Adding jewel tones to your room - in your pillows, lamp, or other decor - would be a wonderful complement to your magnificent wall color. Also, a round mirrored coffee table would repeat the shape of your mirror and expand the visual space of your room. I think your existing pillows are a bit "heavy". Extending your geometric side panels all the way to the corner might also add some additional drama to the room. Enjoy - it is going to be lovely!

Um, not much on the suggestion side but more a question: What is that blue color?? Brand and name? I LOVE IT!!!

Hi Joey. The couch is from The Sofabed Company in Boca Raton Fl. The color is called Ink Blue

Lisa

My HOA.

I had a friend refer to remodeled homes as "re-muddled". So often true.

Unlike income tax, they bear no relationship to ability to pay, either. We know a man who knows the Constitution extremely well and he says they are unconstitutional. Of course, if they were abolished, we would be thrown on the private sector, like the electricity.

I'm not sure it's a disappointment, but maintenance is such a bummer! Who wants to spend money fixing a roof, replacing windows, HVAC, plumbing? I want to spend all my time and money on decor (and travel and fun)!

Great looking results! Love the new look.

I would make it less symmetrical by hanging a single painting over the bed.....or a single anything.........too matchy.

Knock knock ,hello, is there an update?

It is probably easier and cheaper to change out the window treatment.

Your furniture is quite beautiful.

I would suggest that you add white-painted wainscoting and crown molding around the room. Depending on the trim in the rest of the house, you might paint the French doors white. Then, paint the upper wall a light neutral blue, something in the color family of the curtain you already have. I also would suggest a patterned area rug with the same blue tones in it. For variety, I would suggest you add a white curtain and use a matching white table cloth. I would suggest you keep the dining chairs as they are and have the gold in the upholstery as your accent color. Some wall art framed in metallic gold should help to warm up the space and be a contrast from the blue in the room.

Carpet or runner - for noise control.

The wood staircase looks beautiful but for practicality especially for children and seniors I feel carpet is the way to go

For me it's also about noise - short staircases within living spaces are fine in timber - if you're going from ground floor to bedroom floor, the clatter of timber can be a problem.

Great artwork. As others have suggested, a larger and brighter rug might add some zip to the room.

What wonderful pictures of the two of you. Thanks, Carolina. Your smiles make it all worthwhile for us!

Thanks all of you make it happened! !! He still kind of impressed :)....me too ajjaja

Great ideas already. I chose your room to get my "photoshop fix" for the day - I painted the walls, changed out the lamps and artwork. Looks like you're making great progress.

First of all, I would suggest you put white-painted crown molding around the room, even across the bottom of the "triangle" formed by the vaulted ceiling, because nothing sets off a beige wall like white crown molding. Next, I would suggest you center the bird print above the head of the bed. I agree the vintage lamps are too small, but you could relocate them to a mirrored dresser and get larger lamps for the night stands. If the oval mirror is too small, find another home for it and get two large, rectangular- or square-shaped framed mirrors that match and put one behind each bedside lamp. Since you have so many neutrals, I would suggest white semi-sheer curtains for the window and door to the patio. You might find an area rug in an accent color, such as the light blue in the print pillow coverings and the bird picture, and put it cross-wise under the bed, having two to three feet of the area rug protruding on each side. The room is really lovely with nice furniture, and you need just a few minor improvements to make it a show place.

Old post.

Another direction is to stay monochromatic and add just a teensy bit of color.

Take advantage of our 20% coupon at http://www.mixedmediapainting.org/shop-now and invest in original durable art. Thank you.

I agree. Your home needs some color, I also think you should include paintings to make it more exciting. Inserting a rug also is a good idea and you should go for it.

Both! And paint the mirror frame.

Thank you for your comments. I agree I need to so some work with the accent pieces but I was trying to work with what I had. I did move the plate before reading this. I like your idea about plants and books perhaps!

I would move the lantern on the table to mantel and plate plate on table?

Is the wainscoting only in the DR? Would you consider removing it? It is a very traditional look that is inconsistent with the "pottery barn" look you are wanting.

