Coastal Christmas

In the southern suburbs, interior designer Doris Dy-Rivero captures the essence of the coastal theme whilst incorporating the holiday spirit as inspired by nautical motifs and an unexpected color accent.

The double-height living room repainted in light blue with white trim and mouldings. 

Furniture in dark walnut stain, with upholstery to match the walls. 

A touch of red completed the room, as seen on the accent pillows and accessories.

The lady of the house was set on having a coastal themed design for her living and dining rooms, which was originally decorated in the orange and beige traditional style. And with the Christmas holidays just a few weeks away, interior designer Doris Dy-Rivero's challenge was to bring the coastal Christmas to her client's home.

Narrow windows were treated with two-toned banners. Walls are decorated with 

white framed starfishes and shells from the client's travels in Cebu.

Doris first worked on the coastal theme that the client wanted. The walls were repainted to a light blue color that reminded you of the clear blue skies, with the mouldings and wood trim in white. This first transformation alone already  made a big impact on the rooms. The double-height ceiling at the living room gave Doris the chance to install a white finished chandelier with leafy accents. Windows at the living area were quite narrow and to cover it all up with full drapes will forfeit the airiness that the room already has. Instead, Doris cleverly used two-toned banners with the top half in a white sheer to let the natural light in, and the bottom half in the same shade of blue as the walls. To keep everything grounded, Doris opted for dark walnut stained furniture with simple lines. Upholstery was matched with the light blue and white scheme to pull all the elements of the look together. Lastly, Doris used the starfishes, shells and corals that the client collected from her travels, as accessories and artworks for the rooms.

Built-in shelves withe back lighting for decors and accessories make the room cozy. 

A star ottoman in light blue upholstery add quirkiness to the room.

As for the Christmas theme decors, Doris introduced the color red as accent which perfectly matched well with the blue and white color scheme. The red, which can be seen as accent pillows and decor, made the room more fun and vibrant. Of course, the typical Christmas decors are present and were interestingly arranged in the built-in white shelves with back lighting.

Windsor-inspired settees replace single-seater dining chairs for that informal and casual dining room ambiance.

As with any project, this renovation would not have been successful without the teamwork of the designer and the client. It is the client's role to let the designer know what they specifically want for their house and it is the job of the designer to put all the ideas of the client and make it work together to come up with a design that truly reflects the masters of the house. The client's vision for her house inspired Doris to create a beautiful home designed not only for the holidays but for all seasons.