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Open floors plans are hard to decorate!

pps7
13 years ago

We just moved in and although I love my open floor plan, it is a bit of a challenge to decorate. I'm hoping the talented folks on this borad can help me out. I just don't think our sofa works in the space. I'm hoping to slipcover it. I'm going to give slipcovershop.com a try. I need some help as to what color I should choose. I'd like to keep the rug if possible, although it might be too small.

Here's what I have so far:

Here are the fabric choices...I'm leaning towards the 2nd from the left. What do you guys think?

I've bought a little of this fabric to make accent pillows, but it may not go with the rug.

Here is a link that might be useful: fabric

Comments (39)

  • suero
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't think the sofa is the problem. I like the patterns of the rug, sofa and fireplace together. They cozy up what would otherwise be a long space.

    You need something to draw the eye up in the great room. That could be artwork over the fireplace, panels at the windows, floor lamps or a lamp on the side table,if you have a convenient floor outlet, even a tall plant, if you don't have a brown thumb.

  • msrose
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm not sure if my monitor is showing the colors accurately. Is the 2nd from the left a light sagey green?

    Laurie

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  • lizziebethtx
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your home really is lovely. I'm not a huge fan of stone fireplaces but I really like yours. I also love your windows and your kitchen. I think you are on the right track with how you've broken your long space into separate areas. I think your sofa would look very fresh in the fabric you are leaning toward. Just be sure the colors of your pillow fabric match or blend well.

    You may not appreciate my comment because it's not really what you asked...but I instantly felt this way when I saw your photos. I hope I don't offend you. I think your fireplace should be the focal point of the living room area and not the TV. I think you have competing focal points and if you made it the fireplace it would make a huge difference. I don't know if the TV will fit over the fireplace (in lieu of a painting or a mirror) because I can't tell how big it really is from the photo. But if it would fit you might consider doing that. I know some people dont' like that idea but I've seen it done often in magazines and it would allow you to have one focal point. You could put the sofa opposite the FP and snug everything up. In the photos the sofa and the chair look a bit spread out. You'd have room to add more seating too. Anyway...those are just my initial thoughts. You really do have a very pretty home and I know it will come together for you over time. I've been working on mine for 6 months now and I'm still not done tweeking the space. Keep us posted.

  • nik211
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Beautiful home!

    I think you have great bones - great kitchen, flooring, windows, furniture, etc. the only thing I see missing is decor - plants, lamps, pictures, artwork, etc. Maybe window treatments. I think your couch looks great as is actually. I think once you start putting in personal touches the room will fill up and feel different.

    The end chairs at your dining table - are those slip covered or is that the actual chair? I have 4 chairs that I am thinking about covering so that they look like your ends chairs!

  • pps7
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you all!!! I agree the space needs accessories. We haven't put up artwork yet, I've ordered another side table, and there a wall hanging sitting on the mantle that's going over the fireplace. It's a work in progress! The truth is DH and I don't like the fabric on the sofa, we'd prefer a simpler fabric and then jazz things up with throws and accent pillows.

    Storklady, I appreciate you comments on the focal point. The tv needs to stay where it is, we don't watch much tv during the day, but we are all football junkies so on Sunday it's nice to be in the kitchen and watch football at the same time. I would love to move the sofa across from the fireplace though. The only reason we haven't done that is it would stick out.

    I'm not sure how that would look, but we can try it. Eventually when we replace these sofas, we may get 2 apartment sofas.

    nik211, those charis are slipcovered ( Napa from potterybarn).

    I'd also like a large clock in the space. How about above the stove-is that too high? Or to the right of the loveseat?

  • magnaverde
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Pps7.

    That's so sweet that a previous poster was concerned about offending you with her well-meant comments. I don't ever worry about that stuff. After all, people pay me their hard-earned money to tell them what's wrong with their houses and I do--and I don't tiptoe around the issue, either. If they want to get offended, they can, but it's not really necessary.

    OK, I see a problem, but it's not the one you see. I don't see a problem with the sofa at all. I'm not a big fan of chenille--especially in weather like this--but it's totally practical in the general sense & in this specific instance, you couldn't ask for a better complement to the rough textures & colors in the fireplace and the tones of your floors. I'm leaving the dining table & living room rug out of the discussion because they came with you & so naturally could be expected to harmonize. Although, as you suspected, the rug is too small for the space.

