. The curtain fabric is browns and grey and the zebra fabric is grey. I'm not seeing where the blue ottoman fits in.

Kellie, velvet is a wonderfully durable fabric.when I was researching fabric I read that the tight weave of it makes it very pet friendly so I think velvet is a great choice!

Karlene - its hard to take photos accurately, but the zebra fabric is definitely blue. The color of the curtains isn't quite as exact, but is more of a muted blue than gray (better pic below - I like the pattern on it). I was hoping that it would relate, although not exactly match. There is also blue in some of the artwork (both pictured and others in the room). I'll add in more with pillows and accessories, maybe even an accent wall. Being limited by the colors of the rug I wanted to add in something more vibrant, and blue and brown are a nice combination. I've been calling this blue a cobalt or indigo.

holly - I was worried about the velvet, but it is a "performance" velvet that is highly washable. And I have been pleasantly surprised by how well it holds up to the pets.

Got it. Now it all makes sense, I love the brown and blue combo but I'm wondering if the blue on the ottoman should relate more to the blue in the curtains and pillows.

Here is a closer up of the zebra fabric for the pillows, you can see it is blue for sure. I am also hoping to find some other fun fabrics to bring in more blue, different blues, etc.

Kellienoelle, I love following your posts. I think your family room will look great with your choices. You mentioned in a response above that you heard BY will do costumers own material (COM) and indeed they do. So I just thought I would share a picture of my chairs so others following your post can see the results of COM
I had them do the chairs below in fabric that I bought at JoAnn.com. I originally saw the fabric in a furniture store but was pleased to get it at half the price through JoAnn.
BY did a great job pattern matching on the individual chairs and laying the fabric out the same on both chairs so that they are identical twins. I couldn't be happier the way they turned out and they were finished in a timely fashion.

I like the zebra blue with the blue in your curtains, but I don't know how I feel about several different blues in your rather small room.

Hi Kellie. I love all your fabric choices. The drapery fabric seems to have pulled everything together. I think you are making the right decision going with the bigger ottoman. The bright blue ottoman fabric picture you posted last night looked too bright. The picture you posted tonight looks totally different. Is this blue a better match/blend with your other fabrics than the blue we all liked so much many posts ago?
Great job! It's been fun following your journey & I'm looking forward to more pics.

Now I am paranoid about the blue. Maybe it is because it is just a smaller swatch that it doesn't feel that bright to me. I've attached another. The blue that everybody liked isn't part of this fabric line so I can't get on this ottoman. I thought that this one is similar, but there is obviously something that isn't reading the same.

Now I am wondering if I should bag the idea of the blue altogether. I could do this fun print on the ottoman and bring in color just in the accessories.

{{!gwi}}

I started to get nervous when k9arlene said your tones were gray and brown because I saw it too. Then you posted the swatches again and I relaxed. I realized that the photo where the blue looks gray is out of focus.

I think the brown animal print would make a pretty ottoman. Goes great with the rug, not so much with the curtain. As the "centerpiece" between the two leather sofas, I think you'd have to use the dark leather.

This post was edited by may_flowers on Mon, Dec 9, 13 at 15:31

Let me just make a couple of things clear. First my husband wants a brown for the chair, not blue (so we can swap things out more easily in the future). It can be light or dark, but it is not going to be blue. As probably with many husbands, they make very few requests when it comes to decorating so when he did I figured that I would pay attention. Second the leather has been decided on. I brought home all the swatches that were in my price point in the type of leather that I liked. Some were too orange, some too red, some too dark, some too wrinkly. This was the best option for us when taking all of these things into consideration. Based on the swatches alone it is very very similar in tone to the one used for the sofa on the BY site that I have used in all of the mockups. If it looks different, it may be because of natural variations, due to tricks of photography (which I am quickly learning is hard to get right), or because one or both of the swatches has been around a while and faded a great deal. I like the color.

Now back to the blue. The velvet above was one of the many fabrics that was deemed not the right blue. I don't have the swatch anymore since it was about a dozen options ago that was quickly ruled out. So it seems that the only that was the "right blue" was the one that is part of another furniture line. So now I just don't know what do to.

Kellienoelle, I wanted to offer thumbs up of your leather choice. I like it. I think trying to match leather with other browns, as well as wood floors, is like trying to get all the whites to match in an all-white kitchen. What you have above complements nicely.

