I love the layout of your rooms. And as one grandmother to another, I can so relate to the toys in the LR! What is it about little girls and horses? lol

I think wood floors would be nice and a large area rug helps a great deal with acoustics. They're just like having w-t-w carpet. They also help add color to the room.

I would keep the round table to the left of the FP. It makes a great place to do crafts, play games or simply have a cup of coffee.

Your home is beautiful, and sorry I can't be of ore help!

The house and it's bones are just fab. Love all the windows too.

Would you consider painting the fireplace a different color? The white seems very stark against the warm wood tones in the room.

The floor tile looks appropriate to the house...or they used a lot of slate with that style. I think a wood floor with the wood ceiling may be too much in the LR. I'd do tile or slate or a slate look and then use an area rug on top. You have wtw now in the LR which also works, esp for playing on the floor. If you want to keep the wtw in the LR, then have it cut at an angle across the doorway and keep the rest of the foyer/dr flooring consistent, then use an area rug under the dr table. (The way the rug wraps around now looks choppy to me.)

Sorry, I'm not a grandmother or mother, so when I look at your pics, the toys seem overwhelming. And it looks like a lot of the furniture is pushed against the corners and walls to make play space. I'm thinking that it may be best for you to really define the actual function of the room first, and then decorate accordingly. I didn't see a tv set, so I'm guessing that doesn't happen here. If it really is a play space and they are only going to be young and looking for this kind of room for a few years, then maybe it's just better to wait awhile before going for a more "adult" living room.

Otherwise, you might want to functionally divide the space in two to accommodate both play and adult conversation. Slide the piano down the wall it's on now to the far corner by the window and then place a sofa perpendicular to the fireplace, so the area behind the sofa where the piano is becomes play space, and the area in front is more formal seating space. (This could be done with a sectional as well along the back wall and then down the far side.) Use separate chairs and end tables to complete the conversational cluster. Get a credenza behind the sofa to put lamps on top and toy storage below.

Then the round table can fit nicely in the corner where the piano was by the book case with some chairs around it...maybe get a light fixture installed above it. The bookcase can be used for storing table-oriented activities like puzzles or computer use or card games. And the conversational cluster near the fireplace becomes the main feature in the room, the toys ancillary.

Just some thoughts....

Oakley, wouldn't it take multiple area rugs if most of the floor was to be covered for acoustics? The living room area is about 22 by 18 feet so one area rug doesn't seem likely.

The picture isn't close enough to make it clear, but the round table doesn't go with our style I think. The base too ornate. The thing is also really heavy with a faux (I think) marble top. We have large table in the breakfast room which is where crafts usually are done - convenient to water for clean-up. And if that is occupied, sometimes the dining room table is used so we don't need more craft space. A smaller game table might be nice to include. The little table next to the end of the hearth opens to a small card table size (the top is hinged and the back legs pivot to support the top when opened).

Annie - thank you - For some reason, I'd never thought of painting this fireplace despite the discussions here on painting fireplaces because the white doesn't irritate me. But I can see that a warmer color might be better. I'd probably keep it light - perhaps a light warm brown or tan. The hearth is tiled with dark green tile that matches the entry way tile so we would want something that goes with that. The tile also continues down the hall to the bedroom hall and through the front door where it covers the two front steps.

I don't think we could find matching tile to cover the dining room in the same material and taking it out to replace becomes a much bigger job - it's on a thick mud base, not thin-set. So we'd like to work with the existing tile and just redo the living room and dining room floors.

When the children are playing in the room, adults are generally present sitting on the couch or chairs and interacting with them so a play area behind the couch probably wouldn't get used. Perhaps making the play area by the book case with toy storage on the book shelf and perhaps a small cabinet by the end of the bookshelf would work - that would keep the toys out of visual range when looking in from the front door. If we got smaller end tables, that could make room for some toy storage between the piano and the bookcase wall. Or perhaps a shorter love seat against the wall with a couch perpendicular to it with its back to the windows.

