Hartfield Project Reveal | the Sunroom

When our client’s father-in-law suddenly passed away years ago, it caused them to pause and contemplate life: what was important to them? How did they want to live? This is turn led to the purchase of the river house or their “happy place” as they call it. Purchased back in 1999, they have been coming out here with their kids on weekends, summers and holidays. It was an honor working alongside them, to freshen up their great room and sunroom.

Coming off the great room, is the sunroom… between the comfy seating, the amazing view of the river and the bar - this is the place to be! Posing a similar challenge to the great room, in that they sunroom is quite long and narrow, our greatest challenge was maximizing seating while ensuring a pretty, cohesive design. Besides the bar at the one end of the room, pretty much everything in this space is new, purchased specifically for the room. Both the clients and I love how this room turned out. Even though the layout is similar to the original, the feel of the room now is so happy and peaceful.

Being right off the water, it was important that the seating at this river house be durable! We selected performance fabrics in both the great room and the sunroom, combined with some woven pieces. We wanted everyone to feel relaxed and welcome.

When it came to the layout of the sunroom, the clients and I went back and forth of what we wanted it to look like. One option was to design it in a way where it served primarily as a dining room with the the bar at the end. This would have meant a long farmhouse table, benches and chairs. Since the client’s have family and friends over often, this seemed like a possibility.

In the end though, we kept the layout similar to the original floor plan, tweaking things a bit. All of the pieces in the room (minus the bar) are new. While not a 10’ long dining room table, the one that we brought in is quite large and able to extend. Since our clients are on the taller side, we wanted to make sure that there was plenty of room and so we went with counter-height seating.

A long the window wall (the provides a view into the great room), we brought in the most beautiful blue and white sofa! Our clients wanted something that would hold up well, provide enough seating, but yet was comfortable enough for a Sunday nap! These woven swivel chairs, allow for people to recline and chat with others, no matter where they are at in the room.

Out of all of the rooms in the house, the sunroom is definitely the place to be! Between the comfy seating, the amazing view of the river and the bar… this room is all about relaxing and having a good time.

We spent months looking for the perfect cabinet to go behind the bar when my clients came across this beauty… The coloring, the distressed finish and overall vibe was perfect! Used primarily for storage, its also the spot for mixing drinks.

When designing a bar such as the one out at this river house, I think its fun to style it using a mixture of things: framed photos of family and friends, special mementos, pretty glasses, alcohol, etc. You want it to be styled but personal, and a little eclectic.

INTERIOR DESIGN: Making Room for Peace | PHOTOGRAPHY: Jenna Miller Photography