YES, the final reveal is here, and it's love at first sip for this gorgeous Chapel Hill coffee house design. We're so glad you've been enjoying these posts, and if you're catching up on this series, we've been taking a tour of the one and only La Vita Dolce Cafe at Southern Village (see Part 1 and Part 2 here!). This beautiful complete interior redesign was a collaboration of CFD and amazing local entrepreneur Annie Johnston. Along with a team of superhero industry pros, we brought vision, life, and all the chic vibes to this beloved Chapel Hill spot. Today we're going to dig into more behind-the-design challenges and solutions, design strategy, and all the details that made it picture perfect. So let's clink those cappuccinos and make our way to the final design finish.

If you're just joining in, we're taking some time here on the blog to tell you all about our custom design of the gorgeous Chapel Hill coffee and gelato sweet-spot, La Vita Dolce! Grab your latte and join us as we show you more!

It's time for a throw pillow throwdown! When it comes to design versatility, it's pretty hard to beat the classic throw pillow. It's a design staple that's been around so long it can sometimes be taken for granted, but a great throw pillow is such a workhorse for bringing together a space. There's every option under the sun for shape, color, texture, pattern, and more. It's also one of the most budget and time-friendly ways to dress up nearly any seating area. It seems like it would be super simple to just grab a few and literally throw them around (it's right there in the name!) But, like so many aspects of design, getting the combination and arrangement just right can be a little trickier than we may first assume. Often clients are surprised how in-depth the selection process can be, especially when we're looking at complete rooms or full house designs. Bringing in pillows and changing them up is one of our favorite ways to bring life, color, and flow to custom rooms, and today we're dropping some of Cat's favorite pillow strategies to know-before-you-throw.

Here in the CFD studio, a drawing doesn't only mean a sketch (although we do a lot of that too!). Professional drawings for custom home design have become a highly requested service and an important corner of our design-universe. We provide this skill for both clients and general contractors, as well as custom builders. We get a ton of questions about this part of our work from clients and industry professionals alike, and today we're going to to take you behind-the-scenes where we can show you more about what that is and how we use it to help our clients build their dream space. Creating custom building plans to scale, and coming at it from an experienced full-service design perspective is one of the things that makes us unique in the field, and one of the ways we make those big design dreams a reality.

Over many years of looking at spaces both new and old, we've seen our fair share of tall walls, long halls, and blank surfaces. Large empty space can feel pretty lonely (especially these days), and even if it's just one or two walls, it usually isn't something anyone wants to stare at for an extended period of time. Whether it's a new build, a redesign, or a session of focused space planning, clients have come to us in all phases and stages for help decking the walls. This is something that comes with the territory of Full-Service Design, and one of the (many) great things about this is that it has given us a great deal of practice in sourcing, selecting, and placing unique, custom wall art. But rather than just throwing some stock pictures up there and calling it good, there's a method to our process and a lot of consideration that goes into how we make art a meaningful part of the design vision.

Today on the CFD blog it's ALL about that #style. And by that we mean the art of styling, or how we furnish and finish a space. Full-Service Interior Design is a term that umbrellas an expansive scope of work- our range extends from full-house elevation drawings all the way to pillow tassels, with not one thing missing in between. We enjoy each part of the work that we do, and each aspect is equally important when it comes to a phenomenal final product for our clients. Although we'd be the first to say that styling spaces is so much fun, it's still a big ole' chunk of work, y'all, especially when it comes to multiple rooms or a full-house design. Styling and finishing is hands-down one of the services that our clients love and request the most, and one of the biggest ways we create that perfect CFD polish. So as we'd say in the studio, let's style it up!

The right lighting can change an entire room, from corner to corner. And OH y'all, we have been awaiting the time when we could go full fan-girl (and fella) on some light fixtures! There are many things we love here at #CFD, but the team has a particular knack for beautiful interior (and exterior) lighting placed in just the right way- with just the right mixture of creativity and drama to take a room from amazing to stunning. In addition to that much-loved follower favorite in the image above, we're excited to round up a sampling of some of our favorite lighting installations from past projects. So let's hit the lights and get down to business on lighting scheme and scene.

When it comes to completing your deck, porch, or outdoor patio, furniture is the main event. Down here in the South, y'all know we love an outdoor space!

For us here at CFD, Commercial Design is all about helping business owners and supporting our local economy. Commercial Design is a key part of our own business here at the studio, and today we're giving it the spotlight on the blog. Right from the start, businesses of all shapes and sizes have come to CFD looking for help creating a more functional, beautiful, usable space. Whether it's employees or customers, commercial spaces are places where people spend a great deal of time, and where so much important connection happens- and to us, that means great design is in order. From enhancing productivity to elevating customer appeal, we believe that workspaces should work hard to make the business the best that it can be.

The Master Design Plan! It's also known as the magical playbook we create to turn vision into reality here in CFD-land. If you've been reading along for a bit, you've seen our series called 'Follow Us to Great Design!, where we're sharing a bit about what we do (see part I here!). We've gotten so many requests for this post, and our whole team is excited to dive in with tons of insight into what the Master Plan is and why it matters- and most importantly, how it can help you turn your new build or addition into a true custom space.

Whether your walls are expansive or small, there's no better way to gussy 'em up than a gallery wall. But when you've got dozens of pieces and parts staring you down, getting them up in a cohesive fashion can seem like a very tall order- but it doesn't have to be. We've got Cat's tips and tricks for how to make it a beautiful and unique feature in your home.

We get a great many questions from folks about what all we do at CFD. There are so many answers! But a lot of it comes down to Custom Design. As a Full-Service Design Firm, our work is a little different than what you might see at other places (and we think that's a good thing!). Our joy comes from creating a completely unique space for every single client. We're going to share a little insight into our process and how we connect with clients to make each space that perfect one-of-a-kind fit.