Kevin Francis O’Gara Turns a Progress Office Proper right into a Full Condominium
When searching for a spot to call residence, Atlanta designer Kevin Francis O’Gara found an unusual chance: the condominium developer’s office. “My residence was the product sales office for Hedgewood Homes whereas they’ve been establishing the neighborhood, so it had a conference room, office, and sitting house for potential patrons,” says the founding father of Kevin Francis Design.
Though that won’t have been the first choice for a lot much less imaginative homeowners, Francis observed the potential: “It was such a clear slate as soon as I moved in, nonetheless all the finishes have been unbelievable, from the alabaster partitions to the cream tile throughout the kitchen,” he gushes. Plus, collectively along with his experience selling handmade rugs and curated decor, O’Gara had all the devices accessible to reimagine it.
Altering an organization home to a residential one had its challenges, nonetheless: “There have been no closets throughout the residence,” O’Gara remembers, which means he wanted to get ingenious with storage in shocking areas. An emphasis on the public-facing residing and kitchen areas meant that the mattress room and look at have been lacking in dwelling home windows and thus, treasured gentle. Plus, the home’s former life left significantly of a sterile top quality.
O’Gara solved the latter two conundrums by together with depth and texture—every literal and figurative. He leaned into the once more areas with moody palettes and layered antiques and art work to supply the white discipline a homey actually really feel. “It meant tons for me to have the power to make use of antiques from my mom and grandparents, notably objects that I grew up with, which truly elevate the design and make it actually really feel extra personal,” says the designer. “I truly think about every room benefits from one earlier brown picket piece of furnishings to ground the design, so I’m fully happy to see these varieties of things making a comeback.”
Kitchen
“I’m completely spoiled by my fabulous kitchen, which choices bleached oak cabinetry and a built-in espresso maker, and was designed by Hedgewood cofounder Pam Lessons,” says O’Gara. He added barstools from his private assortment and classic lithographs to make it his private.
Residing Room
The world rug, gray barrel-backed chair, and alabaster lamp are all from Kevin Francis Design. “My sources truly run the gamut, from Home Depot to the classic retailer down the street,” says the designer.
Sectional: Article. Mirror: Ballard Designs. Espresso desk: Classic/Parc Monceau. Portrait art work: Josh Youthful. Embroidered pillows: West Elm. Blue Ikat pillows: Traditional/Antiques & Previous. Queen Anne consuming chairs: Classic with China Seas material. Spherical pedestal desk: Anthropologie. Advertising marketing campaign desk: Classic. Rattan chairs: Primarily Baskets Home.
Look at
Confirmed at excessive.
Given that look at—in distinction to the extreme, open entrance room and kitchen—will get little to no gentle, O’Gara went all in on making it actually really feel moody and welcoming. “The wallpaper in my look at is actually a favorite second of mine because of it’s such a visual shock that unfolds as you stroll into the room,” says the designer. “It’s been such a dialog starter and people are on a regular basis so intrigued by the pattern after they peek through the doorway; I like the best way it attracts you into the room.”
Office
O’Gara framed architectural plans from his childhood residence to carry over his desk, an classic campaign-style piece whose drawers current a great deal of storage. The ever-changing bulletin board atop it moreover serves as a kind of rotating art work piece. “With every vignette, I tried in order so as to add one earlier issue that may elevate the design and offers a storied, collected look, even when it was solely a small accent,” says the designer.
Mattress room
“I try to position a mirror someplace in every room to supply the home further dimension,” says O’Gara. The tactic is especially helpful in a small home like O’Gara’s mattress room. Given that room supplied little by means of wall home, he hung darkish curtains all through the house home windows to perform a backdrop for the mattress.
Selendi house rug: Kevin Francis Design. Chest of drawers: Classic. Mirror: Traditional. Headboard: Wayfair. Nightstand: AllModern. Quilt and shams: West Elm. Materials: West Elm. Throw pillows: Williams-Sonoma Home Abstract painting: Kevin Francis Design Lamps: Kevin Francis Design
Q&A
Dwelling Beautiful: What was the inspiration for the model new design?
Kevin Francis O'Gara: With the wall of dwelling home windows in my entrance room, I wanted to emphasize the airiness of this home so I layered shades of cream to create a lightweight foundation for this room. I pulled pops of blue into the accents (my favorite color), which tie in my Cairene rug and complement the great and comfortable picket tones on my consuming desk and classic desk. This color palette moreover shows the kitchen, creating a lovely combine that’s gentle and inviting all through the day nonetheless glows at night.
To distinction the extreme residing home, I went darkish and moody in my mattress room and look at. I pulled gray velvet curtains all through all of the mattress room wall in order so as to add depth and distinction to the home (which actually helps the once more wall recede, making it actually really feel bigger!). I painted the look at a rich darkish brown and hung a daring crane wallpaper to make this room actually really feel extra specific. It’s the place I watch movement photos and TV and as well as doubles as a customer room, so I wanted it to actually really feel like an escape from the world.
HB: What was the trickiest part of the mission?
KFO: Certainly one of many best challenges of this home was the scarcity of pure gentle throughout the mattress room and look at. These rooms have just one smaller window, nonetheless instead of stopping this constraint, I embraced the darkish and moody look in these rooms to create cozier areas that actually actually really feel lots greater. Moreover, my condominium doesn’t have a closet as a result of it was designed as a product sales office, so I maximized the storage furnishings in each room, using armoires and dressers to retailer my clothes!
HB: The place did almost all the value vary go?
KFO: Practically all of my value vary went to upholstered objects like my entrance room sectional that I knew I might get loads of use out of, current the appropriate setting for entertaining mates and use for a extraordinarily very very long time. I moreover invested in a giant, custom-sized rug from my new Iconium assortment for the lounge to truly give the seating house a beautiful foundation. I truly designed that rug with my entrance room in ideas, using a sun-faded palette and cream background that feels gentle nonetheless continues to be wise!
HB: How did you decrease your bills/DIY/get clever?
KFO: I like a mix of extreme and low, and my sources truly run the gamut, from Home Depot to the classic retailer down the street. I moreover scored the pedestal consuming desk from an Anthropologie outlet in Augusta—it was so undoubtedly well worth the five-hour drive! I painted loads of the artwork work myself, and bought ingenious with found objects, like framing earlier architectural plans from my childhood residence that I hung above my desk.
HB: One other memorable particulars?
KFO: My poodle Leopold most certainly spends about 90% of his time on my entrance room sectional—it’s like his little runway. He loves strolling down the sectional and searching out each window to regulate every passerby!
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