Can someone help me tone down too formal living room with poor layout?
We’ve been accumulating things in small house for 25 yrs. since retirement and quarantine, I’m more obsessed with dissatisfaction with this room. Too much furniture, not welcoming. Need edit, maybe reupholstery. Art work important, authentic with history for me but maybe makes things too formal. Open to any thoughts and suggestions. My taste has never been traditional, but here I am. Help me change the vibe please. I am going to try to post pics. Thank you.
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lolainlasvegas
4 days agoThat is what I am thinking. Like a window. If there were a window there, the view would be palm trees. Just like my view looking East from my patio.
Liasch, I am NOT going to put it dirctly on the wall. That would require paying someone. Another thought is smaller sizes in a row with consistent spacing. Another idea is canvas wall hanging
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Please help me layout my living room
Comments (15)Thanks for all of the ideas!!! I knew I'd find some good advice on GW. Let me address the tv issue. We like its present spot (but can move it down) because you don't see it when you walk into the room. The cable box and DVD player are stashed in the closet directly behind it so no media console nor visible cables (the tv will be moved over the ones in the photo) neither. In our last apartment, the tv took center stage and we definitely watch tv less now. If it were smaller, I think it could go elsewhere and not be such a focal point, but a 46" tv is not so easy to work with. Here are extra photos give you a sense of the rest of the space. That is not a clear table, we haven't gotten our tabletop yet! LOL In the corner, we've put stacked chairs and a media console temporarily. We are planning to put an upright piano here. Tibbrix - interestingly, the glare hasn't bothered us. Maybe because it's winter and often overcast and snowing? But once we get our window treatments, we'll just close them to watch tv. That particular window is quite small and doesn't have a great view. The view's actually great from the kitchen and dining area! I think we're okay with losing the view from the living area. Aside from the glare and loss of view, do you see anything wrong with having the sofa with its back to the window? Olychick - thanks for "validating" my sofa and its placement! I've been back and forth about it, sometimes I think it looks great in the space, other times I think it's too big. I think your idea for tv placement is interesting and could work if our tv were smaller. Ours is such a behemoth... Celticmoon & Camlan - I saw in another apartment something along the lines of what you both suggest. They utilized the back 2/3 by the window as their living area (two sofas facing each other) and the remaining front 1/3 as a kids' play area. There was no tv to contend with. I thought this looked great, but couldn't think of what we'd do with that extra space. Your suggestions are definitely giving me some ideas though... Teacats - you said to float the chair under the mirror. Where would you put the mirror? I thought about a sectional, too. The only thing is we would want it to be flexible in that it can be rearranged to a different configuration for a different space. We may live here for as little as 5 years. Everyone's ideas have been really helpful! I'm planning to move the sofa with DH this weekend so that it faces the tv. I'll try it out both 2/3 of the way back and all the way back and let you know what we think. I have a couple questions for now - 1. Mirror being too high. Our sofa back is only 31" high and if the mirror is hung much lower, you could see the reflection of the back of our heads when we're sitting there. This is weird to me. Another reason I hung the mirror high is because I read that with low ceilings, you want to hang mirrors/art on the high side because your eye gets drawn upward, which makes the ceilings appear higher. What do you all feel about that? 2. One thought I'm having is to put a different kind of seating where the chair is where DH and I could sit together to watch tv in its current position. It'd have to be big enough to accommodate both of us, but not a full-on loveseat, which would not look right in the space. Something sized between a loveseat and a lounger. Should have a back and arms for comfort. Does what I'm picturing exist outside my mind?...See MoreBlank Slate - Help me decorate my formal Living/Dining Room (pics
Comments (6)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....See MoreHelp me arrange furniture with this awkward living room layout
Comments (6)Thanks for your feedback! As of now I don’t have any specific furniture purchased but have been looking. My main goal is to utilize both “living” spaces in the most functional, aesthetic way possible. I don’t want a bunch of wasted floor space and I want it to be cohesive/flow well so it just doesn’t seem like a random desk placed in a large room. I also was curious as to whether the way the sofa/chairs are arranged works for this room or if something like a sectional would be appropriate. Or if rearranging where the sofa/chairs would work better in relation to the fireplace/TV. Would love to update the fireplace (planning on a new mantle for sure) and decor in general, and make it more like some of these living rooms from my idea books. My goal is to achieve a coastal-modern feel, with richer woods and navy versus pastels and driftwood. Thanks for the tip on providing measurements - I’m new to this kind of software so I was sort of trudging my way through it :) I will try to get more accurate measurements ASAP....See MoreKitchen remodel (dining room & maybe living room too) - Ideas Wanted!