Regarding the blue, go with what you originally had. I would hesitate adding another pattern to the mix because, in the size of this room (or what it appears to be), pattern in the drapes, rug, and the lovely gray/blue leopard pillows are enough. If your sofa and chair were of the same fabric, then perhaps a patterned ottoman would work. But a solid blue ottoman will tie in the drapery, complement the pillows, and still coordinate with the leather or the brown chair. Blue and leather really are nice together.

Regarding your husband's request, I think a brown chair would certainly work well, the shade of which you might just let your dog's hair decide. :-)

Again, I love your leather choice, and the medium tone will keep the sofa from being too "heavy" in the room.

Thanks Peony, it's hard not to second guess! I keep getting tempted to just scrap the whole plan since it was the one thing that I thought I was firm on.Then I start thinking again, maybe I should just get a new rug and start from scratch! I need to make some decisions at some point or my husband is going to kill me. He doesn't take being drug to a furniture store every weekend lightly.

Just for comparison to put these both into the same post....here is the blue that people seemed to respond to favorably, and here is the blue in the Rowe line (on the left). Are they that dissimilar and I am just not seeing it? Am I just trying to talk myself into this because I liked the original blue so much?

I have the line of Sunbrella fabrics available to use on the Rowe ottoman the thoughts are that this one just isn't going to work. But as a couple of the other blues I have brought home, they have the tendency to read a bit gray. I still COULD do the navy velvet, but feel like that would look better with a lighter brown chair.

{{!gwi}}

Annie's colorblocking thread got me thinking that maybe blue on the fireplace wall would be a good idea to make it more cohesive? Obviously a much grander house but the colors are similar. Although I wonder if it will make it feel closed in with the lower ceiling height. I could also just paint the alcove above the fireplace blue. Or maybe that is drawing attention to an architectural feature that many didn't like in the first place.

Yes, I like your original blue. But in the fabric selection (your second picture) the blue on the left reads a bit more purple-y. What about the one that's peeking out from under the one on the right? Regardless, I think with your drapery fabric and pillows, it may be better to err on the side of a gray-blue than a purple-blue.

There are several other blues, some reading more "denim'y" In fact I think that the name had denim in the title. But I'll take a look at those when I get home and see if any will work. Thanks for the opinions, even if they are confusing, especially since some have cautioned about greyed blues in the past. Is this why people end up sticking with earth tones and neutrals!!!

This post was edited by kellienoelle on Mon, Dec 9, 13 at 14:25

I think the leather choice is fine. It doesn't appear to have any orange or red undertones making it very neutral. The problem I'm having in your room, because it's so small, is incorporating different shades of blue. I think the way to make it cohesive is not to paint an accent wall, but to keep all of the blues in the same hue even though they may be different patterns and fabrics.

I edited out that photo of the blue fabric that is out of the running so as not to confuse anyone. So we're on the same page now.

Like peony, I see purple in that fabric. I've always liked the casual texture of the denimy swatch. I think the color of the leather is fine too. I just thought the spotted fabric would look great against the dark leather. I wasn't advocating for the darker leather--I was advocating against that fabric with your leather choice. Sorry about not being clear.

Oh my, sorry may, I think I came off as a little snotty in a previous response. I didn't intend it that way. That's what happens when I try to quickly respond instead of focusing on my real job instead of my pretend designing job.

For better or worse, I have to make a decision and have things ordered by Wed (the deadline my husband has given me), so I didn't want to revisit choices I felt like I had already made.

I'll take some pictures of the other blues when I get home from work. I DO appreciate the help.

Kellie, I think I originally encouraged you to have a comprehensive plan before you made any decisions.
So you've got a plan, and it's GREAT!
As you titled this thread, it's time to start ordering.
What you're sweating is just a color on the ottoman. Don't scrap the whole plan now because you're frustrated trying to find one element.

Order your sofas, order your brown chair, and go ahead and figure out how much fabric you need and get that started so your MiL can make your window treatments.
Once all that is in the room, then you can go to Joann's or Hobby Lobby or somewhere and pick up a couple of very inexpensive pieces of fabric the colors of the swatches that you're stressing over for your ottoman. You can lay them in place in the room. Maybe you'll be surprised and decide you don't want blue there.
You have a plan but it doesn't all have to be ordered at once and it doesn't mean that it's not a bit flexible as it comes together.
As we say cruising on our boat, Goals in concrete, plans in sand.
You've got an overall vision for the room, you've really thought it through well. Let the ottoman issue rest for a bit and move on.

