Calling in the Design Expert

I can’t believe I haven’t written about this sooner considering it has made me so happy. Over the summer, Linda Holt of Linda Holt Interiors redesigned my sunroom. I know Linda through our work together at Merrimack Valley Home magazine. Getting to know Linda has been a true pleasure. She’s a great person and designs thoughtfully with color, function and style. In fact, decorating with color is her signature.

I had never worked with a designer before, but asking Linda to take on my sunroom was a no-brainer because I fully trust her. That made all the difference to me.

My sunroom is a cozy space that I sit in every day. While I’ve always loved the room, I felt it looked drab and was a bit of a mishmash (scroll to bottom for before and after shots). I asked Linda to take a look and see what we could do.

The Inspiration

Linda and I had once done a photo shoot in a house that had a bold, blue settee in the breakfast nook. I wanted something like that for my sunroom – that was my inspiration. Linda asked questions and explored my thoughts on other areas of the house that flow into the sunroom. One of my favorite things I mentioned was the pottery wall in my dining room. Each piece has been collected from places like Greece, Italy, Nantucket, Puerto Rico or wherever my travels have taken me. I never realized this would be Linda’s inspiration nor did I realize that decorating with color should extend beyond the one room you are updating.

A Personalized Approach to Interior Design

When Linda laid out the plan, I loved everything she showed me. She explained that she had used the colors in my pottery wall to inspire the tones in the sunroom. Having listened closely to all I had shared in our first meeting, Linda also took all of my requests into account. In particular, I wanted to repurpose the two big rocking chairs that were once in my girls’ baby rooms.

She suggested a change of artwork in the kitchen to allow everything from the dining room pottery to “relate” to the colorful choices we were making in the sunroom. I had never considered this, which is why I was so thrilled to have Linda’s expertise. I began to understand that decorating with color from room to room should work together.

Now, all three spaces are connected visually and personally.

Linda’s personal approach has made such a difference in how my family enjoys this space. My girls’ rockers are so special to me; the dog-friendly fabrics on the couch and chairs are perfect choices with Oscar ruling the roost, and the unmistakable flow from one room to the next has taken my sunroom from ordinary to unique. I love it – this room is my happy place and I am so grateful to Linda for helping me bring it to life.

A Few Colorful Details

• Couch by Duralee, Fabric by Crypton (Oscar thanks you)
• Dragonfly art by Hayley Mitchell available at Etsy
• Summer Stones art by Rob Delamater available at Serena and Lily.
• Painting of the little green chest, BCheeky; Blue Lucite Handles – Exxel Company
• Lamps by Shades of Light (These lamps were not my first choice, but I deferred the decision to Linda – they get more positive comments than anything else in the room!)