This One’s for the Ladies: Injecting Feminine Style into a Male-Dominated Home

The makeup of our client’s family leans decidedly male with her husband, two teenage boys and giant (male) dogs. She came to us to try to make the house reflect more of her presence but still handle their rough-and-tumble life. We were more than happy to oblige. 

For the living room, dining room, and bar area, we took our color cues from their city-scape painting — blues and greens with yellow, pink, and teal accents. When you first walk in the house, you find yourself in the middle of the living room, which used to house only a huge brown sectional. We turned this area into a conversation area with a blue sofa and two gorgeous chairs that are sturdy and covered in performance fabric, a must for the room the dogs hang out in. The green window treatments and similarly hued rug anchor the space, and bookshelves lend height and function as it stores the family’s record player and records, books, and other conversation starters. We finished the space with a super fun bubble chandelier and sleek wall sconces that add a touch of glam but are far enough away from the dogs to not be in danger of getting destroyed (pro tip!). 

The kitchen and dining nook received a massive facelift with bright white paint throughout, a new island countertop, and rich blue paint on the island. The bar stools needed to be small, but there was no reason they couldn’t be fun, so we upholstered them in a lively ikat fabric. Then we added a slab backsplash and a colorful lemon grove print for the window shades, which we carried through into the breakfast nook that also features beautiful art by Lisa Riser. The banquette is covered in performance fabric, making it both functional and fun. The blue-and-white drum pendant adds visual interest and the perfect lighting for the space.

We used the same shade of blue on the bar cabinets as we did on the kitchen island and added a stunning marble white-and-blue-accented tile backsplash. From here you get a peek into the dining room where we papered the wall in a similar shade of green grasscloth that was used throughout the first floor. We are also pretty obsessed with the white branch-style sconces in there. The final result was a space that is fresh, functional, and truly beautiful.

Photography: Cati Teague Photography