As an aside, I have an upholstered ottoman (In storage right now) that I've recovered twice. We bought it covered in muslin. When it gets dirty or we get tired of what's on it I buy 1 1/2 yds of a new fabric and using a staple gun and some muscle to stretch the fabric tight I reupholster it myself. The padding and all is under the muslin, and I don't have to touch that, don't have to take that off, but I do change out the top fabrics. I think maybe next time I might get out a hammer and add a layer with nailheads along the outside edge like one you have posted above.

Breathe deep and go ahead with your plan.

No worries, Kellie. I didn't know you had settled for sure on the brown chair. I hope you'll still give me my Christmas bonus for my pretend assistant designer job. ;)

As mlweaving suggested, maybe you can get the ottoman after the big pieces are in place. I always like to let my choices settle a little to see if I still feel good about them in a couple of weeks, when my brain relaxes from all the decision-making. I'm a remorseful buyer so that helps me feel confident. Maybe you could tell DH you have too much going on with the holidays and you can get an "extension".

This post was edited by may_flowers on Tue, Dec 10, 13 at 8:33

Kellie- it's so hard to capture colors in a computer photo. I posted some blue tiles (I could see the "blue" clearly because I saw them IRL). Noone on GW could even see they were blue. If your blue choice blends (doesn't have to match, just blend) with the blue in your window treatment, you're good to go.

I agree with Romy that your blues don!t have to match just be complementary. You are doing great with your choices. I love the leather, the zebra print, your drapery fabric, and your rug. The velvet will be perfect too.

I agree with Marji and May to not stress over the ottoman, the perfect fabric will come along and in the interim you will be enjoying your new furniture.

Thank you guys for talking me off the decorating ledge! And I think that on revisiting....perhaps this tone of the blue is better (both are the same)? All along I have been saying that I am looking for an indigo, and this one is called "indigo", go figure. If this doesn't work, I may take your advice and wait on the ottoman. Or just order with the thought that I can recover if need be. Marji makes it sound so easy!

And a closer up look

I see three shades of blue and four shades of brown, and that's starting to concern me. I'm going to suggest a drapery fabric that has more than one shade of blue and a brown that is closer to the chair and/or rug color. I almost hate to bring up the draperies, but maybe that is the key.

I just asked my DH his opinion. He's a photographer and web designer and has a good eye for color and patterns. I told him which fabric was going where and he said "I don't like the curtains. They don't go with anything. Everything else looks good."

Maybe I'll order the furniture pieces, and hold off on the curtains for now. There was never really a timeline for them anyway.Hopefully once I have real "objects" and not 5 inch swatches it will be easier to make these decisions. Also something that can wait is pillow, however I do really love the zebra fabric so would like something similar. If I do stick with the zebras, do I go with the dazzle, or drop to a single or pair?

Any thoughts on this blue (taking out the drapery fabric altogether)

If you love the zebra order it now, as companies have a tendency to discontinue fabrics and bring out new ones. It's only pillows, and at this point it'll be the only blue.
IMO your room is too small for a dazzle - go with a pair.

Here's a room where the blues and browns are consistent. The blue is bright enough to lighten the brown without going into the aqua color you often see with chocolate brown. The texture of the fabric on the bench is similar to your denim fabric. The pillow fabric is great because it has the chocolate brown and the blue, but also some lighter shades of both. I'll post a close-up of the pillow.

[Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by San Marino Interior Designers & Decorators Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC.

[Traditional Living Room[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2107) by San Marino Interior Designers & Decorators Charmean Neithart Interiors, LLC.

May Flowers, I love that room!! I haven't been able to see how to blue relates but now I can.

I agree with the posters who are suggesting that your order your furniture in the colors and fabrics you have chosen and then add the drapes and ottoman once you see everything in the room. But, you can't go wrong with pillows. Pillows aren't expensive and might help you narrow down the fabric for the drapes and ottoman.

Faux, the blue came into play because it was the one fabric that really worked with the rug and allowed Kellie to bring some color into the brown and beige room.

