With an interior design career spanning nearly 40 years, Leigh Jones, Principal Designer at home furnishings retailer The Very Thing, specializes in comfortable luxury. Here she designed a bright and airy sunroom to serve as a central family gathering space with plenty of natural light.
1. When it came to designing the sunroom, the client’s biggest priority was to create a space that would serve as the central zone for the home. With doors leading off into the den, living room, dining room and even outdoors, the design of the sunroom needed to flow throughout and feel light, bright and open. I took advantage of the open windows and skylights in the ceiling, allowing the natural light to brighten up the room. To go hand-in-hand with the open windows, I used a natural color palette to connect the sunroom with the outdoors.
2. The homeowners appreciate the outdoors and are drawn to interiors with natural elements and colors. I knew this space needed to reflect the outdoors, especially with the direct views into the idyllic backyard escape. Sun-resistant fabrics will withstand the test of time and bright sunshine, while the client can relax and enjoy nods to nature throughout the room — safari animal sculptures, zebra print, natural wood, palm leaf textiles, and even a furry friend! Knowing that the dog would spend ample time soaking up the sun in this space, he played a large role in determining key details. The sunroom needed to be easy to clean; the rug resists tracking dirt from the outside and performance fabrics prevent lasting stains.
3. With an open floor plan, the colors throughout the connecting rooms needed to flow seamlessly, and green was the natural choice. The brown neutral rug and wooden details anchor the space, in contrast to the bright and colorful abstract LeRoy Neiman painting. The color palette for the remaining textiles and decorative accents was selected to complement the painting and the overlapping theme for the space: the great outdoors.