Comments (10)@ SapphireStitch While it would be nice to wave a magic wand with an unlimited checkbook - I don't have that. I do have access to some money (got a HELOC). If some of the changes need to be done in stages and can be done effectively - we can do that, because the more money I have to pull upfront from the HELOC, the more I'll end up paying in interest. (yuck). I'm also not averse to acting as my own general contractor/project manager, if needed; I've done that before (successfully) But I'd rather not have to overall manage the project, just because my current employment is a boatload more demanding than my previous employment. The nice thing is that we don't have a defined deadline where "this must be done by" - no one is getting married, boatloads of relatives aren't coming to visit, etc. However, the kitchen as it currently stands is a source of daily irritation. We're getting to the point that if anyone is already in the kitchen, we try to avoid going in there until that person has left the kitchen. Tempers flare....we've got my boyfriend (who was envisioning a quiet, child-free retirement), my teenager (while she's not as much of a drama queen as some teens - she's just starting the teenage years, LOL), and me - frustrated as the primary food purchaser, preparer, organizer, clean-up person. And if my boyfriend happens to suddenly realize his blood sugar has dropped - get the hell out of the way in the kitchen. He's not very good at listening to his body - he literally passed out one time when his blood sugar dropped too low - he dashed into the kitchen, grabbed a glucerna and the last thing he remembered was opening it up - but he woke up on the floor sitting in a puddle of the stuff. (I wasn't home at the time). When either I or my teen are in the kitchen and if boyfriend does the mad dash into the kitchen - we pretty much have to drop what we are doing so he can grab something and while he stands there and he starts shoveling whatever down his throat. And since the space is so tight - it can mean leaving stuff cooking on the stove, etc. One time he dashed in, grabbed a breakfast sandwich out of the refrigerator, yanked what was already cooking in the microwave out, and threw his sandwich in. Anyhow, I digress. I know that some of the things we want are going to be big-ticket items - new cabinets, granite or quartzite countertops, slide-in induction stove. That's why I'm also looking for cost-efficient plans, such as instead of moving the sink to the middle of the room, let's keep it on the same wall and just shorten the distance from the hot water heater to the new sink location. Let's not blow out any of the exterior walls, and we can keep the current windows, dishwasher, and refrigerator. If replacing the 10'x13' current laminate would be cheapest to match new hardwood to the existing hardwood, rather than ripping it all out and putting tile down in a 20'x13' space, I'm fine keeping hardwood. If a nice, medium-stain maple cabinet is cheaper than white painted cabinets, I'm find with the the stained version... I prefer it, personally. Rather than a huge pantry cabinet, if building a pantry closet with adjustable shelves is cheaper, I'm fine with that (plus with all the small appliances and bulk-purchases from Costco and BJ's - I think it would suit our storage needs better). If getting an island fits the layout, but is out of reach - I'm fine holding off on installing island cabinets and countertop and using a kitchen table in the meantime. And because we don't have a "get it done by" date... once I have a really solid design/layout... I have the time to shop different cabinet lines and stoves, wait for sales and then to be ready to capitalize on hopefully a decent deal. I don't know if it's true, but I did see some articles that indicate the best time to shop for kitchen cabinets is November to early January....See Morelolainlasvegas
4 days ago
Alice Edwards
4 days agoAlice Edwards
4 days agololainlasvegas
4 days agoThanks everyone❤️
Yes, Alice Alice, thinking large Art probably best solution. Just not knowing what. Meanwhile Meanwhile, I think I have found the solution to HOW. Etsy shop Hanger Frames. Lots of sizes. Can hang canvas without expense of framing. Exciting Exciting.
PROHome Interiors With Ease
3 days agoLola you could add a table top large art easel to hold a piece of your favorite art.
lolainlasvegas thanked Home Interiors With Easelolainlasvegas
3 days agoHey thanks guys❤️
Pool, so glad to see you too. Your bathroom inspired me to start thinking about posters again. If you are asking about the palm tree pic, it is just one of a zillion images on wallism.com You should check it out.
So, I am feeling encouraged by the hanger solution because it would be light weight. We just had that wall repaired with our Big Repair last year.
Alice all of your thoughts appreciated but one of the requirements of this project is that it be almost free and that whatever goes up there not be precious because of dust and grease over the stove. We learned that lesson when we had a lot of Fred’s shadow boxes up there.
Julie, thank you. I have often thought about using an easel somewhere. Might consider for LR at some point.
So everyone seems to like canvas idea. Appreciate that. Just WHAT?? And in what sort of configuation?
Liasch, I am thinking about those Abramishvilli images that I found on WikiArt Public forum. I love The Cat I had printed but you were quite strong in your disagreement with not being able to buy from Artist. Original works have been sold at Southbeys (sp) but no prints available that I know of. Anyway Anyway, will I be forgiven by you? I never had any wrong intentions. I just love his work. Here is a favorite. would it even be a good choice in kitchen? ❤️
Alice Edwards
3 days agololainlasvegas
3 days agoJulie, I get what you are saying. Short answer is I am NUTS, longer answer includes various considerations; expense expense and weight weight. Also Also, I like the idea of hanging canvas a more casual look. Anyway Anyway, as I said at the get go, likely I will do nothing in the end. More ideas popping up though.
Smaller stretched canvasses, 3 or four along middle to break up space. Maybe photography with theme. IDK IDK. Kind of like pool’s bathroom with more subtle colors.
Maybe all palm trees. Back to wallpaper, maybe cut up and put on styrofoam?
I don’t really expect anyone to follow my brain❤️
- lolainlasvegas thanked Alice Edwards
lolainlasvegas
2 days agololainlasvegas
2 days agoOh yes, they can be seen at same time. In fact my latest thought, is more Klee. ha ha.
OR maybe nothing I have had huge baskets in the past. I have always loved this Klee piece. thanks liasch❤️
liasch
2 days agoI’m liking that idea. Maybe another Klee… AND baskets? Lol. Of course, I’m a total basket, freak, but look how nicely this basket would go with the artwork! And… A similar location source… I could see that painting +1 or two baskets up there. A large basket, and then may be a smaller basket.
liasch
2 days agoSo many possibilities… OK now I will behave myself. Ha ha ha I really think you’re onto something with that Klee piece though.
lolainlasvegas thanked liaschlolainlasvegas
yesterdayAlice Edwards
yesterdayAlice Edwards
yesterdaylolainlasvegas
yesterdaylolainlasvegas
yesterdayOh! Thanks for reminding me. Just went to Wikiart and browsing. Here is Paul Klee I have never seen.
lolainlasvegas
yesterdayliasch
21 hours agololainlasvegas
19 hours ago
dsimber
19 hours agoliasch
17 hours agoSo many wonderful Tunisian landscapes! I think it would be cool to have a landscape that the character over the kitchen table inhabits. It
lolainlasvegas
9 hours ago
lolainlasvegasOriginal Author