Blank slate--help make a design statement on this wall!
cxg2
11 months ago
Hi, some friends just bought a condo and are going to remodel, I'm trying to help them and told them about HOUZZ. This is the wall in living room. They want to rip out the bookshelves/cabinets, remove the wallpaper (that's wallpaper behind the fireplace), remove the hearth, mantel and surround and cover the fireplace. They will put a TV on this wall. How should they finish the wall (a beautiful wood, with a cabinet for the TV?). They are laying new hardwood floors, a lightish brown oak wide plank. Would love some ideas, even crazy ones!
this is the window/door to the right of the wall/fireplace.
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11 months agolast modified: 11 months agocxg2
11 months agoRelated Discussions
my kitchen is a blank slate - help?
Comments (10)buehl - yes, the big rectangle is the kitchen, and you were right about the gray walls. There isn't much contrast there - sorry about that! To answer some of your other questions, our home is 100 year old brick, so moving windows would be very difficult. The sunroom was originally a porch, and it was enclosed sometime in the thirties. It is not well-insulated and would be extremely expensive to convert into a kitchen, plus we have dreams of opening it back up one day. (It's a beautiful two-story, columned bump out on the back of the house). We are knocking out a wall in the kitchen that currently forms our mudroom (a six-foot wide "hall" from the back door to the sewing room wall) in order to enlarge the kitchen. As much as I like having a mud room, I would rather have a bigger kitchen. We are going to have hooks for coats in the side hall, and one base cabinet nearest the back door will have cubbies inside for shoes. I'm very strict on the no-leaving-your-junk-by-the-back door-rule as it is, because as you can imagine, 14 junk of 14 people adds up quickly! ;o) We do plan to build a storage area in the garage, right outside the garage entry, which can be used for coats and boots in the winter. Doorways - back yard door is 36", garage door is 32," and side hall doorway is only 29.5" Doors could be moved on the inside, like the side hall and/or bathroom/coat closet. I've thought about switching the dining room and kitchen spaces, but the large window seat would take up a huge chunk of the available wall space. I'm not sure how to work around that. laxsupermom - the windows in kitchen have cabinets under them now, and they are about 38" from the floor. The sunroom windows are 36" from floor, but as I said above, using the sunroom for kitchen space would be an expense we can't afford right now. bmorepanic - we can't take space from the garage for the pantry, etc., because the garage is so narrow (plus we drive a 15-passenger van and our "small car" is a Suburban!) but your second layout hits on something I've been toying around with. It has really inspired me and I appreciate you taking the time to draw it out! I love that I could have a "mini-mudroom." :o) I'd have to figure out where to get a substantial pantry and laundry space in there, but I like this idea! Thank you! If anyone else has any ideas, but please keep 'em coming!...See MoreBlank Slate: Help With Total Backyard Overhaul
Comments (15)Ditto on widening the bed (to give you more room to work and to be in better proportion with the fence), planning/planting for layers, planting in bunches or drifts, soil test (at the very least, pH, which is usually done free while you wait), and building your soil. You might also consider giving the bed edge some gentle curves rather than a straight line. The remaining trees look like some additional pruning is advisable, with some of the lower branches going off at strange angles/directions. If they are Bradford pears, consider replacing them now or in the future - they are weak-branched, prone to splitting and dropping limbs, and are invasive in some regions. While you're at the library or book store for the above-mentioned book, I highly recommend The Living Landscape, Designing for Beauty and Biodiversity in the Home Garden, by Darke & Tallamy. You might also find inspiration in The Layered Garden by David Culp. Another source of inspiration might be a botanical garden in the area. Staff is often pleased to share information about their plantings, too. Consider some of the better-behaved native plants in your region - they are usually best adapted to our environment, requiring less maintenance on your part. Redbud (all sorts of exciting cultivars), fothergilla, oakleaf hydrangea, inkberry holly (tiny rounded evergreen leaves, no sharp points!), coral bells (heuchera - also in many colors), tiarella, solomon's seal (our green native or its European cousin, the variegated, which really lights up the shade), fernleaf bleeding heart (dicentra eximia), are just some in my shady areas. If you have enough sun, baptisia, native honeysuckle (lonicera sempervirens), New England aster. I shouldn't have started :-) The dappled willow impressed me at first, then it become so common I wouldn't have it for free. Daylilies are very adaptable and will get by with about a half day's sun, and also available in an amazing range of colors, sizes, flower forms, and bloom times (early, mid and late). There are some great understory trees and shrubs that will give you color when least expected. Toad lily for fall. Our native witch hazel blooms Oct-Dec, while the Asian varieties Feb-April, depending on variety. Hellebores start blooming in February here in my NJ garden and keep going through daffodil season. Take your time, as suggested above, and try to enjoy the process of exploring the possibilities and planning. Fall and spring are good times to plant, as there is less heat stress on the plant while it is becoming established. Remember that in fall, the sun's heat is waning, but the soil is still warm enough to promote root growth. There are, however, some few plants that are slow to root, so are best transplanted in spring. That being said, I have sometimes had to move plants at the most inappropriate time and they've thrived with good site prep and attention to watering....See MoreBlank slate: Need help