    You mention a slipcover, and as I said, in weather like this, a washable cotton or linen slipcover might feel really good, but that color you referred to is a whole lot of nothing going on. I'm not a big fan of open-plan houses, either, but at least yours is based on right angles, without a cathedral ceiling shooting up at an odd angle and without fireplace & hallways heading off in opposite directions like so many houses I see, so I say you got off easy on this one, and the only thing I don't like is the lifeless color on all the walls. Not, of course, that I'm recommending one of those annoying colors that 'pops' off the wall. I hate it when that happens. No, the current paint color may not be very interesting, but your stone, your rug (or its larger replacement) & the upholstery have enough character to keep blandness at bay--for the moment--but if you cover your sofa & loveseat in a boring solid like the one you showed us, your room will wither & die right before your eyes. No, wall color aside, the color & value & texture balance in the room is fine just as it is, so don't fix what ain't broke.

    So if a slipcover is a practical necessity, due to kids, dogs or brand-new sod that hasn't yet taken, then go for something with some pattern & color, and if you suddenly decide you hate your current warm palette, you might try a large-scale Jacobean print in indigo blue with accents of gold & & flower-pot orange & black, which will complemet the orange tones that are the givens in the room, and by echoing the black of the TV setup components, make that whole area look like less of a Black Hole of Technology.

    Then I'd hang some big honking curtains to get rid of the still-half-dressed look of the windows. Of course, curtains are expensive, so you might try burlap. Burlap is cheap, and thanks to the handsome rooms of Axel Vervoordt & the consequent infatuation with all things weathered, worn-out & shredded, burlap curtains happen to be easy to find at the moment. Unfortunately, they don't hang very nicely, but you can fix that part. Buy them extra long & turn them up to make a double hem, into which you can slide a length of bicycle chain for extra weight. Then hang them high enough that gravity gets a chance to work on them. To dress up store-bought curtains a bit, you can sew contrasting cotton or raffia fringe as a single strip along the leading edge of each panel & a double or triple row a few inches from the bottom. Use a contrasting color--tan or gold on dark brown, rust or copper on dark blue. Of course, you can't wash raffia, but then, you can't wash burlap, anyway, so it doesn't matter. Just take out the chains & toss the curtains in the dryer on gentle to blow out the dust when it's time.

    Then get some real lamps in there. Can lights are fine for hotel lobbies, but they're too unflattering & impersonal for home use, so save those for suplemental lighting and find lamps with enough visual bulk to stand up to the volume of the room.

    Last thing: that end wall: it's deadly. Accent walls were big fifty years ago, then they were forgotten for a few decades, then--probably because of their low cost--they came back in a big way on stupid TV shows that convinced inexperienced people to try them where they didn't belong. The unfortunate results of such indiscriminate use of accent walls sort of ruined them for a lot of people, but just as I never do something merely because everyone else is doing it, I also don't see any reason to avoid doing what other people are doing simply because they're doing it--not if it's appropriate. I have no need to be unique. Anyway, trendy or not, your room is one where an accent wall at the end of the room would make perfect sense.

    Regards,
    Magnaverde.

  • gwbr54
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I had the same impression as StorkLady, and yet I completely 'get' that you sometimes want to view the TV from the kitchen. We live in modern times after all. In the distant past, people actually had furniture that hid their big-black-box TV's behind closed doors. There were many innovative designs and styles of this historic furniture. But as TV screens lost their girth, they gained stature as a design element: a HUGE (but thin!) black box on the wall.

    I'd suggest you draw inspiration from the past, and house the TV in an armoire. After all, the past inspired your selection of GORGEOUS hanging lights, so why not for the TV? Then modern electronics won't intrude on StorkLady's or my appreciation of your beautiful fireplace.

  • juliekcmo
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Here are some suggestions that may or may not interest you. All for free

    1. if the rug in tv room and under the dining table are the same size, can you switch them? That would add pattern to the dining area, and offset the pattern of the sofa fabric.

    2 could you lower the height of the light fixture over the dining table? that might make the space seem more cozy.

    3. How does it look if you switch places between the sofa and loveseat?

    4 can you put the end table on the other end of the sofa and add a touch of decor like a vase or candle so you see that from the foyer?

    5 how does it look to flank the fireplace with the 2 host chairs from the diningset, and add the neckroll pillow from the sofa as an accent?

    6 would the pillow fabric you bought make a good table runner to bring the colors of the fireplace into the dining area?