Kellie, I'd get the zebra pillows you love (maybe one or two for the sofa and one on the chair) and use that as the lighter blue, then find a darker blue that compliments it.

Just a warning but pillows from custom fabric can be expensive! When we bought our chairs, we ordered pillows for the sofa in a plain fabric and they were $75 each. Multiply that times a dazzle! But won't the sofa and loveseat come with pillows? What will you use for that fabric?

I'm also wondering if your salesperson is doing her job! This is a big order and she should be pulling fabrics for you and have several nicely--coordinated choices ready when you walk in. No Christmas bonus for her!

I agree with your thoughts on ordering the sofa and then waiting on the other pieces. When I'm putting together a room, I usually buy the bigger, more expensive pieces first (sofa, rug) and wait to select things like curtains, pillows, ottomans, accessories as I go. I've been known to pick out curtains or accessories that I thought were a great match at the design phase only to find out they look drab in person with the furniture pieces. I find it overwhelming to do all at once and select 4-5 fabrics all at once using only small samples.

I prefer the lighter blues in the inspiration photos that may flowers posted. That's a gorgeous room and I think those would be a better fit than the darker, denim hues.

Here's more photos of that room. There's close-ups of the texture of the ottoman and also another pillow photo I didn't see. I also noticed that the brown chair has small silver nail heads.

Here is a link that might be useful: blue and brown room

Thank you for pics of that room! Do you guys remember way way back i had a blue fabric that was light and really liked it! I thought that the consensus was to go darker and more vibrant, but I could be confused. And now that I see that put together, maybe I should rethink that. But I think I am convinced, I will order the sofa and loveseat and the chair. Once they are in place I'll nail down the other elements and hope for inspiration at that point.

My salesperson has had fabrics pulled for me (such as the zebra) and has given me many options. When I kept going back to durability, she called the rep about options and he brought out the book with sunbrella fabrics. I've been happy with her. It is me that is indecisive!

But dare I ask, after seeing the brown with silver nailheads, should I consider silver or pewter rather than the french natural I was planning (link to options below).

And FYI - not sure why it doesn't show up properly in the photos, but the zebra fabric IS a dark blue. Here is a closer up, like the last ottoman option I posted the color is "indigo". Finding a lighter color to match may prove problematic.

Here is a link that might be useful: nailhead options

I seriously think you shouldn't be sweating the small stuff - ie pillows and maybe even the ottoman right now.
type in "brown and blue pillows" into the search on decorpad and just see what comes up.
There are tons of great pillow options, and you'll probably fall in love with a lot of them. And many of them are less expensive than a custom workroom.

Jonathan Adler Waves at ZincDoor

I'm not suggesting any necessarily, but rather saying, there will be options to consider, lots of them, once you have the big stuff in the room and are ready to get down to the pretty accessories.

Kellie, Based on your last photo,I see that the blue in the zebra pillow is a dark blue, but because it's mixed with cream, it creates a light denim appearance unless you magnify it. I'm still not sure what blue you're looking to incorporate into your room. I think you need to decide on a color and then choose fabrics.

I had wanted to use the Indigo color. But now all the comments are making me rethink that. I do think that the colors come through more in person than pictures.But I think often undertones come through better in a still photo, if that makes sense, so that gives me pause.

I am ordering today the chairs and sofas, and will add the other items later, but am a bit disappointed that as somebody who loves color what I am ordering is shades of brown! At some point I'll just have to go with my gut.

OK OK one last attempt at a color for the ottoman before I give in!

And just one more pic of artwork that is also in the room. I mentioned I get art usually when traveling so they typically have sentimental value. And are colorful too. From Key West, from Spain, and in front just a platter made by a friend's uncle who is a potter. I could always re-frame and re-mat.

The blues look like they blend on my moniter. I recognize the photo from Barcelona. Great city!

Alright, I only ordered the sofa and loveseat and ordered larger swatches in the Sunbrella fabric in a lighter color with a slight texture/pattern to look at for chair (Dupione Sand and Surge Ivory). So much for having a clear vision, but at least I'll have SOMETHING. I panicked last minute about having the dark chair next to a dark fireplace and TV stand. And my concern was about llight fabrics and upkeep but with sunbrella fabrics that isn't such a worry.

Is this the lighter blue you were thinking of? Too gray and dull against the rug imo.

