Patio in the Pearl Residential Project

Oliver and Renee, both EWF Modern Interior Designers, recently worked with some clients in the Pearl District to furnish and design the patio outside their townhouse. As the couple entertain a lot, the goal was to create an outside space that was comfortable and conversational, but with maximum seating. In addition to meeting the form and functional needs of the client, Oliver and Renee also found a way to plan the space of the outdoor dining area that complemented the indoor environment, which was important as the two spaces flow together. The designers enjoyed coming up with a comprehensive design and finishing the project quickly. This provided the clients ample time to enjoy the end of our beautiful Portland summer!

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How To Find Inspiration To Define Your Style

Defining the look and style of your space can be tricky. There are endless ways to find inspiration, whether it be from the architectural style of your home to the infinite number of colors found in nature. The function of a space can greatly impact its design as well, but for now we will be focusing on finding inspiration to define the aesthetic of a room. Here are a few ways to find inspiration by making your space absolutely lovable and livable! Let’s get the gears turning and center in on the living room.

 

CHOOSING A COLOR PALETTE

I love playing with color and how it affects the overall picture of the room. We are highly perceptive to colors and textures as we tend to gravitate towards attractive choices that reflect our personalities. Your home interior is an expressive reflection of your taste and own style whether it be eccentric and dramatic, tranquil and subdued, or sometimes a little bit of both.

Pops of playful colors can brighten the mood and evoke stimulating senses. Warmer tones of yellow, orange and red are invigorating colors while stimulating the eye. Energy flows through color and using it as an accent can be effective on a neutral palette and soft textures. Sofas and accent chairs in a bold color are great statements as they introduce color in a profound way. The luxurious Sofa 4896 shown here covered in a plush, rich velvet in a deep marigold acts as a great eye catcher in the room. This sofa is offered in leather or fabric in a multitude of fun colors and textures which are all available to view at our showroom.

Monochromatic tones and hues within the same color range produce a calming and balanced palette. I like using grays and browns together with a pop of white to add a dramatic contrast. Earthier colors such as taupe, white, black, green, and blue are natural and organic compositions while incorporating wood elements. Warm and soft colors are inviting as they are comfortable to the eye.

 

DEFINE YOUR FOCAL POINT

Start with the biggest and most functional piece of furniture to base your design off of - the sofa. It’s all about looks and comfort, the perfect marriage of great design. A great way to utilize a piece of furniture as the main focal point in a room is highlighting its function. Fall in love with your furniture, let it shine. Your furniture tells a story which speaks volumes of your own creative style.

The stunning Theater Sofa 2804 is a perfect example of form and function. With a wide selection of beautiful leathers, this sofa brings great versatility in comfort as the adjustable back cushions offer you two seat depths at an upright and stretched out position. What better way to enjoy watching your favorite Netflix show than on a convertible lounger sofa where you can sit back and relax!

 

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER

A cohesive, well balanced room is all brought together with a beautiful rug. Rugs have an  overwhelming possibility of choices as they come in a variety of textures, patterns, and fibers. Think of it as “art on the floor” and what great expression a rug can introduce. Try selecting a look that draws colors from other pieces in the room or elevate the textures surrounding the rug by bringing contrast. On hardwood floors, a rug instantly breaks up the wood look and helps soften the living area. Using a rug grounds all the pieces within the room and adds dimension.

The main thing to keep in mind when formulating your ideas of inspiration is to have fun. The living area of your home should emphasize your own personal taste. Take your time when making decisions and remember that all the perfect pieces will come together if you have a firm sense of direction and inspiration.

Whether you’re defining your style for the first time and need a little direction or want to try a new look and need a spark of creativity, I am happy to assist with getting the gears turning. I’d like to discuss design with you! Stop by the showroom and we can work together on your next project.

 

2016 Room Makeover Reveal!

EWF Modern was excited to announce our 2016 Room Makeover Contest this year! For those of you who have followed us, you probably have met Gillian and Khaleesi, but you may not have met her husband, John. We had so much fun working with this adorable couple who were the lucky winners. Our room makeover contest included a free interior design consultation, $750 off a collection of our organic modern furniture, and free delivery. Their furniture was recently delivered and below you can see the new look!

 
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As you may recall from our blog post about our initial visit (click here to reread that post), we learned about their space and challenges. Their main goal was to create storage and refresh their living room with new pet friendly, comfortable and modern furnishings.

 
 

Our designers presented two color palettes. John and Gillian chose "stormy mod", which is dark, moody and playful. They invested in the core furnishings, a floor lamp and a rug in the new layout we suggested in our floor plans.

 
 
 
 

John was there during the delivery and install, but Gillian came home to a newly arranged and furnished space!

 
 

A fresh coat of paint and a new lamp made the space lighter, brighter and whiter!

 
 

The wood of the new console paired well with their existing hardwood floors and molding.

 
 

We incorporated Gillians favorite color, teal, as the pop of color in the accent chair. This helped to bring more of their fun personality to the space. 

 
 

We used their existing art pieces to create an inviting entrance and moved their shoes to another location.

 
 

Their new console now conceals and organizes their games, dvd's and electronics.

