interior design feedback
I have been adding and changing my interior decor and can't figure out if I'm on the right path or if it all just does not work. My goal is to create a traditional but new look. I am drawn to the grandmillenial style and not sure if I am meeting the mark. Would love some expert advice. Posting photos of dining room, 2 living room spaces and a smaller room off to the side. Any and all advice is welcomed! Please ignore the couches with the slipcovers. These are temporary until we buy new couches.
Comments (33)
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Comments (7)It's a pleasure to see a small, simple house designed in a creative and imaginative way! Congratulations for avoiding all of the clichés so prevalent in today's housing designs. This should be a very livable and serviceable house for many years. Some questions and comments: --What is the corner room above the kitchen-dining area? --Do you really need a 3-car garage, which is nearly 50% of the first floor coverage? Making a second level deck above an enclosed, weather-tight space on the first level is highly dependent on proper design, detailing and construction methods if leaks to the first floor are to be avoided. Pay very close attention to how this area is designed and constructed. Otherwise, make it enclosed space on the second level and avoid the potential for leaks over time. The living room seems small for a family of four, particularly with children who may fill it with scattered toys. As drawn, it will seat just four people. What do you do when the in-laws are visiting? Do they remain in their second floor bedroom? Or are the children not allowed in the living room? The space seems too small for four people, much less a larger number. There is no thoughtful "entry sequence" for guests and visitors arriving at the "front" of the house; just open the front door and Bang! One or two steps and visitors are right in the middle of the living room! Where do guest coats go? I know you've suggested that the front entry is "no big deal", but you may want to give this some further thought. The open space in the ceiling of the living room is really not located, nor proportioned to do anything positive for the first floor. The two chairs in the living room are located in the open space, while the couch is located under the ceiling, making sitting in the living room rather odd, since the ceiling above the sitting area varies depending on where one sit. All of these thoughts suggest that the living room and upper area on the second floor deserve some further design thought. Post the elevations or exterior perspectives when you have them. The design should be interesting and instructive. And certainly a pleasant contrast with so much of what we see here. Good luck on your project!...See More1st attempt at design plan - please give feedback
Comments (18)Marcolo and Blfenton, the box thing in the southeast corner is just that, a box constructed out of drywall to take up the corner. I hate blind corner cabinets, so I would rather "waste" the corner entirely rather than spending money on corner cabinetry I hate, especially since it lets me put more efficient drawer storage on each side of the corner. It also allows me to have tall cabinetry on the east wall and uppers and lowers on the south wall, without having an issue where they meet in the corner. I might put a door in the guest room wall to utilize the 27" x 27" space from the other side to store items we do not need to get to often, like luggage. I agree that having the wall ovens 4' away from the nearest landing spot on the island is not ideal, but it is a big improvement over the 7' walk between wall ovens and counters in our current kitchen. If we move the wall ovens to the east wall, there is still at least a 4' walk to the island. Amanda, the trash pullout and dishwasher are on opposite sides of the sink cabinet. I will also have storage for dishes, Rubbermaid containers, plastic wrap, etc. on the south wall. That way, after meals, the plates and pots all go to the counter next to the sink, leftovers can be packaged, dishes can be scraped into the trash and then go into the dishwasher. When I empty the dishwasher, the dish storage is on uppers on that wall. It sounds like cooktops on islands are not popular. I agree it is not ideal, but it was the only way to get the entire wall of tall cabinets on the east side. My DH loves the look of that wall, and that wall will be highly visible from our kitchen and dining room. I would prefer a real hood to a downdraft vent, but, then again, I have lived without a proper hood for 10 years. Mahlgold, I am having trouble balancing the look we want with function. We plan to do prep on the island and the counter to the left of the sink. Those 2 areas give us more counter space than we have had in any prior kitchen. We do not own a coffee maker or toaster oven. Our only countertop appliances are a KA mixer, small toaster and blender. The mixer and blender will go under the uppers to the left of the sink (mixer in far left corner on an angle). The toaster could also go on that counter, or maybe behind the lift door on the left side of the east wall along with bread storage. We only do breakfast and lunch at home 1 or 2 days per week. I am not sure how many or how deep of drawers to put in the tall cabinets. I drew each side with 5, but it could be 3 or 4. This kitchen has so many more lower cabinets than we have ever had before, that I am not sure what to put in all of them. On the right side tall cabinet, I thought I would want a couple of shallow drawers at the top to store extra trays for the Advantium, pot holders (those will be kept in 3 different locations near all the hot appliances) and wine tools like the opener, Vacu-vin, etc. Maybe a drawer for DH's vast tea bag and leaf collection and related tools. We could put all the empty baby bottles and plastic plates for the kids in a drawer in that tower or on the south wall. On the left side tall cabinet, I could use the drawers to store pyrex, roasting pans, pie tins and other baking dishes that might not fit in the drawers below the wall oven. My stove top pots and pans and utensils will go in drawers below or next to the cooktop on the island, as I have several feet of drawers on the south side of the island. The wall ovens were put on the north wall (where they