I own 4 pieces of furniture, and still have to buy a rug, lamps, tables, curtains, and whatever other stuff a living room needs. We have gotten rid of everything else -- except I kept one green end table to paint a different color once I have a plan.
The problem is that I am an idiot, and I don't know how to explain why, so I won't. I've wondered whether I am demented, actually. Maybe my brain doesn't work when it comes to decorating, or maybe I'm just too darned old and the brain is failing (I'll be 56 tomorrow). We already know I have no decorating talent at all, period, end of story.
My plan was to buy furniture that will last the rest of our lives, or at least the best quality we can afford.
I wanted to hire an interior decorator, but my friend who is one (who lives 600 miles away) wanted to know what my budget was - was it $20,000 or more? That scared me off. I thought, OMG, these decorators are going to laugh at me. My budget was $7,000 and has now gone up to $10,000 max for everything. I've already spent $6,655 on the sofa, chair, ottoman, loveseat, nesting table, sea grass rug and pad, a floor lamp we'll discuss later, and delivery charges.
First, I bought a sand-colored Bradington-Young Yorba sofa. I wanted one by Hancock and Moore, but when the time came to place the order, I didn't have the money.
It was hard to find a sofa that would fit through my 27" front door (30" with the doors off). I didn't want dark brown leather, I wanted green (not the dark greens available). But I was stuck with what B-Y had to offer, and for some reason my mindset was that I had to have a B-Y sofa. It's neutral and it's a nice sofa and we like it, so I guess it is no big deal. My daughter says it is neutral, neither cool or warm in tone.
This is it:
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I should have bought 2 sofas, but my mind was set on buying my husband a chair he could get out of. The H&M chair I wanted cost $1000 more than the Jessica Charles chair and ottoman I bought. (It turns out that my husband can get out of the new sofa just fine, so I should have bought 2 sofas.)
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Then, I should have bought 2 chairs, but I needed seating for all six of us, so I bought a loveseat from Jessica Charles, too (they call it an over-sized chair). I didn't like their loveseats, and this was the best one. It is the same height as the sofa.
Why didn't I buy the Yorba sectional? I don't like sectionals. Why didn't I buy the Yorba loveseat? I thought there would be too much leather in the room. I was wrong, oh so very wrong.
The camera lens froze so I couldn't get a better picture of the loveseat. That little picture in the middle is from the JC website.
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I should have ordered the loveseat in the same fabric as the chair, but I didn't want to be too matchy. At the same time, I hated JC and H&M fabrics. This would normally be a clue to buy these pieces elsewhere, but instead my Mom and I picked out neutral fabrics that matched the couch, but were different.
Then I bought the PB Tanner nesting tables, which are not in stock yet (so I can still cancel this).
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Then I called the dealer a few days after I placed the both orders (BY and JC) to change the leather and the fabrics. It was too late -- in all 3 cases, the covers had already been cut.
So for about 4 -6 weeks, I agonized over my poor choices. I don't have the money to waste and I am just stupid when it comes to decorating.
So now what do I do? There is a problem with the loveseat -- its height is 5" shorter than it should be, which means that hopefully JC will do something about that. The entire back and the back cushions will have to be recovered if they fix the existing piece. Should I ask them to put on the same fabric as I have on the chair?
What about the chair? Is it warm, while the couch is cool in color? Did I screw that up, too? Is it traditional, while the sofa and loveseat are transitional or contemporary?
What about a rug style? I bought a sea grass rug from PB, but everyone hates the way it feels when they walk on it without shoes on. I am going to move it to the dining room because the rug in there cost $150 a few years ago and is butt ugly and looks like a cheap rug.
So, with the chair being strange due to the fabric, mostly, I don't know what kind of rugs to look at. Contemporary? Geometric? Transitional? Oriental? I'm not talking big bucks here -- $1000 for a 9 x 12, max. All wool. Pile height 1/2" or a little more. Something comfortable to walk on that adds color to the room (hopefully blue, green and sand or cream).
My aim is to have a comfortable and welcoming living room. I was stuck on a beachy or pastel color scheme (white, blue, green), but I've already totally screwed that up.
Now I'm going to paint the walls and paneling a neutral green. I plan to buy drapes, pillows, lamps, more end tables (we read a lot), and etc.
I am thinking that in spring and summer, the accessories can be blue and green, and in fall and winter they can be fall colors. There is no color in the room anywhere right now -- the walls and paneling haven't been painted yet. The floor is red -- Brazilian cherry. I don't like red, and if it appears in anything in my LR (except at Christmas) it will be in small doses.
So please. Tell me how to unscrew this. I figured I'd better start saving now to get the chair recovered or to have slipcovers made, but with all 4 kids in college next year, I'll be lucky if I can afford to do that in a year. Right now is my problem. The upholstered furniture doesn't go together and the Tanner nesting tables probably should be returned because they won't look good next to the chair, which is what I bought them for.
Thank you very much for your help! I already know how stupid I am and I just hope you all can figure out what to do with this mess I created.
cluelessOriginal Author
daisyinga
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