(I couldn’t get my wuestion to post with the pictures, so they were uploaded separately.)

I rarely choose reupholstery for furniture it is really expensive and honestly most older furniture also has issues with the cushions and springs needed fixes. You have blue why not at least choose a different color and to be honest loveseats are really not great for seating . Why the upholstery ? Are the pieces in bad shape ? Maybe if just a change why not get rid of the loveseat and do 2 chairs in a nice leather to go with the sofa. or a print that works . I would seriously think about a change in seating before reupholstery .

The paint color on the walls, seems too warm for a blue palette.

Two people rarely sit together on a love seat, so perhaps two comfy swivel chairs instead?

Rug in living room could be quite a bit bigger, art over long sofa is too small by a lot, and is hung too high as well.

You are clearly traditional, but before the designer gets there? I would pull together some inspo pics of rooms you love. Maybe it's time for a bit of a kick in the fanny to the space? : )

At least give her a clue.......

I think the new chairs in a camel color might work and I agree a total change could be fun . Start with a new rug and see how that works . BTW kids and upholstery are not user friendly so make sure what ever you choose is easily cleaned .I think this space could be so much more with some changes . Just becuase you are a grandma does not mean you can't have a bit of fun in your style . I do believe change can be much better than a rest. BTW I have 4 grandchildren and one great grandson and still have a lot of fun with some change from time to time .

Jan and Patricia,

Thank you for your responses! Your comments are having me rethink everything, I never thought the room/furniture was that objectionable… But a few pairs of fresh eyes may be more objective. The furniture is from our house in Connecticut; we have since retired to the Cape. The sofas are both Vanguard pieces with no issues except the fabric is discolored in areas along the bottom and sides. It seems like furniture was better made years ago, so I thought it made more sense to reupholster than buy new. But maybe not.

I do like the oriental rug though, and it’s 8’ x 10’. How much bigger would you recommend? I have another 9’ x 12’ oriental rug in our dining room; I could swap them out if that were a better size. Although the two rugs in the living room coordinate really well together.

The whole point of this was to buy two swivel chairs for the second rug in the room (thats barely shown in the pictures). Before selecting these, I thought it made sense to redo the sofas first, so I could coordinate colors. (And it probably still makes sense, although reupholstering made not be the best choice).

This is the rug in our dining room:

I think quite a bit depends budget, and the feel you want.

Fabric is expensive, and upholstery labor has gone up considerably in every market!

More importantly? Those who favor traditional looks have been largely left in the dust by the marketplace, and that is a truth whether high end, or the mass market you see online.

Get with the designer you chose, make sure you're a good fit and she "gets" you. Make sure you understand her contract, her fees. try not to crowd source ( here) as you will get as many opinions as posters: )

Your furniture obscures your living room rug. What colors are in your rug? Have you considered painting your walls a different color in the living and dining room and then picking up a neutral linen tone for your sofa and loveseat? I am doing what YOU are considering doing: recovering my 46 year old Pennsylvania House love seats for the SECOND time. They were originally upholstered in a navy and peach quilted polished chintz, then a white Matlessee fabric, and now…natural linen. Worth it, to me. The quality of the loveseats is far better than most anything new that I can buy. And the shape of the sofas is classic, too. I have lots of antiques…and love the way they work in my room. Your rooms are gorgeous!

Ptreckel,

The rugs are predominately blue and ivory, with various shades of tans and golds mixed in. And i like your suggestion of a “neutral linen tone” for the sofa- that’s sort of what i was thinking of, basically the ivory color of the rug, but the designer’s suggestion of light blue made me second guess this. As for painting the walls, thats not something i would do at this time. The house isnt even four years old and a different designer picked that color and carried it throughout much of the first floor (dining room and front hall are different colors). And I like the color, but i’m wondering if you think its going to limit my fabric choices...

I find it interesting that you are reupholstering your loveseats again. After all these years, I’m assuming they have held up exceptionally well or you wouldn’t have bothered. We bought some new furniture for our ski condo and I regret not reupholstering the original furniture we had there. The new ones are already saggy and misshapen and it has only been four years. And they are mostly just used during ski season. Also, although the comment was made that two people rarely sit in a loveseat, that hasn’t been my experience at all (in the ski condo, two people sit in a chair-and-a half; the condo is small, there is limited seating, and everyone just wants to relax). Because you mentioned having two loveseats, i’m wondering if your experience has been similar, or if your loveseats are secondary to the main seating and rarely used anyway.

Thank you for your input!

