White Christmas

Before

When design tastes change, making over a room in your home can feel like a big step. The easiest way to ensure a stress-free transition is by working with an interior designer whose creative vision you trust. That’s exactly the kind of bond that Town & Country homeowner Julie Engelbrecht feels with the team at MKS Designs, which made them the perfect professionals to give her traditional living room a modern makeover. 

Julie worked closely with Maggie Stieven of MKS Designs on the room’s reinvention, which included switching color palettes from sunny yellows and oranges to sleek, understated grays, golds, blacks and silvers. “We changed the room from top to bottom,” says Maggie. “She had a rug in that room that made the room look small, so we removed that. She has beautiful woodworkings throughout the room, so we highlighted those by painting the trim white and the walls light gray.”

Maggie artfully blended chic John-Richard furnishings to complete the room’s sophisticated feel. Now more than ever, Julie enjoys spending time in this room. It acts as a retreat for relaxing with a good book, as well as an entertaining space for cocktail and holiday parties. “It’s the only room in the house without a TV, so it’s a great gathering place to get away from chaos happening in the rest of the house,” says Julie. “It’s comfortable and peaceful, yet formal. The most important thing in this room is comfort.”

During the holiday season, the living room is a popular place in Julie’s home, and when it came time to “deck the halls,” she knew exactly who to call: MKS Designs, obviously. In addition to the team’s inspired work on the room redesign, Julie was familiar with their masterful tree-trimming talents from their work decorating her former traditional living room for Christmas. Keeping the room’s new modern mood in mind, Maggie chose stylish, refined holiday décor that wove seamlessly with the softer, subtler color palette.

“Christmas decorating doesn’t have to be the classic red and green like everyone thinks it should be,” says Maggie. “I think it’s cool to go into a house where it’s decorated to the style of the room. Julie has yellows, golds, grays, black and silvers, so we incorporated what she already had with the Christmas decorating.”

The end result was a warm and inviting yet regal Christmas room. Elegant seasonal floral arrangements expertly styled by Maggie are mixed with chic finds, such as the glamorous mirrored Christmas tree containers. With the holidays almost here, Julie’s family is looking forward to spending Christmas together, snuggled in their new peaceful, enlivened living room.

RESOURCES:
MKS Designs, Inc. A John-Richard Boutique, shopmks.com, www.johnrichard.com, 636-227-8777, 272 Lamp & Lantern Village