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The Four

Designer Turns New House’s Space into a Home for His Family

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Picking up and moving your family halfway across the country is never easy.

Trying to make a new house feel like its home is even harder.

Traverse City Designer Angelo Adamo, with, had to do that a few months ago.  Now he’s taking us back inside his new house to give us some background on his eye on design.

Most often when new homes are built, they have an open kitchen area that extends to the living area,” Adamo says.

That open floorplan is definitely a selling point, but can also provide specific challenges for new homeowners.

“There are ways of separating the living area to the eating area, because sometimes it’s hard to do that in an awkward space if it’s a rectangle layout,” he says.

Adamo had that issue with his new home’s space, but he knew how to make the most of it.

“It’s three spaces in one, and we didn’t want to lose a table that we cherish where we eat all the time, so I decided that we added a sectional that has beautiful linear lines that creates sort of an angle between one room and another,” Adamo says. “And then a couple of things like a bench and a table, instead of chairs, and the bench can go against the wall so it doesn’t provide a corridor. And then adding mirrors to the wall to reflect lighting and adding ambient lighting so when it gets a little darker, you have table lamps and light fixtures to enhance the light appeal.”

Another thing he had to keep in mind was the existing decor of the room.

“I went with neutral fabrics, it’s the detail for the architecture, the mill-work of the fireplace and the Brazilian cherry of the flooring, it’s very dark, so I went very neutral with the fabrics so the accent colors I got was through the pillows, and the wicker baskets, and the throws and the plants that I added. It all came together.”

When determining paint colors and lighting, Angelo says realize seasons and time of day make a difference.

“Go a couple of different times of the day and see how much natural light you get, because that will help you evaluate what you need to use for colors, whether you need to repaint a certain color whether you need to tone it down a little bit,” he says. “I added a chandelier in the living room to add a bit more substance to the height of the room.”

It was a chandelier that he moved from the dining room, and as a whole, he was able to make this house work with furniture and pieces the family already had.

“Take stock of your inventory so whatever you have that you want to bring with you, measure it, take photos of it,” he says. “Does it need to be reupholstered does it need a throw pillow on there? Does it need something to work in this new environment, and if it doesn’t, don’t hold on to it even if it has a sentimental value. Either create a space for it, or don’t bring it.”

From the beautiful outdoor spaces to the cozy living room and more formal dining room, Angelo had a vision, followed through and created a home that quickly made Northern Michigan home for his family.

“Putting your personal touch into, it is just the little things, it’s that processes, it’s the organizing of these processes that make a difference,” Adamo says.

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