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Home Decorating Design Dilemma living room

Living/toy room help

3 years ago

Hi! I’m doing a kitchen renovation and it will be very nice once we are done. Light walls...leading into purple dining room that leads into the living room. Looking to perhaps repaint this living room. Looking for some dramatic and sophistication upgrades to make. Ideas? Kid toys are often out. Open to window curtain ideas and art too! the purple dining room will stay as is.

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Comments (7)

Jennifer K
3 years ago
Kids pretty much cancel sophistication. They are its antithesis. ;)

That said, storage for the toys (and training the kids to use the storage) is key to a calmer vibe. I'd also switch the turquoise to a light taupe that co-ordinates with your purple dining room rather than contrasting with it. Sophistication is about ease and grace- a less energetic colour combination will suggest that more readily.

A floorplan with measurements and some more pictures will let us help you more.
freedomplace1
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I love the purple dining room! The living room color is nice, also - but I agree with Jennifer K, that a color that complements the purple, with a bit less contrast, could help to showcase it better.

For storage, as well as a child friendly coffee table - and one that could tie in with your purple in adjacent room - I like something like this.

GDF Studio Constance Tufted Top Fabric Storage Ottoman, Dark Fuchsia · More Info
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I think it's a bit tough to give you advice because how you arrange your home depends so much on the lifestyle you lead. That said, I've offered some broad tips to aid in your redesign. Use light furniture with pads, then it can be moved around to make space. You can push the table against the wall and then pull it back when you're entertaining people. This provides some versatility to your space and lets you change your arrangement quickly to suit your needs. Try to find storage solutions that are suspended above the ground. Having a cabinet around the television can provide with a nice dark contrast and additional storage space. Anything high up can be long term storage; all the air space above 7 ft is mostly wasted (Unless you're legendary basketball player Shaq). Experiment! Spend an evening moving furniture around and see how you feel about it! There are many factors about your situation that are hard to consider. Do you watch TV during the day? (if so, moving it across from the window will give you glare!) Is eating together a large part of your family life? What do you see outside of your window? How late do you stay up? etc. Finally, do some critical analysis! What parts of the living room do you spend the most time in? why? Is that chair in the back used often or does it just take up room? Do you spend a lot of time playing with your child and their toys in the little play area against the north(assuming north is up) wall? You can setup a phone to take a timelapse over the course of a day and see exactly what you use your room for and how you enjoy spending your time. I hope this helps and feel free to ask me any more questions! P.S. It seems like your family likes the colour green; I would definitely recommend committing to it and adding some colour to your space! It can be as extreme as painting an entire wall or just getting a new cover for your futon!
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lmeter
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks Jenni K and Freedomplace1. Other colors i was thinking of were a light gray seen in dining room below chair rail or a lighter color...also posted here. I have a new couch coming and i have storage for toys in the corners but it only stays there for a little while esp w a two year old as well. Thoughts on these two colors since i use it in other areas of house and i do like the floor length curtain idea - these were cheap to put something up when we moved in until i could figure it out. What contrasting color? Would a dark gray or teal work For curtains?
Jennifer K
3 years ago
I don't think I'd use a large amount of teal in the living room. Use the soft grey as your main colour, purple as your secondary and teal as an accent. Usually the accent is ~10% of the total colour.

Here are some curtain ideas. I was actually thinking a grey/plum stripe, but I didn't find a pic. These are nice too:
tanisha room darkening-wp-purple/gray-pair-52x84+2 · More Info

Unlined Curtains, Bold Terrazzo Lavender Multi, 120 · More Info

Unlined Curtains, Helsinki Block Lavender Multi, 120 · More Info

milo linen-wp-plum/off white-pair-52x84 · More Info
freedomplace1
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
A very light taupe, as Jennifer K first suggested or a Greige type of color for living room walls could give you more warmth and also more interest, I think, with your adjacent purple room and accents.
arcy_gw
3 years ago
I would agree about kids and 'sophistication'--give yourself permission to have the rooms they are allowed to have toys in to cater to them. I did not allow toys in the kitchen or my bedroom when mine were underfoot. We had storage-as I see you do--near by and all toys were stowed at nap times and bed times by they children with mom helping. Until they are more people and less child you just need to hold on--it will go fast. Decorating is not the priority at this time of life!!
HU-187528210
3 years ago
You can go with a gray. But what about a plain white. Add some wainscoting and molding new curtains... I think that’ll give it a more sophisticated look and still be child friendly

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