Need Help With Entire Living Room

10 years ago

We just moved in two weeks ago to our home. Right now we have nothing to go in our upstairs living room so we are starting from scratch. Paint, furniture, lighting, the whole thing. There will be a 40" TV that he wants to put over the fireplace.

I don't know my style, but I noticed going through pictures that I like grey with pops of color. I need something comfortable and durable (2 kids and pets). I also like texture.

We do live in the Seattle area so it can get pretty dreary at times, but we do have large windows that face east so when there is sun out, we get quite a bit.

The room is 20 x 13 with a hideous fireplace. I don't have the budget to redo it right now, but something superficial would be fine. The room has carpet right now, but I'm pretty positive that there is hardwood underneath. I have attached a picture of what I think those look like. Obviously, not sure of the condition. This room is also off of the dining room.

I have tried to capture every angle. Please excuse the mess, we're still in the process of deciding where to put things. :)

Thanks for your help!

Featured Answer

karemore55

10 years ago

Hi coco, congratulations on your new home! Looking at the brick in your FP as well as your Seattle, I'm picturing a chalky white looking lovely in your space - especially if you can pull up the carpet and have the hardwood warming up the floors. I like the existing DR color - it's a great color for a DR, and I can see where they pulled the terra cotta color from the FP brick - smart move! If the walls aren't in terrible shape, I would keep that terra cotta color in there. It will look good with the chalk white walls in the LR area, and also the grey you said you like for furniture colors. The color in pic two is Ben Moore Classic Grey, a beautiful color that is soothing to look at.

I put together a collage showing a combination of colors that could work in here, starting with a grey velvet sofa with chaise from Crate & Barrel. I found some cheery curtains on the Pier One site and pulled your pillow colors from there.

If your TV will be mounted over the FP, you could have the sofa with chaise about 12 - 14' back from that, and floating in the room. This still leaves about 6 -8' behind the sofa, so if it works for your family, you could place a smallish harvest table behind the sofa with a rattan chair pushed up to it which could be used for doing homework, working on jigsaw puzzles, setting up a lap top, etc.

You could place a small arm chair in the corner to the left of the FP, angled toward the sofa, that can be moved to face the TV when needed. If you think you would need even more seating for entertaining, consider buying two side chairs for your DR set that are upholstered and could be moved into this room when needed.

On the FP wall, I wouldn't do anything permanent until you are ready to re-face the FP and maybe do built-ins. In the meantime, you could place a small 3-drawer dresser on each side of the FP and hang art above each dresser, all in colors that harmonize with the brick.

I hope,this helps get you started - many other ways of working with grey for sure!

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Comments (431)

abbyjean
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
karemore55.........sorry to bother you on this discussion. Did you have trouble receiving email notifications at one time? I am not getting any now and I cannot figure out what happened, but, like you, I am lost without them and cannot keep up with discussions to stay in touch. What did you do? Thank you!!!
karemore55
10 years ago
Hi abbyjean, Yes, it happened twice - the first time for a couple of weeks, and the second time for at least a month or maybe six weeks.

I use an iPad so I dont know if that makes a difference. My best guess is that it was a Houzz glitch that eventually got worked out during one of their many bug fixes.

It is extremely frustrating and I empathize with you! It will help a bit if you bookmark your discussions so that you can keep scanning them for the latest comments made on the thread. Just following "Your Discussions" will only show the last comment YOU made, which isn't very helpful.

