As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

Interior Designer: MOTIV Interiors LLC Photographer: Sam Angel Photography Design Challenge: This 8 year-old boy and girl were outgrowing their existing setup and needed to update their rooms with a plan that would carry them forward into middle school and beyond. In addition to gaining storage and study areas, could these twins show off their big personalities? Absolutely, we said! MOTIV Interiors tackled the rooms of these youngsters living in Nashville's 12th South Neighborhood and created an environment where the dynamic duo can learn, create, and grow together for years to come. Design Solution: In his room, we wanted to continue the feature wall fun, but with a different approach. Since our young explorer loves outer space, being a boy scout, and building with legos, we created a dynamic geometric wall that serves as the backdrop for our young hero’s control center. We started with a neutral mushroom color for the majority of the walls in the room, while our feature wall incorporated a deep indigo and sky blue that are as classic as your favorite pair of jeans. We focused on indoor air quality and used Sherwin Williams’ Duration paint in a satin sheen, which is a scrubbable/no-VOC coating. We wanted to create a great reading corner, so we placed a comfortable denim lounge chair next to the window and made sure to feature a self-portrait created by our young client. For night time reading, we included a super-stellar floor lamp with white globes and a sleek satin nickel finish. Metal details are found throughout the space (such as the lounge chair base and nautical desk clock), and lend a utilitarian feel to the room. In order to balance the metal and keep the room from feeling too cold, we also snuck in woven baskets that work double-duty as decorative pieces and functional storage bins. The large north-facing window got the royal treatment and was dressed with a relaxed roman shade in a shiitake linen blend. We added a fabulous fabric trim from F. Schumacher and echoed the look by using the same fabric for the bolster on the bed. Royal blue bedding brings a bit of color into the space, and is complimented by the rich chocolate wood tones seen in the furniture throughout. Additional storage was a must, so we brought in a glossy blue storage unit that can accommodate legos, encyclopedias, pinewood derby cars, and more! Comfort and creativity converge in this space, and we were excited to get a big smile when we turned it over to its new commander.

As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

Chris Bradley
Example of a classic medium tone wood floor family room library design in Chicago

As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

Photo credits: Mike Kelley
Family room - modern family room idea

Tuscan wine cellar photo in New York

As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

As you walk into the house you first notice the grand staircase and at either side of the door you have two upholstered chairs. A top the console table it is peppered with a miniature gold menagerie and below, stacks of collections of vintage encyclopedias and other sets of books. The wall is covered in a variety of mirrors and antique art.

Fernanda Zulzke gifted São Paulo with an authentic experience by preserving the original 1920s tiles and architecture of the building. Many broken tiles were replaced, and missing ones were carefully sourced to breathe new life into a long-forgotten space. The floor tiles received the same care, though they posed an even greater challenge, as the original baseboard pieces could not be found even in the city’s largest tile archives. Beyond mere maintenance, the decoration aims to show visitors that history and its imperfections bring beauty, vitality, originality, and exclusivity to a space—a combination that can never be replicated, a luxury in its essence. In the realm of restoration, the solid wood bathroom doors were personally tended to by Flávio Galli, a skilled designer and expert in raw materials, who followed the guidelines of the Parque da Água Branca manual. Four days of cleaning, sanding, and varnishing brought the doors back to life. In terms of carpentry, damaged baseboards and frames were crafted by Construverde using the building’s original wood—a true gift that Fernanda Zulzke was determined to offer the public and the park. Completing the bathroom’s composition, imported wallpapers from Cordão Decor and a Roman curtain in cambric demonstrate the decorator’s ability to honor history while making bold, unexpected choices. Few can combine vintage, classic, and diverse colors and patterns in such a small space, transforming it into a light and fresh work of art, like the eucalyptus resting atop the marble and classic encyclopedias.

Fernanda Zulzke gifted São Paulo with an authentic experience by preserving the original 1920s tiles and architecture of the building. Many broken tiles were replaced, and missing ones were carefully sourced to breathe new life into a long-forgotten space. The floor tiles received the same care, though they posed an even greater challenge, as the original baseboard pieces could not be found even in the city’s largest tile archives. Beyond mere maintenance, the decoration aims to show visitors that history and its imperfections bring beauty, vitality, originality, and exclusivity to a space—a combination that can never be replicated, a luxury in its essence. In the realm of restoration, the solid wood bathroom doors were personally tended to by Flávio Galli, a skilled designer and expert in raw materials, who followed the guidelines of the Parque da Água Branca manual. Four days of cleaning, sanding, and varnishing brought the doors back to life. In terms of carpentry, damaged baseboards and frames were crafted by Construverde using the building’s original wood—a true gift that Fernanda Zulzke was determined to offer the public and the park. Completing the bathroom’s composition, imported wallpapers from Cordão Decor and a Roman curtain in cambric demonstrate the decorator’s ability to honor history while making bold, unexpected choices. Few can combine vintage, classic, and diverse colors and patterns in such a small space, transforming it into a light and fresh work of art, like the eucalyptus resting atop the marble and classic encyclopedias.

Fernanda Zulzke gifted São Paulo with an authentic experience by preserving the original 1920s tiles and architecture of the building. Many broken tiles were replaced, and missing ones were carefully sourced to breathe new life into a long-forgotten space. The floor tiles received the same care, though they posed an even greater challenge, as the original baseboard pieces could not be found even in the city’s largest tile archives. Beyond mere maintenance, the decoration aims to show visitors that history and its imperfections bring beauty, vitality, originality, and exclusivity to a space—a combination that can never be replicated, a luxury in its essence. In the realm of restoration, the solid wood bathroom doors were personally tended to by Flávio Galli, a skilled designer and expert in raw materials, who followed the guidelines of the Parque da Água Branca manual. Four days of cleaning, sanding, and varnishing brought the doors back to life. In terms of carpentry, damaged baseboards and frames were crafted by Construverde using the building’s original wood—a true gift that Fernanda Zulzke was determined to offer the public and the park. Completing the bathroom’s composition, imported wallpapers from Cordão Decor and a Roman curtain in cambric demonstrate the decorator’s ability to honor history while making bold, unexpected choices. Few can combine vintage, classic, and diverse colors and patterns in such a small space, transforming it into a light and fresh work of art, like the eucalyptus resting atop the marble and classic encyclopedias.

Fernanda Zulzke gifted São Paulo with an authentic experience by preserving the original 1920s tiles and architecture of the building. Many broken tiles were replaced, and missing ones were carefully sourced to breathe new life into a long-forgotten space. The floor tiles received the same care, though they posed an even greater challenge, as the original baseboard pieces could not be found even in the city’s largest tile archives. Beyond mere maintenance, the decoration aims to show visitors that history and its imperfections bring beauty, vitality, originality, and exclusivity to a space—a combination that can never be replicated, a luxury in its essence. In the realm of restoration, the solid wood bathroom doors were personally tended to by Flávio Galli, a skilled designer and expert in raw materials, who followed the guidelines of the Parque da Água Branca manual. Four days of cleaning, sanding, and varnishing brought the doors back to life. In terms of carpentry, damaged baseboards and frames were crafted by Construverde using the building’s original wood—a true gift that Fernanda Zulzke was determined to offer the public and the park. Completing the bathroom’s composition, imported wallpapers from Cordão Decor and a Roman curtain in cambric demonstrate the decorator’s ability to honor history while making bold, unexpected choices. Few can combine vintage, classic, and diverse colors and patterns in such a small space, transforming it into a light and fresh work of art, like the eucalyptus resting atop the marble and classic encyclopedias.