[Mr. Kate]

Hey Cassidy,

Thanks for posting!! It sounds like you have a lot of the same pieces of furniture that we used in Alisha’s room, so if you would like a layout like hers, you can check out the floorplan we used here and try to replicate it! Depending on the placements of your windows, which sounds a little different than hers, you could possibly shift the floorplan over to keep the same flow!

As far as the marble walls, if you can’t apply wallpaper, could you paint it on a wall? It would definitely be a project, but I have a marble painting tutorial that we used on the surfboard from Eva’s room that could work on a bigger space as well!

Hope this helps! Good luck!

XOXO,

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hey Zaynah!

Thanks for posting!! It’s a little tricky to say what type of shelves to use without seeing the space and knowing what you need them for, but I would say with that color scheme and aesthetic, a wood shelf could be a great addition! Reclaimed wood, like we used for Eva’s bed would especially give the rustic feeling that you mentioned.

If you want to comment back with a picture or any more specifics, I can give you more ideas or details!

Best of luck!

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hey Ariana,

Thanks for posting! I have a few questions — can you paint your walls? Even if you’re not planning on staying in the room for long, every house can benefit from a little interior paint refresh, and it sounds like your walls really could. A simple white paint could give you the blank canvas and refresh you need to get your room a little more how you’d like it to be!

If you can’t paint your walls, could you upload some pictures of the room so I can visualize? That would be really helpful in coming up with ideas!

XOXO,

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hey!!

Thanks for posting!! I like the idea of painting the shelves white, but if they are the only area of blue in your room and that color is important to your scheme, you might not want to lose that.

Have you seen the video I made with Chriselle Lim where we decorated her shelves? It’s full of tips and I think could be really helpful for you in deciding how you want to lay everything out!

What’s good is that you already have awesome things to fill up your shelves, so all that’s left is a little rearranging! Have fun and play around with it. It’s nothing permanent, so there is lots of room to experiment.

Best of luck!

XOXO,

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hi Stella!!

Thanks for posting!! This room is great and has a lot of potential!

Right now, since the room is empty, the blue carpet seems overpowering/ dominant, but once you start filling your space up with furniture, it will become more of a team player. I would definitely not bring too much more blue into the space, perhaps smaller accent items (versus a larger showcase like bedding.) I would also recommend bringing in different shades of blue. Since the carpet is lighter, some navy or ultra pastel blue will be nice complements without being overpowering.

Gray is a great neutral, so if you can some furniture that has gray finish (or even a little silver?), that could be a great way to bring that into the mix. Once you have the gray and blue established, you’ll see where and how much to bring the yellow in.

I’m super excited for you to decorate this space, I think it will be super cool!

Good luck!

XOXO,

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hey Matt!

Thanks for posting!! I, for one, think your sense of style sounds amazing.

It can be difficult to dress true to your own creative weirdo personality and then trust the world to accept that and not be confused or critical at the lack of conformity. I wish there was a simple way that it is easy, but it’s a matter of time, practice blocking out the questioners, and confidence. You are dressing to make yourself happy, and to express your personality. That is a decision each person makes every day, and no one can tell you that you should dress to make them happy — it’s all about you.

Be stubborn, be inspired, and be yourself. The world needs people who are being, and dressing, and living authentically. Your “out of the box” looks could be the spark that inspires another person questioning if they can be bolder with their style to take that step. Different is scary to those who don’t understand it, but it’s beautiful to everyone who does.

Hoping you keep on slaying your style game —

XOXO,

Mr. Kate & Team

 

[Mr. Kate]

Hi Naomi!!

Thanks for posting!! It’s great to be able to swoop up some great furniture from relatives, but the trick is, as you’ve noted, integrating it into your home’s style.

This is a great set, and I think with a few touches and tabletop settings that are more in line with your industrial/ midcentury modern aesthetic, you can totally make it work.

I wouldn’t paint the table, but if you’re not keen on its wooden appearance, what about trying out this DIY Decoupage Coffee Table technique on the top? You could then paint and reupholster the chairs to match the new appearance and finish of the table! Top it with some of the aforementioned accessories, and it voila!!

Hope this helps! Good luck!

XOXO,

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hey Marijna!

Thanks for posting! Congrats on the new place and lots of space! While a room this long and open might seem intimidating now, it’s really exciting to have lots of area to play around in while designing!

It sounds like you already have a direction with your sectional and chaise plan, and I would recommend thinking about all of the furniture you’re going to end up putting in this room. A living room isn’t just seating, but usually also entertainment and some decorative storage like bookshelves. If you’re having a TV in your room, plan the layout of the furniture so that you have a logical viewing area. Likewise, if you are putting up bookshelves or any other large structures like those, you’ll know to make create a nice reading area in front of that, or maybe to leave the shelves alone! Another general rule is to put the longest piece of furniture (which in your case will probably be the sectional), along the longest wall.

