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Design Dilemma Home Decorating living room

Blank slate living room!! Needs decorating!

5 years ago

Hello!! I am building a house and we are nearing completion. The living room needs decorating and because we will needs new furniture etc it is a blank slate! I’m not sure about furniture placement or colours or anything! The room is the first thing you will see when you walk in the front door so I would really like to make a good first impression! I will attach pictures. There will be a TV mounted above the fireplace but the basement will also have one and will be the more casual spot for this purpose. The living room will be a bit more formal but still comfortable etc. A nice place for wine and conversation more than a football game if that paints a picture. . Descriptions will be on the pics but this photo has measurements of the room size. Rectangles within the walls represent the windows. Door opening on the left goes to the dining room (7’9” opening) and to the entry/hall/foyer/stairway with a 9’11” opening.
Walls are Dove white and floors are wide plank natural white oak. Fireplace tile (not there yet) will have a hearth of black marble with white streaks - I can’t remember the name of it and the tile surround is black herringbone glass. Other than that....
If this was your house how would you decorate it? Furniture placement etc?

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Comments (4)

caymanbaby29
Original Author
5 years ago
Looking through towards foyer/stairs
aprilneverends
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
First of all, shapes being a beautiful home..congrats!

Second..are you set on having TV over the fireplace? I understand your reasons, but a) will be a bit too high, for many to enjoy..b) leaving out first impressions of others, etc..I for example don't like others being able immediately see what I watch on TV ..that's personal, of course, so make sure you're comfortable with that. You, your family, etc. We all have preferences and quirks, and different sense of privacy.

But for example it's what you want, and non-negotiable for some reasons

I'd put a not-too-big(say 84" width?) sofa next to the windows, but not too close to them, center it more.

And I'd put two armchairs(not bulky either) on an angle to create a conversation circle so to say

(some people go with four chairs, in similar layouts-I wouldn't because I prefer to lounge rather than sit upright, but again, everyone's different. Some much prefer sitting in a separate chair)

A coffee table in between..or an ottoman..depends on style etc..something that provides function of a coffee table

Can't see where your outlets are but you'll need enough lamps to get the most of the room(true for every room, especially one that will be used a lot, a lot in the evening)-ambient/atmosphere. task(for reading etc). Can be floor lamps, can be table lamps-so you'll need end table/s somewhere..can add a stool so too many bigger pieces don't overwhelm that pretty room..

(stools and ottomans can also be used for sitting if you have many guests/kids)

Do you plan sconces somewhere?

Do you need storage there? Books, games, collections?

How many people should accommodate, approximately?