    7 Easy accessory idea...bowl of fruit on the dining table to add color *free if you eat the fruit later

  • vampiressrn
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Congratulations on your new home. I am in a open plan home which is just great for entertaining, but like you say, a challenge to decorate. I have decorated each room as a separate room and then have elements in each that help transition the rooms (well except for that danged Tiki Lounge...LOL). Having the same wall-to-wall carpeting throughout the house helps to tie things together too.

    I think what you have going on so far is fine. Your couches look great and blend in well with your beautiful fireplace. I don't think you need slip-covers. You just need to start adding some personality to the rooms and that will come in time. I agree, armoire for the TV, so you can shut it when you don't want to look at it. Hang in there, you are doing great!!!

  • dianalo
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I love open plans, esp when they are already as pretty as your is!

    I like the fabric on the far right or the stripes, but only stripes if your current rug is replaced.

    The dining room light could be lower but only if you can still see the game, lol.

  • juddgirl2
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your house looks great! I really like your table and chandelier (is that the armonk chandelier from PB?).

    I think that your couches as they are look very nice with the colors in your gorgeous stone fireplace, but if you want to slipcover them I'd probably go with a warmer color than the one second from the left. Unless my monitor isn't true, it looks like a gray color.

    Love the floors - the stain color looks almost exactly like mine. I hope they're not just as hard to keep clean!

  • Oakley
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Beautiful house! I agree with Julie, put the end table between the two sofas. I'd scoot the sofas close to each other where they almost touch the end table.

    I would use a larger end table and set a lamp on it so both sofas will have reading light.

    This frees up more space in the FP area and you will have room for a couple of chairs flanking the FP.

    I also have a large stone FP and a big black flat screen sitting a few feet away. As far as focal points go, the FP is the focal point because everyone is used to seeing TV's. In fact, I don't even notice them in other people's homes anymore.

    Your TV is large like ours, so I don't think it would fit in an armoire. What I did was place some decorative objects on one side of the TV so it doesn't look too boring.

  • tinam61
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I agree with storklady - the tv is fighting for focus. I like Magna's advice - the black hole of technology! HAHA!! But he gave some good advice about working with that - in use of colors, etc. I'm sure you'll get more good advice about working around the tv (instead of drawing attention to it).

    I personally am not seeing slipcovers with your room. And I do love me some slipcovers. I would first try my accessories, artwork, lamps, etc. and see how things look. Maybe more color in a (larger) rug and with your pillows. I think the fabric you show for pillows is a bit bland and that you need something that stands out a bit more and adds some color.

    Just my thoughts - it is a beautiful home and I look forward to seeing what you do!

    tina

  • calirose
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think you have a lovely home and excellent taste!

    Go with the fabric you chose for the sofas, and Horizon fabrics come in some beautiful solids, pick the orange/reddish one that matches your rug. Add your accessories and artwork and you are good to go!

  • pps7
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks all-really appreciate the feedback and no offense taken! The issue is that we have doubled the square footage of our home so the rooms are going to feel empty for a while. I'm going to hold off on the slipcover for a month or two. We built this house so funds are depleted at the moment but I'm searching craigslist and goodwill for some bargains and have found a few. Most of my accessories have ended up in the study and it still feels empty:

    magna, we built this house and designed the open floor plan. So as far as getting off easy-we asked for it. LOL! The rug in the living room is a 6 x 9. Once the master bedroom is done, I'm going to try it in there and hopefully replace this one with an 8 x 10. All the stuff for the dining room (table, chairs, chandelier and rug) were bought for this space so I hope they work. I agree the rug is a bit blah but this is the only table in our house and we use it everyday. I have a special needs child who makes a mess and the seagrass was cheap and durable. I might look for a nice dhurrie eventually to replace it and use the seagrass outside on our covered patio. I'd love a dash and albert rug in there if I would find one that would hide dirt.

    Window treatment are a great idea- and I love burlap.

    juddgirl, the floors are not too bad to keep clean, except that we still have subs coming in to do the punch list and they continually make a mess! The table still needs a monocoat finish. I'm wondering how that's going to change the color. The chandelier is from ethan allen. I had an armonk on order but they kept pushing the date back and I got tired of waiting. I wasn't home when the electrician installed it-I left DH in charge and I think it's a bit too high. I told him to leave wire in case I want to lower it so hopefully he did do that.

    oakleyok, a chair to the left of the firplace is definatly in the plan, I'd love to add another to the right if there's room.

    I moved the end table, added a floor table and accent table. Keep the ideas coming and I will post pictures with updates. Thanks for all the help!

