Asian Theme Transforms Blank Space Into Elegant Living Room

Before, this white-walled living room was full of nice furniture but was seriously lacking color and style.

To draw attention to the balcony view, Summer creates vertical-striped window panels out of taupe and pale blue fabric. She cuts the fabric into strips, stitches them together then finishes them with a cotton lining. The sofa is jazzed up with pillows in a coordinating paisley pattern.

Designer Lee Snijders has help from design coordinators Summer Baltzer and Burbridge in making a 3-D art piece using color copies, cardboard and foam core. Various pieces of the art are cut out of the copies and attached with spray glue onto the cardboard; foam core is used as a spacer between the cardboard-backed cutouts.

Summer pots orchids to enhance the Asian theme. Here are a few rules and tips to follow when potting an orchid:
Orchids like to be root bound so use a container not much larger than the root system. Fill the area around it with potting soil and add color and texture with Irish moss. Place orchid bark on top of the soil and fill in any bare spots with polished river rocks.

The wall-mounted surround-sound speakers are hidden behind boxes made by design coordinator Charles Burbridge. For a decorative effect, fabric is stretched over a small frame, which fits inside the larger box.

Makeover Information

Art and Accessories - $420
(art prints: Canadian Art Prints - 4911.91 )
(Art and Soul)

Furniture - $287
( furniture: Target - console table 074090226, armoire 074050210)

Fabric - $185
(fabric: Jo-Ann Fabrics - paisley, 403774; blue/tan)

Paint - $100
(paint: Mark's Paint Store - Benjamin Moore, HC 150 Yarmouth Blue, HC-148 Jamison)

Project Total - $992