Before and After: Living / Dining Room Makeover

• This room is used as a combination living/dining area but the furniture placement doesn't really make best use of the space. Tsao and McKown try to anticipate what will happen in a space and imagine how people will move, gather and be comfortable there--advice Hart keeps in mind in this project.

• Mismatched slipcovers and clashing throw pillows give the bulky furnishings an even heavier feel and loose slipcovers and a table loaded with condiments in the dining area lacks visual interest. Hart thinks that underneath it all this room has great potential and the best way to find out is to move everything out. The large windows provide lots of natural light and the dark hardwood floors and neutral walls are a great starting point.

• Hart begins in the dining area where she replaces a rustic oak table with a streamlined walnut dining table and returns the chairs without the slipcovers. The table's new location gives the room more usable space and now allows a view of the fireplace from every corner. Tsao and McKown often create tablescapes using like objects and ceramic bowls are a favorite shape so Hart uses some here. A pair of antique candelabras completes the look on the dining table.

• A cream-colored wool rug defines the new seating area in front of the fireplace and a cream suede chaise lounge along with a Tsao and McKown-inspired coffee table that's also an ottoman begins the living area makeover. The ottoman is easy to make by connecting a wood frame and a top with L-brackets. The frame is then covered with batting and stapled in place. Next, the frame is covered with faux leather in the same fashion and finished with upholstery tacks.

• A cotton sofa balances out the seating area and provide a sense of the new scale and lower proportions desired for a Tsao and McKown look. Two unusual carved stools from Indonesia are added and the dark wood is a rich contrast to the neutral furnishings.

• The outdoor lanterns in the Manhattan apartment designed by Tsao and McKown inspire a floor lamp in this area. An inexpensive outdoor lantern is placed on top of a PVC pipe and a longer cord is run through it. The lantern is carefully secured to the pipe, which is then given a rustic look with metallic paint. It creates the perfect contrast when placed behind the sleek chaise lounge.

• Tsao and McKown often use fabrics that interact with light so Hart took their lead and added a bolster pillow made from a smoky topaz iridescent fabric to the chaise lounge along with a mohair throw blanket to add color, texture and a warm touch. More bolster pillows in pale silver and aquamarine silk complete the sofa.

• Finally, a large cloud photograph is propped above the fireplace, which was inspired by the one in the Manhattan apartment designed by the duo.

cloud picture (barewalls.com)
throw blanket (Domicile)
lanterns/lantern bases (Frazer Home Lighting)
lantern posts (Home Depot)
side table, rug (IKEA)
prayer stools (The Importer)
chaise lounge (Expressions Custom Furniture)
bowls, lacquer tray (Simon Pearce)
reading table, candelabras (Stevens Antiques)
cream sofa (Storehouse Furniture)
dining table (Ethan Allen)