 
JOHN + GILLIAN AFTER
AFTER
 

We loved working with Gillian and John to create a living room that met their wish list and are super glad that they allowed us to share this whole journey with our followers!

Do you or someone you know need help with interior design? Click here to see other design projects we've worked on. Our staff of interior designers are always excited for their next challenge.

Holiday Gift Wrapping

Let us take one thing off your plate this year... gift wrapping! Okay, so we can't wrap a sofa... but we're happy to wrap the small gifts and accessories you purchase at EWF Modern so you don't have to. Need a card to write a special message with your gift? We've got you covered with a complimentary gift tag that is blank on the back!

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We have a lot of gifts and accessories to choose from, so if you need some help finding that special something, we have a gift guide here on our blog or you can ask one of us! Happy holiday shopping.

 

2016 Holiday Gift Guide

The season of giving is here and we hope this list makes your holiday shopping a little easier. We get new merchandise in almost every week, and that includes home decor and accessories. Here is a list of the people you might be shopping for this season and what we recommend for them! 

 
 

GIFTS FOR:

  1. AN ADVENTURER
    Portable bluetooth Uma sound lantern by Pablo Designs $439 now - 12/25
     

  2. SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A LAUGH
    Stress ball $40
     

  3. A READING ENTHUSIAST
    American-made rack for magazines or newspapers $99.95
     

  4. A PATTERN FREAK
    Throw blanket starting at $150
     

  5. A MINIMALIST
    Felt clock $149
     

  6. A COLOR LOVER
    Reflective backed enamel trays start at $50.95
     

  7. A DESIGN ENTHUSIAST
    American-made aluminum match holder and striker $48.95
     

  8. AN ANIMAL LOVER
    Vegan leather animal bookend $59
     

  9. A PRACTICAL MODERNIST
    Wire basket starting at $85
     

  10. A TECHIE
    Adjustable mobile charging stand $60.95
     

  11. AN ENTERTAINER
    American-made wood cutting/serving board with laser-cut design $85
     

  12. A NEAT FREAK
    Silicone placemats $18 ea.

 

If you still can't find what you're looking for, we have more in our showroom than on our website and we're great at offering gift-giving advice. Stop by our showroom and tell us who you're shopping for! We offer complimentary gift wrapping and message cards with purchase.

 

Area Home Bedding + Linens

As fall transitions to winter, "cozy" is a feeling we seek out more. The textiles in our home, like bedding and throw blankets, add texture, design, character and warmth (visually and literally). It's easy to overlook the significance of these linens, unless you've been introduced to Area Home.

 

Their products are known for their original modern designs that have enduring beauty and comfort and are made of natural fibers. Inspired by Scandinavian, every product is designed to be able to coordinate with any other piece in their collection.

 

We love that Area considers the whole life cycle of their products and continually seek out ways to reduce their environmental impact without compromising quality. To learn more about how Area and the environment, click here!

 

There are many more products than shown on our website but we have samples of all of their textiles for you to touch and feel for yourself in our showroom. Additionally, we have 100% cotton blankets covering our Savvy Rest Mattresses and a few throw blankets on hand. Our customers come back telling us how happy they are with their new linens and rave about how well they hold up.

 

2016 Room Makeover Giveaway Design Plan Reveal

We recently met with Gillian and her husband John (our 2016 Room Makeover Giveaway Winners) to reveal our design plan! We showed them two different ways of using the same sofa, accent chairs and media console. What differentiates the two palettes is the rug, ottoman and upholstery selections.

 

THE CLASSIC MOD PALETTE

Light, warm + handsome

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THE STORMY MOD PALETTE

Dark, moody + playful

 

THE CORE FURNISHINGS

As you can see from the floorplans, we changed things around! A sofa and pair of chairs replace their sofa chaise and sentimental chair (which we recommended they move to another space). We pivoted the furnishings 90 degrees counter clockwise. The seating arrangement focuses on a new large media console and central ottoman/coffee table. The sofa, chairs and media console set the aesthetic tone for the room because of their scale. We picked these pieces because of how they compliment Gillian and John's Mid Century Modern home + design taste:

 

ADDITIONAL FURNITURE + GALLERY WALL

To create a welcoming and functional landing zone in their entryway, we suggested a gallery wall of their existing artwork with a new console table, table lamp and pair of stools beneath it. We understood why they're fond of the vertical blinds and suggested they simply update them with a more modern design.

CONSOLE METAL FINISH

CONSOLE METAL FINISH

CONSOLE WOOD FINISH

CONSOLE WOOD FINISH

DARK PALETTE OTTOMAN FABRIC

DARK PALETTE OTTOMAN FABRIC

LIGHT PALETTE OTTOMAN FABRIC

LIGHT PALETTE OTTOMAN FABRIC

BLINDS MATERIAL

BLINDS MATERIAL

modern console table

After our presentation, Gillian shared in an email that “it was great coming in and seeing the design you put together for our front room! There are a lot of good options to think about, and how they work with our lifestyle”. We’ll be hearing from them soon about which direction they want to go and will update you on their final selections!

Do you like our solutions for Gillian + John? If so, let us know by clicking the little heart at the bottom right of this blog post!