  • chijim
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pls eliminate the "island coffee table" on area rug look whatever you do!

    Like art hung above whatever - it should be close to relate to whatever is below it.
    Same w/rug, coffee table & sofas.

  • tinam61
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh PPS - I "know" who you are now! So sorry for my confusion. I looked at your pics a while back on the building forum. Lovely home! You have the gorgeous bathroom!

    I love, love your front door. As for the rug in the dining area - I think you can add a bit of punch and interest with some accessories. We have seagrass (or jute, something similar, can never remember what it is) in our sunroom. Love it, and it IS easy to clean.

    tina

  • msrose
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think the rug under your dining table is perfect! In fact everything you bought for that area is perfect. I don't know if I missed it already, but where did you get the table?

    As someone with a couch with a pattern, I'm dying to get something more simple and I think a slip covered sofa goes along with the style you have going in the dining area. Since you do have kids, are you worried about the slip covers showing more than what you have now? That's the only thing that's holding me back from getting a new sofa. My kids/dogs could do anything they want to my current sofa and you would never see it :) What about going with a slip cover that is the same color as the one on the dining room chair or would that be too light to use with kids?

    Laurie

  • juddgirl2
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    pps - I hear you about the mess caused by work being done to finish off all the little details. We still have that and I just came home from a week's vacation to find my DH had made a dusty mess of my floors!

    DH complains that my vinegar/water damp mopping of the floors is leaving them dull looking. What have you been using to clean your floors?

    Your study is fabulous. DH would love to have a space like that for his own.

    The clear Monocoat will probably just darken the table to the color it is when you dampen it with water. It's been great to clean up so far. We had spaghetti and meatballs the other night and I think most of my DD's meal ended up on the table rather than in her mouth, but it wiped right up with a damp cloth.

    Looking at your space again, I really like the modern/rustic/country look and think that slipcovers would definitely work with the other clean lines of your spaces. You could use a dark linen color to hide some of the dirt and use colorful throw pillows as suggested above - maybe coral, rust, gold or brown to tie into the fireplace?

  • avesmor
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I've been down the sort of monochromatic slipcover look (thanks to my hard crushing on everything PB when I first got my own place) and it was a nice place to visit, but I found I couldn't live there. :)

    If you slipcover the sofa in the fabric swatch you're leaning toward, I think it will disappear into your walls. On my screen they look like almost the exact same color.

    I'm picturing maybe a deep dijon color, with some rust and slate accents. I think it would tie in your fireplace and floors, without screaming foul against the kitchen wall (looks like a pastel blue?) that seems to be one of its main backdrops.

    I do like the seagrass rug. I'm a fan of natural fiber rugs. I'm strongly considering a round jute rug for my eat-in kitchen. I've had them before and I understand their shortcomings, but for about 20 years now I've been attracted to "outdoors in" touches, and those do it for me.

    PB used to carry a flax linen panel line with some amazing raw linen fabrics. I can totally picture double widths on rings around your windows.

  • bronwynsmom
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Can you stand another few suggestions for your wonderful house??

    From your photos as I see them, you have room to do this.
    I think that you will give a lot more life to your living room if you reorient the room toward the fireplace, without giving up the TV...so you might try the following:

    Take Magnaverde's suggestion about curtains, and about leaving the furniture un-slipcovered, to the letter. Hang one generous panel on each window, good and high, out to the sides, to make the wall into one composition. You'll preserve the texture and color, and spend much less.

    Rotate your rug 90 degrees, so that the long side runs parallel to the hearth, and move it closer, so that the long side is about the same distance from the hearth that the fringe is now.

    Swap the sofa and loveseat. Pull the sofa away from the wall so that it faces the fireplace with enough room to pass behind it. Move the coffee table to about 18" from the front of the sofa so you can get to it easily. Set an approximately 22" square table or a cube in the space between the two and put a lamp on it.

    Hang or stand a great big mirror on the wall behind the sofa, opposite the fireplace, to reflect the texture and the light and the windows on that wall.

    Shove the whole TV operation down the wall toward the window so that the screen sits opposite the love seat. Add a pair of barrel lamps (like Crate & Barrel's "Violin" table lamps) on the speakers, or a pair of pin-up lamps with cord covers on the wall above them. Put a tall skinny bookcase in the corner you just moved the TV away from, so that you are looking at that when you walk behind the sofa.

    Blow up a pair of photos from that box you've been meaning to get to (yes, you do...we all do!) in black and white, frame them in simple frames with wide pale mats, and hang them one over the other beyond the floor mirror, opposite the window.

