Guest Blogger: Jerrica from Jerrica Zaric Interior Design

Hi there, I’m Jerrica from Jerrica Zaric Interior Design, a full-service interior design company dedicated to creating unique and functional interior design solutions. I’m excited to be a guest on House of Turquoise today to show off my latest design project with you all!

I was hired by a couple who purchased a new construction house in a suburb of Milwaukee, WI. For my client who is a transplant to the Midwest from the Florida-Georgia area, the landlocked ranch home didn’t reflect her coastal style. The dark beige walls and pure white bedrooms were a safe choice for the developers (which worked since the house sold!), but my clients hired me to help them make their stamp on their forever home.

The house has a great layout with a large open concept floor plan, making it ideal for entertaining. To spruce it up, the first thing I did was replace the entryway light fixture from a basic flush mount to a beautiful brushed nickel and glass pendant.

The rest of the lighting in the room was consistent with the look we were going for, so I happily left the island pendants as is. The dining room chandelier was altered just slightly with the addition of new mini chandelier shades brought in to soften up the light.

Since the main goal of the design was to bring in a coastal vibe to the space, I chose a bright and airy color palette reminiscent of Southern beaches. All walls in the great room went from beige to Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace. To keep the room from looking too stark, I had the ceiling painted in Benjamin Moore’s Ocean Air. Painting the ceiling blue livens up the room, makes a big statement and… if you are superstitious, it keeps the evil spirits away.

Prior to the remodel, the granite countertops had an attached lip as the backsplash with no decorative tiling. This stone lip shortened the perceived height of the wall and darkened up the space. Because it was granite, we were able to remove it with no damage to the counter underneath. A Thassos 3×6” marble tile backsplash was added to give a slight shimmer and I had a custom marble mosaic installed behind the range.

One of my favorite additions to the home is the installation of tongue and groove ceiling cladding to three recessed trays – one in the dining space, one in the entry and the other in the living room. This cladding was painted the same color as the rest of the ceiling so it brings in a subtle rustic texture.

Beachy blues, crisp whites, sandy tans and gray wood tones were brought in to carry the coastal look through the space. Despite the snow piling up out of the windows in the photographs, my clients are transported to the beach when they get home.

Before we started the project, the bedroom was pretty basic – white walls, a bed with no headboard and a few dressers. I wanted to maintain the room’s simplicity while still updating it to a calm, coastal look that will be a nice retreat for the clients after a long day. I kept the layout of the room the same, but added a large headboard that consisted of a 4×4 grid of upholstered panels. The headboard starts with a row of icy blue velvet and then transitions to a dark navy.

The blues from the headboard and wall (painted Benjamin’s Moore Glass Slipper) are offset by the yellow lamps, accent pillows and bench.

There are more angles and details from this project + before photos in my portfolio. You can check them out here. You can also keep up-to-date on my latest projects by following me on Facebook or Houzz.


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