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Design Dilemma Garages/Workshops

Our LR is 50 years old and needs redesigning.

6 years ago

The tv has to stay where it is . Other focal points are fireplace and large picture window. I might be ready for sectionals for all,or part of the room

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Comments (6)

auntthelma
6 years ago
A brighter, lighter coat of paint will change the whole room. My suggestion is that you look for inspiration - a rug or sofa that you fall in love with - and start there. Another way to look for inspiration is through art. I like the piece you have above the fireplace, but wonder if you have other pieces in your home that you love. Changing out the art will start you off toward a new room.

Have fun!
sushipup1
6 years ago
This forum is about workshops and garages. You might find a lot of feedback in the Home Decorating forum.
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@Garry Crabbs II - the 3/8" thickness is going to make this tricky. First off, MEASURE the amount of wood ABOVE the tongue. You can find a floor vent and pop it out to view the cross section of the wood. Measure the wood ABOVE the tongue. It MUST BE 3mm (1/8") or MORE to get a SINGLE sand/refinish event completed. The photos show you are not "almost down" to bare wood, you are AT bare wood. That means this floor "missed" it's sand/refinish date by 5-10 years. And we're assuming that is oil based urethane. That was VERY common in the 60's. Nothing special about it. You will need to sand this 3 separate times (each "pass" takes off about 0.5mm of wood which is why you NEED 3mm to start with). You will start with a low grit paper....like 60 grit. You will need a palm sander with the same grit to get into corners and close to walls. Then you will move up to your mid-range grit (80 grit is the next step up from 60). Again cutting in the walls and corners using the palm sander and the same grit level as the big machine). And then your final pass (assuming everything has gone swimmingly) you will finish with the highest grit level (100 grit is the next step when using the 60-80-100 grit system) doing the walls and corners once again with the palm sander. Some guys work with the 60-80-100 grit system. Others prefer the 80-100-120 grit system. Plan on purchasing MULTIPLE discs (assuming you use a drum sander) in each grit level. Some refinishers use 4-5 "papers" per grit level each time they do a floor. That means they use as many as 15 discs/pads for each home! Just be aware of that. You might want to find out which system will leave most of the dark stains that have penetrated the raw wood....and which system leaves the MOST amount of wood on your floor. That is rather important. You don't have a lot of wood to work with so you want to make sure you have something left over that you can live with for the next 20 years. Once the sanding is done, you chose a stain (if this is DIY I suggest you SKIP this stage) and then apply 3 coats of finish over the floor.
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First, get rid of all the shutters (especially on the large lower one), and those silly doors where the garage used to be! What you could use is a garage door like this,,,,,it would bring in light to the room, and still offer you privacy. Plus, it will make the exterior look like it's supposed to look I don't think the brick is anything special. Feel free to paint. however, use Romabio. It's a natural mineral product meant for bricks and requires no maintenance. Use the Classico Limewash, or the Masonry paint you can tint any color. Bonus,,,,,with the lime wash product you can apply the one coat. if you don't like it, it hoses off w/in the first 72 hours. Usually only takes one coat Some other options for color, and the landscaping and front door area: You could even do a very dark charcoal color: If you painted it all white, did a pale blue front door, no shutters, just a dark gray wood trim around the windows, and a dark garage door,,,landscaping,,,you'd have this: Or maybe you want o go full on MCM:
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Cara Lewis-Watts
6 years ago
Pull the couch off the wall and have it face the fireplace. As above, update paint color and rug. Take down the valance and do curtain panels that reach the floor in a shade similar to the new light walls.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
6 years ago
How much of an update do you want? New furniture, new colors ? IMO the T.V. is mounted too high , not in a place that makes sense and IMO there is no reason you can’t move it .I would put the T.V on the wall to the left of the door where the flowered sofa is now and get 2 new sofas to put in an L configuaration so that you can enjoy the fireplace the TV and the view.If you still have some space left do 2 more chairs in a nice contrasting material to the sofas.Painting the whole room a nice soft gray/ green will have a huge impact , a nice big coffee table some new lighting will look like a new space.I never like sectionals so I would discourage that choice.
deegw
6 years ago
It's a nice space. Have you looked for inspiration photos? If you show us some rooms that you like, we can help you achieve the look.

If this was my house, I'd paint the walls a nice clean beige, replace the valances with textured curtain panels and change out the rug with one that is less busy. Then I would edit the wall decor and accessories and keep only the things that I really love.
Adam Calabrese
6 years ago
I guess you had some custom work done for TV mount. If you seldom watch TV, that's probably an OK placement. However, I agree with an earlier reply - I would move the TV. It is too high, in an awkward position near the door and in the corner, and viewing could easily be disturbed by light leaks from the kitchen.

I'm not a fan of the TV above the mantle either. I would put it on the wall as suggested by Patricia Colwell.

But of course it really depends on how important TV or home movies are to you and your family/friends.

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