I think your zebra counts as a light blue. The new Sunbrella fabrics sound hopeful! I love the fabric on the bench from Houzz because it's not a solid. It has some light, some dark blue.

Maybe I won't even do blue because I just can't find the RIGHT blue to pair with the browns (all are too gray, not gray, but look gray, too purple, etc). Here is the new plan (subject to change of course). Wait for a REAL swatch of the Sunbrella fabrics and see if I want to go lighter with a slight pattern vs. dark on the chair. Once that is decided I am going to go to a fabric design place and appeal to them to select fabric for drapes, pillows and ottoman to make it all look cohesive, comfortable and cozy yet elegant.

So basically, I am doing what I said I wouldn't (ordering stuff without a plan) but, oh well. I will be sure to keep my day job!

FYI here are the teeny tiny samples of the lighter sunbrella fabrics

I have not thoroughly read through the above posts but I wanted to chime in! I am occasionally asked to help friends pull together a room, my advice to them is to keep it simple. I like to keep most items neutral and add pillows, throws and accessorizes for color and personality.

For your chair that you are looking at in a blue - consider a accent chair of dark wood with upholstered seat cushions in a beige tone that goes with the lighter tones in your rug. The brown of the wood to bring in the darker brown tone and your sofa.

Add some fun pillows not matching. Keep the curtains a simple linen with a nice ORB rod and rings. Bring in your animal print in a throw or pillows. Nice thing with this way of decorating is it will be easy to try different throws and pillows and accessories to pull it all together with out committing to a fully upholstered piece that you may not love.

For you ottoman I would use a rectangle one in a cream color using a nice tray and colorful print throw and accessories to pull it all together.

Hi Kelli,
I'm following all of your posts. I too am in the process of buying all new furniture for my family room. I too feel paralyzed making decisions. I cant even decide between a leather sofa and a fabric one so I have a much longer way to go than you. I've been w/out drapes for 15 years, which is good b/cus now its time for new furniture anyways, lol. It's great you ordered your sofa and loveseat. Maybe taking a break from all this while you wait for your furniture to come in will be helpful. I love this last post by rtwilliams. I can picture perfectly those suggestions (thank you rt...you've helped me too!) I hope the suggestions work for you ..give yourself a break Kelli, trust that your room looks beautiful, you're doing great so far!

I think your furniture and drapes can be plain, neutral fabrics when you have drop-dead architecture and windows like rtwilliams has. In a small, plainer room with low ceilings, your eye only has the furnishings to go to. My living room is basically a box with a large window. We don't even have a fireplace. The furnishings provide most of the interest.

I'm going to have to agree with rt. I don't think decorating has as much to do with architecture as it a does with the size of the room. I had the feeling of visual overload with the large pattern on your rug, the busy pattern on the drape fabric, the colorful artwork, the various prints on the pillow fabric, the nailhead trim on the sofa and loveseat -- it's like where do you look first? You said you wanted the room to look cohesive and elegant. I think you were moving into the busy and fussy category which I don't see as being elegant. I think once you get your big pieces in the room you'll probably see that for yourself -- that you don't need a bunch of visual clutter with lots of different prints going on.

The upholstery fabrics considered/bought so far are solid or they read solid. Some color and/or pattern in the ottoman will keep the leather corner from looking too dark and serious. The Houzz room I posted looks elegant with its use of color and pattern, and I don't think the color used there is any different than what Kellie is working through. I think the color was losing cohesiveness with too many shades of blue and brown. And let's be realistic about the suggestion to lay a throw over a beige ottoman for interest--this is a family room where they spend most of their time. No one keeps a family room staged.

I think the drapery fabric is too much pattern and fabric if done in panels. There are three narrow windows. When we discussed this before, I suggested doing shades inside the window frame. Keep it neat and clean on the fireplace wall. But I wouldn't shy away from some color and pattern.

Kellie, congrats on ordering your big pieces. Your plan to go to a fabric design store is a good one. You have nothing to lose going that route and it might prove to be quite helpful. I recently visited a couple of fabric stores (Kravet, etc) and the designers were friendly & helpful (even though this particular store sells to the trade only). Kravet, Robert Allen & several other fabric companies have their own line of Sunbrella or Sunbrella type fabrics. They can also help you pick fabrics that may not be Sunbrella but still are very durable. Keep us updated.