Good luck - I hope your recovery is speedy!
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abbyjean
10 years ago
Thank you! Good advice to book mark. I use my apple, so no ipad glitch here. We will see if I get an email from the support team. THANKS!
abbyjean
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Me again.....where do I bookmark at? I thought I had THIS one bookmarked to find you, but now I cannot see that option, either. There is a special place on this site, right? And not just on my laptop?
karemore55
10 years ago
Hi abbyjean, I'm not sure if it will look exactly the same as this on your laptop, but just below the title of the dilemma there should be a toolbar with various options you can click, one of them being "Bookmark". You will see it on the screen shot below that I took of this dilemma.
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
I like them separately. Together they seem a bit much with the different patterns, give a different feel (the art is more modern) and the colors just don't seem right.
karemore55
10 years ago
Maybe this one would be a better fit - the art you were thinking of using in your DR?
karemore55
10 years ago
I personally like that things are not so bright now.
karemore55
10 years ago
The grey in the art will tie in with the sofa. I think it will ground the room also.
syncope
10 years ago
Hi coco and karemore. What progress! And reconsidering the triptych? I see the disconnect and think maybe you might want more traditional media than the metal. I do like the impasto medium but I'm not sure you're going to want to use it in the LR. I think the DR is a better fit.

Also, I think you need to get your other furniture into the room and see how it feels before investing in more art that you may or may not like once the room is filled. You have your colors in your rug to play off. You've chosen your chairs and now you need some tables to fill up some wall space and floor space before you get to the art. At least in my opinion.

Your couch is a strong grounding point and the furniture pieces will help with that as well. Then you can let your imagination fly with your art. Sometimes we start with the art and go forward; sometimes the room evolves from somewhere else. I think you started with a piece of art but then went in a different direction and now you need to let the room lead you where it wants to go. Once you have the support pieces in place, your art will find you!
syncope
10 years ago
Have you discussed with your hubby about the fireplace change? Is that a doable option?
syncope
10 years ago
Also, I know I saw a picture of your dining room at some point but I've searched this thread twice and can't find it. Can you post another or put it into your ideabook?
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
We are not able to do a demolition and complete remodel of the fireplace at the moment. We will have to get by for a probably a year with just paint. which is fine for me as a temporary solution.

We have been on the look out for some reclaimed wood and have some contacts keeping an eye out as well. He is skilled and would be able to do it, it's just finding the perfect piece(s) that I want to live with. :)

I'm going to try and put the chairs together tonight and take a picture in daylight tomorrow. However, I may only get around to it this weekend.

I don't think I have posted a pic of the dining room. Just a small view of it when I was taking a picture of the living room.

There is a small, very small, view of this opening we have from the front door into the dining room. It's the weirdest thing. It's just a big square with the wall bottom still there. We think they kept it there for the vacuum system. We will eventually see about removing that as well, but it will be a while.

I would like to get some type of table or such for either side of the fireplace.
syncope
10 years ago
[houzz=
My Living Room Project · More Info
]

[houzz=
Penthouse Condo · More Info
]
syncope
10 years ago
Still aiming for this look?
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
For the fireplace? Yes. Not the top part, but the bottom. From the mantle down. Probably not as thick on the sides, though. I don't want the room to be overwhelmed by the fireplace.
syncope
10 years ago
Ok. so when you paint the fireplace, you'll be aiming in the direction of your inspiration picture. Just didn't want you to end up having to paint it twice!
karemore55
10 years ago
Coco, What do you think of either the Trysil or the Malm 3-drawer chest from Ikea for each side of the FP?
PRO
Article
10 years ago
Hello,

I think it would be great to work with what you have until you can do all of the renovations. Pulling the gray tones from the brick fireplace would be a great start. A gray, stylish sofa paired with warm wood tones would really compliment the existing colors in the space.

Until you are able to replace the carpet why not try masking it with an area rug?
An area rug can make a big difference.

Here are a few pieces from Bryght that I think would really work in your living room,
from top to bottom, left to right....