There is lots of space there - we should be able to figure out something that works.

I forgot to answer Annie's question about TV - the TV is in the family room - no need or desire for a TV in here.

The built in shelves have built in speakers and two fold down shelves that were probably intended to accommodate a turn table and receiver/amplifier. Perhaps at some point we will replace the speakers and put in a dock/USB connection so they can be driven from a tablet or phone.

Perhaps some more information will help in getting input.

The carpet needs to be replaced probably with new carpet but possibly with wood. The blinds too. Most of the furniture is old and showing its age.

What furniture were we planning to keep:
Dining table and sideboard (or we would replace with something very similar) - the chairs need to be recovered if we keep them.
Small table that is between the dining and living rooms against the hearth.
Piano

What we would prefer not to change:
Entry tile
Build in details of the room other than the carpet. (Though my DH is willing to get rid of the built in bookcase that covers most of the end wall if it makes the room work better - but I'd prefer to keep this a redecorating project rather than remodeling.)

How we want to use the space
Our house has two open shared spaces - the other is the kitchen, family room and informal dining area.

This space tends to host the quieter activities. Often someone will sit in the living room to read, or people will come in to chat. Sometimes adults sit and chat while the kids play on the floor and at the coffee table and interact with us. We sit at the dining room table to play a game, work on a puzzle.

The dining room is also used for holiday meals and sometimes when we have a larger group we put a second table on the tile.

Ideally the living room would have seating for 6 or 7 adults - it should seat at least 5.

Current thoughts on overall layout
Create a reading area with a comfortable chair (or two if that fits), a small table and a lamp in the window corner (where the round table is now).

Some seating group with a coffee table and side tables from the back windows to the fireplace.

Open area for floor play and the rocking horse near the bookshelves. Toy storage to get more of the toys out of sight when not in use (could the coffee table and/or side tables have some storage?

What I'd like advice on

Color scheme - the current colors seem so pastel and faded (though they actually haven't faded significantly - they started out that way). I'd like to bring some brighter colors in - probably with the upholstered furniture while keeping the floor more neutral.

Furniture - what furniture to get and how to arrange it. Consider the living room a blank slate for furniture.

Floor - I'm very torn over whether to put in hardwood and area rugs or replace the wall to wall carpet. We already have hardwood in the other open area. I like the look of hardwood floors but this area is so comfortable and quiet with wall to wall carpet. I've thought about putting hardwood only in the dining room, but I'm concerned that that would look choppy.

I think the bones of the room are very strong.

I would probably keep the valance, this is the right kind of house for it and it's in the right position and doesn't amputate the windows in the wrong place like they sometimes do. If you want to change out the blinds I would use ripple fold curtains which are flat but snap onto a carrier to create an even sinuous fold when hung.

Do you use the wetbar? If not, it would be an easy conversion to a toy closet. If not I think I would put some low chests in front of the windows for toys.

I think the room could carry a sofa, two matching upholstered chairs, a chair with ottoman and maybe a couple benches to pull up that could be kept in front of the fireplace. I would want a lamp and table at each end of the sofa, a lamp and table at the chair with ottoman and a coffee table.

Right now I would keep the area by the windows mostly open for play but clear it out from in front of the fireplace.

If you are going to put things on the shelves using them for storage, instead of displaying or arranging things and books on the shelves, I would consider putting doors over at least the lower portion.

I would keep it carpeted. Could you match the tile in the entry? If so maybe do the dining room in that with an area rug.

Part of my negotiations for being able to play in that room is that they put the stuff that can be put away, Away when they are done with it. Obviously the larger stuff can't be put away, but with that many toys around, I would never be comfortable sitting in there as an adult--it's not relaxing., and I would not want to sit on the sofa and have the primary view of a mound of toys.

I would recommend looking at the furniture at Room and Board. It's the right scale, the right spirit for the house, and they carry manufacturers from various price points under their own label.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ripplefold

The dining room furniture is perfect for the house, I wouldn't change it.

