Living Room Gets a Grown-Up Look
In this family space, the sectional and TV are out and more sophisticated furniture is
Shadrick flanked the fireplace with two comfortable swivel chairs.
“I love a swivel chair,” she says. “In here it helps create multiple conversation areas. People can talk in front of the fireplace or turn toward the sofa.”
Splurges: The sofa, swivel chairs and coffee table are higher end pieces. “No matter what fabric you choose, eventually it wears out someday, but these have really solid construction that will last a long time,” she says. The table is antique brass with a faux shagreen top. All of the upholstered pieces are either durable outdoor fabric or specially treated to take a beating from active boys.
Saves: The couple opted to keep the existing fireplace rather than redoing it. They also kept the sectional sofa they already had. Shadrick also introduced them to another favorite of hers, a budget-saving sisal rug custom cut for the room. “Sisal is hardworking. It adds texture, you don’t see the dirt and it’s durable,” she says.
The mirror: By getting the TV out of here, the couple was able to reclaim the space over their mantel. “When you’re working with some rougher textures and matte finishes, it’s nice to add a shiny reflective element for visual balance,” she says. “This adds another dimension and bounces the light around.”
Swivel chairs: Lee Industries; ottoman: Schumacher; browse swivel chairs
“I love a swivel chair,” she says. “In here it helps create multiple conversation areas. People can talk in front of the fireplace or turn toward the sofa.”
Splurges: The sofa, swivel chairs and coffee table are higher end pieces. “No matter what fabric you choose, eventually it wears out someday, but these have really solid construction that will last a long time,” she says. The table is antique brass with a faux shagreen top. All of the upholstered pieces are either durable outdoor fabric or specially treated to take a beating from active boys.
Saves: The couple opted to keep the existing fireplace rather than redoing it. They also kept the sectional sofa they already had. Shadrick also introduced them to another favorite of hers, a budget-saving sisal rug custom cut for the room. “Sisal is hardworking. It adds texture, you don’t see the dirt and it’s durable,” she says.
The mirror: By getting the TV out of here, the couple was able to reclaim the space over their mantel. “When you’re working with some rougher textures and matte finishes, it’s nice to add a shiny reflective element for visual balance,” she says. “This adds another dimension and bounces the light around.”
Swivel chairs: Lee Industries; ottoman: Schumacher; browse swivel chairs
Desk: This piece doubles as a console table and a desk where the boys do homework. Patterned X-stools can be used as extra seating in the room.
Gallery wall: Shadrick assembled her clients’ existing pieces and offers these tips for installing a gallery wall: “I usually start with a bigger piece in the middle and work my way out from there. You don’t have to have the same spacing between all of them, but I like to choose two spacing distances, often 2 inches and 4 inches.”
Desk: Pottery Barn
Gallery wall: Shadrick assembled her clients’ existing pieces and offers these tips for installing a gallery wall: “I usually start with a bigger piece in the middle and work my way out from there. You don’t have to have the same spacing between all of them, but I like to choose two spacing distances, often 2 inches and 4 inches.”
Desk: Pottery Barn
The living room is open to this space the family had not been using much, so Shadrick repurposed it as a TV den.
Splurge: The large-scale graphic wallpaper “was a great choice because there’s really not a whole lot else going on in here. There’s a tan sofa and brown wood trim,” she says. “This amps it up, catches the eye and makes it more special in here.”
Save: While Shadrick gave them the option for some chaise lounges in the future, the family is going to stick with their existing sectional while the boys grow up.
Texture and pattern: The table helps keep the room open and is easy to move. It is wrapped in linen and nailheads to add texture. The drum pendant is also linen.
A mix of throw pillows adds pattern and color. “Make sure the scales and patterns are on the opposite sides of the spectrum,” the designer advises. “Pair a small-scale pattern with a large-scale one, and if you use a wild pattern, pair it with something geometric.”
Wallpaper: Quadrille; table: Schumacher
More
Divide and Conquer: How to Furnish a Long, Narrow Room
Browse more stories about living room design
Splurge: The large-scale graphic wallpaper “was a great choice because there’s really not a whole lot else going on in here. There’s a tan sofa and brown wood trim,” she says. “This amps it up, catches the eye and makes it more special in here.”
Save: While Shadrick gave them the option for some chaise lounges in the future, the family is going to stick with their existing sectional while the boys grow up.
Texture and pattern: The table helps keep the room open and is easy to move. It is wrapped in linen and nailheads to add texture. The drum pendant is also linen.
A mix of throw pillows adds pattern and color. “Make sure the scales and patterns are on the opposite sides of the spectrum,” the designer advises. “Pair a small-scale pattern with a large-scale one, and if you use a wild pattern, pair it with something geometric.”
Wallpaper: Quadrille; table: Schumacher
More
Divide and Conquer: How to Furnish a Long, Narrow Room
Browse more stories about living room design
Living Room at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their two sons, ages 8 and 10
Location: Arlington, Massachusetts
Size: 242 square feet (22.5 square meters); 10¾ by 22½ feet
The backstory: With their boys growing up, this couple thought it was time to have a more grown-up living room. “They were struggling with the overall layout of the living room to make it usable space, and were looking to upgrade and invest in ‘grown-up’ furnishings that would withstand an active family,” says interior designer Meghan Shadrick.
Challenges: “This room is nicely sized, but because it is so long and narrow, figuring out the furniture layout is tricky,” she says. The room was full of 1920s bungalow charm, but the narrow footprint made arranging furniture difficult. A large sectional sofa impeded an easy traffic flow. “You had to dance around it, and it just swallowed up the room,” she says. The TV was over the fireplace. The room is right off the front door, so the family needed a drop zone.
Solutions: The sectional and TV were moved out of the room into a smaller den space the family wasn’t really using, freeing up the flow of the room. But it still wasn’t easy; the room was still long and narrow. Shadrick cozied a more sophisticated sofa in front of the windows.
The colors brighten up the room. “This house has a lot of beautiful old millwork that is very New England. But if you’re not careful that can make a house get dark really quickly,” she says. She punched up a light-colored sofa and wall paint with cornflower blue drapery panels and chartreuse throw pillows. She also brought in a special table lamp in gold, turquoise and chartreuse. “This is one of the homeowner’s favorite things,” Shadrick says. Every time I see her, she says, ‘I love my lamp!’ ”
Wall color: Manchester Tan, Benjamin Moore; sofa: Lee Industries; lamp: Bungalow 5; coffee table: Julian Chichester