The problem with the room is scale. The chandelier is slightly too large for the room (which can be a good thing - I often design with oversized chandeliers) and the furniture is slightly too small for the room. You really have to go one way or the other. If you want to keep most of your furniture, paint the chairs and the buffet with chalk paint (possibly charcoal) but (and this is really important) replace your dining table with a much larger and stronger piece. A reclaimed wood piece that is at least 6" wider than yours and longer if you have the room. I would really like to see your 4 chairs on each side of the table and get 2 larger upholstered chairs for the ends. The added weight will work with your chandelier much better. When you are accessorizing think chunky! your mirror above your buffet is delicate - there is a large rectangular one around (I see it everywhere when you type driftwood furniture) that is made of small pieces of driftwood. Rustic and warm. Your chairs are just about perfect. They are the rustic look you need - just the wrong finish. Drapery rod - 1 1/2 - 1 3/4" rusted finish rod that returns into the wall and real Belgium linen drapes on rings. (Best buy EVER - Ikea real linen in creamy off white for $49.00 a PAIR. Good luck!

amending my comment about belgium linen - OMG just saw your burlap drapes - I LOVE THEM. NOW you are on the right track. Still want to see the other changes though.

I LOVE pink - always have. So when my daughter was little, I painted her room pink. When she was old enough to have an opinion, we repainted. She was not a fan of pink. Then when she had even more opinions (teen years!), we painted again, different color on every wall - teal, lime, aqua, and black. Wouldn't have won a design contest but she loved it and painting the room was a family event. Paint is cheap - have fun!

I was he youngest of three siblings and the only girl. When I was little, my folks bought for me a white canopy bed with a gauzy white coverlet with embroidered pink butterflies. Painted the walls pink, too. I HATED it! Mom so wanted a girlie-girl, but horses were my thing! Next I got a brown plaid bedspread for that canopy bed.

We consciously and unconsciously tell boys and girls to conform to gender norms from birth. There is nothing inherently wrong with pink walls, it’s just a pretty color. We talk to girls differently, and give them different clothes to wear and toys to play with. You could choose a neutral color and let her tell you what color she likes in a year or two. Or choose a delicate pink and change it if/when she tells you her preference.

An option for purchasing a rug on-line: buy the smallest rug available to confirm that the colors and pattern work in your room. If it looks good, buy the large size you need. If not, you haven't spent much (and can probably return it for a small fee).

good plan, i spent hours every nite doing this. shopping sites here. its 12m , i hope the baby doesnt wake up tonite. then off to work thanks all!!!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TusePashmina?ref=search_shop_redirect

Decorative handmade rugs

Oh, contrare, I am the odd man out here. I voted "other" for NEITHER - too much work, too much fuss and I like my plants to coordinate with my decor, so when I use foliage, which is infrequently, I go for the fake stuff. I play with the real stuff in my garden, which I do particularly love to watch grow.

I love both, but I love using flowers as a part of decor.

I love my houseplants, one ficus is 12 or 13. I'm not much of an outdoor gardener for some reason. We did inherent a rose and peonies which I love (the peonies) and would like a lilac hedge. Cut flowers are a treat, as they're not part of our budget. Hubby will bring them home sometimes, for no reason at all, which is what makes them special. I'd rather get them for no reason than "because it's valentines/birthday/anniversary ".

Grover - NICE photoshop work! I haven't figured out how to put bed linens on a bed. How did you do that?

A swivel chair is just what you need by the window.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR ALL YOUR HELP! =)

Great house - just needs a bit of tweaking to update it: a new door color (I like dark gray/black), wide landing in front of door, remove railing, a bit of landscaping, new light fixture and house numbers.

Two year old post :)

paint the upper brick a nice taupe, like Ben Moore ashley grey, HC-37, leave stone alone. garage door will be same as house, front door in HC-137, Stratton blue. pull monster shrub our and remove railing by front door. accent front corners of stoop with flower pots. no more cat.lady house, and a great beginning.

I can't imagine living in either one of them.

Almost all kitchens I love are modern, but that doesn't mean that I love every modern kitchen. I like the architectural quality of #1 (sans the glass supports), but I'd never choose yellow cabinets. Same with #2 - how soon will you get tired of the eggplant color?

I could never live with school bus yellow.

