Several months ago, my client spotted a wonderfully whimsical, delightfully colorful Dana Gibson fabric on Instagram. A devoted fan and Instagram follower of the designer, my client wanted to use the described fabric as the starting point for her living room makeover. As D.G. devotees know, the name Dana Gibson is synonymous with bright florals, animals and classic geometrics that are deliciously whimsical and traditional.

As a lifelong dog lover and owner of three, my client found the D.G. pattern playful (see the lounging whippets?) and a great connecting fabric as it offered so many choices from which to pull an accent color. This fabric was perfect as it pulled double duty reflecting the color palette of the surrounding rooms within the home. Only one problem: the fabric wasn’t available at our local designer trade resource.

Instagram is an amazing platform. It allows us to connect with one another on a level less formal than addressing the Queen, yet its not as informal as an emoji only text between you and your college roomie. It kinda levels the playing field in a good way. Dana Gibson proved no exception. We contacted her after learning that we would not be able to source the fabric shown on her instagram feed through typical channels.

Quick with a response to our inquiry, Dana told us the print wasn’t in production… yet. However, she owned several yards of it at that time and extended us an offer to purchase some of her stock. (My client kept saying, “Dana Gibson emailed me! Omg! Dana Gibson emailed me?” … Yep, we’re crushing pretty hard over here).

With a sample piece in hand, we set out to create a living room that was little more modern, light and accessible from its previous tone. Away with the hand-me-down furniture and muted color palette. A fresh new slipcover for a tired side chair, soft ivory curtains, rearrangement of art and edited bookcases, and we were set to complete this project.

The finished look:

The walls were painted a warm, enveloping yellow almost the color of butter; subtle, but provided enough contrast with the white trim of the moldings and bookcases. We highlighted the backs of the bookcases with a natural grasscloth, and carefully edited the small sentimental mementos and family photos by relegating them to a more intimate space in the master suite. Books with light color covers and bindings, objects d’arts that provided more scale and balance and white figurines provided unique silhouettes against the neutral grasscloth.

This magical makeover provided some challenges, but the take-away is this: If you’re too awestruck to ask: call me and I’ll do it for you! Makeovers should be magical, and particular one put us in touch with a (designer) celebrity!

If I can be of assistance in helping source fabrics, wallpapers, furniture, etc., I’m here to help! Shoot me an email, and together we can create a look that makes you happy.