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Home Decorating Furniture Design Dilemma

Living room troubles! Keep it neutral or go with color?

4 years ago

I am a renter but I do plan to paint my living room- probably a creamy white.

I made the mistake of purchasing a couple of chairs online two years ago and they were HUGE and WAY too blue (I expected dark navy).

I love my sofa and that's about it! I sold the blue chairs and the red rug, and will trade my framed art for something with creamier undertones instead of such a bright white OR one piece of oversized art. I'll also get a new (smaller, round) coffee table- either black or concrete.

I am also waiting on a Loloi Layla in charcoal & olive to arrive in a couple of days (pictured in the collage) but can always use it in a bedroom!

I need help choosing chairs and a color palette! I'm torn between neutral furniture or a pop of color in the chairs! My hesitation with neutral chairs is worry about them getting dirty (I foster dogs and have 3-5 dogs in my house at one time) but I LOVE the shearling chairs on trend right now. I also would like to have swivel chairs because renting means I need highly versatile furniture for when I inevitably move again. HELP!!!!

Chair #1, chair #2, or the shearling chair? The 4th and 5th pics are my living room recently and the last pic is of my dream living room.

Featured Answer

mmmunroe

4 years ago

No a pro.

I like your neutral options and usually stay clear of pieces that have a shelf life, like en trend shearling chairs that will need expensive cleaning treatments (particularly with muddy, oily paws). The green chair is nice and would coordinate beautifully with your warm leather sofa. However, if you are going for lighter, creamier and more neutral, I would lean in to that heavily and keep the chairs, art and accessories light. Play with the textures so it isn't so flat and with neutrals natural materials are the most beautiful.

Your rug and sofa anchor the room so you don't need the other pieces to be too heavy. They should be a good size and scale to "hold" their side of the room.

If you love the shearling then get fur skin rugs and drape them over the chairs. They are also en trend and easier to update later when they become worn or you tire of the look. You can get them at any price point.

Conversely, the more light and neutral you go with everything you have to balance it against a lighter scale dark table. It's too heavy it could throw your balance off.

And you will have to make sure that you use black elsewhere in the room so your table does not feel incongruent. Love your rug choices.

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Comments (7)

mindshift
4 years ago
If you have dogs in your house everything is going to have dog hair on it. A friend of mine vacuumed regularly, but she never moved any furniture. When she decided to paint there were inches of dog hair against the wall behind that furniture.

Darker colors are a little better at hiding dirt, but light colored dog hair may show. Choose a fabric that is easy to keep clean. Either of the chair colors will work with your sofa and the rug, but I favor the green. Forget the shearling chair.
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calidesign
4 years ago
I like the lighter chair #2 with your sofa and the rug. The darker will show dog hair, and the shearling will be too hard to keep clean. I would re-think the black or concrete coffee table. Black won't coordinate with your new rug and furniture colors, and concrete will be very heavy for moving in the future. Look for a rustic, wood stained, coffee table instead. It's very easy to maintain and the color would work with your furniture, like in your inspiration photo.
Kendrah
4 years ago
Love your current space, sofa, and artwork. Agree with Munroe that you should get shearling throws or pillows instead of a whole chair. With so many dogs, I would go with a dark color chair that is easy to clean. I love the first green chair. I think once your walls are painted cream the room will not read dark with dark color seating. I think your artwork is great and you should keep it.

Lovely inspiration pic.
IdaClaire
4 years ago
I love your inspiration pic and am intrigued by the artwork on the wall. Do you know anything about it?
Yayagal
4 years ago
Number two.
Jilly
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I like the shearling chairs. I’ve had a similar one and didn’t find it harder to clean than any other fabric. And they may be considered trendy at the moment, but they’ve been around a long time (I used to sell them, 15 yrs ago). I just think they’d look fun and interesting with your other furniture, and be very comfy as well.

I also like the green chairs. I’m not a fan of the #2 chairs. I don’t think the color is right with your sofa (although I’m only seeing a picture, so it may be fine in real life).

Ida, the artist of that piece is Goran Djurovic ... titled Donkey II. It is intriguing! His paintings are very unique and interesting.

ETA: Thinking more about your chairs and pets — what about something with a subtle pattern instead of a solid color?

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