Design Dilemma: Jonesin' for Jonathan (Adler, that is!)

Several months ago, I received an email from my cousin's neighbor, Jana. My cousin had referred Jana to MLHP, and she was craving resolution to a design dilemma in what she refers to as their "fireplace room." It embarrasses me to admit just how long it took me to pull this DD together (so I won't), but I knew today was the perfect day to post it, because today is Jana's Birthday!!

Jana stated that she loved all things Jonathan Adler, and hoped to bring some of his trademark citrus colors into her home. Her inspiration board was (literally) a page straight out of Happy Chic!

Jana and her hubster live in a cute 1940-50's bungalow with their two french bulldogs, Mack and Olive. They haven't lived there too terribly long, but have already put in a good amount of work. Here's the room just waiting for MLHP's "Adler-esque" touch: The Fireplace Room

Contrary to what you'd think, this room, containing the fireplace, does not act as a Living Room. Rather, it sits at a crossroads between the entry/living room (where this pic was taken), and the dining room (to the right). According to Jana, the room doesn't serve any real purpose, but does act as a gathering space when they have little soirees. She is open to just about any ideas, but does love the vintage armchairs, as they originally sat in her mother's western wear store when Jana was a child.

The only thing that is "off limits" is this closet-nook, which is her husband's bar area. (Maybe he'll let us add one, teeny, tiny little thing!) ;)Here's my take: Let's just GO with it! Let's take this room and make it a focal point, make it vivid and fun, the heart of the house! And while we're at it - let's use Mr. Adler's funky, colorful style as our guide!

First, let's paint the upper half of the walls a nice shade of kelly green. Something along the lines of this...Keep in mind..while Adler uses A LOT of green and yellow, he also grounds it with tons of black and white - we will too!

But first, let's punch up those rockin' vintage chairs*... I say paint the frames GLOSSY white - and then add a lacquer coat just in case. Then, reupholster them in a solid (bright) yellow velvet {swoon} or twill. *I'd use two instead of four*
Toss one of these cute pillows from the Inglenook Decor into a chair to pull in the green

Let's swap the current, brown rug for this fabulous B&W chevron number from West Elm.

I also love the idea of layering rugs, so another option would be to use a seagrass base rug like this one from Ikea, then toss this faux zebra hide on top. Either way - very swank!

One thing I noticed was a lack of ambient light. I would either put a great floor lamp toward the right window (like this mariposa from ZGallerie)or find a slightly larger console for the right corner (hello resale shops!), and rock one of these lamps

Jana snagged from grandma's house (sans ruby crystals and plus a coat of glossy white!)

It would also be great to replace the ceiling fan with a fabulous pendant. Here's a thought...

Ikea Knapp ceiling pendant

**Side Note** I would STALK my nearest HomeGoods for amazing, Adler look-alike lamps - I know they have them, at a fraction of the cost!

Let's replace the clock above the mantel with a fabulous, and oh-so-trendy-but-classic sunburst mirror.

Then, I'd keep the yellow flowin' by framing some groovy, geometric papers like this one from mojo paper in white, Ikea frames.

I think the coffee table should stay - after all, people need somewhere to set their drinks! However, if she wanted to go a little more shaq-a-delic, Jana could pick up a tufted, leather ottoman!

by Home Decorators Collection

We could fill in the gaps with some Adler knock-off whiteware- Z Gallerie carries A LOT

...Oops! Aren't we forgetting something?

How 'bout a Mack and Olive portrait - a la Warhol

For the BAR - Hubster, please, please!! Get it done here

Need a visual? Yep, me too! Here's the closest I could get!

Jana's DD: Fireplace Room by atexski on Polyvore.com

Happy Birthday, Jana!!