Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
bkrnana6

Redoing my Traditional Living Room...

bkrnana6
11 years ago
Wanting to redo my Living Room focusing around new rug. Might need to get rid of some of furniture, and paint walls. Any suggestions are welcome!

Comments (19)

  • Claudianne Young
    11 years ago
    I would get rid of anything blue. Have slip covers made in cream. Bring in colors of rug in pillows and artwork.
  • abbshel
    11 years ago
    Try pulling your furniture in onto the rug. The rug looks like its sitting there all own it's own, when it should be a base for your furniture. Maybe turn the rug the other way. Try doing something to get your furniture on the rug instead of barely touching it!
  • curacaoblue
    11 years ago
    The blue couch and chair do not match at all. I agree with the comment that furniture should be on the carpet.
  • Debra Hallberg-Palmer
    11 years ago
    I would slip cover all of the furniture with slipcovers or a white shade (matelasse, cotton duck or a linen blend (have them make a nice square pleast on the 2 chairs that match by the window, paint your wood pieces with annie sloans chalk paint with a wax finish, paint the walls an nice neutral (BM manchester tan, linen white or a gray tone depending on your preference), lower the mirror that is over the sofa, update the lamps with a more modern stye. Make sure your laps are not too small.
  • elcieg
    11 years ago
    Your rug is too small for your room. So, before you invest in any furniture, get the next size up. Also, an open field makes it even more difficult to center in a living room.

    If you can't return it, would it fit into your dining room?
  • johnettehlad
    11 years ago
    What is the walls now? They go with thecurtains.
  • bkrnana6
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    The walls now are Benjamin Moore Alpaca with a color wash over it in Benjamin Moore Butte Rock.
  • johnettehlad
    11 years ago
    I like the walls
  • mamachers
    11 years ago
    Either recover your sofa in a neutral color or purchase a larger neutral color one. I love the yellow chairs. Recover the high back chair in blue or red. Curtains need to reach the floor. Buy taller lamps.
  • lefty47
    11 years ago
    HI -- I don't like the walls -- not done anymore -- the rug is nice but it's too small -- you could keep the two arm chairs but have them recovered in a textured neutral creamy white or a linen. I like the asian garden stool and that's about all . I think you should replace the love seat with a regular 3 seater sofa in a velvet or linen fabric and replace the big chair with a lounge chair in a pattern or floral . Matching side tables and matching table lamps , and a glass top metal base coffee table. The drapes you have are too short and not full enough . Go with full sheers with side panels over --hung at 85 inches length and much wider than the window. Maybe remove the glass doors so they don't intrude into the room. Hang the mirror on another wall and have a painting or a set of three over the sofa - 6 to 8 inches space over sofa .
  • Carolyn Hennes
    11 years ago
    Have a white band sewn onto the bottom of the drapes to get them to reach the floor. White slipcovers for the sofa and wing chair. White is your new accent color and think about using it in here as much as possible. Rehang the mirror lower. Find a more contemporary fabric with a white background and large, open, red, gold, and brown design for several throw pillows. Replace the silk flowers with something real-a fern, ric rac cactus or large ripsalis. Paint the lamp bases red. Pull the rug more down toward the sofa end of the room and the furniture more on top of it as the other posters have mentioned. Turn the entire wall with the mirror into a gallery by adding a mix of more accent mirrors , small shelves with animal figurines, sconces and small paintings. Mix periods and styles-- the more eclectic the better. If you shop at thrift and antique stores, or have access to a relative's attic, you can do it on a modest budget.
  • gielliott
    11 years ago
    I agree with a band at the bottom of the curtains but not white--too easily soiled and no personality. Maybe something with the red of the rug and cream like a taffeta gingham or wide stripe.The rug isn't necessarily too small, just push it farther against the sofa wall so it is under the front of the sofa and pull the chairs in. You could try using the rug to zone the room into a sitting area and a desk area, putting the sofa on the opposite end of the rug from where it is to create a zone for the desk with it's back to the desk. All your furniture is against the walls which doesn't look cozy. If you could get a bigger sofa in cream velvet, or get a slip cover for the wing chair and the sofa in neutral creams with some punchy pillows it would feel updated and pulled together. Also, it looks like you have pretty high ceilings and all your furniture is short. Some tall skinny book cases in the corners against the wall or something with height would add symmetry and ground the whole room. Even some floor lamps would help, you can get some pretty old ones really cheap that look cool and add light at a different height which looks better at night. I love your start, I bet it will be dynamite when you get it pulled together.
  • bkrnana6
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    Thank you, I have been shopping for upholstery fabric. I am looking at gold tones in a texture, and possibly gold velvet for the loveseat. As far as the wing chair, I am looking at a complimentery stripe to coordinate with sofa and 2 gold side chairs. I am using the rug colors as inspiration for pulling this room together. Although most of these "front" rooms are not ever used they are the first thing you see when entering the house and you want to look nice.
    When you say create a desk zone.... Are you saying to bring sofa to opposite end, turn around to face wall and desk. then look for tall skinny bookcases for either corner? Then leave 2 side chairs as is at window?
  • bkrnana6
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    I have tried all of suggestions for cream or white slipcovers..... Did not look right. Needed to be more into gold tones.Thank you
  • fuzinav
    11 years ago
    Try turning the rug side to side as abbsel suggests so the room orients the other way. The pair of armchairs you currently have are definate keepers, pretty chairs and a great co-ordinate for the new rug. Your love seat is pretty tiny for what appears to be a generous room. Since the room doesn't get much use, you may be reluctant to purchase a larger sofa, but if you can you should. The cost of reupholstry is not inexpensive and the piece is still small. Best scenario is add new larger sofa, maybe soft gold/ reddish stripe or solid damask, and recover loveseat to match or coordinate. If adding a new sofa is not in the cards, you need some bulkier furnishings to fill the space.
  • bkrnana6
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    Thank you, like your soft gold sofa idea. I have 2 wing backs as well as the 2 armchairs, that I may do in a stripe to coordinate with sofa and arm chairs. Rug does not fit being turned side to side...
  • fuzinav
    11 years ago
    The photos are deceptive, but since you can't turn the rug it might look nice to pull it a bit towards the sofa wall, so the furniture is partially on it so it doesn't look lonely. Choose all your fabrics at the same time so you don't end with one that's impossible to match!
  • gielliott
    11 years ago
    Hi, sorry didn't follow up on last comment I made. I was thinking if you brought the sofa or a sofa and placed it at the opposite end of the rug but facing the doors and wing chairs with it's back to the desk, it would make that desk area feel like it's own entity. Then put some tall elements on the wall where the sofa is now--bookshelves or a tall cabinet or two. You could move the wing chair over there with a book case and a reading lamp to make a reading area. I think the rug is gorgeous and makes a great jumping off point. Post pictures when your done!!