Living room color and layout

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

This is a 60’s tri-level with beautiful wood floors. The original wood trim is still in 90% of the house. The living and dining rooms are painted brown and combined with the floor, trim and brick makes it feel too brown. We don’t plan to paint the trim at this time. Would white be better for the walls?

The rug and couch need to stay. The credenza will stay for now, but we hope to open the top half of that wall someday. The blue chair is temporary, but I like that it brings in some color. We would like to keep the framed photos and the framed art somewhere in the room. I’m not a big fan of the black shelves. I know the stuff on the mantle needs to change.

We are adding can lights in the living room. The dining light fixture is dreadful, that’s also on the list for replacement when we tackle the kitchen.

I’m not sure how to organize furniture with the fireplace in the middle and retaining the walkways. Right now the kids can do cartwheels in the room. It doesn’t need to stay that way, but we do like some open space. This is our primary living area. Any suggestions on layout and coffee table/chairs that would work? Thank you!

Featured Answer

groveraxle

5 years ago

I like these chairs.

Your house is totally mid century modern with some interesting features (like the roman brick fireplace and stone floor). Play up their uniqueness by adopting a mid century modern vibe. If you're not familiar with the style, look at lots of pictures on Houzz. You'll find a bunch of them here: [https://www.houzz.com/photos/midcentury-modern-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2115[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/midcentury-modern-living-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_718~s_2115)

Note that everything is low and sleek and simple.

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Comments (19)

J Kay
5 years ago
Pull the couch towards the fireplace and on the rug at least 1 foot. Then get 2 chairs I’d go fabric. Place them on the side of the couch facing each other. This will give you a mice seating area. Pick out a great coffee table for the middle.
J Kay
5 years ago
For paint color look up greige options. Go lighter than what you have now to brighten it up.
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Lisa G.
5 years ago
I agree...pull the couch away from the wall, face it toward the fireplace. Maybe put a console table behind it, possibly with a table lamp. Actually, the credenza may be tall enough to use for that purpose? Lose the uplight/floor light and definitely go with a lighter paint color, update the curtains with something that has some texture or pattern (no grommets). Or maybe put some reed blinds in as well as drapes (see pic.)
Great fireplace, but I would remove the mantel all together.
Lisa G.
5 years ago
Sorry...also, I would think about doing a non-wooden coffee table since there's already so much wood in the house. I think a black metal Parsons table would be interesting since it's a 60s house and the simple lines might look great with your fireplace and the black picture frames. The scale would have to be large enough to "compete" with the large dark couch. Here's an example: [Rhea Coffee Table (transitional)[(https://www.houzz.com/products/studio-designs-home-camber-rectangle-pewter-coffee-table-with-clear-tempered-prvw-vr~52975403)
Danielle Black
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I would face couch toward fireplace. Put nice table with 4 art where couch was and put floating shelves on dining room Wall

you could add new curtains in color or pattern, new light fixture, lamps in living room

not sure your future vision for the fireplace?
groveraxle
5 years ago
If you're going to close your curtains, you need to add panels. When closed, they should retain their folds, not be flat. I would add at least two panels.

I would restyle the mantel so it's not filled end to end with items all the same height. Keep the mantel decor roughly within the bounds of the firebox and have a focal piece in the middle.

All your seating needs to be on the rug. You can face the sofa toward the fireplace, or keep it the way it is, but pull it away from the wall. Looks like you have room for two chairs.

I would lose the shelves altogether. They're too high anyway. Use the art on them (and some of the stuff on the mantel) to create a gallery on that wall.
groveraxle
5 years ago
Send the torchiere lamp to live with a starving student in the dorm and get a proper floor lamp.

Your rug is beautiful. Use it to inform colors in the rest of the space.
redsilver
5 years ago
Pull some C O L O R from your beautiful rug. Your Home is beautiful! In your case, I think you could definitely use an accent rug, to taste your color vision in your home. Pick a color, maybe dusty sage green with a pretty shade of a soft rose color? might be one to try on a small wall. That can entice tones like other blues and silver, and maybe some coral or yellow or pink tones into your accessories. With that beautiful rug, you have so many pretty choices to consider to bring some colors of living nature into your home. Trees trunks are very pretty, because they wear shades of greens and with spring and autumn. You just need some of Natures' pretty colors in your pretty home. I have read and agree, that just WHITE is not a color to make your wood look pretty. Maybe Sage or Cloudy or even Stone would take you into a new realm..
groveraxle
5 years ago
groveraxle
5 years ago
Give your fireplace bricks a good cleaning and check the draw on the flue. It may need cleaning too.

The mantel is all wrong. Get a plain beam or build a simple box beam that goes from end to end. Then create a vignette that stays roughly within the width of the firebox.
Maybe you need to create a drop zone by the front door so you can keep the fireplace clear.
groveraxle
5 years ago
A Nelson-style saucer lamp would be perfect for your dining room:

Modern George Nelson Style Bubble Pendant Lamp Hanging Ball Cigar Saucer Pear | · More Info
redsilver
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Oh Grover! You really put some pretty into those pictures! And the brown looks so nice, it is very rich with the colors in the room. Thank you for sharing these great settings! Maybe the prettiest factor is, there is no 70 inch television screen creating a black hole in the room? LOL ;)
S Green
Original Author
5 years ago
Wow! Thank you for all of the feedback.

i will try turning the couch and pulling it away from the wall to see which fits best. I agree we need color. There is some teal in the rug that I like. I am thinking we need the chairs to be a color to avoid adding more neutral. Maybe like this:

We quickly build up clutter on any horizontal surface. The fireplace gets a lot of kid stuff. A landing zone somewhere else is a good idea. I really like the idea for a simple full width mantle.

If we have a photo gallery wall on one side of the room, is it okay to do an art gallery wall on the opposite side?
S Green
Original Author
5 years ago
Grover - thank you for creating the images. I love the big plant and light fixture. My husband likes more traditional things than I do, I will try to sell him on that style of light.

I am also going to work on convincing him that we should change out the white kitchen cabinets too, they don’t go at all. But that’s another project.
Danielle Black
5 years ago
Cute chairs!
Danielle Black
5 years ago
I like those better but here’s a good deal
S Green
Original Author
5 years ago
I like the MCM look. I picked up some paint swatches this morning to check out when I get home. My plan is to order furniture this weekend.
redsilver
5 years ago
I am glad that you were able to make up your mind on some things. Furniture is a HARD choice to make...there is so much of it and alot of it is NOT worth bringing home. The days of firm foam cushions and quality fabrics are really, sometimes, just history for some manufacturers..