Oh happy day! Abbey sent her lovely mood board after photos and we couldn’t wait to share them. Her space is a great reminder that you don’t have to repaint in a dramatic hue or spend a fortune replacing everything to achieve a noticeably upgraded look. A few new pieces, a slightly deeper wall tone, and a handful of thoughtful accessory swaps can make all the difference. Here’s her note:
I’m finally submitting my after pics of the family room makeover you helped me with this summer. Thank you so much for your design ideas. Adding the chocolate-toned furnishings and the rug helped create contrast and define the space. The new glass end tables paired with the round coffee table deliver that classic-meets-contemporary look I wanted. Floor-length curtains, matching table lamps, and geometric pillows pull everything together. Everyone who visits loves the decor. You’ll notice I went with three prints from Crate & Barrel’s Classical Symmetry Set—I saw them on another mood board and knew I had to have them. We also added crown molding and updated the baseboards, which really elevates the room. Thank you again for helping make our family room a more comfortable place to hang out. I’ll be back—our dining room needs help too. And congratulations on the baby! —Abbey
To refresh your memory, here’s Abbey’s family room before:
We created a custom mood board to bring a classic-meets-modern polish to the room. The goal was to keep the welcoming, lived-in feel while sharpening the aesthetic with stronger contrast, layered textures, and a few strategic statement pieces.
And now for the after photos. Some large items—like the red sectional and the armoire—stayed in place. The wall color was adjusted to a slightly deeper, wheatier tone (we suggested a warm, golden-neutral to add a crisp, refined finish). The real transformation comes from the smaller furnishing and accessory updates: a textured rug with red accents, a round coffee table, a streamlined media cabinet, glass side tables, coordinated lamps, geometric pillows, floor-length curtains, and a compact desk that adds function and style. Together these changes make the room feel more cohesive and purposeful.
Hooray for mood board after photos! Abbey did a fantastic job. The red sectional truly sings now—what felt like a mismatched piece in the before shots looks intentionally placed in the after photos, thanks to the richer wall color and the red stripes in the rug. The new crown molding is the finishing touch that ties the whole room together. We love receiving updates like this; hearing that a space has become more comfortable and inviting is the best part of the process.
Now let’s play the what’s-your-favorite-part game. We can’t decide between the wheaty wall color, the striped rug, or those sculptural lamps flanking the sofa. And that trio of symmetrical prints is a delicious finishing detail.
Update: We no longer have time to take on commissioned mood boards and now create general inspiration boards instead. If we ever bring back custom mood boards we’ll make an announcement.