I think a fairly simple sofa like this would be something I would consider. It's the Murray sofa from Room and Board.

I don't think we could match the tile. We had to replace a few damaged tiles recently and were lucky that we had some spares salvaged when we took the tile out of the kitchen. Also, the hall is done with wide deep grout lines which might make it hard to move chairs in and out from the table even with an area rug between them and the tile - I'm not sure whether that would be an issue.

I wish I knew what wood the bookcases were - matching them to make doors would be a challenge, though not a bad idea. I was thinking of using the fabric covered cubes or baskets for the small toys which would hide the contents.

Yes, I'd also lean toward keeping the valance - there is indirect lighting behind it and it matches the ceiling.

That ripple fold link says that they use batons for opening and closing - I'm subjected to those in hotel rooms and don't much like that system. I'd rather have cords - can one get them with those? While I like verticals in our other rooms, something softer might be called for here.

Any ideas on a color scheme that would work with the green tile (it is on the fireplace hearth as well as the entry)?

We use the wet bar.

The ripple folds that I got for someone worked on the pulleys.

Your house has a wonderful style. I love your dining set and built-in bookcases. I would probably go for wood floors, but I never liked wall-to-wall carpet.

It is hard for me to see past the piles of toys. Is there a way to add a storage for toys? When my DS was young, a long low nine-drawer dresser worked well. We still have the dresser. It's in DS's room and he uses it for his clothes (he's in high school now). Perhaps a dresser or another sideboard in a matching MCM design for your living room?

I would try to put the large toy items somewhere to the side, so they wouldn't be in the center of the room. Maybe in a corner by the window so they would be still seen from the seating area? I would think of removing the round table on the left of the fireplace to reduce clutter.

I love, love, love your house. I think your DR set is perfect-- if the chairs are truly not functional, I suggest you stick with the same style as it works so well, if you get a different set.

Re: the toys. They are an issue. What I suggest is to put ALL of them away (organized in a closet-- labeled), except the horse. Take only a few out at a time. Rotating toys keeps them fresh in the eyes of children, and they get overwhelmed when there are too many. They play longer with toys when there are fewer choices. Do not be afraid to purge items that get minimal use. A few minutes here and there is not worth it. How old are your grandchildren and how often do they visit?

RE wall to wall carpeting-- it is not trendy but I prefer it in my current living room given the layout. There are many lovely choices out there. I think you should keep it given the flooring issues, size and function of the room.

Enjoy your house-- I would!!!

i'm not a pro, and i know nothing and have no experience with MCM, but i do know that you keep asking for suggestions on color schemes and nobody's addressed yet. :) from your pictures i can't see the green you reference on the fireplace, so i just picked a random green on design-seeds and grabbed a bunch of color schemes that run the gamut. do any of these strike your fancy? if not, what's wrong with them and i'll try again. you said you want color but how much color can you stand? :) do you like cool or warm? do you want lots or just a little?

Sushi Light

What I would change if I lived in your home:

First, I would want to change the front door. It looks dark and heavy and not in keeping with the feel of the furnishings and ceiling. I'd want a door with windows since the floor tile is also dark, and then I'd see how light from that direction changes the rooms.

I'd keep the paint light and neutral and add a lighter wall-to-wall carpet. I like the wall color you have now. You could warm up the color of the fireplace, but I'd be careful about painting it light brown or tan because it could start to look bee hive-ish.

I'd move the toys away from the outside corner near the fireplace. It gets the best light, and I'd want to make it a reading area with a chair and ottoman. It would be ideal for reading with the grandchildren too. As for color, style, and pattern, you just have to get out there and start looking.

I'd move the curio cabinet out of the dining room. I don't care for wood furniture pieces lined up on a wall, and it appears to make the sideboard look off-centered. I'd want it in the LR, but the wall space is limited there. Also, is there a leaf to the DR table? You have the room for it.

