Before and after photos: Online interior designer tackles 5,000 square feet of total chaos
The Park family had a big, new home and nothing to put in it. Here are the amazing before and after photos. [SPONSORED]
By Havenly (Brand Partner) - July 20, 2016 3:17 pm ET
ShareTweetGoogle PlusRedditEmailComments
The Problem
When Eunice Park moved her family from Nashville to a new home in Denver, she found herself with a massive design problem: she had a sprawling 5,000 square feet of space to furnish, and next to nothing to put in it.
The family had only a few pieces of furniture, some boxes of toys, home office items and assorted knickknacks — and Park had absolutely no plan for what went where.
The open layout of the house created endless possibilities — maybe a few too many. Making all the millions of decisions required to turn blank walls and floors into an intimate and warm living room, playroom or office felt intimidating, even paralyzing.
Meet the Sisters Who Are Completely Upending the World of Interior Design
How do you even begin, especially when the home is cluttered and when you’re living in rooms that look like this?
Park's husband's office
Park's living room
Park knew she needed help.
Enter Havenly
Park was at a wedding when she told a friend-of-a-friend about the problem she was facing. The friend suggestedHavenly, an online platform connecting clients to interior designers who carry out their work remotely for a $199 a room.
Park had used traditional interior designers before, and she was intrigued by Havenly's web-based process. But could Havenly's designers really bring a fresh look to houses they've never set foot in?
That's what she wanted to find out.
After a short style quiz, Park was shown a series of designers who matched her tastes, along with samples of their work.
What's your style? Take the Havenly Style Survey Here
She liked a lot of what she saw, but one designer's work appealed to her above the rest.
Her name was Stafford Bensen, a Boston-based designer with eclectic and rustic style — who also describes her tastes as "bohemian" — who shared Park's own fondness for bright, colorful and well-traveled pieces.
But picking a talented designer was only one step toward bringing new life to the house.
Park had high hopes for what her home could be, but she had plenty of practical considerations as well; most notably, she lives with three young kids, ages 4, 7 and 9, and a dog that's bigger than any of them, who were certain to make the space their own.
Bensen's task? “Basically try to make it pretty and light while simultaneously comfortable and child-friendly. Mission impossible, go!” Park said.
"All families are going to be different," Bensen explained, which is why Havenly's designers work closely with their clients in an extended back-and-forth over the designs, constantly updating them to suit the client's needs.
"I don't want to just copy and paste something into someone's house," Bensen said.
And Park had some very particular needs. Looking around at the house as it was, with the kids' toys strewn all over and boxes of paperwork competing for floor space in the office, she was in desperate need of storage.
Bensen's first assignment was a design for Park's husband's home office.
Office and stairway
"We needed a really large desk, a big work space, and a lot of storage," Park explained.
But the office is pretty narrow, so getting the right amount of storage without making it a hodgepodge took Bensen's skilled designer's eye.
"She managed to make the room layout so that it fit three really large bookcases and a really large desk, with just a ton of storage everywhere," said Park. "I never would have thought to arrange things in that way. And I never would have thought it could hold all that furniture without looking cluttered. But it really works."
Park was falling in love with the experience of working with Bensen and Havenly. "It becomes kind of addictive," Park explained.
But designing an office, which is mostly used by Park's husband for work, is one thing. Designing multi-use rooms, that might be used for meals, entertaining guests, playtime for the kids and nap time for the dog all within the course of a day, would take more effort and deliberation.
Get started with Havenly today
When it came to the living room, one of the most important spaces in the house, Park had some clear guidelines.
"Everything had to be either wood or upholstered, pretty soft, and also durable so the kids wouldn't ruin it," Bensen said. The children should be safe to run around and play games whenever they want.
Park's living room
And of course, there had to be plenty of space to store their toys.
Making the space kid-friendly, Bensen proved, didn't mean sacrificing style or quality. Instead of a coffee table, they chose to put a big cushioned ottoman in the center of the room. The living room also includes a shag Moroccan rug and a floor pillow, and it absolutely overflows with pastel-colored pillows.
"Some people with kids don’t want any light colors, because it’s not practical," Park said. "I don’t rule out bright colors; I actually prefer them."
Park's dining area
The result was a warm and welcoming space that is both sophisticated and cozy, and it's Park's favorite room in the house. When Park's sister came by, with small kids of her own, she was impressed at first, but cautious.
Could children really be allowed in such a well-styled and polished part of the house?
Park just laughed. "They’re using all the furniture to play ‘The Floor Is Lava,’ and it’s totally fine," she explained.
Another challenge was the kids' room in the basement. With two adjacent guest rooms, Park didn't want visitors who stayed over to feel like they were in a playroom. So it needed to be casual and relaxed, while also modern and refined.
"In a few years, her oldest will become a teenager, and eventually all of them will be in that phase, " Bensen said. "So she knew she wanted it to be something that could be transitioned into the teen hangout spot."
The kids even got to have a hand in making some of the design choices. They decided to go with bright-colored pillows and rug, which were playful but not infantile, to accent a neutral sectional sofa, and a low, wooden coffee table.
During the whole process of designing nearly every room in the house, Park and Bensen grew to be very in sync with each other.
"We worked on so many rooms at this point, it's almost been a year that we've been doing it," Bensen said. "We understand each other. Whatever she says, I know what she's talking about, and I can do it. "
Park expressed the same sentiment, saying, "Stafford, to me, is a good friend, who is also an expert designer. I have such high regard for her talent and just think she’s super cool as a person, too."
And out of the pairing has come a unique and beautiful design that serves the family's practical needs while allowing them to live in luxury. What was once a disorganized and sparsely furnished house is now an appealing and polished home.
About the Business