I am all for reuphostering sturdy furniture--it rarely costs less than buying the new junk, plus you have full choice of color and fabric. With a grandchild in the picture, do consider how easy it will be to clean your new upholstery.

I think your home is so charming, and could be refreshed without getting rid of your furniture.

I recently reupholstered a 30-year old club chair in a fantastic Schumacher stripe, which would have cost me many, many thousands if I had tried to buy it new. So I'm a fan of reupholstering quality pieces, as long as you have a good workroom.

Your case goods look like very high quality and the whole room can be elevated by new textiles--curtains, rugs, upholstery, pillows. Traditional doesn't need to look formal and fuddy-duddy.

Just check out the work of James Farmer: http://www.jamesfarmer.com/portfolio

Mark D. Sikes: https://markdsikes.com/portfolio/

Schafer Buccellati: https://schaferbuccellato.com/portfolio/rooms-and-details/living-rooms

All of these talented designers work in a classic style, but with beautiful colors, patterns and textures.

I agree with Jan that you need to really connect with your designer and communicate what you are wanting for your rooms. Ask to see her portfolio to make sure her aesthetic works with yours.

Another thought--a really gorgeous hand-knotted rug can set your palette and really make a room special. I've seen in New England Home magazine many ads and rooms with rugs by Landry and Arcari https://www.landryandarcari.com/

I think they have showrooms in Boston and Framingham.

"And I like the color, but I’m wondering if you think its going to limit my fabric choices..."

It might!

It looks rather warm, and a bit sallow with the blues you now have.

Paint is one of the highest impact changes - and I would in no case, let a paint color, paint me right into a corner when spending money on fabric and the labor of upholstery.

Your style is very tastefully traditional, and you clearly love blue!

Your rugs are SO close in look...and the room could use a youthful kick.

Why not a deep blue on the living room walls, and? A great texture in a rug . Sisal or jute? Light and a pale oatmeal linen on the couches? A bit of pattern on some chairs? I think you need to throw some caution to the wind, be a bit less timid. Trust me... it will still be (extremely) in good taste!

I've a man client.....had to jam a change of wall color down his tonsils in a formerly pale beige bedroom . We're waiting on new window shades, but the difference blew his mind. Helped absorb a lot of matched, dark furniture too, bigger and brighter look which stunned him!

Point is don't be chicken : )

Traditions refined · More Info

Traditions refined · More Info

Here are some traditional blue living rooms, using navy, cobalt, turquoise, teal, cornflower, French blue. Most have some red or yellow to warm them up. Some are light and airy, some dark and moody.

They are from my ideabook "Living/Family Rooms"--clearly I love blue also!

Keep in mind that you don't select one item in isolation. A room is the sum of its parts and you will have a feel, style or mood selected before purchasing anything.

Traditional Living Room · More Info

The Knoll Drive House · More Info

Family Farmhouse · More Info

Charming Sea Captain's Home · More Info

Traditional Living Room · More Info

Palm Beach Apartment · More Info

New Waterfront Home North Chatham · More Info

MountainHouse · More Info

Beach Style Living Room · More Info

Beach Style Living Room · More Info

Salt Lake City · More Info

Beach Style Living Room · More Info

Traditional Living Room · More Info

Rooms to Inspire by the Sea, by Annie Kelly · More Info

Turn of the Century Cottage · More Info

Shingle Style · More Info

Picture this.............. in white and not the deep blue.

Not the same at all: )

Don't fear pattern

You are getting lots of wonderful advice from the PROs here! Wow! They are inspiring ME! I have a very formal living room. Every wall has windows or french doors, or a fireplace that I work around. The best set up for the room is two loveseats flanking the fireplace, with a console and lamp behind one. I have other groups of chairs (antique) that can be pulled up to join that setting. For years I had a huge sisal rug in the room and just switched to a new oriental wool and silk rug. There is a bit of green in the floral pattern of the rug…so I am going to try and bring that into the room. That pop of green adds life to any room! You have lots of options, even if you do keep your walls the neutral that they are now. But don’t be afraid of prints, or adding a color to bring some interest. And, yes…we like to sit on our cozy loveseats! And, we have no tv in the room. It is a place for drinks and conversation!

Wow- lots to think about here! Jan and Diana, thank you for all the pictures!! I need to figure out what I want to do here, which furniture I want to keep, and what I want to add. Maybe best to postpone the reupholstery designer and have the designer who has helped me with the house come back.

