Is this for a personal "job", a school assignment, or something professional you are working on?

I think that Bassett has some nice looking pieces.

I responded, but I don't see the post, so here it goes again...
Thank you for your reply. This is a personal "job." I call it a job because I see it as a tough "must do." We're grieving the death of our beautiful seventeen year old granddaughter and it has taken all our strength to finish the construction... my heart is not into this, but I must furnish it and decorate it... I cannot afford an interior designer, so I need LOTS of guidance and advice to do it...
Newhomebuilder, your house is beautiful!!!!
http://picturehosting.com/gallery.php?u=beacu&g=Living-and-Dining-Room

I responded, but I don't see the post, so here it goes again...
Thank you for your reply. This is a personal "job." I call it a job because I see it as a tough "must do." We're grieving the death of our beautiful seventeen year old granddaughter and it has taken all our strength to finish the construction... my heart is not into this, but I must furnish it and decorate it... I cannot afford an interior designer, so I need LOTS of guidance and advice to do it...
Newhomebuilder, your house is beautiful!!!!

http://picturehosting.com/gallery.php?u=beacu&g=Living-and-Dining-Room

You really have pretty much of a blank slate. Many furniture stores offer their design services gratis. You don't need to hire a decorator. Since you will obviously be buying some core furniture pieces and major accessories they should be happy to guide you.

I am so sorry for your terrible loss.

I have a feeling that you should wait a while, give yourself a break. I would find it hard to "feel the love" for any kind of inanimate object after what you've been through. I think the decisions you make now, while still suffering, might prove to be the wrong decisions down the road.

Depending on your budget, you might rent some things or ask for help from a stager, just to warm up the space a little. Or buy some cheap things with the full understanding that they may be temporary fixes.

Thank you for your suggestions. Sometimes I think that if I force myself to look at pictures and read other people's ideas it would help to "distract" me momentarily from my grieving...

Any help and suggestions would be great... We've been at this for a very long time with a terrible interruption...
Thanks again for the advice !

Here is a link that might be useful: New room

Oh beacu, I'm so sorry. I know it's hard to focus on anything else right now.

What I'd do is make a list of furniture you need now. Sofa, chairs, end tables, coffee table, sofa table, bookshelf, etc.

That's what I did when we built our new room. Take the list to a good furniture store and pick the sofa first, and go from there.

Sometimes furniture stores have a really nice arrangement of rooms which will give you great ideas, mainly because they have their in-house designer decorating the store.

After the sofa choice, pieces usually fall into place very quickly.

By the way, that is a gorgeous room you have! Lots of space and light.

I'm so sorry you lost your granddaughter.

Your new space is beautiful. Have you found any "inspiration" pictures for your new space? I assume you are keeping your dining set and chandelier. Do any of these looks appeal to you?

I'm so sorry for your loss. I think you've been given some great advice above.

OT: kiko - is there any possible way to find out the wall paint color in your 1st inspiration pic, TIA!

beacu - Thank you for the compliment. I don't have anything new to add to the above. You have been given some great advise...take it slow. My heart aches for you. :)

greenthumb, the pic is off www.decorpad.com; it said that it was a Candice Olson room with Benjamin Moore Camouflage walls and BM Cloud White ceiling.

I owe you one, thanks, kiko!

Kiko, THANK YOU!
The inspiration pictures are great. Do they come from a specific website? I see you wrote www.decorpad.com as one source.
I like #s 1, 3, 4 and 6. They certainly provide inspiration... Again, Thank you!

Beacu - My condolences. I'm so sorry for your loss and can certainly appreciate your desire for a distraction. What style do you like? Perhaps noting that would help GWers find inspiration pics for you. I'm amazed at the files they have!

Greenthumbfish / Kiko - I'd love to know the color of the walls in the inspiration photo, too.

I tend to like traditional toward classic. I don't like any thing that is overly done nor too modern. Does that make sense?

Here is a link that might be useful: My new room -windows

Hi beacu,

I don't know if you've discovered the Gallery side of Homedec, but there are lots of inspiration rooms there. I've linked to the LRs.

Johnmari gave you some great ideas on your other post.

I see that you have an interest in Bassett. I might tread a bit carefully, there. We used to have some upholstered pieces from them and they were fine, kiln dried hardwood frames, nice fabrics, etc. Problem is, they've cut costs (like most manufacturers) and from the complaints I've seen online, their product is no longer a good one. Their stores are closing, left and right, also. They've been pretty unresponsive re customer issues and warranties. Might not be around much longer.

Depending on your budget, you might take a look at some pieces from Ethan Allen or Thomasville. Even though these manufacturers aren't as good as they once were, you could get someone from their store to come out, access your spaces and give you some free advice. You don't have to buy everything they suggest (and they'll suggest a lot!) but maybe an anchor piece or two. At least you'll have a second set of eyes.

I don't know where you're located. Here, in the Chicago area, we have Walter E Smithe. They have all different price points and designers (quasi) that will come over. Maybe you have a similar type of store?

Do you have any pieces from your last home that you'll be using?

Here is a link that might be useful: Gallery living rooms

Thank you for the link... What an inspiration place!

Here is a link that might be useful: My new room needs furniture

Hi beacu,

I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine what you and your family are going through.

If you're looking for a distraction, then furniture-buying could be just the thing. I had answered your questions in another thread, but I think it got dropped off the board pretty quickly and disappeared, so I've posted the link below.

One other suggestion: before you go to the store, think about how you want the room to function and what kinds of pieces you will want. I liked to play with graph paper and cut-outs of various furniture pieces to see what would fit. But there's also a tool online that is called arrange-a-room (I think), and it was great to move things around online.

Good luck and, again, know that we're all wishing you some peace and healing.

PS to Kiko: That last photo, the one of the green room, was one of my inspiration photos a couple years ago. I'm not really a green person but I loved that room because of the expert mix and layering of fabrics and textures. One of my all-time favorite rooms.

Here is a link that might be useful: other thread

i'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your granddaughter. it's understandable that things aren't tops in your thinking right now (I've been there). It's good you recognize that a distraction at this time would be beneficial.

make a list of stores in the area that carry furniture that you normally like in a price you'd be willing to pay and then schedule yourself (and dh or a friend) to spend a number of days browsing them. look for styles, colors etc that stand out to you, you like and think would work in the space. arm yourself with a digital camera and a notebook. snap some pics of the pieces that interest you, get measurements and check out fabric options. I know for me things start running together and I can't remember what I saw where. It might be helpful to take some pics and measurements with you of any pieces you already have that you'd like to use in the rooms (if any).

I'd concentrate on a sofa, some chairs and tables. Also look at some area rugs. That doesn't mean you have to buy them all at once. Maybe just a few main pieces with others to be filled in later.

print out any pics you get and spent some not shopping time holding them up to the area and imagining them in the spaces etc. Cut them out of the pics if you want and put the sofa cut out next to the chair cut out etc. Also check out their measurements for placement where you want them in the new room. Mark them out with blue tape or cardboard.

do you have a color you'd like for the living space? the DR area? nature colors? bright colors? muted colors?

i think that after going thru a few stores you might start to see a pattern of what colors and styles you are attracted to and you can eliminate a lot of the options out there.

make them leisurely expeditions - with time out for a nice lunch with dh or your friend. Don't put pressure on yourself to make it a rush to complete.