Decor Demon brings some much needed glamour to FOX News reporter Stacey Elgin‘s home office with a medium size budget and ambitious timeline
Produced, designed, written, styled and directed by Brian Patrick Flynn with photography by Sarah Dorio
Finally! After five years designing homes, I’ve been able to use this sentence: “My client is in Spain with Cameron Diaz learning how to drive stunt cars so we’re gonna have to push the purple ceiling installation back two days until she’s done interviewing Tom Cruise, then stops by Austria.”. These words don’t stem from being delusional or obsessed with A-Listers or Scientology but rather from the fact that my new FOX News reporter client, Stacey Elgin, has the coolest day job in the galaxy. Referred to as The Road Warrior [in reference to her live, out-in-the-field morning news show of the same name], the stunning southern belle is tasked with assignments ranging from movie premieres and press junkets to American Idol finales and the latest and greatest in fashion and fitness. The well-spoken blonde bombshell hired my team to infuse glamour into her lackluster home studio. What the hell does a news reporter need a home studio for? Well, when this Road Warrior is off the road, she runs a website hocking high-end women’s workout gear and custom jewelry. The only sucky part of the project? Getting it all done in about a week. The un-sucky part? My client’s hands-off approach and super fun taste. Her three decorating must-haves? Pink, black and mirror. This situation can best be described as a designer’s wet dream.
While the girl on TV braved 100 mph loop-dee-loops around Spanish race car tracks with Golden Globe and Oscar nominees, my team braved 100% humidity-infused drives back and forth from Home Depot with trim color candidates. Although we aimed for Bergdorf caliber high fashion, the proposed budget was more of a fit for Dress Barn. Thanks to an amazing wallpaper website, we scored a Halston-esque 1970′s pattern for the walls without breaking the bank, then the rest fell into place. We saved on storage and seating, splurged on floors, trim and custom draperies, then went Wisteria wild for our finishing touches. At the tail end of the project, I realized one minor detail. I never ran this pretty in pink concept by Stacey’s blue-and-brown-loving man’s man of a husband.
Foreign accents
It started out kinda Finnish with “Helsinki” wallpaper from UK-based company Graham & Brown. Soon thereafter, the Finnish-by-way-of-England wallpaper picked up a French-Italian accent once introduced to Wisteria’s hand-painted Parisian console and Traditional Venetian Glass Mirror. A little American retail therapy via West Elm finished the entrance off in the form of a Hammered Vase and a Crushed Eggshell Box.
A view with a room
With windows peering out into her driveway and mailbox, Stacey’s studio wasn’t exactly a room with a view. We switched things up making it a view with a room—from the top floor landing, that is. While standing in the doorway, one gets a tailored eye full of elegance from the Morningstar ebony bamboo floors from Lumber Liquidators, custom faux silk draperies, plum trim work and ceiling to a $25 flea market chair updated with black high-gloss spray paint and a violet mohair cushion.
Design within reach
Stacey’s jewelry design business requires a space to sprawl out jems, wire, clasps and materials; however many of her essentials often double as eyesores. By adding a tailored skirt to the front and two sides of a TORSBY table from IKEA, our bejeweled subject can now keep the design must-have’s within reach below the white glass table top. Our fabric of choice was pink slubby basket weave cotton at $4.99 per yard. The silver trim? Repurposed ironing board liner. Cost, FREE. We reached into our trusted bag of tricks to turn 3 BILLY bookcase units from IKEA into a fake-it-don’t-make-it built-in. To contain the part-time designer’s hat inventory, our organizing expert, Sarah, layered them inside recycled newspaper bins from The Container Store and kept Stacey’s own line of bath and body products safe in weathered BYHOLMA and Maize bins and baskets. A grey/silver pendant from West Elm added a play-on-scale to the studio from above while a $25 floor model version of the retailer’s Jute Boucle rug protected the floors below. We interspersed some decoration with our organization using Book Boxes, Jewel Topped Bottles and a Glass Pouring Pitcher from Wisteria. The black Louis Ghost Chair from Kartell was scored online.
She works hard for the money
Although the space is, for the most part, dedicated to curating Stacey’s inventory of women’s workout apparel and jewelry, it also needed an area for logging on to the Interwebs. A simple $300 West Elm Console Desk solved that with space for a laptop above and open storage for clutterables below. We splurged on a high-end black vintage chair from Pieces, bringing the medium-grade desk to new designer heights.
Windows of opportunity
Both the windows and ceiling were opportunities for creative cover-ups. First we added a WoodHaven Beadboard system from Armstrong Residential Ceilings to the uber-boring drywall above, then painted it a shade of plum called “Choo Choo” by Porter Paints. To mask the energy-saving yet aesthetically-corrupt vinyl windows, we layered natural woven shades from Texton with the aforementioned custom faux silk draperies. While the drapery material may be fashionably fake, I will tell you what isn’t—my draper, Donna’s, dissatisfaction with my measuring skills. Supposedly, her inverted box pleats would have looked ten times more spectacular if I had ordered 1/3 less fabric. Notice Donna’s happy off-camera smile and “Thanks for effing up my damn drapes” expression? It was even more enjoyable in person. Ten bucks says she also leaves a comment about it on this very page.