First, I must confess I have not read the entire thread, so forgive me if the dining dilemma has already been solved. From your image, I assume you like neutral colors and contemporary design. I really like gold and silver together - a bit of warmth and coolness - and you already have that going on in your dining room with the gold chandelier and the gray rug. Captain's chairs and a treatment (paint or wallpaper) below the chair rail to pull the two colors together would be lovely. Best wishes - it appears you have a multitude of talented folks helping you.

I would definately do something with the windows. There are so many nice panels you can choose from that would add color and texture to your room. The panels do not have to be very wide. If you choose colored and/or panels with a pattern, I would add a nice soft paintaing between the windows. If you choose panels with no patterns, I would add a paintaing with lots of colors. Choose a paintaing that you love and will start a conversation around the table. Instead of a paintaing, you can choose a different piece of art that would add depth to your room. I would not add wallpaper if you go with my suggestion as this would make your room too busy.

If you don't like panels, you can add nice shades; I give an example here... http://houzz.com/photos/1245907




http://houzz.com/photos/1245907

This is how wallpaper and art can work together. The relationships between wallpaper and art need high contrast. Either with color or pattern. One needs to be less busy than the other and they can work together. And patterns need to contrast in density and size and/or color contrast.

The gray on the right.

gray

Thank you so much everyone! I believe we are going with the gray one. We have to finalize our decision first thing in the morning so your impute was super helpful! The gray got twice as many votes! It happens to be a dollar cheaper per square foot too. And I'll openly admit now that the gray was my husband's pick, he does have very nice taste. Thanks again!

Very nice!

paint garage door same as the adjacent siding and paint the front door something brighter. Which door do you want people to see and be invited by?????

Gonna be hard to see the front door behind the ski jump roof, @Rick.

Start with artwork your son likes. Follow with coordinating bed linens, window treatment, and rug.

http://houzz.com/photos/4542571

Love @groveraxle's idea of changing up the color scheme to accommodate the transitional style.

I wonder if the majority of people allow shoes, but those who don't are more vocal about it. All my adult life (I'm old), I've only had two instances where I was asked to remove my shoes. I live in the US.

Oh and I can't imagine why these people offering slippers would think anybody would wish to wear slippers that could of been worn by anyone else. That seems like a bigger hygiene issue to me than friends and loved ones wearing shoes inside? The places where this culturally occurs may be filthy overpopulated cities, not sure, just saying that a good door mat would take away any worry of dirt where I am, unless farm boots or dirty work boots, then obviously they need to come off.

Foot covers are new and disposable therefore allowing quest to walk in new foot coverings.

I worked with a client recently with this exact same problem. We rearranged her living room furnishings on a diagonal so that the dining area could be easily expanded as needed.

I like your lanterns.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=227915847552348&set=gm.1692816734326095&type=3    https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=558936894270588&set=gm.554420841401568&type=3 

I like the wall. On my monitor it shows up as a deep purple - which is actually pretty stunning.

Bigger rug with black and white print of some sort and an interesting coffee table with a glass or marble top would make the room seem more finished.

6 year old thread

Fabulous make-over!

Great job transforming the room without making major purchases! Love the canary, very different -

Post over a year old

If you're wanting to keep the toile wallpaper (which I think is lovely), replacing your knobs with shiny stainless, removing the window treatment, and refinishing the cabinet will freshen up the space.

Be sure to post photos when you're done!

Will do!

The shade in the bedroom. On my monitor it is brown! Guess there's no need for brown pillows!

What I was referring to was the finish...as in a bit of texture...not changing the colour totally; so I hope all goes well...

Need help decorating my mantle. Suggestions?

I don't think aqua will work with the slate. It will be too bright and too green. Perhaps a slate blue will coordinate better.

HI, Shannon, It's called "virtual design", uses a software called Photoshop. Pretty nifty, huh?

Alexandria Beige is a great color!

You may want to think about painting your cabinets too

I think it might go well right? I do want to paint the cabs too but I have another post about my kitchen cabinets that I need to figure our first!! I'd love your input there as well :)
Thank you!

Is the dining room paint color (above the chair rail) the same color as the living room color?