1. the Ceni sofa in Coral
2. paired with a couple of the Oscar armchair in gray
3. the Evan coffee table with brown glass in the cocoa finish
4. finished with a couple of Nicolas end tables, with the brown glass / cocoa wood finish

For more styles and information visit www.bryght.com

Happy Decorating!
syncope
10 years ago
coco, I'm not totally sure why you're needing shelves right now on each side of the fireplace but I would take the mantle all the way across the existing wall just as in your inspiration picture and instead of it being a solid piece all the way down on each side, place shelves with doors that have that push/pull open mechanism so that the doors are camouflaged. Again, too many words but hopefully you understand. If you do that you shouldn't need to purchase any other shelves and can use that money toward building the fireplace surround. I hate to see you spend more money now than absolutely necessary just to remove whatever your put there later since you have a clear direction for at least that area of the room.
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
I wanted something because there's no telling when we will get to the fireplace. I don't want that side of the room to irritate me for that long. And it would I think because the room is so back heavy. I may change my mind when I see everything all together.

I'll take a look at those table, karemore. Thanks!
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
Here you go. Orange chairs were a pain to put together! But they are so comfy.
karemore55
10 years ago
Slipper chairs ARE comfy! They have such nice, deep seats!

I'm curious to know why you put them behind the sofa though. How do you see yourself using them?
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
I thought someone up above mentioned putting them back there like a sitting area.

"This still leaves about 6 -8' behind the sofa, so if it works for your family, you could place a smallish harvest table behind the sofa with a rattan chair pushed up to it which could be used for doing homework, working on jigsaw puzzles, setting up a lap top, etc. "

I'm open to moving them around. I can't really move the couch though. That's where the hubby wants it for TV viewing pleasure.
karemore55
10 years ago
Yes,that was my comment. I pictured a small table pushed up to the back of the sofa where people could do homework or work on puzzles, crafts, etc. As a sitting area, I'm not sure how much it will get used. The chairs should work on each side of the FP, angled toward the sectional. You would still need dressers or something bulky behind them - the chairs would come just in front of the FP. I assumed the small drum table would go next to one of the chairs - probably the chair that is furthest from the chaise part of
karemore55
10 years ago
Would something like this work?
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
I didn't like the chairs that close to the fireplace, BUT I like this sooooo much more than behind the couch. What do you think?
karemore55
10 years ago
Hi coco, Looks real good! I like that the backs are low, so you should still be able to watch TV no problem. Yes, a couple of small dressers will fill in the corners behind them quite nicely.

You know, I can't help but notice that the orange chairs are working with the FP brick. You probably don't want to hear that though! But there's certainly no hurry to deal with the FP because it isn't looking out of place or anything.

Yes, those orange chairs are really holding their own! Now, curtain colors - hmmm....almost think you should find your art next before you decide on curtain color.
karemore55
10 years ago
Btw, how many feet are between the chairs and the sofa (not counting the chaise part)?
karemore55
10 years ago
One more thing - you may be able to get away with not having art on that wall. Maybe wait until the painting is done, a few pillows are on sofa, and curtains hung and then decide.
syncope
10 years ago
Hi coco! Looks like a lot has been going on. The chairs are great!

I'm not sure I should say this but you're losing your fireplace to those chairs. There are a couple of things I would suggest for you to try. The first is to move the chairs back so that basically the corners of the rugs are just under the middle of the chairs. Put the table between the fireplace and the chair diagonally from the chaise. Hopefully that will be enough to maintain a conversation area and keep the fireplace viewable. It isn't necessary for the entire chair to be on the rug and the table can be off the rug completely. Show us some pics of that and if that doesn't fix it I have one more idea but it's a little more out of the box so I'll wait to see if we need to head that way.
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
Here you go. I don't think I like them that far apart. It doesn't feel cozy to me plus when you walk in the room it feels like you're walking into the side of a chair. Not that you really are, there's still room but maybe you can see what I mean from the pics. There is one pic where they are more in the rug but not as much as the layout I posted last night. I could do this.
Nancy Walton
10 years ago
That last photo looks better.
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
I agree.