    Find something big and round and textural (a Balinese carved panel; a huge painted or hammered metal tray; a weathered arch-topped window sash) and put it over the mantel.

    Just a few things added; none of them expensive, and a warm, welcoming, less formally arranged space.

  • gobruno
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    pps7, love your house. We are in the same place in terms of building/decorating. I have a lot of bare and empty walls that will take time to fill. I agree with a lot of what bronwynsmom said. Not sure what the dimensions of your great room are; so, I don't know whether your rug is too small. I personally really like that Bukhara pattern and like the color of yours and think it works in the room. Before you ditch it, I'd pull both the love seat and couch in closer to the rug so that the front legs touch the edge of the rug. The rug looks small bc it is floating in your room with nothing to anchor it (with a floating coffee table on top of it). Same with in your study. I'd pull those 2 leather arm chairs forward about a foot so that the front feet are touching the edge of the rug. I think that one of the ways you know a rug is too small for a room is if you can't physically arrange furniture in your room so that the seating is at least touching the edge of it (not a universal rule, but one that I think generally works). I also think that you should add window treatments (I'm sure all of us new homebuilders need that!) and paint the wall behind the t.v. May be if you paint is something darker, the tv and speakers won't stick out as much. Anyway, good luck. I need a ton of advice on my space too. I need to get some motivation and courage to ask!

  • magnaverde
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi again, Pps7.

    OK, going back over some of the other suggestions, I need to follow up. Like I said, except for the need for curtains & a larger rug--the pattern & color of the existing rug are great--your living room's plan is fine. No, it's not 'fine', it's ideal, exactly as it is. That was what was so surprising when I thought this was a house that you bought--rather than one you built: that your furniture fit the spaces so well.

    The suggestion to switch your sofa & loveseat is not a good one. Not only would it, as you mention, make the sofa stick out & overhang your doorway--a deal-killer right there, if you ask me--it would also make the smaller-scaled loveseat look lost in the expansisve opening between your living & dining areaa. And adding a big bulky end table at the corner between the two upholstered pieces will just klutz up the one corner than needs to be clean, since it's the entry corner to the grouping from two different hallways, so forget that, too. And moving the sofa closer to the center of the room would take it off the axis of the view from the front door, which is one of the things I like. No, things are right where they should be. Change may be good, but not all change is good.

    To add lamps--which I still think are a necessity--you might think of a long & fairly narrow sofa table backed up to your sofa, with some sunstantial lamps on either end, maybe John Saladino's glass cylinders. The direct lines of sight from table to TV will dictate their placement & size & then it's just a matter of finding a table that's the right length to have them at either end so they don't black anybody's view. At any rate, it's good to see a house so rationally planned and with such strong cross-axes that terminate in either a blank wall--where some art can go--or in a window. There's nothing more amateurish than a major hallway whose grand axial view culminates in an off-center utility room door with ventilation louvers, or, worse, a toilet, because somebody left the bathroom door open. Yet I've seen such things in multimillion dollar houses. You & your husband clearly spent a lot of time working out the details on your house.

  • bird_lover6
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well, maybe it's my computer, but your paint color reads cool in certain lighting situations, and I think that's why the room looks disjointed. Otherwise, I think you have a fabulous home, and I love your furnishings.

    Really, I'd warm up the walls with a bit more color, and I think everything would look a lot more "put together." :)

  • bronwynsmom
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I bow to magnaverde's differing, and superior, opinion, and in rereading both suggestions, think that you should follow that simpler, cleaner advice instead of mine.

    Really, I do.

    Imagination generates lots of ideas, and they aren't all good ones. Advice hereby withdrawn.

    I'll go pick on someone else now!! =>)

  • dianalo
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I keep coming back and reading this thread and the only thing that needs changing IMHO is the pattern on the couch. I think the fireplace and rug are pattern enough for that area, so I'd go with a mellow slipcover.
    I think your dining room looks elegant and warm, and your kitchen is great.
    Our last house was a full open plan on the main level, so much so that there were no closets or walls, which made broom and coat storage an issue (opened up by p.o.s). Our current house is about to be opened up once we start work in a month or so and I cannot wait. We have been living with separate rooms for 4 years now and crave the more open feeling and connectedness.
    Your house is lovely and you really have the "after", and not the "before", picture already done for the most part. The rest will fill in naturally over time.