Otherwise, I recommend getting a rug or two to tie the space in together, and to use smaller accents like wall art and floor lamps to fill in some of the bigger spaces.

Hope this helps! Good luck decorating!

XOXO,

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hey Holly!

Thanks for posting! Sounds like you have a lot of ideas, your dad is a lucky guy! I would say that since this is such a small space, start with the smaller and more approachable ideas, because they will end up looking a lot bigger and more significant when completed because of the size of the room.

I like the idea of painting the sunken wall gray, and if you think it will make it look too small — perhaps a medium to lighter shade of gray? I also like the ideas of changing the mirror, implementing a hanging shelf, and adding a rug. Those changes will make a big difference and you’ll have a very well designed hallway!

Let me know how it comes out when you’re done!

Good luck!

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hey!

Thanks for posting! That’s such a unique piece!

I can see how the tiles are a little bit of a color mismatch with the design style you mentioned. First option — can they be removed? If there is a way to remove the tiles from the stand, you could easily install new ones that fit your color palette.

If not, I would see if there is contact paper or even specifically tile-shaped contact paper that you could cover each tile with. This plan is contingent on the tiles being smooth and not textured, which is a little hard to tell from the picture!

The third option is always to just paint them, though I would try one of the first two approaches first! No matter what you do, if you decorate the stand in front of the tile with a nice plant or some art, not too much notice will go to the tiles behind!

Hope this helps!

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hi Holly!!

Thanks so much for posting! I’m so glad that you’ve found inspiration in our videos!

I wouldn’t recommend getting a double bed just for design purposes, but if it is what is best for you functionally and to fit with your lifestyle and needs then definitely go for it!

In rooms where the bed takes up a lot of floor space, it is important to be very strategic with storage and furniture so things don’t get too cluttered. If you don’t already have shelves on the wall, installing some and using those instead of a side table or bookshelf could be nice to open up a little more space.

Speaking of shelves, you could definitely do a really cool hanging shelf off of the sloped wall! I have a tutorial for stacked hanging shelves here, and you could tailor it to have as many or as few shelves as you need! That would fit in with the Pinterest boho vibe you’re describing and could be a cool way to integrate the unique feature of the ceiling into your room!

Hope this helps! Have fun decorating!

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hey!!

Thanks so much for posting! I can’t recommend making moodboards enough, so I’m so excited you’re prepping with one as you take on a new space! I use Photoshop for mine and that has worked very well for me, though I’m sure there are many other similar programs.

There isn’t a specific item I will search for first overall, because each room is different! Some rooms come with furniture I need to consider in the design and others are completely bare! But I would recommend searching for the most size-imperative pieces first. If you have a smaller room or specific area that you need *just* the right size piece of furniture for, it is a lot easier to get that piece first and fill in around it, than to get, say, side tables first and realize you didn’t leave enough room for the sofa.

Hope this helps! Good luck with your apartment!

XOXO,

Kate

[Mr. Kate]

Hey!

Look at this room design! Super cute! The bed gives me vibes from Meghan Rienks’ place, with the all-white, Instagram look. The pink chair is a great accent, too! That color is practically a neutral nowadays, especially in a feminine, minimalist room, so it plays into the aesthetic really well.

Of course I like the palms on the wall! I did an entire DIY where I painted palm fronds on a wall with pool noodles! I’m all about that jungalow touch.

Great job, thanks for sharing!

XOXO,

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hey Dana,

Thanks for posting!! While that chair does look like a cozy place to curl up for a nap, I see how it could throw a big brown wrench into your design plans!

In this circumstance, when the item can’t be removed from the design or the room, we’re left with no choice but to design around it. That chair isn’t the most becoming on its own, but throw on a cute throw pillow that aligns it more with your color scheme and a nice blanket draped across the back and the impact is mightily lessened. Your boyfriend can’t really complain about a pillow or a blanket since he brought in an entire, big chair!

If a blue couch is in your dream design, I would encourage you to still go for it! The brown, while not in your color palette, is still a neutral, and won’t throw things off as much as, say, a lime green chair would.

Keep the rest of the room in your color palette, help the chair out with those accessories, and I promise your living room will still be on point!

Best of luck! XOXO

Mr. Kate & Team

[Mr. Kate]

Hey!

Thanks for posting!! If you’re asking this question, you’ve probably seen most or all of the episodes, which is awesome! Thanks for watching! I would say that picking a favorite is probably impossible, they’re all my babies! I love how unique each room design is.

Some standouts for me, where I just loved the projects or just how dramatic of a before and afters, are Andrea’s, Patrick’s and Tati’s, but I can’t pick a favorite!

Which is your fave?

XOXO,

Mr. Kate & Team

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