Reveal: How We Brightened Up a Room (and Some Deserving Lives) with Velux Skylights

Today’s reveal is my favorite type of “work” and why I feel like the luckiest person on the planet that this is my job. Velux skylights approached me about doing a makeover for a family that could use some “brightening up,” and I said “yes” very quickly. When your job is helping others through design and style, you feel pretty darn lucky. We posted about the contest here, and hundreds of you entered to get the free makeover, which included new skylights. Raeann secretly entered Kristen for the contest, both being avid readers for years (THANK YOU) and their story was one that seemed perfect for what we were going to be able to bring to them. Here they are, with myself and the design lead on this job, Julie Rose.

Kristen and Raeann have been together for 7 years, married for nearly one. They live in Salt Lake City and bought their house a year and a half ago. Last year, Kristen (32) was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer called Cholangiocarcinoma, which she was predisposed to genetically. Typically, those who are diagnosed with this type of cancer are over the age of 65 and found more commonly in males. This is why it was very shocking that Kristen got diagnosed at such a young age. Obviously, that threw their life into a spin of fear and just so many unknowns. She began a clinical test and rounds of chemo, one that didn’t make her lose her hair (it’s a new clinical trial), but of course inside she wasn’t feeling good AT ALL.

So when Raeann entered her and we saw her bedroom, we knew that they were the perfect family for this. Kristen was spending a lot of time in her bedroom, resting, sleeping and recovering from the chemo treatments, and we were about to make that room so much more beautiful, comfortable and yes, bright and airy.

Here’s what Raeann envisioned for the space: “My wife just started chemo and is spending a lot more time in bed these days. I would love for our bedroom to be more of a haven for her—a serene, comforting, and light space that brings her peace and happiness when other things are tough.”

So Julie and myself flew out to Salt Lake City to meet them and get a sense of what their style was and really understand what they wanted for the space. I can’t tell you how wonderful they were and we clicked immediately and didn’t want to leave. I wrote about the process yesterday as it was fast and saved us a ton of time. They trusted us—with some guidance—which made the process so fast and easy plus we really loved their style and what they had pinned to a Pinterest board for the giveaway. I know that you guys are awesome, but to hang out with two that have been reading for years solidifies that I have the BEST READERS IN THE WORLD.

Their Functional Needs:

1. More light: The room needed more light and was honestly a perfect candidate for skylights. I am a firm believer that natural light changes the entire mood and feel of a room. In fact, studies show that people in hospitals with windows, who can see nature, may heal faster. By putting in skylights not only do you get more light, but you can see the sky, the clouds, the blue while you are laying down (and the stars at night). We put in two Velux No Leak Solar Powered “Fresh Air” skylights that are roughly 2 feet wide by 3 feet tall on the eastern wall because morning light is soft and prettier than afternoon light. Your Velux consultant or contractor can help you determine the best placement in your room so you are optimizing the light in the smartest way.

2. A bigger, cozier, bed: Right from the start, we determined that the bed should stay along the wall it was on initially but I convinced them that they had to get a king-size bed (which for them meant a brand new mattress from Tuft & Needle). They also wanted something more dog-friendly, i.e. lower so their pup, Izzy, could get on and off easily in her older years.

3. More nightstand storage: When you are in bed all day, you accumulate things around you (cups, books, etc.), so more space both in and out of drawers would be helpful.

Their Stylistic Wants:

Cozy and comfortable: After the initial small talk, we asked Raeann and Kristen to describe the feel of the room they wanted when they walked in for the reveal. Words like serene, cozy, comfortable, bright and Zen came out of their mouths and into our design minds. That, combined with being able to sit down with them and go through their pre-pinned Pinterest board, was a great learning experience to see what and why people are drawn to a random room from the internet.

Lots of layers, textures but not too many patterns: The wall-to-wall carpet was not bad but we decided to layer a lighter and brighter rug with some texture would make the space feel bigger and cozier. We went with subtle white Roman shades from Tonic Living (who were gracious enough to RUSH deliver these to us, thank you Tonic Living!) that filtered some light but visually “disappear” when needed. Oh, and as for things to avoid: NO velvet. Kristen HATES the feel of velvet for some reason, like my cats used to hate fur, she is repelled by the feeling of it.

As we wrote yesterday, we wanted it to feel serene but luxurious, neutral but with personality. So soft, so easy, so stress-less, with more storage and more bright (yet soft) light.

We planned from LA, and loaded up a big moving truck the Saturday before the week of the install. Within two days (with a lot of prep from my team, led by Julie), we transformed this space and absolutely brightened up their room (and yes, also their life). It’s so warm, happy, layered and yet simple and easy to navigate both stylistically and functionally.

The Color Palette: We kept all the major pieces neutral and calm, and then layered on some higher contrast. Honestly, this is really the safest and easiest route to go if you aren’t into having a risky bedroom. It also keeps it really easy to change styles and colors in accessories and bedding. That bed, from Living Spaces, is a STEAL at $450 (for a KING!) and that upholstered headboard makes it so much more comfortable than the original wood one they had in the space. Kristen and Raeann both liked navy (as do we, duh) so it was really an EHD palette that we are very comfortable with—gray, white, navy with a lot of wood and natural textures.

Textures: While we don’t have a lot of high contrast patterns, we do have a lot of textures throughout not only in the bedding but also the furniture. Please note the wood/woven nightstand from Serena and Lily. It’s very special and not just because it has leather pulls. The rug has a strangely soft texture (and is also so affordable for how soft and huge it is, a 9’x12′ for $338); it also brings in a slight pattern. Even the lamp has visual texture, with splatter paint all over it. Kristen loves woven window treatments but since we wanted to make sure the space could be completely dark during the day, we brought this element into the space through the nightstands and pendant over the bed.

Art: In an attempt to always have art be a more personal element in the room, we brought in a lot of family photos that we put into readymade frames.

But, we found the perfect large scale art for the space in the most kismet way. For our stay, Julie booked a house for the whole team through Airbnb not knowing at the time that it belonged to Holly Addi who is a local artist in SLC. Her abstract paintings are INCREDIBLE and also owns one of the cutest stores in town called Arte Haus Collectif. Her work is so beautiful and I wanted (still want) many pieces for my own home. If you don’t live in the SLC area, you can purchase her work through Uprise Art and she has a lot more in that collection that the whole team loved.

After hearing this story and seeing how perfect her piece would be in here, she was lovely enough to cut us a deal so this piece could live in the room. Look how incredible it is. We loved that it was overscale for that wall and yet fit so cohesively into the space. Thank you, Holly!

They were SO happy when they saw the piece and I told them the story.

I would be psyched, too.