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My best friend Kelly and I have similar taste, but I dare say she is a touch more bohemian, which I rather love about her. She’s a world traveler and a free spirit—never afraid of color and pattern. When she told me she was ready to make some investments in furniture, I was beyond excited for her and so happy to help. She gave me a short checklist of things she was looking for, and it became evident that she was into brass and organic prints—but that’s not to say there weren’t a few wildcards, like a plush blue velvet sofa and Lucite counter stools.

The jumping off point was the living room. As per Kelly’s request, we found a super-fun, tufted sofa that sports an interesting double-leg and then wrapped it in a plush cobalt velvet. As we do with all our clients, we gave Kelly several fun fabrics to choose from to really give the room some personality, and we were not surprised when she immediately fell in love with a sublime watercolor stripe. It’s no secret that the room has an eclectic nature, and every detail really speaks to my friend’s fearless personality. The porcupine-quill lamps are a nod to the edgy rockstar within, while the hints of blush speak to her sweet side. To top it off, we’re both obsessed with the ice-blue Stark rug that we added into the mix right before our shoot. Its texture and subtle pattern was the extra something the space needed.

Right across the living area sits the burl-wood dining table. An LED Restoration Hardware chandelier covers the dining area, brass and drippy in its design, while a giant cubist chandelier by Kelly Wearstler washes light over the staircase—a feature that gets noticed by people inside and outside her home.

The office cabinetry sports the same ribbon-striped mahogany as the kitchen. With the flat panel doors and minimal hardware, it adds a bit of mid-century flair. We kept it funky with a leather-sling desk chair and chartreuse lamp from a local shop, Lawrence McRae. Artwork, giving it the finishing touch, was from a close college-friend and artist, Justine Hill.

Down in the basement is the master bedroom—an interesting set-up, being that there are no actual windows. With the only natural light filtering through sky lights in the ceiling above, the challenge was to get the room to feel less like a basement and more like a master suite. The first task, and only construction we asked of my friend, was to remove the awkward soffits and cutout ledges in the walls to make one smooth plane. This made for a long wall to fit their king-sized bed and night stands against. Natural, mineral-clustered lamps and antique mirror-detail on the bed frame add romantic touches, while luxurious velvet pillows dress the bed (it’s no secret that she loves a good velvet). In a little nook lies her piano, with an original Gray Malin beach-scene sitting atop.

To my delight, we are never finished—we’re always tweaking some design element or adding a detail here and there. My only wish is that she lived closer!