Living Room Decorating Help Needed! Warning: long and lots of pics - Page 2

[Pinoikoi]

If I had a taupe colored couch and a dark ottoman, I would paint the walls dark red.. in a minute. I love that color. I have heard that it takes extra coats though.

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

If I had a taupe colored couch and a dark ottoman, I would paint the walls dark red.. in a minute. I love that color. I have heard that it takes extra coats though.

We have a cranberry powder room, which is DEFINITELY in the red family. SIX COATS of paint. SIX! I love the space and it was totally worth it, but I am super glad it is a tiny space.

[annethcz]

Thank you for all of the continued suggestions! It feels like I'm living and breathing home dec, and I'm STILL not sure what I want, but I'm working on it...

I've started painting, and should be done with the living room area tonight. I picked a creamy-yellowy-beigey-golden-warm color. It's Sherwin Williams' August Moon. I'm using the Harmony no-VOC paint. It's still a little smelly, but nothing like regular paint. I called and cancelled the ottoman this afternoon. And DH was thrilled to pick out a new flatscreen TV

Originally Posted by SeekingJoy

This seems like a great idea! A warm color won't contrast as starkly as the white vs wood work does right now. It will also update the space and make it feel more cohesive.

I hope so

A very durable, indoor/outdoor rug would be easier to keep clean, as would a floor cloth type rug you could take outside to clean.

I looked at a few of these today, and none of them felt very nice I'm leaning towards a wool rug, probably multicolored to hide the inevitable stains from my 4 kids.

If you love these, play them up! More substantial frames and mats would certainly help. For a sense of scale, I just framed a 5x7 silhouette in a 10x13 frame, with double mats. The frames don't have to be identical, but using similar ones throughout the dining room and living room would help.

No need to pay big $$ to have them reframed. AC Moores, Micheals, et al have 50% off coupons regularly. You can just do multiple transactions.

I have several questions about this. My plan is to keep the Ethiopian pictures in the dining area. I also have an Ethiopian cross and a few baskets in the kitchen. But how large should the frames be if the pics are about 10"X13" and 7"x14"? And should the frames all be the same size, even though the pics are different sizes? How should they be grouped? How high should I hang them- a few inches above chair-back level, eye height? I keep reading different advice.

OR, would it be better to put them in the living room and leave the dining area wall bare?

I was at Michaels today, I saw that they are having a 50% off framing sale... so the same prices as with the coupon. It would be about $200 to have the 3 pictures framed. I know my grandma used to do framing. Maybe a trip to her house is in order

I love the blog Young House Love for ideas for displaying art -- and decorating how-to's in general.

That's the blog! I remember reading it a year or so ago, but couldn't remember the name of it. Off to peruse...

This seems really crowded to me and doesn't really allow for good flow. If you aren't open to two chairs instead of a loveseat, then scale will be even more important. Your space isn't designed for oversized, overstuffed furniture.

The pieces we ordered should fit okay with the proposed furniture arrangement. I've been playing around with grid paper, and it *should* work. I really like the look of 2 chairs, but the logistics of a loveseat work so much better for our family. I have 4 kids, and it's important that we all have a place to sit in the living room.

What about centering the piano and putting narrow bookshelves on either side? Off center, your room is going to feel visually off balance. With the staircase where it is, there isn't a way to balance it either.

I'm wondering if there actually IS any way to make the room feel balanced, since it has the vaulted ceiling at the end of the room.

If you haven't already bought the paint, Color Me Happy is a great blog about choosing and using color. How to make bold color act as a neutral. How to pick colors to promote flow in a space.

Pretty!

One other area where the scale is off is your entry. Consider adding a second row of pegs above for hats and adult coats. Or a round mirror, a mail organizer or even art you love. It needs something above it to balance it out.

Thanks for the reminder. I meant to put up a mirror when we put up the hooks, and I never could bring myself to spend the money. I'll have to add it to my list

The picture in the corner with the floor lamp is too high and might look better as part of a grouping. Did the chair used to be in that corner? It looks like it goes there instead of where it is next to the sofa now.

The chair did used to go in that corner, but we rearranged to when we put up the Christmas tree, and I never got around to putting everything back.

The picture window you have (above the TV right now) is incredible. Any interest in a circular stained glass piece there? It would look fantastic and be a great focal point when you look across from the kitchen/dining room.

We've considered this, but it would have to be a HUGE piece in order for the scale to work. And it just hasn't been at the top of my priority list

[annethcz]

Originally Posted by sunnysandiegan

We have a cranberry powder room, which is DEFINITELY in the red family. SIX COATS of paint. SIX! I love the space and it was totally worth it, but I am super glad it is a tiny space.

I had a red dining room in my old house. Red with white trim, a fireplace, and a huge picture window. I loved that room .

After using the (bright pink!) primer, it still took 3-4 coats to look good. Yikes, was that a lot of work.

[SeekingJoy]

Originally Posted by annethcz

I've started painting, and should be done with the living room area tonight. I picked a creamy-yellowy-beigey-golden-warm color. It's Sherwin Williams' August Moon. I'm using the Harmony no-VOC paint. It's still a little smelly, but nothing like regular paint.

This is a really pretty color. I hope you decide to post pics after you are done.

Originally Posted by annethcz

I looked at a few of these today, and none of them felt very nice I'm leaning towards a wool rug, probably multicolored to hide the inevitable stains from my 4 kids.

Ohhhh. This would feel sooo nice underfoot. I am too slack a housekeeper to really keep one with our dog and the two little ones, but you are probably much better than I am.

