ELIZA BLANK
How to furnish an
open-plan room
Last year, Eliza Blank, founder and CEO of the popular houseplant retailer The Sill, her husband Steve, and their two-year-old daughter Faye gave up their New York City apartment and moved upstate full-time, working remotely. They decided to redo the dilapidated old barn on their property to create a guesthouse for visiting family and workspace for themselves.
As a busy CEO, Eliza didn’t have much time to devote to the project and wasn’t sure how best to arrange the open-plan room. Enter DWR design expert Barry Snowbarger, from our NYC store. He met with Eliza virtually, in the store, and at home. Barry designed a floor plan to organize the open space, which is often challenging for people to figure out. He then helped Eliza furnish it start to finish, taking into account her needs for the guesthouse.
Before: The barn
“This was once a tractor barn for the farm,” explains Eliza. “Previous owners had sheetrocked part of it as an art studio, but it had very low ceilings and a cement floor and was infested with squirrels and snakes.” Eliza and Steve finished the full space, opening up the living area to the rafters, and added more windows, a mini kitchen (sink, cabinets, and a fridge), and a bathroom. The upstairs attic became a half loft with four twin beds for guests.
The floor plan
As part of our complimentary design concierge, Barry created a floor plan organizing the 22' x 24' open space by activity zones:
1. The door opens into a small entry area created by wall storage.
2. To the left is the living area.
3. Opposite is a conference/work/dining table where Steve can meet with clients or guests can eat.
4. A mini kitchen is tucked against a wall next to the dining area.
5. On the other side, a slender ladder desk creates a defined work area for Eliza or guests.
Visualization made easy
Another free service DWR offers is room renderings, which really helps clients visualize what the finished room will look like or how, or see how new furniture would look in an existing room. Barry showed Eliza elevations of where the furniture would be placed in the room, like the compact workspace area, above.
“I‘ve never worked with a designer before. I loved getting to discuss our vision and then see it come to life, with just the right elements to make it feel like us, and like home.” — Eliza Blank
Barry recommends starting with your largest pieces – the sofa, balanced by two chairs – in neutrals and adding color and texture through pillows, artwork, and side tables.
Here’s what Eliza learned from Barry:
Zone the space. “We organized the space by activity,” explains Barry – with living and dining areas, and smaller entry and work areas.
A rug and sectional help define an open living area. With durability in mind, Barry suggested using the Tramonto Outdoor Rug, which stands up well to traffic yet is surprisingly soft. “Go for the largest size rug possible,” advises Barry. “A 9' x 12' rug actually made this space feel larger.” An L-shaped or chaise sectional also helps define borders in an open plan. Eliza chose the Jonas Sectional in a family-friendly Maharam Mode fabric. “With kids, a performance fabric is key,” says Eliza.
Choose multipurpose pieces. “I always suggest swivel chairs in an open space so you can face in any direction,” says Barry. A pair of easy-to-move Tipi Tables and a Fellow Nesting Table with Pouf provide great flexibility. The expandable Dulwich Table provides plenty of room for Steve to host client meetings and for dining. Eliza prefers the focus that comes from working at a desk, so Barry fit the slender Folk Ladder Desk against one wall.
It’s okay to mix woods. “Barry reassured me that different wood tones provide nice contrast, and he suggested black frames for the art to connect to the black desk,” says Eliza.
Add color with accessories. Keep large, big-ticket pieces neutral, and layer in brighter colors in easy-to-change accessories such as artwork, pillows, and plants.
Furniture creates function
A mini workspace
The Folk Ladder Desk fits a workspace in a 20-inch-deep space, with the comfortable, mobile About A Chair. Adding planters (with plants from The Sill, of course) brings this corner to life – and the green is picked up in the Noguchi print.
Create an entry
Eliza likes to encourage guests to slip off their shoes, and the Folk Ladder Coat Rack gives them a place to hang their hat – and jackets – too. The Line Console is a beautifully crafted piece that holds a surprising amount in its four adjustable shelves and two drawers.
