Is it the new apt. that is earth tones, or where she is now? Is her taste feminine, modern, rustic, traditional...? What is the flooring in the apt?

No, where she is now. She's looking at grey, preferably charcoal for soda/loveseat. The floors are hardwood, I didn't take that much notice because I was only there once but I'd say medium colored hardwood.

I was asking about her taste/style to help us decide what colors to recommend with the sofa...For example, pinks go nicely with grey, but she may not like pink. Does she have some favorite colors? Is she allowed to paint the walls if she wanted to?

" she's going through a very stressful time right now"

Buying when you are stressed out is NOT a good idea. Either you make crap decisions because of the stress, or later when you look at the stuff all you remember is how stressed out you were when you bought it.

She can paint I believe. She likes more modern look and she's considered plum turquoise or teal.

Forgive me for voicing my personal ideas, but...

"Grey"," "charcoal", and "cheerful" simply cannot co-exist in my world. Grey and charcoal are depressing.

Would she be open to suggestions for color? If she's going through a stressful situation, she may need color, light, and airiness around her.

I'd start with a piece of art and choose the color palette from that.

Grey is neutral. I think you can start with a grey sofa and end up with a cheerful room.

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Yes she does need just that, light and airiness. As for the grey I guess she thought she could brighten it up with color. Open to any ideas and I'll pass them on!

"Grey"," "charcoal", and "cheerful" simply cannot co-exist in my world. Grey and charcoal are depressing.

As grey and charcoal are considered neutrals, as are white, beige, taupe and black, it's hard to consider them depressing.....how can a neutral be depressing? And especially when used as an upholstery color. IMO, it's a lot more lively than brown!! And because they are considered neutrals, you can pick any color you like to accent them - plum, turquoise and teal will all work well but may produce a darker effect in a small apartment than she would like. Yellow is a great accent for grey or charcoal and will liven things up. Or for a very sophisticated look, use white, red and black accents.

I too would start with an accent piece - artwork or an area rug I really liked - and take my cues from that.

Beautiful rooms cri_ thank you!

I actually like the grey (though it's not my decision) better than the brown. I don't think she'd consider anything other than a neutral , maybe a lighter grey than charcoal? She hates yellow and doesn't like the idea of red either.

Decorating when going through a stressful time can lead to serious mistakes. I think your friend should move in with what she has (I assume she has SOME furniture and a bed!), get her life together and then start thinking about what she truly likes and dislikes.

She does. She has a whole living room full of furniture but well, without going into details ( that's in another thread) she just wants to leave her past and start over.

We take ALL our life experiences with us when we move. It's not the furniture - it's what's inside us.

This is ridiculous! This is your friend from another thread who has been left homeless by her daughter and has limited resources. Buying all new furniture to "put the past behind and start over" is yet another very bad choice. She needs to watch her money very carefully. If you're encouraging this, then you're not being a good friend at all. This entire situation is just SO totally dysfunctional...

it depends on a person. i started decorating when being very stressed out. I went through a major change and it required of me kinda hanging in the middle for many months. i didn't know how it will end. was deadly worried about kids. well i had to prepare place for them. i started reading magazines...then books..as I went along I read more and more..it actually calmed me down.

I was in a hurry yet not as major as to make mistakes. Took my time to think and consider.

if she's even thinking about putting together space right now-maybe that's a sign she sees it as helpful and calming either? no need to be in a major hurry..good mattress should be a prioriry I'd say..then table and chairs..sofa..armchair..

as for art etc-she must have some art she loves already? something she cherishes, wants to take with her? it's not like she starts with nothing. Her life remains hers, her memories remain hers.

art can be an ispiration whether she buys it or not, posseses it or just sees it somewhere. some combos i remember because I saw them in paintings. Fashion is good too btw..:)

she can take clues from her wardrobe..favorite nature spots..go on Pinterest for inspiration..buy magazins like I did, borrow books from the library. My pallette started actually from an illustration I saw in a book. Doesn't have to be a book on decor either. Some movies can be very powerful in how they inspire for colors. In short, inspiration is everywhere around us..that's right, one needs to be in a mood to take it in, but will depend on a person and how he usually handles stress, whether he'll be open to that mood or not.

gray is an amazing background for a huge array of colors. Plum will work, and turquoise will, and teal will too. And green will, and pink will. Really that list can go on and on.

I'd go with lighter grey. Charcoal is a bit heavy for the accents she describes as her favorites. Also: cooler gray or warmer gray? Grays are all different. Plum and turqoise and teal are all warmer versions of "cool" colors. So maybe it's a hint for her future gray as well.

Craigslist should be amazing where you live; but as she doesn't have a car..

don't neglect second hand stores though. There were a couple of quite successful buys I was able to make there..not at once of course, takes time. But if you have something like this in the neighborhood-frequent it, Scored a very nice secretaire for 100$(can't believe it myself), a desk for 250$(refurbished by the store), a bookcase for 200$. Granted it was several years ago, but there are always lucky finds.

is she computer-savvy? lots of sites are dedicated to shopping vintage, second hand, handmade, bought by someone new but not needed anymore like eBay...heavy pieces won't make much sense to buy because of the shipping, but things like lights and art and bedding can be found there cheaply and be unique thus bring her much joy

ah. don't forget plants when shopping.

mirrors can be very cool and help with increasing light and brightness of the space.

if she likes more modern look ..well I Craigslisted all my modern, and it was much cheaper then since I already knew I loved it, before the craze started. but if not an option-the stores to check, depending on her budget(I won't go into super expensive ones) would be Room and Board, HD Buttercup, Design Within Reach(for one really comfortable piece like a sofa for example..these are not cheap)..then West Elm, CB2, IKEA. Macy's can carry some more streamlined, made in Italy furniture.

When purchasing a sofa-does she prefer to lounge? to sit straight? she needs to sit on it of course beforehand. So sofa yes, I'd try first in any case. Sofa, chairs, dining chairs-really important to try.

some inspiration pics..look just at the general impression for now..colors? lines? maybe some detail that will speak to her?

and several more:

sticking to the original request with the understanding that there are no preferences, I believe that you should start with a rug now that you know the color of her couch. which there should be a couch and a chair or 2 i presume and we can in addition bring color in there. although i have many more lets titilate her with rug options. let me know if they cost too much we can look for less expensive once we have a style.

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Thanks for all ideas! I will pass them along!

Wonderful advice and photos Aprilneverends.

thank you Yayagal!

I think she should spend a little time on Houzz or Pinterest and choose some inspiration photos. Then maybe the two of you can take those furniture shopping (or Craigslist shopping).