Originally Posted by annethcz

I have several questions about this. My plan is to keep the Ethiopian pictures in the dining area. I also have an Ethiopian cross and a few baskets in the kitchen. But how large should the frames be if the pics are about 10"X13" and 7"x14"? And should the frames all be the same size, even though the pics are different sizes? How should they be grouped? How high should I hang them- a few inches above chair-back level, eye height? I keep reading different advice.

Do you have a closeup of the pics? I would frame them in the same size, same color and slightly different style frame with the appropriately sized mat for each. Grouped with a third, related item/picture, they would probably look better in different size frames.

I tend to hang art at the mean between my (5'5") and my husband's (6'2") height, but also break that rule depending. I have three pictures above our headboard, and they are much higher than eye level. I have a large (3'x4') canvas hung vertically over our couch and by necessity, it is higher than eye level.

I would hang the two at eye level and if you do three so that the middle of the grouping is at eye level.

Originally Posted by annethcz

OR, would it be better to put them in the living room and leave the dining area wall bare?

Whichever you prefer. Since you seem to be leaning toward decorating the two areas as one -- which is what I would do, too -- they will likely look good in either.

Originally Posted by annethcz

I was at Michaels today, I saw that they are having a 50% off framing sale... so the same prices as with the coupon. It would be about $200 to have the 3 pictures framed. I know my grandma used to do framing. Maybe a trip to her house is in order

I was actually suggesting something different. Micheals also carries pre-cut mat board and stock frames. DIY will be *much* cheaper than $66 each. I just framed something 11x14 for less than $20, frame and mat. And they look good. Even my friend who did framing for years said so.

Originally Posted by annethcz

The pieces we ordered should fit okay with the proposed furniture arrangement. I've been playing around with grid paper, and it *should* work. I really like the look of 2 chairs, but the logistics of a loveseat work so much better for our family. I have 4 kids, and it's important that we all have a place to sit in the living room.

Awesome! Sorry for offering advice about something you had already chosen. I missed that.

[Irishmommy]

How big is the space? Just the living room part.

[annethcz]

Originally Posted by SeekingJoy

This is a really pretty color. I hope you decide to post pics after you are done.

I definitely will. I'll probably need more help

I was actually suggesting something different. Micheals also carries pre-cut mat board and stock frames. DIY will be *much* cheaper than $66 each. I just framed something 11x14 for less than $20, frame and mat. And they look good. Even my friend who did framing for years said so.

This is how it is currently. Kind of. The problem is that Michael's (or at least the stores around here) only have mats of predetermined sizes. My pictures are not standard sizes, so at the very least I'd need to get the mats custom cut. We bought some standard size mats and cut them ourselves, but they don't look very good.

Awesome! Sorry for offering advice about something you had already chosen. I missed that.

No worries! I appreaciate all of your suggestions. It's nice to hear everyone's ideas.

[annethcz]

Originally Posted by Irishmommy

How big is the space? Just the living room part.

It varies, because of the open design. But the majority of it is 11 ft 6 inches x 15 feet 10 inches. This doesn't include the extra walkways or the entryway.

[jtsmom]

I really like the wall color and would go with that for the whole room. The idea to put all the cds on an ipod is a good one, and get all those discs out of there. Any storage needed in that room would be great behind closed doors or hidden somehow. I would update the ceiling light fixtures. I think a flat screen tv in the center of those windows is a great idea, I'd get a cabinet to put underneath to store dvds out of sight. Ikea has some great ones that aren't too deep. You've got a great space there, and I don't think it's too much wood. It doesn't look that way to me. Oh, and I also agree that you need fewer, but larger pieces of art.

[SquishyKitty]

Hmmmmmmm.

I would pick one color to unify your living room with your dining room, and paint the whole connecting wall that color. Make it a bold, warm color like a terra cotta, a barn red, or a golden yellow.

I'd paint the window wall a lighter, neutral color that matches, like a sandy brown or some other light color. I would honestly leave that wall blank, except for maybe some plants below it. Too much furniture in such a tiny space makes it cluttered. You have that red chair by the front door--move it over by the windows. Put some taller plant stands with long viney type plants in front of the windows.

Put the piano on the same wall, but scoot it over towards the corner a bit. Move the TV to the corner where the tall lamp is now. It's kind of a "Focal point" the way it is set up now, if you put it there, it's not the first thing you see.

Get a patterned area rug like http://www.potterybarn.com/products/...gs-multi-color this or http://www.potterybarn.com/products/...gs-multi-color this, and pull colors from that. Do the window wall in one of the blues from the rugs. Put some throw pillows on the couches with another color.....little things that tie it all together.

For the walls, I'd cluster the pictures in several small areas. A friend of mine took a bunch of 4x6 frames, glued them together in a big hodgepodge on the wall, and it looked like a big starburst of pics. It was awesome. There's no one way to do it. Google picture clustering and kind of go with it. Put mini-clusters all over the big wall, put one giant cluster over the piano.......

For fun.....I'd also hang up a wooden bead curtain in that doorway or something, in warm neutral colors as well.

Also, get some giant CD books, store all your CD's in them, and get rid of the cases and the rack. Get rid of the bookshelf all together. You can store your CD books in the TV stand.

[johndavis709]

Hi, Well my favorite combination for a living room is , rich blue one wall, rest walls white, light cream furniture, white bluish printed curtains, one large window. Reviews are welcomed.

____________________________

For beautiful furniture: Wooden Garden Furniture and Garden Furniture

Edited by johndavis709 - 4/15/11 at 5:26am