The contrasting color above and below the chair rail was once a very popular look. A more updated look is to have less contrast between the two colors. I suggest using your lighter living room color above the chair rail and using a slightly darker grayed version of the same color below the chair rail. Some other options for updating the space: remove the table cloth, replace the centerpiece, consider a new chandelier, replace the artwork. All those options really depend on what your current pieces mean to you and how much you want to change. It's a process.....

Hi Houzzers, I got sidetracked with a sick family member. I have moved over to another project. Any takers? Abbyjean? I am at our lake house, excited to maybe switch things up a bit. First project, update the dock. Take a look! https://www.houzz.com/discussions/dock-needs-color-update-dsvw-vd~1031678

The last pic of room is much better without curtains an table cloth . Paint chairs white, put buffet on mirror wall hang a framed mirror over it on mirror you use the glue they use to glue rear view mirror on Winschell in car are two wires from crown molding this will give lots of depth to room.

This is in a totally different direction than your planned gray walls, but I like the personality of orange and pink together - fun, funky. You're collecting some great pieces. It's going to be a fabulous room.

I don't know where the rug is from. I googled "pink and orange rug" images and this was my favorite from the search. Best of luck!

@Robi, the couch is pink. The last photos were taking with my phone without natural light so the colors aren't very clear :)

I know I'm late to the party, but I just had to suggest painting your large hutch/bookcase a glossy black or cool gray to give it a modern update :) For the new white bookshelves, I'd consider adding some wallpaper, gift wrap or art paper to the backs to liven them up.

I once did this with gift wrap and double-sided tape. I had my contemporary white china and stemware displayed on white open shelves in my dining area and this made such a huge difference. And no one ever realized it was just gift wrap (which worked well for me since I was a renter)!

Just to add to the confusion.......

Lisa - would you mind sharing where you got the artwork? It would look great in my house, too! :)

Erin - Thankyou! I'm really happy with it.

Njschaefer78 - it's from United Artworks in Victoria, Australia. It's called 'aqua tiles' and I believe they ship internationally.

Groveraxel - your suggestions are fantastic. Thanks so much. I had no idea, and now you've put me on track. I love the grass woven ottomans too, but I just need to find one as nice as the ones in your pics. The ikea option is a very clever idea too. To the shops I go!

Sweet house - congratulations! All the above ideas are fabulous. Mine are far less expansive and cost less and ..... easier to photoshop! A more sophisticated door color, new light fixture, widened walkway, and trellis of flowers.

From the pic you included it appears that this house has a lot of potential. Make sure that whatever aesthetic improvements you make to the property harmonize with the overall architectural style of the home. Think about whether the scale of doors, windows, trim, plants, and trees you choose will match the scale of the exterior. For example, replacing the three current windows with a single skinny window would probably look odd no matter how energy efficient the new window is.

Giving some thought to these things beforehand will ensure that your design elements will be visually balanced. Color schemes also affect one's perception of scale and balance so choose carefully.

Here is an example of a 1940's bungalow renovation we did in one of Houston's' historical neighborhoods.

Take a look at something like this: https://www.houzz.com/photos/garden-cottage-mediterranean-exterior-santa-barbara-phvw-vp~2934332

Fabulous!!

Beautiful! Awesome job!

Great work!

An image to help you decide. I caution you against going too dark, because your furniture will disappear visually without some contrast between it and the wall color.

Take a look at Benjamin Moore's kitten whiskers, it will really make your bedding and cherry wood stand out. Additionally, it is part of an updated and current palette. For an example of what it will look like, check out my site. It's the wall color in the picture with the four poster bed and small paintings.

What about an accent wall (the wall that the headboard is against), look at Sherwin Williams Tavern Taupe.

For a zen look, take a brown from the tile. Once the room is complete, the eye will have more to look at than just the granite and tile and I believe they will not seem too heavy anymore. I think it will be a beautiful space.

I hesitate to mention specific colors, because monitors and lighting vary so much. However, perhaps a color to look at is BM Pismo Dunes. It is an interesting neutral with some very subtle purple undertones that might work with your tile.

This is definitely NOT a disaster. The granite and tile go perfectly together. Try a very calm neutral like light beige that is cool rather than warm. It won't compete with the counter and tile and will tie together your cabinets, tile, and granite. Accessorize the bathroom with colors to your liking with rugs, towels, accent pieces. ENJOY your reno - sympathizing a lot with that horrible feeling of finishing a project and not liking the results....

