dining room and formal living room are large spaces that aren’t being used to their full potential. While they can certainly be useful for special occasions and large gatherings, they often aren’t designed to be functional for our day-to-day lives.

Designing these rooms to be multi-functional is key to bringing them into the present. With a few simple adjustments, you can transform these seldom used rooms into spaces your family loves and uses on a daily basis.

I talked about multi-functional rooms and showed some real-life examples on an episode of House Smarts, a home improvement and lifestyle TV series hosted by Lou Manfredini. You can watch my segment in the video below.
At Fiori Interior Design, we prioritize functionality to ensure the spaces you live in feel authentic and nurturing, so you and your family can live well. If you would like to know how you can make your home work better for your family and lifestyle, I would love to help – simply schedule a consultation here.

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