Cats Rule!

Callie Portrait 1

As anyone who lives with cats knows, we don’t own them–they own us.  Pictured above is Callie, who came from Holland with my husband and his daughter nearly eight years ago.  Callie, and her sister, Cassie, think that the living room sofa is their personal boudoir.  The soft, down-filled sofa cushions are just purr-fect.  We don’t have the heart to make them change their ways, so pretty soon I’ll probably have to reupholster the sofa, but at the moment the neutral fabric pretty much hides the cat hair and snags that they inflict upon the fabric daily.  This photo was taken by my web designers, Blackstone Edge, last week, when they were shooting my entire main floor.  I think they had more fun taking photos of the cats than anything.  Here’s a wide shot of the living room, including the sofa, sans cats:

Kathia LR Screen

Our home is a continual work-in-progress.  When I viewed the house in 2005, the living room looked like this:

Kathia & Jim's living room BEFORE (previous owner's furnishings).

Kathia & Jim’s living room BEFORE (previous owner’s furnishings).

Now it looks like this:

Kathia LR:Fireplace
We kept the red walls for several years, after adding recessed lighting into the ceiling, and removing the dated window coverings.  It was a another year before I was able to re-face the fireplace with tile that suited our taste more than the old original brick.  Several years later, I got tired of the red walls, and painted the room taupe.  Last year I found a rug at Seams To Fit Home that was perfect, so that added another lift.

window exp

The room is very personal–all of the paintings were done by Janet Pressman, Jim’s late mother.  The bust of Jim’s Grandfather, Irving Kahan, was done by Irving’s sister, Lotte Kagan Rushchuk.

Cassie Portrait

Here’s a portrait of Cassie, sitting in our library.  This is a room where we spend a LOT of time–reading, watching TV, entertaining friends, and playing games.  When I first viewed the house in 2005, the room looked like this:

Kathia and Jim's Library "Before" - previous owner's furnishings.

Kathia and Jim’s Library BEFORE (previous owner’s furnishings)

Here’s what the room looks like now.  We took out the acoustical ceiling, dropped some soffits for art lighting, added recessed lighting and speakers into the the ceiling, and filled the room with built in bookcases.

window exp

When Jim and I are in this room watching TV, we are usually being sat upon by the two cats and our black Lab, Emma, who somehow managed to avoid being photographed in these shots.  So, when you need an interior designer who truly knows how to decorate around kids, cats, and dogs, give Emery & Associates a call.  We understand!

Jim w:Callie & Cassie

 

 

There are 12 Comments to "Cats Rule!"

  • You do beautiful work, Kathia, and your home looks spectacular! There’s more to come folks, so stay tuned… Thanks for a great day, great spirit, great food, and some adorable animals…

  • Dinah Adkins says:

    I love this, Kathia! Your home is so inviting; and it’s even more inviting now than when I first saw it (love the Chinese chairs, the rug from Seams to Fit Home, the new kitchen, etc.). It is warm, inviting, sophisticated and comfy for humans as well as Emma and your cats. And I adored the way you got the photo of cat-bound Jim in your blog. Thank you for sharing; it’s an inspiration for all of us!

  • runa says:

    i love the photos of my girls!

  • Jerri-Jo Idarius says:

    Your house is looking and feeling better and better. . . and is comfortable and inviting to those who enter… due to your generous spirit.
    It is so ggod to see your creative talents being put to such good use in all these projects and to see how this transforms the lives of all who live in and visit these homes. One huge circle of sharing.

  • Shari House says:

    So much fun having the cats celebrating your style. They do indicate where the comfort is in a room! It is striking how your use of warm yellow and gold tones lights up the living room (and the library) compared to the former colors. Good choices to brighten the often grey days in the northwest.

  • Judi says:

    Finally, the cats are getting their due and Emma takes a back seat! The rooms are all spectacular, and though each one is special, they flow so well together. I don’t know of anyone capable of the transformations you achieve with great consistency. You are a constant inspiration! So glad we get to share in this wonderful work!

  • I have just one cat, but she has a big impact. This very morning, in fact, my bed did not get made because the cat had elected to nap right in the middle of the messy coverings and looked so cute that I opted not to disturb her. Beyond your cat photos, however, I enjoyed seeing how the paint choices transformed the spaces and appreciated your comments about including items of personal significance.

  • Joan Rogers says:

    I love this! And how fun to see the “before” pictures (which I remember only too well!) and the “after” pictures.

  • Nili says:

    Amazing transformation. Well done.

    • Kathia Emery says:

      Thanks. Are you the person who writes the blog for NW Rugs? I only know two sales people at the store on Cornell in Portland–love Jawid. Thought I was sending this to him! If you are the blogger, I love your blog posts

  • Hello there! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a collection of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community
    in the same niche. Your blog provided us valuable information
    to work on. You have done a wonderful job!

  • Joanne Carlson says:

    You brought that living room alive. Everything is exquisite.

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