Blog by Beebe Cline, PREC*

<< back to article list

Behind a Garage Door, a Family Fun Room

Behind a Garage Door, a Family Fun Room

Designer Kerrie Kelly's secrets to this low-budget garage makeover: a soothing palette, horizontal stripes and dashes of color

We are the mother and daughter behind the blog Design Chic (www.mydesignchic.com).... More »
Sacramento designer Kerrie Kelly transformed this once-overstuffed garage into a trendy lounge suited for a young family. After clearing out the clutter, the space got a paint job and some colorful furniture. The result is a chic living room that proves that great design can happen on a budget.

"The finished product turned out better than expected, especially after seeing the family living in and loving their new space," Kelly says.
With the push of a button, the original garage door opens up, filling the room with natural light. There's another entrance through the side door, but the garage door creates even better flow between indoors and out.
Inspired by the subtle farmhouse backdrops in Napa and Sonoma not too far away, Kelly chose soothing gray and white shades for the main palette.

Re-create the look by using Kelly's same shades: Swiss Coffee 23, Chadwick 217 and Greyswood 3958-3 — all from Kelly Moore.
The sophisticated gray and white background sets the tone for the room, but additional color helped turn it into a truly family-friendly lounge. "It also required a playfulness, which begged for bright colors and some graphic patterns," says Kelly.
The biggest surprise in this project was how easy it was to create the horizontal wall stripes. The design team simply painted wood boards and then nailed them up. Horizontal stripes help visually expand the room to make it feel open and bright.

See another way to paint stripes
Creating a gorgeous, livable space for family doesn't have to cost a lot or require fancy resources. A Room & Board couch, Crate & Barrel light and Wholesale Interiors barstools combine in this affordable and chic makeover.
These modern bookcases were designed from reclaimed wood and plumbing pipe by Kerrie Kelly Design Lab. The open shelving allows the enclosed space to breathe, while still offering plenty of room for essentials.
Kelly said the functional considerations for this garage makeover were simple: "Eat, drink, play, enjoy. Repeat."

Archives