Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
cadaveria

Help! Small ugly Living Room being converted from piano room.

cadaveria
10 years ago
Any suggestions appreciated! Total makeover wanted. Floors, wall colors, furniture, art, and what to do about that huge window with a ledge? I am at a loss.

Comments (17)

  • PRO
    cadaveria
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    My style is Pier one imports ...also like a bit shabby chic eclectic bohemian vibe:0
  • PRO
    Dytecture
    10 years ago
    What style are you leaning towards?
  • Janet
    10 years ago
    I am wondering if your windows need to be completed covered? Is the issue close neighbors? I hate to see natural light closed off unless it's absolutely necessary.
  • PRO
    cadaveria
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    Dar Eckert- I like your idea about sofa in front of window..makes sense!

    dtjallen- Window's don't have to be covered but ledge tends to collect "stuff", like newspapers etc..

    DytectureWhat style are you leaning towards? Boho kinda thing I guess.

    Thank you for your comments! Keep them coming.
  • Janet
    10 years ago
    Well, I think that I might take the sofa & pull it out & use it as a divider to separate the tv room from the room behind it. I would take the tv & move it into the corner. Then I would take the two chair (do you have two?) & put those pretty much where the one chair is now. Using the ledge for a table is kind of hard because it's so high. It would be great if you could lower it to make it into a window seat.It would be a great place for some plants. I'd take the blinds off the windows & let some light in. Maybe a treatment for the small window to make it look a bit larger.
  • mendys
    10 years ago
    For a piano room you will want a few essentials like chairs (for other musicians or listeners), bookcases or other sort of storage for sheet music, and plenty of light. Corner bookcases may work well in your room. If you host other musicians, you may want to consider tile on the floor that would stand up to music stands and cello pegs without damaging the floor. The acoustics would also be nice with tile.

    On the ledge, I'd put either a larger-ish sculpture, an interesting plant and maybe an minimalistic track-lighting that is adjustable so you can point the light where you want it.
  • PRO
    cadaveria
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    mendys- I am sory I should clarify. This room is going to be a living room. It was a piano room. The Piano is being moved now> thank you
  • PRO
    cadaveria
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    Please comment guys!!! Possible tv placement?
  • PRO
    cadaveria
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    Or maybe one of these?
  • Janet
    10 years ago
    Oh yes, it looks so much better. I like the tv in the corner (last pic) and the placement of chairs. Would it be possible to put the aquarium right up on the ledge?? It would be a nice focal point.
  • PRO
    cadaveria
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    dtjallen_ Thank you for your comment, I will continue to work on it with this placement! Also as a matter of fact, I too was thinking that the fish tank could go on the ledge..I will try it.
  • Shane Hager
    9 years ago
    Love the window ledge. I'd put a fabric wrapped piece of padding there in a cool design to give a little pop element to the room. Or, mount some LED lights in the base shining upwards under something you'd display...

    If u go with tv opposite of the window, any issue with sunlight/glare? If not, def like that placement!
  • housegal200
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago
    First, clear out all the stray "stuff" that doesn't need to be in the room. Can't tell if you have a desk/table or what to the right of the window. Keep it tidy if that's the only place for it.

    It's not clear whether you're ready to get new sofa, side chairs or what. Suggestions below are based on the sofa and chairs you already have. If you do get new furniture, get compact, small living room sized furniture. So many people on Houzz have these honking leather couches that swallow a room. You could even get a small three-seater with a chaise on the right for TV watching and one small upholstered side chair in an accent color. But that's a whole other ballgame. When you do get ready to buy a couch, get exact measurements for the room and ask a salesperson or designer to tell you what size and style you should get. In a small room, a sofa and chairs look better if you can see the legs--so much lighter and airier.

    --Paint your room a soft cream with white trim.

    --Keep sofa right under the ledge with a lamp and one or two interesting objects on it as if the ledge were a sofa table as someone upthread suggested. That looks good.

    --Get stackable Lucite tables to use as coffee tables. These are also from Overstock.

    --Place one chair under the window and another one on the other end of the coffee table arrangement so that the two chairs face each other.

    --Get a great modern print rug--the ones shown have maroon because your couch looks maroon if that's what it is. Overstock sells those shown but you can plug in other colors into their search engine. Make sure the rug is big enough so that the front legs of sofa and chairs rest on the rug.

    --Place TV on wall opposite the couch. Get a long, low 12" deep console table or cabinet to put the TV on. Put the fish tank there as well at the far end so that you wind up with light in both corners. Ikea has some very low media cabinets. You can probably find a long, narrow console table at Pier 1, Target, or Craigslist as well.

    --Get an arc lamp (Target has them) and position it in the far corner with the light over what will be your stackable clear coffee tables. Or spring for a great,good sized lamp that will fit on the ledge

    --Find pillows in colors that coordinate with your new rug, sofa, and chairs.

    --Get a roman shade for the small window in a color that coordinates with new rug and pillows.
  • housegal200
    9 years ago
    For down the road, consider getting a loveseat instead of a full couch if you're going to be in your place for a while. The mocha (not crazy about color, though) couch is only 30" deep, which is great for a very small room. A matching ottoman can serve as a coffee table with a colorful wide tray on top. The other couch is 33" deep. You'd need to pick your paint after you get a new couch. There are matching chairs, though one would be more than enough for a small living room. All are from Overstock.
  • janroze
    9 years ago
    FIRST, divide the room so a love seat forms the wall for the entry, Make an "L" shape with a sofa at right angles on the left side of the LS. I love the idea of the pad/cushion with a few extra pillows for the bay window - no junk to take care of, plants to water or sill to dust. Now you have high seating for extra guests. If they use high chairs for dining tables, you can do it here. Hang folded fabric Roman shades above both windows and keep all shades open for light.

    Put end tables with 3 way lamps at both ends and a square table with lamp between sofa & LS. Try to keep all the furniture neutral. Bring in fun colors in large pieces of wall art. Choose your colors from it for an area rug - be sure at least all front legs rest on it. Then your favorite colors from it for throw pillows, throws and lamps or bowls and black or bronze for statues and dark brown for frames and furniture. Surprise everyone with a really special small painting on the far narrow end wall of the bay window.

    Remember all art is to be hung at eye level, this will be seen at eye level when seated in the bay. The art in the entry will be seen when at walking eye level and the far wall on either side of TV will be hung at seated eye level. You judge whether the art behind the sofa will be seen most from a standing or sitting viewpoint..

    Put your chair near the corner at the far end of the window. Now, you have a complete "U" shape of seating for TV viewing, visiting, or just hanging out. Replace the "MIne" hooks with something a bit more refined and hang your new hooks on the other entry wall. Lay a pretty entry rug and add a piece of art on the entry wall. Please, NO large black leather sofa or any other huge furniture pieces, the room is too small to pull it off.

    Be sure to tell something about you, an album with pics of you doing your hobbies, a game, stack of books, bowl of golf/tennis balls, basket of knitting on the coffee table, your art on the tables or walls, bike helmiet or dog leash on the hooks.2 shelves built, from wall to wall, for TV, fish, music, books, movies, 1 - 2 photos, etc. OR: computer height one side and bookshelves the rest of the way to the wall.

    Have fun decorating and above all else trust your own instincts and enjoy it.
  • janroze
    9 years ago
    I should have mentioned that you could substitute a large hassock for more seating. chair 1, window 4, LS 2, sofa 3, hassock 2. You could have a party of 10 with no problem if you put a long shallow table or shelf on entry wall for serving.