Collected at Deerwood
- Brittany Zimmerman
- Sep 22, 2025
- 5 min read
At Bleu Bee Designs, we believe every home tells a story — one stitched together with heirlooms, layered textiles, and thoughtful details. Our Deerwood project is a wonderful example of how pattern, texture, and vintage-inspired elements can breathe fresh life into traditional spaces, creating a home that feels both inviting and timeless. This family of five, with three grown & flown, needed a space that was ideal for entertaining just the couple, the grown children, and eventually an extended family at holiday time and beyond.
The design journey was about incorporating antiques and original art that our client already owned, while modernizing them in a way that honored the pieces and encouraged modern function. Our client loves all things French & Italian in design, a limited color palette and without being superfluous in nature.
We designed these spaces in tandem and work began on both simultaneously.
The Living Room: Comfort Meets Character
The living room balances comfort, charm and everyday practicality. A space for writing correspondence, reading, playing the piano and curling up with a cup of tea -this room has many functions for its family members and we wanted to keep the furniture sturdy enough for the growing boys, but cozy enough for company. We updated the generations’ old sofa (which had a great solid wood frame) with new cushions and upholstery with a mix of custom pillows, pairing gingham alongside buttery floral prints, carefully selected to evoke a cozy, “collected over time” feeling.
A newly acquired carved wood armchair, with its intricate detailing and classic silhouette, received a thoughtful make-over throughout the interior and back
upholstery. This transformation allowed it to fit beautifully into the existing living room furnishings, blending seamlessly while adding a touch of character and warmth.
The freshly upholstered Ming footstool, with its rich fabric and elegant design, adds an element of old-world personality to the space. It is perfectly paired with an Asian secretary that serves as both a functional piece and a statement of style. Original art owned by our clients were the perfect pieces to pop personality in here as well!
Our clients had beautiful collections housed within the secretary, and through careful editing, we showcased these treasures in a way that highlights their uniqueness and charm. One of our favorite elements in the living room is the collection of hotel ashtrays, collected by our client and her parents during their decades of travel. Again, we simply pared down the collection and artfully displayed them on one of the French side tables.
The family piano serves as a gathering point in this space, and our client wanted there to be ample walking room, so we did not add a more traditionally placed cocktail table.
Again, looking to elevate the ambiance of this gathering room, soft custom pinch pleat drapery was layered over woven shades, providing both texture, sound and light control.
The biggest change to this room, aside from the gorgeous mélange of fabrics, was the installation of new wall-to-wall carpet. This luxurious Masland carpet boasts a soft grey and cream base flecked with mineral blue, adding a subtle yet sophisticated foundation to the overall design. The color palette not only complements the existing furnishings but also enhances the room's warmth, making it an inviting retreat for family and friends alike.
Throughout the living room and the adjacent dining room, our mix of patterns and scales — checks, florals, and geometrics — creates a warm, approachable aesthetic that feels elevated yet never fussy. Each element works in harmony, contributing to a cohesive design that is both stylish and comfortable.
The Dining Room: Elegant Layers
In the dining room, we leaned into a refined botanical theme that creates an inviting and serene atmosphere. The choice of wallpaper is particularly noteworthy; British wallpaper maker Sanderson features a hand-drawn delicate cream floral design against a soft sage background. This exquisite wallpaper not only anchors the space with its subtle yet intricate pattern but also adds a layer of sophistication and charm that enhances the overall aesthetic of the room. The gentle hues of the wallpaper work harmoniously with the natural light that floods the room, creating a tranquil and uplifting environment for dining.
The client-owned gilded mirror, strategically placed on one wall, plays a crucial role in the design. Its reflective surface captures and amplifies the natural light that streams in through the east-facing windows, illuminating the room and making it feel more spacious and airy. This mirror serves not only as a functional item but also as a stunning focal point that draws the eye and adds a touch of glamour to the space. The interplay between the mirror and the light creates a dynamic visual experience, ensuring that the room feels vibrant at different times of the day.
With Pecky Cypress wood flooring and trim throughout this room inspired us to keep the nod to a Florida native species, but we also needed to keep the room from being too dark once the sun was overhead for the day. Enter our favorite rug vendor, who created a custom color Oushak rug, expertly woven in India and placed it below the table, nearly spanning the trafficked area of the dining room.
The custom upholstered dining chairs are another significant element of the room. With their floral backs that echo the textiles used in the living room, these chairs create a seamless sense of continuity throughout the home. Inside, the chair seats feature a doe-skin hued faux mohair, both high performance against stains and abrasion. We selected a chair with a wider seat and cushioned back, as our client desired their dining chairs to be comfortable enough to encourage guests to linger around the table, long after the meal.
Atop a new buffet piece (a client request for increased storage of entertaining and serve ware), we have incorporated a few of our client's beautiful antiques, from their wedding China pattern to the striking silver server.
We are particularly fond of how the team at Anita's Garden Shop (Jacksonville, FL) expertly curated these containers, selecting a variety of plants that not only complement the color palette but also thrive in the room's lighting conditions.
The combination of textures and shades from the plants adds depth and interest to the overall design.
The Details: Before & After
Every detail was chosen to strike a balance between traditional formality and everyday livability with timeless interior design. The dining rug’s muted palette, the shimmer of glassware at the table, and the vintage-inspired floral prints on textiles all speak to a homeowner who loves history and comfort in equal measure, with an eye for beauty. Our client knew the basic elements of what she desired in their home, however she saw that we would be able to pull the entire vision together through snippets of our previous work. We could not be more grateful for the trust and expertise that our clients have in us!
Why We Love This Project
The Deerwood home represents everything we value at Bleu Bee Designs:
Timeless style that feels current but never trendy
Layered patterns and textures for warmth and depth
A collected approach that celebrates personal history and curated finds
Whether it’s reimagining your living room or refreshing a dining space for entertaining, our goal is always to create interiors that feel like you — grounded in beauty, function, and personality.