In that last pic, karemore, the distance between the end of the chair and the couch is 5 1/2 ft.
syncope
10 years ago
Yes.. that is better. The radical suggestion I was going to make was to angle the rug diagonally. I know that sounds crazy but I love angled rugs and my daughter has done that with a sectional in her living room. She pretty much treats the rug as floor art rather than a traditional area rug. Due to the size of yours, I'm wondering if that could work.
karemore55
10 years ago
I like the last pic best as well. So....5 1/2' from chair to chaise end, right? Camera angles are so deceiving. What I'm getting at is I'm trying to picture a coffee table working in there. If you do one, I wouldn't do the rustic wood - glass top would be better, so as to show off the rug more. But glass won't go with your overall look, so I'm wondering about a couple of ottomans. Have you seen these from Pier One?
karemore55
10 years ago
Actually, when I look at those ottomans and your orange chairs, I think maybe I should have more coffee before I start posting lol! We're going to have a serious case of play room brightness if we go with colored ottomans so scratch that idea!
syncope
10 years ago
I was actually thinking making the coffee table using the table between the orange chairs. Get another of those and put a glass top on it? I don't think the glass would be too out of the realm of the style of the room.
karemore55
10 years ago
You're right,rngp - all depends on the framework of the table. So it could have a rustic look or a more elegant look. I was immediately thinking elegant. It's the coffee thing - my head feels like it's filled with cotton balls until somewhere between first and second cup. Then I get clarity lol!
karemore55
10 years ago
You also bought a C table for the chaise side of the sofa, if I remember correctly. So it would be good to have a coffee table or one more place to set drinks. And if it was me, I would want to put my feet up while watching TV so a coffee table plays both roles - at least in my house!
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
I did buy 2 of the C tables. The other one I moved just out of the way for the picture. It looks like the one next to the chaise.

I had been worried that a coffee table would take up too much space and cover my rug (I want to see it!). Maybe rngp's idea would work. I'll have to think on that more.

I can also move the couch back. There is about 6' behind the couch. I want to get a console type table I think. I saw a really cool one that included nesting stools. I don't remember where I saw it though.

I can't wait to see how everything looks once the paint is up and the carpet is out. Hopefully this weekend.
karemore55
10 years ago
You could try something like this for the coffee table. It is only 40" diameter so wouldn't cover too much of the rug. It's on sale at World Market right now.

Yes, a table with nesting stools would be great because you could pull out the stools for extra seating when needed.

Hapoy painting and decorating - sounds like a fun weekend coming up!
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
Unfortunately, that table is unavailable online and not in stock at any of the stores near me. I do remember seeing it and I liked it. Just wasn't sure it would go with the room. Seemed a bit rustic in person.
karemore55
10 years ago
How about this one - the Tanner from PB? I think it's $449. Regular price but you could phone the store and see if it's going on sale anytime soon. Sometimes just making the enquiry will get you the sale price.
Coco thanked karemore55
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
I found these too. I know the last one is funky so I don't know if it will go with the same feel I have going on. But I like it. All are $250 or less.
karemore55
10 years ago
My favourite is this guy. I think he could work. Of the others, that first one looks a bit Art Deco to me, and the other two are - I dont know - space agey?
syncope
10 years ago
I like that one too. It's modern but not out there and has enough traditional aspects to make it blend well with the rug. Also, has enough air space to see the rug without difficulty. Good find!
Coco
Original Author
10 years ago
So I just made a quick template for a table that was 40" and it's way too big for the space unless I move the couch back. The area looks crowded.

I think for now we'll just get by with the C tables and see how we like it.
karemore55
10 years ago
Coco, I was wondering if it would be too crowded. That's why I was wondering how far the chairs are from the sectional. I'm glad you did the template - saved yourself some trips back and forth to the store!

Good idea to just live with it awhile. Waiting to see the transformation with the paint!
karemore55
9 years ago
Hi coco, It's been awhile! I hope your living room is coming together. Did you get it painted yet?

I came across this DR chair yesterday on World Market site and wondered if it could work for you. It seems to incorporate the colors you are using in the LR.

Looking forward to seeing any updates!