  • pps7
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Magnaverde, I'm so glad you came back and posted a follow-up. What you wrote makes complete sense. I'm sad the rug is too small, but DH is going to India in a few weeks and he's going to look for an 8 x 10. I'm lusting over a hemp rug on overstock right now.

    As far as the sofa and loveseat, the honest truth is that we just don't like them. We'd prefer something without a skirt and tightback. The down cushions are comfortable but don't hold their shape and this drives me bonkers. I'm hoping with a slipcover we can get a few more years of use out of them. I don't want the slipcover to get lost into the wall, so maybe I can use something darker. Like a graphite or pewter color?

    A more substantial coffee table that's square may be nice too. For window treatments, what do you think of a bamboo shade? I'd love panels but there's not much room on either side of the windows and I'm worried they will block the view. The WT are purely for aesthetics, we don't need them for privacy.

    Here is a link that might be useful: hemp rug

  • cardamon
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    prps, I like the color you picked for the slipcovers and your idea of a pewter for the walls. I also like the bamboo window shades. I loved your kitchen and study. I think you already know what to do and have the sense to do it. Your kitchen is like mine and I have a very monochromatic decorating thing going on that would drive some nuts. I would continue on with the color you picked for the sofas. I like your ideas. BTW great kitchen and dining area.

  • johnaschen
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Candle holders are most useful and best for decorating the Open floors and not too hard for decor....

    Here is a link that might be useful: candle holders

  • calif_gal
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    WOW! Lot's of fantastic advice. I just have one comment. If you're going to put your furniture in the middle of the room and slipcover it make sure the back of the slipcover looks as good as the front. Make sure the slipcover is fitted in the back with zippers not velcro or ties.

    I ordered a slipcover from Needle and Shears just for that reason. Same price, better fit.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Needle and Shears

  • annzgw
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I haven't read every post, but I just wanted to ask if you've looked into having the stuffing in your cushions redone? A few of them look like they need some new foam centers (to help hold shape) wrapped with down.

    Even with slip covers I think you're going to have to do something with the cushions first.

  • pps7
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    annz-

    I hate our cushions. They have been that way from the beginnning. They just don't hold their shape. Any advice? Can I just get batting and stuff them a bit more? I don't know if I want to spend the money to slipcover and get new cushions. Might as well get a new sofa. Pity, these were expensive.

  • anele_gw
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Perhaps someone mentioned this . . .the first thing I noticed is that you need shapes other than rectangles.

    Beautiful, beautiful home.

  • pps7
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    anele,

    How about a big round clock above the fireplace?

  • annzgw
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'd first open (assume there are zippers!) one of the cushions and see how they're made. If there is foam that has lost it's shape then you can buy a new piece, wrap it in batting, and replace it. Or, if there isn't any foam buy a piece and do some experimenting on one cushion.

    DM has a recliner and the back pillow drove everyone crazy because it kept collapsing. I took it apart and discovered it had no foam so I bought a 2" piece and wrapped it in new batting, then used extra batting as needed. It has been 4 years now and it hasn't changed shape!

  • anele_gw
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    pps7-- re the big clock- only if you LOVE the clock and love looking at it. I wouldn't rush out and get anything just to create the shapes. Just keep it in mind while you accessorize, you know? I think you have a gorgeous, gorgeous space . . .filling it with personal items will take time but will be so worth it!

    And when in doubt, think vintage!

  • demeron
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just wanted to chime in that I think your house is gorgeous. Love the cabinets, windows and French doors, fireplace stone, floors, soffits. I do think the wall color is bland. I have the same issue in my house. I'll be interested to see what solutions you arrive at!

  • rosefolly
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm with you on the sofa and chair. I also have a strong preference for tight back styles. Loose backs look sloppy to me and they don't hold their shape very long. However, I really like the fabric pattern with its warm, muted colors. I would not like to see this room with cool neutrals. I think they would suck the life right out of the room and leave that gorgeous fireplace looking like an orphan.

  • annaray
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just a quick and easy suggestion for the floppy pillows - this might sound strange but it does work. Unzip and take out the pillows and replace with good quality regular foam or feather bed pillows of larger size. I replaced my 3 back cushion covers with king size feather pillows purchased from Bed, Bath and Beyond. I stuffed the large pillows inside of the smaller cushion covers which gave a tighter fit and they were like new again. Still nice and soft but not sagging. I had nothing to lose. If it did not work I would use as extra bed pillows for guests. You have great taste and I am sure it will all come together for you given time. Post pictures as you make changes.