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Last week some of you helped Tiffany with her floor plan and some decorating ideas. This week we can help Pam. Here is her email:
Here's a picture of my living room. This room is used all the time and I'd like to add a few things to complete it. One is window coverings. We are not sure what we want, but we are thinking of making some drapes if we find the right fabric. I would like something bold - perhaps with deep browns or rusty orange or something. FYI the walls are painted a faux suede - naturally neutral from Sherwin Williams. I also have another delema. I bought these metal wall hanging from Pier 1 (I have 2) and I'm not sure how to hang them. I'd like to put them on the big wall where the couch is now. But I don't know whether to hang them together so it looks like one long rectangle or separate them. Then do we center them in the wall, even though our couch isn't always centered there? Sometimes we put the chair their too. If you need any more info - just let me know! Any ideas would be great!
Please send a comment, right below this post and give Pam some great ideas for her room. All your tips, hints and ideas will be appreciated, so please take a moment and share.
Thanks to all in advance.
Christy
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Pam,
ReplyDeleteThanks for writing and providing such great pictures! Could I publish them on the site and ask some of the readers to comment too?
What a great room you have! I love the faux paint finish and the interesting architectural elements like the opening in the wall above the couch. The room is so large and you have so much to work with.
First:
The items you bought at Pier 1.- I would love to see them centered, side by side (with a space in between) over the couch wall. Look around and find something unique and "round' to hanG between them. It may take time to find just the right thing, but be patient-you'll find it. There are a lot of geometric shapes in those pieces and something round in between might really look nice. I think this would really create a focal point for that wall. I like the three pieces you have on the left side of the wall opening (vases with greenery). Now you need to create something on the other side. Perhaps some stacked "old" books, some laying and some standing. Obviously not books that you would want to read because it certainly would take lots of effect to get them down.
Window treatments are a must as you already know. If you are going to make them yourself you'll have plenty of fabric to chose from. It looks like the chair and the paint in the other room is mauve. Is this correct? In that case I'm not sure I would use rusty orange accents. If the mauve chair is staying, then I believe this probably should be your accent color. Mauve also looks great with green, which you could add. Which means you could purchase drapes with tan, beige or browns tones with a dash of the mauve color and some green . It would coordinate very nicely with the neighboring room too.
The curtains could be hung very high and away from either sides of the window, this should make your windows look very grand and much larger. If you can, use some of the same fabric for pillows to tie all your colors together.
You could also try re-arranging your furniture. Don't be afraid to pull that furniture away from the wall and arrange it in front of your entertainment unit creating a focal point and an intimate space. Try a few new furniture positions and see what works for you. Two very large Turkish pillows in front of the television would not only look nice, but provide some very comfortable viewing for the kids or even yourself. It adds some cozyness too.
I'm not a fan of CD's and DVD's in full view. I struggled to find a place to store mine so they wouldn't be so distracting in the room. I was lucky enough to find a small, dark brown bamboo cabinet where I hide all the movies and CD's. Pier One usually has items like this.
Try and find a nice print or painting to cover the outlets above your television. You are lucky to have them there. If you buy one of those large flat screen televisions in the future you won't have any wires hanging.
You could also look around for a large silk tree and add a small up-light under it. Wait until you see the design it will create on the ceiling and what a great added touch it will be in that room. You can also put that up-light on a timer. They sell them at Home Depot and Lowes. They are fun to work with under large plants. I plugged in this photo so you know what I'm talking about.
Pam, you are off to a great start. This is a beautiful room with lots of potential and I especially love all the angles. Decorating a room takes lots of time and patience to get it exactly how you want it to be. Along the way you will find new things to add and some things to subtract.
Let me know if it's ok to publish this and we'll see what others think. My readers have many great ideas!
Good luck and if you need any further help just let me know.
Regards,
Christy
Christy...
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with your comments on this room. Moving furniture would definitely make this large room cozier and more inviting. Pick a focal point and work around it.
I can't tell much about the colors in this room from what I can see on my screen, but I'm thinking it needs more color for warmth. Maybe some rich bold stripes in the draperies?
Lighting is one of the other things I'd want to address. The torchiere lamps provide lots of light going up, but I'm thinking other types of lamps/lighting throughout the room would soften things a bit.
The other thing that tends to bring instant warmth to a room is plants. I'd probably put a nice big arrangement of silk greenery on the ledge (probably to one side...maybe even including the candles in the arrangement?), another good-sized plant on the coffee table and more around.
And what do you think about a rug to pull it all together? Then accents here and there to add more color and fun. :)
HGTV always makes it look so easy.
mommyofmany:
ReplyDeleteI agreee with everything you suggested. Bringing some color into the room, adding some greenery and some lighting that focuses down. I also like the idea of creating a warm and cozy sitting area around an area rug and pulling some of those colors into the room. Years ago we all put our furniture against the walls but now the way to do is place them in a way that creates a focal point, usually around the TV or a fireplace. Pam just started working on this room so she has lots of time to add as she goes along. Great ideas!!
Christy