are in the current kitchen) because they are less attractive to look at. Also, if we get the side opening Gagg ovens, they would be difficult to place in the east wall because they need at least 8" between the hinge side of the oven and an adjacent wall, so we could not put them at the very end of a cabinet run. It is also tricky because we are trying to find space for 3 wall ovens: standard 30" convection oven, speedoven/microwave, and steam oven. They are too tall to stack all together in one column and still have at useful heights. I will use the speedoven/microwave more than once a day, so I would be miserable having that oven below countertop height. I also hope to use the combi-steam oven regularly. I feel like we should have 1 full size oven, but that one will get the least use (I very rarely bake or cook large meals), so I could buy the Thermador wall oven with the standard door and put it under the counter somewhere and stack the other 2 together on a wall. The problem with swapping all the cooling appliances to the north wall and the pantry to the east wall as was suggested is that the pantry is only 16-18" deep and the appliances are 24" deep, which would prevent us from having a 24" deep coat closet on the hall side of that space. (We really need a coat closet because the house does not have one now.) I will think about whether we can steal coat space from another room, like the guest room. I am debating the idea of a prep sink on the island. DH looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested a second sink 5' away from the main sink. We do not use the sink a lot for prep. We rinse the veggies, but then put them on a cutting board and move it to where we want to work. We use a large bowl to collect veggie or meat waste when we peel, chop and trim. Sadly, we do not have any family in this state, so no one brings us food to prepare. It is just DH and I in the kitchen now, although we hope our two daughters will like to cook as they get older....See MoreFeedback on new home design
Comments (43)As for the garage its 23x27 (621 sq ft) which is enough room for 2 cars. It's just one garage door. That seems like a good size. Huh, looks much smaller on the plan. One concern mentioned that also concerns me is the width of the dining area and the one path to the back yard. Something you might consider: Do away with the island seating /instead put upper cabinets on the "back side" of the island ... more storage, more space for the dining area. If you do keep the island seating, choose stools that will scoot COMPLETELY under the cabinet overhang: Move the washer and dryer to the WIC closet area so they are upstairs. I agree that the washer/dryer need to move out of the basement (so many unnecessary steps), but I wouldn't be willing to give up space in the modest WIC. I think the majority of people here have a lot of STUFF. We don't. We even have empty closets in our current house, so there's that. I really don't have too much stuff, but I am looking forward to having better-planned storage in the right spots in my new house. But I’m in the Empty Nest stage of life so the small rooms don’t bother me too much. The best goal is "right sized" rooms. I suggest that the OP measure rooms in his current house, other people's houses ... measure beds and dressers ... and after a while, he will have a firm idea of what "right sized" means to him. I'm close to being an empty nester, and I agree that I don't need large rooms -- but I do want a guest room that's big enough for at least a queen sized bed ... and a bathroom with space for storage. The designer needs to be a little bit less stingy with some of the floor plan spaces, and also more honest with this compact home: I'd get rid of some of the elevation bells and whistles (no purpose in some of them). I like the layout in general That's a good sum-up....See More- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
11 months ago Christine W
11 months ago
ilikefriday
11 months agolast modified: 11 months ago
There are so many things I absolutely love about this space. The coffee table and rugs are fabulous!This is what I would change:
- Move the sofa and chairs a little closer to the coffee table.
- Replace the white table with a different one. The white does not work.
- Remove the plant between the lamps
- Maybe swap the location of the sofa and chairs. I'm not sure what the best furniture arrangement is. I would play around with a few placements.
- I think there is a cabinet on the opposite wall from the mirror. Remove it and use that wall as a gallery wall. Does that cabinet contain a tv?
- Replace the mirror with the art over the sofa
- Change the ceiling light fixture by the front door
Dawn Martinez
11 months agolast modified: 11 months ago@Christine W Grand millennial style as I understand it (just searching online) is about mixing old with modern elements. Your dining room for example, keep the chairs and table but think about covering the seats in a bold pink fabric to match a new affordable boho rug from Rugs direct (this one starting at $309 for a 7x10) that has pinks, and turquoise in it. Remove the large cabinets, find a mid century modern buffet at an antique store and paint it metallic, maybe hang a mirror over it. Maybe paint the back wall a blue, I used SW blue plate below, add modern art, buy a pretty traditional gold chandelier (search etsy, facebook marketplace, craigslist, etc) add a floral arrangement and call it good. I just had fun putting this together, I'm not a pro.
Christine W
11 months agoI've adjusted the front room by pulling the couch and chairs closer to coffee table and temporarily moving the white table: my husband was adamant about the deer heads so I'm trying to make it all work since we do life in Texas. Those chairs just have to be recovered in a solid neutral blue. I took advice from @ilikefriday and I love it!
I am really thankful for the gorgeous, timeless pieces of furniture that we inherited or purchased at estate sales. I know I have many tweaks I make. I'm trying to work with what I have. The rugs and tables are timeless and not going anywhere. I just need to work around them. Check out the latest rearrangement. (I also think I might get rid of that brown leather PB couch)
Christine W
11 months agoAttaching master bedroom and also my husbands office. Thoughts and critique are really appreciated!