Well hung
Since the home studio is meant for Stacey’s online fashion boutique, it was imperative we up the ante of her closet. We fancied it up for more of a dressing room look by painting it “Choo Choo” in a flat finish, then bringing in the same ebony bamboo floor. Thanks to the Container Store’s elfa system, we doubled Stacey’s inventory space and pulled the same silver tone from the wallpaper inside. Speaking of bringing things inside, I just realized I left a pan full of bookshelf paint right outside Stacey’s front door. If purple paw prints end up all over the first floor, I’m blaming Stacey’s husband.
If you wanna see the entire room come together on live television, click this orange sentence.
Come decorate our wall with messages on Facebook.
You are such a tease! I’m dying to see the rest of the space…That wallpaper (and the drapes)is amazing!
Pretty incredible! Looking forward to seeing the rest… That wallpaper is incredible! Perfect scale!
Pretty incredible! Looking forward to seeing the rest… That wallpaper is incredible! Perfect scale!
Decor Demon, you’re my hero!
I saw your piece this morning – beautiful! Come to my place next, pretty please?
That wallpaper and mirror? Fabulous!
So excited to have an ATL wallpaper hanger reference. They are very hard to come by! Thanks Brian!
Beautiful! The images are fantastic! Great work!!
I’m singing Purple Rain!
Just fabulous!
xo xo
Excellent job Brian! Love the wallpaper and especially the black desk chair.
Absolutely gorgeous! You make it look sooo simple to be amazing! Love the wallpaper.. but really love the ceiling:)
I am overwhelmed! Brian is one of the most talented designers I have ever seen… plus.. he happens to be one of the sweetest. Everything just works perfectly.
Thank you Brian… you are AMAZING!
Fab-u-lous wallpaper and overall design. Great use of variety of elements!
WOW. absolutely STUNNING.
Oh, and just when I thought your subtitles could not get any funnier than “saving private brian,” you go and give me “well hung” and a Donna Summer song title.
Great job Brian! I’m really loving the Graham and Brown wallcovering…graphic and stylish. And I love the purple!
RockStar! Love the colours. Love the wallpaper. Love the tons of storage. and that gigantic drum-shade light fixture is fantastic.
well done!
Well I said it very nicely BPF! LOL. For the optimal look with inverted pleated drapery,they are best non functional.Only a 1 1/2 width is needed per panel! This showcases the pleat style better! But I truely feel, “There are never problems, only opportunities”
Now Stacie has the opportunity to completely close out the outside light for any studio presentations. She is also saving tons on energy in her office because of the layering of the windows!
Love the photos Sara!!!! Thanks BPF!!
amazing job, decor demon! that wallpaper is spectacular! thanks for the link to the wallpaper site. can you recommend a wallpaper installer? xoxo
Adore the wallcovering and the purple is so chic. This is office is fabulous!!!!! GREAT job Brian. It really is stunning.
Well, well, well. This time around, all the big dogs came out to play [in the comments section, that is]. LIKE. Thanks, y’all for such nice words. I’m still in awe of the affordability of the pink/purple Helsinki. Consequently, Graham & Brown is becoming somewhat of a fixture on this site. In the next few months I [a] want to splash some serious tartan on unsuspecting walls [a la Scot Meacham Wood] [b] draw some million dollar drapery inspiration from the work of Ms. Tobi Fairley [c] do a how-to on mastering the timeless, tailored neutral [Mr. Barry Dixon]. Again, danke schoen.
what the french? that shit is pretty!!
Tres chic! Love all your great bargain tricks. And it still looks like a million bucks!
Yes, Donna, I’m with you because I do windows too! As a workroom and designer strictly for window treatments, I was studying the header of the drapes and wondering if they were just flat panels.
Now it makes sense that they were just too wide inverted pleat panels. Great pic and Brian, it’s nice to see you include Donna in the blog and pics!
Blown. Away.
wow…..
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I would like to have a one-night stand with this room (is it wrong if I lick the wallpaper right here on my laptop)?
ha! I love the comments! I told Brian… it will be all his fault if I leave my husband for my office!
LOVE IT! That wallpaper is divine!
that shit is hot
Well, thank you. Thank you VERY much for such a poetic compliment. I fu$king love that @hit too. In fact, I kinda love the name Holly. And movies where girls named Holly eat croissants in windows.
I love everything in that room and I especially love that you call Donna your “Draper”. I don’t think I’ll call myself the drapery lady anymore !
Love the paper but I would have to use it in small doses.
I feel you are too good to write Genius!Thanks for posting, maybe we can see more on this.
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