Some members here have tools to actually show layouts they have in mind, I hope they join the conversation
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Now I understand where you are headed. My suggestions will not be matchy matchy and are pretty eclectic in nature. So, hopefully you will get some ideas you may not have thought about. Let's start with the DR. Drapes: I like dramatic so, if the rug has bronze that would be my first choice though there is nothing wrong with gold. I like plain simple drapes. I think drapes like blacksplashes should not be a focal point of a room when you have other beautiful things going. They should help frame the room like the color on the walls do. You may not need pinch pleated drapes. It would save you money not to have the pinch pleats. You need to decide if you want to run them from ceiling to floor or with a rod (I saw some beautiful rods at Calico Corner's. I think JCP carries Kirsch hardware also) above the window not from the ceiling. Dining table: I notice most people select wood to use with oriental rugs. I am working with a designer for my family room and breakfast nook and he just taught me a good lesson: Print rug-glass table, solid rug-wood table. He said you want to show off the beauty of the rug at all times from every direction. They do make some very large glass tables that you can use with 2 wooden pedestals for support or a great square base. If you are having a lot of guests for dinner like Christmas than you can add a folding table and use the same table cloth. This is just a suggestion. You can use wood but I always like to share new knowledge when I learn something. I still like crystal for chandeliers in dining rooms. In this case I would use crystal with some funky lamp shades to add a little fun into the room. You may find these at Home Goods or on line. I would try leopard for shades. It's hard to visualize if this will work without actually seeing it in person. Maybe someone will photoshop. Do you know the size of the table you want to use? I also think you may be able to find dining room chairs on ebay or a used furniture store that might be in decent condition or you can buy them new. Remember the chair wood does not need to match the wood of the table. There is more interest created when they don't. Here is another idea for chairs: you can used entirely different ones for the head of the table. Actually, I am pretty good at decorating eclectically. My friends are always looking for my eye. The designer I am working with always says to me "what do you need me for". Well, he is a great buffer between me and my BF whom I share my new home with. He has made my life so much more easier and is worth every penny. I am also learning alot about decorating from him.
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Glad to be helpful. A credenza below the TV should be 25% wider than the physical width of the TV itself. Center the TV setup on that wall. Can't tell which of your sliders moves to give you access to the balcony, but I presume it is the one behind the cat tower. You might consider a track on the ceiling all the way across that end of the room. Use a semi-sheer linen curtain all the way across. Since you have no view and don't want neighbors seeing into your space, you could keep them closed most of the time, and still have light filtering in while able to slide them to access the balcony. Pic below shows how the track would look. For tables, I'd use a pair of "C" tables. They're handy for drinks, laptops and they can slide under the sofa to be out of the way. The one below is a cheap version, but they come in all styles and price ranges. I would wait and get them to work well with the TV credenza. Then use an arc floor lamp in the corner by the window. A rug should slip under the sofa to that first seam on the arm, and it should extend past the two ends of the sofa by a foot or more.
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Thank you for posting those! I like the 3rd one with the navy couch. My husband wanted a navy leather sofa but I thought it was a bit too much. I worry about the cognac color being too similar to our floors, even with a rug underneath. I don't care for the colors of our floors, it all reads a too orange to mem and that the cognac is maybe too trendy? That seems to be the majority of photos on pinterest when searching for leather couches. Here is hopefully a better layout I like the color of the couch in this one with the darker teal rug and light accents with the pillows and ottoman. This is what I have saved so far, working on adding to it. Thinking maybe a wood coffee table and metal end table near the couch and the chair. I would like to center the couch in front of the fire place, an end table on the left of the couch with a lamp, and then a chair and maybe ottoman on either side of the fireplace?
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I personally do not like TVs above the fireplace. I would put the TV on the wall to the right of the fireplace and get a rounded ("L" shape, more or less) seating unit that faces the fireplace and the TV wall. A sofa table behind on the side of the kitchen would create a visual barrier but be a place to put lamps. Ideally, put some outlets in the floor so cords do not run across the space. You still can put small end tables at either end of the sofa system. Whatever coffee table you buy would be somewhat dependent on the shape of the sofa, but so many things will work. You can also put a swivel base chair (club chair, recliner, whatever) in the corner of the TV wall and fireplace wall, for more conversation seating. Good luck!
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caymanbaby29
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you for your comment. The TV above the fireplace is unfortunately something my husband has as a must have. We've had them before and it is alright.... lol

Lighting - yes I will have to have a look for the outlet locations (funny what you don't notice) and floor lamps are a great idea. There are four pot lights in this room but they're not exactly ambient lighting are they?

There are no plans for sconces. We don't need very much for storage in this room. Could have something I imagine, could be decorative or hold the small number of items (ie remote controls, coasters etc) but not required for practical reasons.

We are a family of four and aren't prone to hosting big parties. Or parties at all, really. Maybe 6 adults would be pretty normal.

Tools to lay out a room are awesome, hopefully someone with those will chime in, if not I may turn to Google and see what I can find....

The house has black walnut throughout - kitchen island, bench seating, pantry counter, laundry counter, some vanities. Other cabinets are white, black and navy. If I could articulate what I'm going for it would be classic but not traditional. Simple but quality. I dreamily look at navy velvet couches but am not sure I have the guts. lol. That makes me feel silly to type.

Jewel tones are lovely, the office across the hall from this living room is Hale Navy and I LOVE it. I also like more natural and classic things but am trying to steer away from anything brown, beige, greige or grey. Unless those would be accented with some seriously colourful pillows etc.

Furniture is not something I wasn't to redo every few years. Unless I win the lottery. Thanks again!
R. C.
5 years ago
My DH and I are building a home and have made graph paper cut outs of our living room and potential furniture to get an idea of a layout. It has been really helpful. Your space is similar in size to ours. Looks like it will be very beautiful!

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