PROJAN MOYER
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agoI'll risk it:
I think the single BEST thing you can do is enlist an interior designer , local to you. You are on a path to mish mash, which is quite different from "collected" or "eclectic".......or transitional, or updated and fresh traditional.
I think you are trying to go toooo far, and too fast.
When /if you do that? You have to be prepared that a wise designer is going to tell you some editing may need to happen. For instance: Perhaps some new upholstered chairs around that dining table. Perhaps, if you treasure the teal armoire? It's either the start to a color scheme in living room.....or MAYBE it even travels to a bedroom.
The start to both family room and living spaces should have begun with upholstery, seating. This is not an oh, btw ! of any room. Seating is the CORE of a room. It's usually the most expensive consideration as well. It's not a wise spend, to recover a piece that is a dated shape, or just more than adequately did its time and service. Yes this is all in conjunction with rugs inherited or from a past residence or sometimes? You let something go to achieve a goal for a different look.
Right now? You are a bit lost in the woods - trapped in a way, between man cave den, and glam pad. You're biting off more than you can chew. Before you spend more money ? Get help. It's a very wide open house. Cohesive doesn't mean matchy matchy..........but it takes a bit of real skill to unify disparity and meet YOUR goal, of ........lets call it kicked in the fanny granny. : )
An example I encountered recently? A man alone, with a love of art , old and new.....stuck in a bland and aging granny...
I am sorry to say, the only thing that remains of that room top photo? The piano which was out for service, and the ART over the sofa seen in the after pic. All evidence of his MIL is............well? Tis Gone. The old sofa, cocktail table, lamps ? Those went upstairs to make a little sitting room in an unused bedroom. Why? Because even a very good consignment store, would not take them. "Can't sell it" . It was that or the curb. We had no time for anything else, we had hardwood going in.
Please get yourself some on site/local help.
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Traditions refined · More Info
Traditions refined · More Infoilikefriday
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agoWhat do you think of the rendering made by @Dawn Martinez? I really love all of her suggestions for your space!
This is my favorite spot so far. do you have a long runner that can replace the rug? Perhaps bring the runner from the hallway to that spot???
You mentioned possibly replacing the sofa and recovering the chairs. What color and style of sofa are you considering? As for your current sofa, I would remove the back blanket, and edit the pillows. I would probably move the white pillows on the chairs to a different space and try adding two of the pillows that are currently on the sofa to the chairs. I am no good at selecting pillow designs but I think your space could use more navy or royal blue. Look for pillows that include those colors, as well as with texture and various heights.Will you consider placing the cabinet in a different room? IMO it is sort of the elephant in the room. I think it would be a breath of fresh air to move it out of the space and do something different with that wall.
cupofkindnessgw
11 months ago
Susan Davis
11 months agocupofkindnessgw
11 months ago
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
11 months agoA book is not going to be able to provide you with the knowledge to pull together all these random items. This is a talent developed over time and experience. Not all designers are good at it.
Some items are treasures and some are not. I'm guessing that some will move to new rooms to make things make sense.
These two chairs stand out as not complementary to the space. The plaid is old and tired but the shape and size are good. I would not waste money on slipcovers. I'd simply select two lounge chairs to replace them.
Love the camel saddles but they are not working around the acrylic coffee table. That table in the main entrance room should command some attention and it simply disappears. Besides what good is a coffee table if you have to hail a cab to reach it?
- PRO
JAN MOYER
11 months agolast modified: 11 months ago Dawn Martinez
11 months agolast modified: 11 months ago@ilikefriday I like this area too, what about a nice blue wall behind the console with the fun painting, brighten the ceiling with high reflective white and a new rug ...
Seems like blue is a theme, but I'd have to agree a professional designer could really help with pulling everything together.
ilikefriday
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agoChristine, I was going through some of your previous posts and one is about how to DIY an acrylic/lucite table. Is the table in your living room DIY? If so I would love instructions! That kind of project would be right up my alley.
@Dawn Martinez I love that blue rug and think it fits the space perfectly. As for painting the wall, I think it looks great. When I first looked I didn't realize you had Photoshopped it but I knew something was different. I love that color next to the color of the molding and door.
Of course, a professional would make things easier but I don't think most people are looking for a showcase home. Many folks here have beautiful homes that they are happy with and have never hired a professional.
Playing around with sofa colors and styles. Also removed the skirt from the chair.
- PRO
JAN MOYER
11 months agoShow the flat on paper floor plan for this home, please. Take a picture, a good one, and upload as a jpeg that can be blown up with a click
See this?
That is an easy reach of a DINING space, in a more public locale near the entry.
Your entry......and two back to back seating areas will always overwhelm with toooo much upholstered seating.
Post the floor plan. I'd relocate the dining room in a heartbeat. .. humor me.
kristinhallett
11 months agoSusan Davis
11 months ago- PRO
JAN MOYER
10 months agoMMMMMM that's not a floor plan It has no dimensions, no walls , it shows no doors, no windows.
If you are lucky, you have something like this rolled up and hidden away
ilikefriday