Comments (45)I'll hold off on the detailed analysis until I work up one with a cooktop & wall oven - not until tomorrow, though. Quick Look: Perimeter counters, base cabinets, and upper cabinets are all 3" deeper than standard. 28.5"D counters, 27"D base cabs, and 15"D uppers. If you cannot get 27"D base cabinets, then pull the cabinets 3" out from the wall when they're installed. -- Sink run...gives you more space for the sink, faucet, and other fixtures and allows the upper cabinet to be 15"D and down to the counter without the loss of landing space in front of the Dish Hutch. Note that a Dish Hutch can be more of a traditional look, so if you don't like it, then the upper does not have to go down to the counter. (I'd still keep the deeper cabs & counter.) -- Range wall...helps make the Refrigerator look counter-depth. The refrigerator is also made to appear "built-in" by flanking it with finished end panels on the sides that are deep enough to cover the sides of the refrigerator and a full-depth cabinet above the refrigerator that's pulled out to line up with the front of the refrigerator carcass. The doors will still have to stick out past the counters & cabinets so they can be fully opened. Trash pullout in main Prep Zone in island but close to Cooking Zone and Cleanup Zone as well as the Prep Zone b/w the range and main sink. Pantry houses a large appliance garage along one wall with base cabinets below. The counter is 30" deep to allow for an 18"D appliance garage. If it doesn't need to be that deep, then you can reduce it. The base cabinets are also deeper, if possible - 28.5" or 27". Dish storage is in a 36" Dish Hutch (I think it's become my "signature" along with a plate rack when the sink is against the wall!) It's close to the DW for ease of unloading as well as very close to the seating island for ease of setting the table! The refrigerator is offset from the island so it's not blocking the island aisle and it's located so it's easily accessed from the Prep Zones, Cooking Zone, MW/Snack Center in the Pantry, the island seating, and the Great Room -- all without outsiders using the refrigerator getting underfoot of those prepping & cooking! Since it's only the 2 of you 90% of the time, I put in a 42-inch aisle b/w the range counters and the island. The aisle will be a couple of inches narrower in front of the range. If two of you are working, there are two Prep Zones, so you won't be in conflict with each other. Layout #1 -- Range and Table-style Island with seating for 6: . Layout #1 Zone Map:...See MoreBlank slate needs help!
Comments (2)Thanks, @celerygirl both on this post and the last! I like that! I don't know why, but I hadn't though of bringing the flower bed to the driveway on the side of the gutter. Sometimes, it's the simple things we overlook....See More
Rho Dodendron
11 months ago
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
11 months agoIMO the wall should not receive a TV. Anyone can spend money. There might be a better location for the TV
la_la Girl
11 months ago- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
11 months ago cxg2
11 months agocxg2
11 months ago
PROSabrina Alfin Interiors
11 months agolast modified: 11 months agoCall me crazy, but I love parquet floors. I wouldn't replace them unless they are in really bad shape. I'd embrace the classic vibe those floors imply. Hard to tell from your post whether they want to go more modern or more traditional, so I'll post a few different options for look and feel:
French/Neo-Classic:
Living Room · More Info
Modern:
Summit Park House · More Info
Transitional:
Fireplace Seating · More Info
If you like the modern look, I'd also check out this photo with the combination of wooden slats and concrete (or concrete look tile, hard to tell):
Green Hills House · More Info
ETA: The problem with going super modern in this condo is that classic column on the outside terrace. It's going to feel like a disconnect if you go minimal, IMO.cxg2 thanked Sabrina Alfin Interiorscxg2
11 months agoUser
11 months agomarmiegard_z7b
11 months ago
PROEverything Home
9 months agoIt might be a good idea to have them look through images on here to see what kind of update they are wanting to do to the space. They have lots of options to choose from. Make sure they have a well laid out plan before moving forward and they've lived in the space some so that they know what they want and like.
Posh Home Remodel · More Info
Scandinavian Modern · More Info
Life of the Party · More Info
Fabulous Farmhouse Estate · More Infocxg2 thanked Everything Home
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