brighten up our living space!

3 years ago

We are looking for design ideas to brighten our living space in our cottage. Low cost solutions preferred as this is a rental/vacation home.

Should we paint the wall and ceiling paneling? This is the only window in the room and adjacent to the space is the kitchen with a retro circular cutout in the wall! We were thinking of replacing the doors with glasses sliding doors and turning our sofa towards that space to have a lakefront view. Behind the doors is a bedroom looking at the water.

Thanks for the help!

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Comments (13)

Nancy Ingram
3 years ago
I wouldn’t paint the wood. It’s a lot of work and since this is a vacation home, I’d work with what you have. To me, a BoHo style would work well. I think you need to add more color and incorporate the black chair color. Add rugs, faux plants, artwork and pillows that are BoHo style. Try to find a rug with multiple size so that you can put a matching one in front of the fireplace. If you do some searching, you can find a half-round that works well. They do make hearth rugs that are fireproof, if you have concerns. Look at getting slip covers for your couch and loveseat or just a cover for the couch like I’m showing. De-clutter as much as possible. I’d put all your colored glass in the bookcase and try to clean up underneath the tv or possibly put a door there. I’d go with a bamboo shade mounted close to the ceiling to get maximum light when it’s open.
apple_pie_order
3 years ago
Vacation home styles coordinate with the location. What geographic location, roughly? Is your current budget range $100, $1000, other?
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It's a nice room and you've done a pretty good job. A few tweaks though,,,,exchange the short plant for a taller plant, in that corner. If you can't do a taller one, then hang the one you have from the ceiling or put it on a taller, mini table. put the plant on something like this. Target..Project 62 That sectional, (which really is too big for this room) in front of that door, really closes off the room (visually and literally). if you could, at some point, you could use separate pieces, that would be great. going w/a round, open style coffee table will soften some of those square edgesTarget. a single sofa against the long wall, some colored pillows, artwork, the coffee table/bench (using one like this that's 'open' looking, gives the illusion of more space) the blue velvet chair for some accent colors,,,,this is what you need in your space. for instance, imagine if you removed that smaller end of the sofa and had something like this against that wall or this one. BTW, these colors, below, would look great in your room. Do you have any artwork? Framed pictures, tapestry, shelving,,,anything? here is a simple example that you could do. Target has cute accessories like little tables, pillows, wall decor, etc, that you could use. bring in some color w/the arrangement like they done here, for behind your sofa. the pics behind this sofa are hung a bit high, but should give you an idea of how to accessorize your room. this would also be a better table for you. It's mainly that sectional that is really making this room heavy. if you need window coverings, I keep it sleek w/some inset blinds of some sort.
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The simplest and best solution is more lighting in your room. Add floor lamps or tables and table lamps on ends of sofas; change lamp next to TV Or add wall lamps where you think best.There are so many variations on bulb brightness and color and intensity nowadays. There are fixtures available to add under your kitchen counters to improve the light on your kitchen work surfaces. Any good Home Depot or Lowe's or Batteries and Bulbs Store can offer you the help you need. Lighting is basic; the size of your rug will not improve your lighting.
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Maria Grace
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks for the feedback! Great ideas.. under $2000 is preferred.
Nancy R z5 Chicagoland
3 years ago
On my monitor the white on the walls looks slightly grayish. I would paint the white part of the walls a warm white and also paint the ceiling the same color or the same color at 50% tint. That will definitely brighten things up and go better with the wood. I like the wood doors and the wainscoting and the floor. Then I would look for off-white washable slipcovers for the two couches. Lastly, I would spend the remaining money on a large easy to clean indoor/outdoor type rug for the seating area that has a pattern with a light neutral background and a little black.
Therese N
3 years ago
A light to medium area rug to break up the wood.
RedRyder
3 years ago
Start with finding a large, colorful rug. I agree with the idea to slip cover the couch in a neutral white. The only item you may want to paint is the tv cabinet. Depending on the rug, you can choose a color from it to break up the wood corner. If you’re willing to give up the large leather chairs, the room will change dramatically with new chairs, a rug and slip covers. It shouldn’t make a huge dent in your budget since polypropylene rugs are inexpensive and a great idea for a vacation home. Look on line, but always order the smallest size of a rug you’re considering. That way, the return of the ones that don’t work are a lot easier.
User
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
definitely do everything you can afford to bring in a view of the outdoors

If you are keeping the existing furniture i suggest paintingor staining the ceiling blue or green,, but you need more light to make it work

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otherewise I would put in several different area rugs in the space, with geometrics rather than floral patterns miced in with a solid rig

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Bring in several inexpensive floor lamps on tripods

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Invest in some sofa protectors to chand the look of the sofas

Saltoro Sherpi Kilim Pattern Polyester Sofa Protector With Elactic Strap · More Info

Benjara 15" Modern Polyester Sofa Protector with Tribal Print in Multi-Color · More Info

Double Sofa Cover, Elastic Sofa Couch Throws Slipcovers, Dustproof Sofa Cover · More Info
Rachel Lee
3 years ago
For a rental space, use a standard, readily available white paint ( easy to refresh every so often), leave all the wood ( painted wood will get dinged and scuffed), slipcovers on sofas( washable), and use location specific decor( lake, woodsy, coastal...). Patterned rugs show wear and stains less than solid rugs.
Allison0704
3 years ago
Is this a year round location? If so, I would move the bookcase and put two comfy chairs near the fireplace. I would not replace the French doors with sliders. I also would not paint the wood. It's part of the charm, along with the French doors. I would paint the walls a warmer color, but don't darken the space. Declutter everywhere. Less is more in rentals. The circular cut out if a tad odd within the space. Can you square it up and trim to match other door surrounds?

Since it is a rental, I definitely would declutter. Large piece of art over the fireplace. Remove the piano, it's taking up valuable space. No signs or wall words. When you invest in new furniture, find options using Sunbrella (or any indoor/outdoor) fabric. Any rugs purchased should also stand up to lakehouse wear and tear.

A set of three framed lake travel posters/prints. Something where the art stands out and not the wording. Similar in style and relate to each other.

Fireplace or wall art

I have no idea where you are, so just selected soothing pieces.
Maria Grace
Original Author
3 years ago
Great advice. Thanks. This is a new acquire so looking for external advice on thoughts of how to improve this awkward space.
Maria Grace
Original Author
3 years ago
Yes - year round.
arcy_gw
3 years ago
#1 Swap the black curtains for something with color. No to blinds--they scream UNFINSHED./TEMPORARY. (No to wall words.) #2 Paint. Put a light COLOR above the wainscoting and white wash the paneling below. The ceiling and trim are plenty of pine. #4 You need to mess with the furniture. As is there is a lot in there but no real place to settle in. The TV it seems could be removed. As is there is no way to sit and watch it. You have so many challenges with door ways and fireplace. If the double doors are a bedroom I can see finding a way to make it less of a feature in that room. LOVE the round door way what a surprise!! Lake views would be fabulous..but that is not an inexpensive option.
ginatay124
3 years ago
Congratulations on your lake house!!! Switching out the dark/black items would be the least labor intensive way to lighten the room. Sell the two large dark recliners and replace with lighter colored recliners or accent chairs in a performance fabric. Replace black coffee table with a light colored one as pictured above. Replace black curtains with a woven shade as suggested or light colored linen curtains. When ready to take it to the next level, agree with the other suggestions about painting ceiling and upper half of the room in a warm white, removing the piano, adding an area rug, and working with the couches to get them to coordinate with each other (or perhaps removing one of them if you don’t need the seating). One of the appeals of a vacation home is a spacious and uncluttered feeling.