Pal, yes, that sofa is in the right direction. We should make time to visit Bed and Board - I dropped by once when I had to be in the Bay Area for business but didn't have much time there and I should get my husband there with me. I've seen some similar at Scandinavian Designs where we got our family room seating.

Since I'm vertically challenged, I like to try them out to see if they work for me.

Lana and Anele, thank you - we will get the toys under better control. My DH (who does most of the housekeeping since he is retired) was rotating them, but has fallen behind on that (partly due to having our autistic 4 year old grandson staying for a week while also providing day care for the almost 2 year old - I was in Europe on business.)

The chairs are functional but some of the repairs are obvious close up. The table has the patina acquired from life with a family but really the only issue with it is that there are a couple of tiny chips in the veneer of the top at the edge where it opens to put leaves in. We probably won't replace it unless we come across something perfect.

Maggiepie, the tile is hard to photograph because it's glossy, the apparent color changes depending on the light it's reflecting. It has the same range of color as the entry tile, but the tiles are textured and mottled so that each one has most of the color range. I think it would tend to pick up whatever similar green that was put in the room.

Here are a couple of pictures of it, one with flash and one without:

In real life it is more like the color in the picture without flash, but not quite that dark. I'd like to keep the figure in the picture and its mate on either side of the hearth. They were made by our son and won best in class at the State Fair.

While I'm posting pictures, here is a close up of the little table that I want to keep. It isn't MCM but it has simple lines and I really like the grain and the shape so I hope it doesn't clash too much.

The color seed I'm most drawn to above is the lotus and I think the green would work. The teal is pretty close to the Murry sofa color. The magenta is a bit of a departure for us but perhaps that would be a good thing.

The pickle color palette has too much green for me and generally yellowy greens don't appeal to me. Sushi light doesn't have any color in it that I love and while I can like salmon color in some combos it isn't something that I'm drawn to.

I like the produce seed, but think it's too pastel except for the yellow - I'd like to go bolder this time.

I like the fading flora palette but think it might be too dark for this room.

Fig and asparagus seem like possibilities.

I can see that I'm more drawn to the palettes that have two or more strong bright different colors. E.g. the teal and magenta in the lotus seed, rather than the ones that have a range of similar shades with some supporting neutral tones, e.g. the color shore or color wishes.

A question for color people
Would it be bad to pick something like the lotus seed and make teal a major color in this room when the other open area in the house already has a lot of green/blue? Here are pictures of the kitchen and family room:

May, putting in a door with windows would add very little light. The door faces almost due East with the roof covering a patio entry for about 18' in front of the door and the bedroom wing of the house on the south side of the patio. It is almost an outdoor room with a fence enclosing the patio and koi pond - pleasantly cool even on the hottest Sacramento days.

There is a window about 7' high and 8' wide to the left of the front door - a twin to the one across from it in the dining room that does appear in the pictures. There is an opening in the patio roof to bring light into that window and the pond.

The dining table has two large leaves so it extends to a bit under 10'. I'll think about what to do about the curio cabinet but there isn't hardly any place else in the house to put it. Because of all the windows the house has very little wall space.

I lived in Davis for 15 years, so I'd want to keep the sun out too!

Maybe the new carpet will give it a lighter look. It feels dark in some of the photos.

I think the Lotus colors would work well with your existing blue/green. Another color scheme, quite different, below.

Having a 2 and 4 y.o. is hard-- for long OR short visits. With your grandson who has autism, does simple seem better? I wonder if, for him, rotating would not be a good thing, as he may prefer routine. It may work better to completely get rid of some of the items that no one uses and keep things very orderly and with minimal choices. That way rotating isn't even anyone's job. Since they don't normally live with you, you can probably get away with having a select number of items.

My kids use craft items (tape, paper, scissors, and drawing supplies) and each other as play . . .plus household items, hold dance parties, etc. They usually don't play with most toys, try as I might to see if they would! There are a few exceptions, and one toy both of your grandchildren may LOVE are Magnatiles. They are pricey but I have never known a child to not use them. And, they are neat to look at, easy to clean up!