I have a traditional home style, too. I'm getting ready to move and wondering if the Ethan Allen sofa and loveseat will be making the move. They will need a reupholstery, too. I'd rather reupholster them than buy some cheap disposable stuff that won't last two years.

I'm definitely ready for a new coffee table. The old one is very worn out and really dates the space. My problem is I see lots of nice coffee tables in pictures, but I can't seem to figure out where to find them in real life without a designer taking me to the Mart.

Hi homechef59, you might want to check out thrift shops and estate sales. Lots of well-made traditional furniture is being donated because the younger generation would rather buy "cheap Chinese crapola" (as Sophie Wheeler used to say) than their parents' brown furniture.

Interesting, she owns the design shop- although the biggest part of her business seems to be upholstery (not sure how much she actually does herself)- and she spefically told me that she was an interior designer, but maybe that was a stretch. You are probably right there.

As for not getting full service from my interior designer, that’s probably on me. I find all this overwhelming and have been putting it off. But she doesn’t own a shop, or sell furniture, which has both advantages and disadvantages: on the one hand, she‘s not going to steer me towards her products but on the flip side, there are no products. But i feel like she ”gets” me. I love my rugs and the wood furniture (my husband made most of it, first from kits, and then from the raw lumber). This all started because we need two chairs (in the area with the rug barely shown in my pictures) and I thought i should figure out what we are doing with the sofas first, before buying anything else, so it would all coordinate. I thought it would be an easy question- but clearly not! (And you are so right about the size of the picture behind the sofa- love the picture, its a print of our beach- but it is too small there, so one more thing to address!)

Oh geez, none of those that Poovi posted. They don't work AT ALL in Barb's classic traditional house.

Poovi

Did you even look at the interior she has? If you did, you'd not even post that. Did you read ANY portion of the thread ? Basically, and kindly or not? Your post is SPAM. S.P.A.M. I should flag it as that.

Note: I am all for encouraging some bravery in clients, for stretching palettes, and adding whimsy, wit, and a bit of juxtaposition to the very expected. That does not imply sending the room to outer space ; taking the client with the room ......so far from any comfort zone you paralyze her with fear!. Good grief!

Yes I will flag it as spam too.

I just wanted to say you do have a beautiful home. I know change is good and refreshing, t to a degree. Two houses ago, I had a designer come and give suggestions for patterns ( I can't remember if it was wallpaper or fabric). Anyway, I had traditional furnishings, lots of florals. The designer suggested a bunch of southwestern patterns ( this was about 1990 to be fair lol) for a change since I had none of it. I didn't care for it, and realized that I didn't have any of that because I did not like it.

So, I guess I'm saying stick with your instincts. Consider all the suggestions here, but go with what you like.

I hadn‘t looked at this site for a few days and I completely missed the Poovi post. Apparently, it’s been removed. Jan and Diana, thank you both for clearly pointling out the none of the posted suggestions would have worked, if I had happened to see them, and for getting the post removed. And Salonva, thank you for your supportive remarks.

IMO the room can keep some of the furnishings, but needs a completely cleaned up appearance starting with eliminating the walls with the yellow paint. Something more crisp and clean on the walls.

I would never select a loveseat. I'd recommend a sofa and two guest lounge chairs.

Redoing your living room is difficult. It’s hard to be confident around your fabric choice when you’re not sure what the final look will be. I think the first suggestion from Jan to pick photos of rooms that appeal to you is the right one.

And you do need a larger rug, so as you scour the internet (and magazines) notice the rugs as well. Study the rugs in the photos from Diana and then look at how the furniture coordinated with it.

The cost of reupholstering your sofa will be high, so make sure you’re got going to love it. Just for comparison- I reupholstered two wingback chairs and the labor was $625 each. I’m not in the Northeast/MA area so I would increase that number if they were done in your neck of the woods. For the cost of keeping your well made couch, take a minute to BE SURE of your fabric choice.

If you’re now hesitating, good. This room needs to be reconsidered in a different order. Start with photos you love. Listen to Jan and Diana. When I was thinking of redoing my current kitchen, I pulled tons of photos. The end result was just like them because what I love was more obvious to me. Find rooms you love so you can duplicate them.

Well said, Red!

"Find rooms you love so you can duplicate them."

May I amend?

Find rooms you love, show them to an attentive decorator, and let her help you interpret and ADAPT to your own.

She will ask you for a both a general idea in each as to what feels great about it, and then is there anything specific in each that really resonates.....

Trust me, if you have the right designer? You will be on your way to a room you love.