Kate Kimmich, WFCP, Outside the Box Designs, Wexford, PA A Pittsburgh, PA, client of Kate Kimmich asked that a second floor space be transformed into a guest suite for her grown children’s visiting friends. “We knew each other through my children’s school,” explained Kimmich. “She had seen my home and other client projects, and said she loved my company’s approach of quality over quantity and form follows function.” Before hiring Kimmich, the client had purchased bedding, pillows and bathroom shower curtain and towels from Crate and Barrel. “My client loved the bedding and accessories but was stuck with how to pull the rest of the space together,” said Kimmich. New woven shades, with blackout lining, were installed to coordinate with the color tone of the furniture. The valance adds a finishing touch, while a continuous cord lift guarantees the shades are easy to raise and lower. “The shades completed the monochromatic color scheme of the room but added a texture that enhanced the space,” said Kimmich. The sitting room was designed to complement the guest bedroom. A new floor plan helped the space work and feel better. The pedestal lounge chair was swapped for Eames-style design, while the long ‘slouch’ sofa was replaced by a neater and slightly smaller Parsons-style sofa bed. A more unified paint scheme works with both the new Crate and Barrel purchases in the bed- and bathrooms while integrating the sitting room. The lightweight ottomans work as a coffee table or extra seating while remaining easy to move out of the way when it’s time for the sofa bed to be pulled out. 60
| VISION
“The client loves the custom Roman shades,” said Kimmich. The embroidery on the shades picks up the color on the walls. Unlike the bedroom shades, these are only lightly lined to allow diffused light into the sitting room. As a final touch, Kimmich recovered the vintage Scandanavian rocker in the bedroom and a side chair in the sitting room to better coordinate with the new color scheme. Once the project was complete, the client told Kimmich: “You understood the vision I had in my mind but was unable to communicate. You more than transformed the rooms…you updated and rejuvenated the critical elements of the rooms to make them look fresh! I would love to stay in my own guest room. It is such a calm soothing space. I love it!”
DETAILS
CREDITS: Designer: Kate Kimmich, Outside the Box Designs, Wexford, PA. Workroom and Installer: Decsign Co., Inc., Sewickley, PA. Painter: Mary Jane Dimond Wallpaper and Paint, Freedom, PA. SOURCES: Bedroom shades: B&W/Horizons Window Fashions, standard Roman with valance in Camelot. Sitting room shade fabric: Kravet: 31495 in Steel: Rocker fabric: Kast Fabrics, Jacob in Stone. Paint Colors: Sherwin Williams SW 7031 Mega Greige