OLD POST. 2015

Great suggestions so far!

Thank you all so much for your nice and helpful comments. I really like the picture with the color changed, however I don't think that's a project I'm ready to undertake yet. I like your ideas of making the floor a focal point, the chandelier, moving the saddle. I probably just need to take that curtain off the window...I had it for privacy, but may be unnecessary. I would love a skylight over the door also. Maybe something with an arch shape?

everything you have is squared off, so your 'door skylight' would need to have straight lines. However, it could have some rich stained bubble red glass and clear bubbled glass panels. Don't worry about people who 'don't like your red color'. If you like it, keep it! You could use Sand paint to give the color extra texture though- Nitro

The good news: very few people will notice the edge of your countertop.
The bad news: YOU will notice the edge of your countertop.

Of your choices, a quartz backsplash with reground countertops seems the least attractive.

Is your island staying with its eased edge? I do think the edges of the island and the rest of your countetops should be the same.

You will use your kitchen daily and be in your kitchen more than any other room in your home. In the long run, any current inconvenience will be inconsequential if the counter edge is particularly important to YOU.

Bummer.

Yes, the project is complete and we did achieve a "win-win", albeit in an odd way. In short, we agreed to accept the bullnose edge countertop. However, on install day, it was discovered that one section had been cut too short. There was no choice but to start all over again with a new order. Six weeks later, we took delivery of beautiful counters finished as originally specified. The materials we chose on the second go-around (Caesarstone quartz, Walker Zanger tile) cost slightly more, but we did not incur any additional labour charges.

955, the previous island countertop (photo above) was granite and it had a radius on one side. The new island countertop is rectangular.

The final aspect of the kitchen update was painting the knotty pine island. It was a huge undertaking, but I am very pleased with how it turned out. (I used BM Advance and the colour is 3X Thunder.)

I was just going to add my voice to sticking it out for what you ordered if possible but i see you got lucky lol.
Congrats, your kitchen looks awesome and i love the look of the eased edge, the bullnose would have been such a pity.

Home Depot has an exclusive on 2 cm Silestone. That might be what you mean by lower grade. It is still Silestone.

It should still be the same--Silestone whether through Big Box or local dealers.

The thickness is probably what "down grades" the Silestone. The thinner the product the more likely it is to have installation issues. There have already been a few people who have complained about their Caesar Stone (Silestone's competitor) cracked during installation. Anytime you thin a material to get a price advantage, you loose the strength of the product. The thinner products would work in smaller space like bathrooms, but large slabs may not have the strength/thickness to withstand the pressures of being installed.

Big Box companies often hire-out the installation process. Find out the "guarantee" from the store you are looking at, find out who they use and then look into the company's reputation. Big Box often means "big headache" when it comes to expensive/extensive renovations.

I like what you have going on. I made a few changes: painted the wall behind the bed, added a picture, changed out the drapes and lamp shades, removed the plant, and replaced it with a set of candles.

Leona Malone, it is the same lamp shade. The orange glow comes from a gold-tone fabric lining inside the shade.

@pjmorris that's awesome .. an added bonus .. gives a nice glow for evening. Guess you made some very nice updates with a few new things .. great job!!

Newel posts look best when they match the rail. Nice updated look you've created.

brand and size of the new box newels? i can't find that style. thanks.

Irech227

Can you please share the name/finish/brand for the black colors for railings and white for spindles?

Thanks

Hi, Luv! I like your black dining set - great job. I am also quite fond of French Country. I love botanicals and the lively mix of patterns, for example, your table runner and drapery fabrics are quite fun together. My issue with the runner is its shape. You have a round rug, round table and those are quite wanting a round centerpiece. Vase, bowl..... you are on the right track. Fabric chair backs are another way of introducing a print into the room. A round chandy would add some additional flair, too. Lovely room.

I think the drapes absolutely "make" your entire room. They establish the perfect pallet.

Thank you moggie!!!

From the image, it appears there are 7 plates of two different sizes and different colors. I rearranged them in what appeared to be the most balanced way. Perhaps arrange them a bit closer together. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a good home for fishee number 7.....

