Cool, Calm, and Blue Parakeet Rugs All Over in Velinda Hellen Design

Ready to give your kitchen a warm, modern, and inviting makeover? Velinda Hellen of Velinda Hellen Design has a kitchen and home reno story on Emily Henderson’s blog that is full of tips, tricks, and surprises to inspire you. Julie A. Rose was Lead Designer on this project, and the mission was to transform an outdated Ojai home with an awkward kitchen into a beautiful, functional, and organic space. Key to that was introducing “visual anchors” to direct the eye without distracting from the home’s natural surroundings (hint: involves rugs!).

The redesign took place in 2020, the same year Velinda Hellen Design was formed, but the team has years of experience prior to that, including at EHD, and it shows in their work. We loved working on this project with pros from both VHD and EHD, watching them collaborate on the design and unroll fabulous old rugs to anchor each room. More of our faves, like stylist Emily Edith Bowser and photography phenom Sara Ligorria-Tramp, were also onsite. Truly, it was like going on tour with a supergroup!


The priorities for this homeowner in the kitchen were maintaining a good flow throughout the space for three active boys, updating the style, and increasing storage. The designers accomplished all three goals with some ingenious ideas for preserving sight lines while hiding appliances and storage to create an elevated, casual look. After the renovation, the team got to work on the decor, including quite a few Blue Parakeet Rugs that complement the newly calm, bright space and provide texture underfoot in high-traffic areas.


Velinda writes, “It’d be unfair not to emphasize what a MAJOR impact a good antique rug can have. We actually added one to every room we touched on this project.” And commenter Allison noted of the living room, “The warm tones in the rug pair perfectly with the moody blues of the built ins. One of my favourite rooms I have seen on the blog.” We couldn’t agree more, and we were thrilled by all the wows in the comments about the transformational power of antique rugs! Seeing these old treasures elevate a space when they’re unrolled in a new home never gets old.

The redesign photo tour includes multiple rooms in this Ojai gem and has some great ideas for your next entryway, living room, and reading nook. Head over to Style by Emily Henderson for all the details and inspiration.

Sheba K