{{gwi:1800082}}

RE: if the magenta isn't you, don't force it. I have found that I tend to like the same colors over and over again, and if I try something new, it just never feels like me and I don't feel entirely comfortable in the room.

I love the table you have-- definitely find a place to show it off!

How do I post a Design Seeds palette? Do I have to download and upload to photobucket? I see links for sharing on Social media sights but not an http: link.

I'm still leaning toward the Lotus color palette but I'm looking at the site for more ideas. Flora Brights might work too.

Anele, I like magenta and have always liked it. In elementary school I can recall my favorite crayons were the magenta crayon, blue-green (kind of teal colored) and a green. Perhaps that's partly why the Lotus palette strikes such a cord. But my decorating has been pretty conservative neutral other than using a bit of blue.

We did get a bit wild with the quartzite in the kitchen and have been very happy with that. My DIL chose really striking colors for painting their little MCM house and I like the result so I'm trying to be a bit more bold as I think I will like it.

I would probably use the magenta mainly as an accent color.

I think taking the blue green in one room and deepening it to a dark teal in another is a great way of coordinating the rooms.

Sounds like you have a great palette-- that can be one of the hardest parts for me, so you are way ahead!

Oops - deleted - the corrected content is in the next post.

This post was edited by cloud_swift on Wed, Aug 21, 13 at 21:29

I also keep coming back to the Elderberry Hues palette:

In that palette, the second color from the bottom might be used to paint the fireplace making it part of the color scheme. I might do the couch in navy if I used that palette.

In Lotus, I don't think any of the colors would work to replace the white on the fireplace - it would probably just be done in an off white or tan.

But individually I like the some of the colors in the Lotus palette better than the Elderberry. It is just that it leaves me to come up with the "neutrals" that work with it. In some ways perhaps that's a good thing. I like the overall feel of both palettes.

Is the fireplace just painted or does it have some other finish over brick? Do you know what is under the paint? It seems to dominate the room, but doesn't really seem to "go" to me, especially with it being so white. I keep thinking I'd probably get down to the bones to see what's under there and the possibility of stripping it if it's something great. If you covered what was there before and feel this is an improvement, then I agree that a darker color would be good. I keep picturing it navy or some other saturated color, but then I saw the green tile and I can't quite wrap my head around it being green to coordinate. But could you consider the color of the grout for the fireplace? I, too, am afraid that an off white or light beige will be too beehive like, but darker might look fabulous.

I love, love, love your house and remember your FR furniture buying thread.

Olychick, it was painted when we bought the house. I think that was probably original. The bricks are big with a slightly curved face. I think it is meant to look like adobe which usually would be painted., but it may not really be adobe.

Adobe would be kind of bee hive color and it often is painted that bright white.

To me the fireplace goes well in the room though I agree that the white is too white. The shape brings in a local historic element and I've always been fond of that.

The grout is a muddy grey brown, you can see it in the picture of the tile about 9 posts above. I wouldn't want to extend that. The fireplace has the built in wood shelves next to it. Dark I think would make it blend too much with the shelves.

I'm thinking about painting it teal or the magenta color or perhaps the lighter blue in the palette, but I don't know if I'm brave enough to go that bold.

I'd have to try some swatches in the room, but I think a tone that is not beige and is light or medium might work. I'm not terribly worried about it looking bee hive-ish. I think the color will have to be picked along with picking a carpet color. I probably won't want it to be too close to the carpet color.

I just took a closer look at the fireplace. It is more than just painted. It looks like it was roughly plastered (or that was imitated) before painting. You know how an adobe structure sometimes has a coat of adobe over the bricks to smooth the surface? In this case it is partially smoothed over at the points where the tow of bricks would have stuck out from the row above to make the surface curve.

Therefore, I'm pretty sure that it was always painted. It wouldn't have been plastered that way and then left bare. Therefore, the only options would be to repaint or to have someone in to do a complete plastering job so it has a smooth surface and then paint.