Also, when I get back to Florida I'll remove some of the other accessories!

My first thought was to center the mirror on the table... I even thought that if you slide your table to the right; before you went ahead with it, you could see how well it will work. But if you do that; your light will come down over the mirror, blocking it's view. I would recommend pulling the mirror to the right, and then introducing the fish on the left. Consider leaving one to two fish off, because it does look a titch crowded. I like that you chose an odd number of them, it does seem more natural that way. I would not change the paint color, you are looking for a softer feel; in that case, less may be more.

Gorgeous wall color! It will be fun seeing how you finish your project. Personally, I am a fan of a solid-colored (or white) duvet - a clean, crisp look and makes the decorating so much easier.

I'm a retired anesthesiologist. Went to design school and started a design business, but never could actually turn a profit. So now I scratch my design itch here on Houzz. Best to you!

Part-time IM - the reimbursement Gods have not been kind to you. And now the ACA - so glad I'm retired!

Very nice lamps here too.

Just found these shams on clearance at Pier One for $10. Each.

No pressures!

I wonder how the dining area would look if you were to extend the drapery panels outward and have no picture on the wall. Once you add a chandelier and a centerpiece, your dining area will be a wonderful focal point, sans artwork.

Here is another area rug in the same room... Any suggestions on What we should use under the table that will go well?

How about nothing? Let the beautiful wood floor show.

Mirrored nights stands would coordinate with your fabulous dresser mirror. Lamps on the nights stands instead of the dresser will draw the eye to the bed, which rightly is the focal point of the room. I added a dark grayed-blue bed skirt, darker pillows, and enlarged the artwork above your bed. You have the foundations of a beautiful room. Enjoy!

When you move the lamps to the bedside tables, your dresser will (temporarily) appear bare to you. Keep in mind that you want the bed to be the focal point, so you don't want to draw too much attention to the dresser. You also don't want decor items to compete with your wonderful mirror, perhaps only add some items to soften it a bit. Some decor items to consider adding would include a stack of cloth-covered boxes, family photos, a plant.

Here are some more mirrored night stands:

http://deciture.com/shop/furniture/world-market/mirrored-accent-table/

i like these. I'm hoping I can start on the wall next week!

You are off to a great start. You are correct that your current art is too small. "Modern and dramatic" requires very purposeful decorating using bold and striking pieces. The artwork you select can be a painting or a poster, though I do recommend that it be mounted on a frame (if you use fabric or canvas) or framed.

Hi there! Sorry it took me so long to upload the photos and have the living room ready. Here are some pics, thanks for all your wonderful comments.
I still have the feeling that something extra needs to be added, rug, curtains, don't know yet.

It's looking great so far. I was going to suggest that you get another piece of art from the same artist (same size) but it looks like you already did that ;) as for rugs, we have some nice ones at furnishedup.com

Wow - 3500 comments on this (NEW) thread! I'd love to see new pictures showing your progress.

good idea!

I love everything in the room! However, I believe the room would be best accentuated if you would add white-painted crown molding around the wall/ceiling juncture of the room. In keeping with this, I would suggest you add a white-painted chair rail and white-painted bead board to create wainscoting around the room to break up the large amount of plain, light grey wall space. I love the purple curtains, but they might look better divided into upper and lower tiers on the upper and lower parts of the window so that they would add some fullness and softness to the room. I believe the slimmer kind of chandelier goes better with the large horse painting because the slimmer chandelier allows a person to see the painting more clearly.

I am showing the limits of my photoshop skills. Here's an image of a possible built-in idea.

Also comes in red.

Thanks! The red is really nice, but I don't know if I'm gutsy enough to do it... I'm really leaning towards the cream one! I think it could look nice with the brown sofas, lighter area rug and stone of the fireplace..

I know - this is an OLD thread. I'm always on the hunt for an image to photoshop and this one was fun. So.... if you're still tweaking your space, here is my idea....

Are you near a Ikea's? They have a cream rug with navy big circles. Get the biggest they have. Pull out 6" from front if sofa. Add solid pillows to sofa In navy. Blue is easy to over do. So you have enough. Run pictures vertically instead, and raise up a few inches.

Sorry place 7" from top of sofa. Thought they were hung already.