Living room too dark?
Help! I think my living room is too dark and gloomy. We have a decent amount of natural light from the bay window, but as the property is terraced and open plan, we don't have much natural light in the middle of the property. Is there anything I can do to lift up the room decor wise? Any advice appreciated!
Comments (12)
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Living room too dark
Comments (15)I love the kiddie decor, too. Looks like a nice comfortable family space. And the kids won't always be so little - soon they'll be off playing in their rooms more and the clutter will lessen. It is their home, too, so it's nice that they have their stuff where the family is for now. Do you actually need the wood blinds? Might it be possible to remove them and just close the draperies when you need privacy or to control the light? You can probably take them down without removing the hardware, just to try it. One other thing that caught my eye as darkening the space is the bookcase and console by the tv. Not sure if they are paintable, or if you'd want to, but I'd try laying a light colored sheet or something similar over them to try to visualize how lighter furniture there might look. A rug and coffee table or ottoman is a great idea to add some color and cohesiveness to the space. Just no more dark leather or dark wood :-) Maybe while the kids are little, look for something lighter colored or one on craigslist that could be painted and wait for your dream table when they will be less hard on one. I think even a wood top would work if the base is light: Toy storage: Not necessarily red, but a fun color you like:...See MoreLiving Room - too dark if just one wall with windows?
Comments (11)Every house plan results in compromises. Only Escher can create a perfect plan without them but few builders are willing to attempt building his designs. :-) For me it's difficult to comment on your living room without seeing your plan. I'm a fan of traditional interiors vs open so I think that's a good move on your part. Fenestration will be important though. I also think that in most cases a bit of separation between the house and garage is very beneficial from an aesthetic standpoint as well as providing more window options. I have a strong preference for windows on at least two sides of each room, lots of windows on the south, limited on the west and extremely few on the north. Our new house (http://bamasotan.us) is limited on the north but has gobs on the west (somewhat protected by a porch and balcony) and not nearly as many as I'd like on the south. The first blog photo with the four windows and furnace is our family room so the four windows look west and the window on the far right is south facing. This is the mostly the total of all windows in our family room (there are actually five west facing windows but one is cut off in the photo). I'd like to have had more south facing but that wall also has a fireplace and a TV next to the fireplace as well as a conservatory on the outside that makes a window difficult. Our lot is on the east side of a lake so west facing windows for lake views was kind of important. Other elements (fireplace & chimney, TV placement in family room, bed in master, master closet placement) limited south facing windows. Our kitchen is in the middle of the west side so has lots of west facing windows but is limited otherwise. It does have one north facing window but that is to a porch and a porch wall so limited light but better than nothing. From within the kitchen you can see through a hallway and the scullery to a small north facing window but otherwise it's just the west windows....See MoreNeed help for living room lighting
Comments (8)Hi Mike, For your sloped ceiling situation, perhaps track lighting may be a better fit than recessed lighting. If you're planning on replacing the ceiling light fan with another light fixture, we would suggest the following from our sister brand Luxe Light and Home: Le Marais Fiammi Sorbonne If you're planning on getting floor lamps, Luxe also makes floor lamps under this lighting collection: Ducello (there are 4-5 color options for you to choose from) These Luxe fixtures are sold exclusively through the Kravet showrooms so we highly encourage you to visit one near you so you can see the quality and workmanship yourself. Also, Luxe has the manufacturing capacity and lighting expertise to customize these fixtures to account for your sloped ceiling situation. Mock ups can certainly be done at the factory so you can be sure that the fixture is balanced and plum before delivery. We hope this information will help you make a more informed decision on your home needs. Very Best, Tai Truong Elements of Design 3400 Medford Street Los Angeles, CA 90063 tai@lusivedecor.com www.elementsofdesign.com...See MoreIs my living room rug too big or is my couch too wide?
Comments (9)Yep next project is to address that to the best I can. Partner wants a big tv but they are an eyesore in general but I need to compromise on it :). I plan to get rid of the stand and paint the builts in white so will hopefully minimize the overall look. Would love to redo the whole wall, change out to the fireplace for a lower and wider electic fireplace and mount the tv directly above but that sounds expensive. Maybe in the future!...See More
Vig
6 years ago
Juliet Docherty
6 years agoVig
6 years agoJuliet Docherty
6 years agoI would think about a working palette for the room that incorporates all materials including painted walls. One thing all of the images have in common below is a balance of colour temperature and tone. Something like a ginger/cognac colour as an accent could really help your scheme (see throw in image two). Cool pale greys seem to work best when teamed with warm natural materials and crucially some dark too. I would add lighter tones with large pale rug, pale natural linen curtains and then cushions in a deep ochre/cognac colour. If this works you could then add more tone on the wall behind sofa/shelves with a much darker charcoal colour. :)
Yachtvägen 17, ENKÖPING · More Info
Yachtvägen 17, ENKÖPING · More Info
Brush Prairie House · More Info
Frödingsvägen · More InfoVig thanked Juliet Docherty
Carolina
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agoI agree with colourhappy that a lighter coloured rug will help a lot. And as she and A.S. mentioned, the net curtains. Also the dark curtains aren't ideal.
Do add lights in or on the book shelves. I've put some brighter colours and venetian blinds (these are shutters I think) in your living room, see what you think. Glass table will reflect light too. Also added a floor lamp.
Of course a berber type rug will work too.
Vig thanked CarolinaJuliet Docherty
6 years ago
PROBathroom + Kitchen Eleven
6 years agoHi
Beautiful room. Minor changes needed - I think the wall colour is fine.
To introduce light you could use white shutters - the white will allow the light to bounce through the room while maintaining privacy.
Add a light rug - don't be afraid to add colour!
Change the ottoman to a lighter colour (if budget allows!)
Put a large mirror behind the sofa - this will also bounce light around the room
Add lamps on the shelves either side of your fire place.
Window
Ottoman
https://www.laresidenceinteriors.co.uk/products/upholstered-petit-royal-ottoman-coffee-table-dove-grey-linen
Mirror
http://www.decorativemirrorsonline.co.uk/mirrors/large-metal-framed-mirror.html
Good luck!Shannon
Vig thanked Bathroom + Kitchen Eleven
A S
6 years ago
PROCelery. Visualization, Rendering images
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
Juliet Docherty