This past May, I had a Mother's Day contest where readers could submit someone in their life deserving of a room makeover to receive a free design plan. Bridget nominated her Dad, Jim. To learn more about why Jim was selected, see here...

I can't even begin to tell you what a good sport Jim is. I mean, lets be honest - if a designer showed up to recreate my Dad's living room, well - I cannot even begin to imagine the blank stares he or she would get (sorry, Bigga!) :) Jim, however has great vision for what he wants the space to be as well as his likes and dislikes.

Jim lives in an amazing old home in one of the best areas in Indy (at least in my opinion). He has done a lot of updating since moving in, but the living room never quite made it to the "to do" list. So, when I arrived for the consult, I was very eager to begin thinking up just how I could transform this space into the relaxing retreat he so deserves.

Here is the space now...

Are you ready!? Here it is!

The layout...

And the plan...

OK, so we ended up redesigning both the living room and adjoining office. What can I say...I just can't resist rooms in need of a makeover. Typically I try not to share much detail around where pieces are from since technically that is part of what my clients are paying me to do, but on this one I can.

We switched the layout of the room quite a bit. We moved the TV to the wall across from the fireplace. Doing this accomplished two things. 1) This room is one of the first you see when you walk in the house, by moving the TV, it's no longer in immediate view when entering the front door. 2) Moving the TV also allowed for a media cabinet and much needed electronic storage. The media cabinet is from Overstock.com.
The sofa and two arm chairs will float in the center of the room. This keeps the fireplace as a focal point, but also allows for easy TV viewing.
We went with an amazing apartment size sofa from Arhaus in a color that is not charcoal nor chocolate. It is positioned somewhere perfectly in between those two shades. The color is masculine, not too trendy and will hold up to all the grandkids.
The two armchairs are also from Arhaus furniture.
We wanted a soft topped coffee table since Jim prefers sitting in chairs and needs a spot to rest his feet. The leather cover is durable and kid friendly, and the slatted base allows for additional storage. The version in the plan is from Pottery Barn, however we will most likely be going with a less expensive option from Wayfair.com.
The console table will live behind the sofa and the plan is to have an outlet cut into the floor beneath it to allow for lamps. Two ottomans from Overstock.com will tuck under the console table for even more storage and extra seating while entertaining.
Across from the console table we have created the "music area." Jim loves music and has a wonderful collection of records. We went with these fun leather butterfly chairs from Kittles because they are smaller in scale, have an open structure to keep the room from feeling too weighed down with furniture and just seem like a fun spot to have a drink, listen to music and catch up with friends. In between the chairs will be a side table with storage for the record player.
The floor lamp is from West Elm and will add much needed light to the corner of the room. We also plan to frame and hang the covers of some of Jim's favorite records.

To keep this post from getting too long, I will post about the office details another day.

The sofa has been ordered and the redesign is about to go into full force. I will be sure to post updates as the space comes together.

While I love the creative journey on all of my projects, this might be my favorite design so far. Maybe it's because it was a giveaway, so subconsciously I did not feel as much pressure, or maybe it's because I was able to play with a more masculine approach. Ultimately though, I think it's because Jim and his girls were so much fun to work with. Thanks, guys! :)