Antique-Inspired Living Room

Designer Heather Hilliard creates a unique space for a California couple by combining their treasured family heirlooms with contemporary, custom designed furniture for an updated living room that highlights the family's past and compliments the present.

Hilliard shares how she adds interest by mixing and matching design styles.

How did you address design obstacles?

The biggest challenge was helping the clients sort through their existing furniture and antiques to decide which pieces to keep and how to integrate them into a much more contemporary setting.

Does the end result match up with your original vision?

The budget did not allow for the number of new items that I had planned so we actually ended up using more of the client's inherited pieces than I had originally intended. I believe the use of the antiques made the room more interesting.

What were the "hidden gems" in this remodel?

We designed the benches under the custom glass coffee table which were inspired by Jean Michel Frank's original designs from the 1940s. The benches are wrapped in parchment and upholstered in buttery suede. The dining table and chairs are a great example of mixing high and low; we found the Swedish Grace Period dining chairs from HM Luther in New York and the black lacquered dining table in a consignment shop.