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Home Decorating Design Dilemma living room

Help updating living room built-ins!

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Hello, I'm looking for some design ideas on what to do with this living room. I'm new to this forum and would love to have some input and ideas.

I fell in love with the high ceilings in my new living room, but the built-in display shelves drive me crazy, not to mention my 55" tv won't fit in the tv space. This space actually juts out from the outside wall, which makes me wonder why it does come in as much as it does! I would love some input on what you guys would do with it.

What do you guys think? How would you decorate it? Thanks in advance!!

- Krista

Featured Answer

Susan Davis

3 years ago

level out the wall with sheet rock on both sides...then you have room to install bookshelves, or matching chests with mirrors and lamps on each side.....Have the stair wall rewired and install as big as a TV as you desire. Put the blue plaid sofa when the chair is and the chair on either side of the fireplace....design as you please.

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Comments (12)

HU-187528210
3 years ago
That would irk me too!! A whole lot!!
The ceilings are AMAZE-ING!!
Love. What are you willing to do to this? How much work can you do now? Is it about styling he existing? Possibly redoing? What’s your style? What’s your inspiration?
And is the paint remaining? Or going? This is a GREAT space!!!
Jon Krista thanked HU-187528210
calidesign
3 years ago
It is an odd built in area. I would have the whole thing redone, placing the tv to the side of the fireplace, having normal sized shelving that is useful, and raising the fireplace box if possible. You can also make the fireplace more of a focal point that way.
Contemporary Living Room · More Info
Jon Krista thanked calidesign
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Thanks Patricia for taking the time to read my post! I agree with the built-in banquette seating. My finance is pretty convinced that it's a great idea for big family dinners (which is funny since most meals we eat out OR eat in front of the TV since we live in a condo and it's only the 3 of us). As for the pictures, I took these with a wide angle lens, which unfortunately distorts the edges of the pictures (ie like a fisheye lens, but less severe). I took them like this to fit more of the room into a single snap shot. While the drawing isn't 100% to scale, it, for the most part it shows the correct scaling of the walls, nooks and crannies. We're mostly hoping to have general furniture layout suggestions to keep the room looking not awkward, with clean sight lines from walking up the stairs, out the patio and from the kitchen (far screen left in the diagram; it's cut off, but will be a full kitchen that has a pony-wall overlooking the stairs).
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Very pretty room. Painting the panels a dark gray is not going to update the look, nor will gray go well with the rest of the room (based upon what I can see from this pic). The current wood tone of the built-ins works beautifully with your fireplace, and adds a lovely organic feel to this space. I don't see anything here that even NEEDS "updating."
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Yes, I'd paint the built-ins white - paint all of the walls one color.
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How do you feel about barn doors? Totally get it if it's not your thing, but that would be an inexpensive way to do the doors, at least. You'd need your shelves to be 2x the TV cabinet width - or you could do bypass barn doors, but that's trickier. I also wanted to do something similar to hide our TV, and I thought sliding doors might work for us (they cover whatever cabinet they're in front of), but you'd need 2x TV cab width for that for sure. This is what I was thinking for ours (sorry for the link to a blog): https://jenwoodhouse.com/modern-sliding-door-entertainment-center/ Your other option would be to have the cabinet company just do bookshelves on either side and leave the TV space open. The bookshelves would be pretty inexpensive, I think. You'd just need to figure out how to cover the TV space. You could mount shelves above the TV on the wall if you wanted to fill that space. Just spitballing here, but those are some ideas.
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Jon Krista
Original Author
3 years ago
Paint is going! I'm deciding between Benjamin Moore Edgecomb grey, Balboa Mist or Pale Oak, so I'm up for recommendations as well.

I want to do some kind of tile around the fireplace and add a mantel with built-ins with some cupboards under it.

Thank you!!!
decoenthusiaste
3 years ago
You say this is your "new" home. Is the furniture shown yours of is this an MLS photo? Is that area drywall, plaster or stucco? I would prefer a solid wall there, a new fireplace insert and TV above a credenza on the stairwell wall. Depends on your furniture too. An "L" arrangement with a sofa and two chairs would be the most flexible for you.
Jon Krista thanked decoenthusiaste
Jon Krista
Original Author
3 years ago
This is the MLS photo, so not our furniture. The space you can see where the built-ins are actually juts out from the rest of the wall, so ideally I want to keep some depth. We are trading a few feet from our current long living room so I don't want to feel squished.

Thanks everyone, keep the recommendations coming!
HU-187528210
3 years ago
The more info you give the more suggestions. Do you want to possibly rework the floor plan. I’m also not sure ,once your covering up the wall, if I would add built ins there again. I might agree with adding a FP. I’d do tv above it. And maybe do the built ins in a different spot.
decoenthusiaste
3 years ago
Do you have more photos? Actually, to me it looks recessed rather than jutting out.
Jon Krista
Original Author
3 years ago
It does both actually - not sure what kind of style this is, but it isn't mine
Tara
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I'll trade with ya....I think it's fabulous! What I would do (and this is me since I LIKE the built in as is): paint the inside a different color than the wall so that the objects pop. I like the unusual, quirky style of this.
calidesign
3 years ago
You may need to demo it first to see how much recessed area you have so you can plan the best built in area with the spaces you want.
mcoledesign
3 years ago
Tara, i like the wall as well and agree it should be a different color- I'd go dark blue and put light/ artsy pieces under the lights.

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